A/N: We're back! I know I might've just recently finished the chapter before this one and it may seem too soon to you, but I wanted to post both at the same time. Anyway, we are now at the end of the 1st season of Five Elements; I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, put all my heart and soul into making this as exciting as I can. Now, it's time to pick up where we left off… Water, Earth, Fire, Air, and Ki… Five Elements the North Pole Siege part two!
Disclaimer- I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Avatar the Last Airbender
Chapter 19 – The Siege of the North Pole part 2
Fireballs were launched into the ice fortress, and Fire Navy troops were storming the city as the Northern Water Tribe faced its second day of war against the Fire Nation Admiral Zhao and his fleet. If things weren't bad enough, they got worse when the Princes of the Fire Nation, Trunks and Zuko, had managed to sneak into the oasis and capture Aang and Gohan before they could help end this battle. Katara was full of sadness after she was defeated by the Son of Ozai in combat and her friends were taken. "I can't believe I lost them," Katara grieved as she knelt down at the pond.
"You did everything you could, and now we need to do everything we can to get them back," Sokka comforted his sister. "Zuko and Trunks couldn't have gotten far. We'll find them. Our friends will be all right."
"Okay," Katara replied as she stood up. She got in Appa's saddle with Yue while Sokka sat on the Bison's head. Momo chattered sadly while looking at the pond and Icarus cried in a state of worry. "It's okay guys, you stay here in Aang and Gohan come back," Katara told the pets.
"Yip, yip!" Sokka whipped the reins and Appa took off; he flew to the top of the oasis waterfall and into the snowstorm.
The Fire Princes continued to trek through the blizzard while the lavender-haired teen carried their prisoners. Aang's tattoos were still glowing, but his eyes were closed, as were Gohan's, both apparently not conscious of what was going on at the moment.
Aang suddenly found himself sitting in his meditative position on a platform in a strange bamboo swamp. A white bird flew right above him. Realizing he must be in the spirit world, Aang got up and wandered around. He heard a humming noise and turned to see a spirit monkey in a monk outfit meditating. He approached the spirit and said, "Hello? I'm sorry to disturb you, but I just really need to find the Moon and the Ocean spirits."
"Go... away," was the monkey's reply. He opened one eye and saw the young monk hadn't left. "You're still here?"
"Yes! I need–" Aang tried to explain but was interrupted.
"Ohmm!" the Monkey shut his eyes and hummed loudly, hoping to block out Aang. He then spotted a blue speck of light. "Perhaps that thing will help you? Chase it!" The Airbender ran after the speck and Monkey sighed. "Finally."
Aang chased the speck of light through the swamp and up a tree; he jumped and caught it while smiling. After he landed in the tree, the branch he was standing on broke down, causing him to fall into the water. As he crashed, the will-o'-the-wisp slipped from his grasp and flew away. "Come back!" Aang cried as he stood up. He looked into the water at his blurry reflection; it then shifted into an image of his spiritual teacher: Avatar Roku.
"Hello, Aang," Roku greeted his successor.
"Roku!" Aang exclaimed.
Inside Gohan's mind, the young Ki bender woke up in a place full of grass and trees. He looked around and saw that he was standing on a large cliff. "Where am I?" he wondered. He then noticed that his body was much smaller, that he had somehow been reverted back to his four-year-old size. "What happened to me?!" His mind recalled that he was fighting the Fire Princes with Katara and that he lost. "Trunks defeated me again, so now they probably have Aang," Gohan said sadly. "Wait a minute, am I… dead?" He closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them. "I can still sense everyone's Ki, so maybe I'm not dead." The boy then looked up when he felt the presence of another person.
He spotted a man he had seen in one of his previous visions: a tall being with green skin, pointy ears, sharp nails that made perfect claws, wearing a purple Gi with brown shoes, and a white hat and cape. His eyes were closed as he was in a meditative position. "It's about time you noticed me," the being said, letting go of his position and descending toward the ground. He stared at Gohan with intense eyes as the wind blew around them.
"Why do I feel like I should know him very well?" Gohan thought.
"Do you know who I am?" the green being questioned.
"Uh no, should I?" Gohan inquired.
"I know you lost a lot of your memories, but try to remember me, Gohan," the being said.
Hearing this man say his name made Gohan sense something from him: pride, compassion, and joy. He also sensed depression from this man, like they hadn't seen each other in a long time. Gohan's mind suddenly brought him back to a time where he was training in this very same field with this guy. His memory then changed to one where he was being attacked by a large, bulky, bald man; this man fired an enormous energy blast at the frightened boy that was surely meant to kill him, but at the last second, the green stranger flashed right in front of the Son of Goku and took the blast for him. The green warrior screamed in agony as the explosion incinerated his body. Gohan started crying over the death of this green person, who he seemed to have a close bond with. His grief immediately turned to rage, and he summoned all his power, firing a powerful Ki blast at the murderer.
The memory shifted to where the green fighter seemed to be suffering in pain as he was being attacked by a giant blue demon; the monster swung his fist at the green one, but Gohan instantly appeared in between them and blocked the attack. Moments later after defeating the enemy, Gohan smiled at his green friend and said, "Piccolo, we won. We did it ourselves, and we didn't need my Dad this time!"
"Nah, kid, we needed your Dad very much, and he was here the whole time," the green fighter replied.
"What? He was?" a confused Gohan inquired.
"Yeah, he was inside you, Gohan," Piccolo stated while placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. Gohan then smiled again before passing out in his friend's arms. "Sleep well, Gohan, I'm proud of you."
The memory went to where Gohan was an adult and on the battlefield. He was repeatedly being zapped with red beams by a creature with horns sitting in some floating chair. Gohan finally collapsed, and the monster mocked him. The fiend then pointed his finger at the downed Gohan and declared, "Your death will balance the scales! It's what you get for being a Saiyan, and it's what you deserve for being Goku's son! Now die!" The fiend fired a death beam at the immobilized Gohan, but once again Piccolo jumped in front of him and took the blast instead. Piccolo collapsed and died instantly, leaving Gohan in a state of shock. "Piccolo, why? Why would you do that?" Gohan muttered as he stared at the burning hole in his master's corpse. Piccolo's death, again, triggered Gohan's inner rage and he powered up as a result.
Moments later, Gohan was before his master once again, asking him to train him again to which Piccolo agreed. Gohan and Piccolo were then sparring in the rain; Piccolo had the upper hand due to his increased power and improved fighting sense. After he won, Piccolo explained Gohan's weakness of arrogance and hesitation. After his mentor encouraged him to be a true warrior and fight at his best, Gohan pushed himself to greater heights, and the two resumed fighting. Gohan had the advantage but let his arrogance blind him again, to which Piccolo stated he inherited it from his father. He instructed Gohan to lose that pride and to be alert till the fight was over.
Days later, the master and student were competing in a team tournament; their enemy was attacking them from the shadows. As they tried to find a way to track down the sniper, a shot is fired at Gohan. Piccolo sensed it and jumped in front of his first friend. As a result, he lost both his arms, but he was able to regenerate them. "Are you okay, Gohan?" Piccolo asked.
"I'm fine, but what about you?" Gohan asked back.
Current Gohan suddenly snapped out of his road down memory lane and stared at the fighter before him. "I remember you now! You're my mentor, Piccolo!" Gohan exclaimed.
"Glad you remember me; it's good to see you again, Gohan," Piccolo responded.
In the physical world, the Princes proceeded to push their way through the heavy weather. After a few more steps, the ice underneath began to crack; the princes looked behind them and saw the ice floor was about to crumble. The two started to run while Trunks continued to carry the boys. They barely managed to stay ahead of the splitting ice floor before it eventually stopped and the four tumbled across the snow. The Princes looked back and saw a giant ice abyss that was recently formed. Prince Zuko looked forward and spotted a small opening. "Shelter," he said, getting Trunks' attention.
Zuko led his partner to the small cave. Trunks placed Aang and Gohan down so that he could build a fire. Zuko then tied Aang's hands and feet to prevent him from bending in case he woke up.
Aang stared down at the reflection of his Avatar guide. "Roku, the Water Tribe is under attack. I need to find the Ocean and Moon spirits!" he told his predecessor.
The swamp water shot upward and took the form of Avatar Roku. "The Ocean and the Moon are ancient spirits. They crossed over from the Spirit World to the Mortal World very near the beginning," Roku explained. "There is only one spirit I know of who is old enough to remember."
"Who?" Aang asked.
"The spirit's name is Koh. But he is very dangerous. They call him... the Face Stealer." Aang's face turned frightened from this information. "When you speak with him you must be very careful to show no emotion at all – not the slightest expression or he will steal your face!" Roku warned. Aang grew more scared but quickly recovered and nodded.
"Master Piccolo, what is this place?" Gohan questioned. "Am I dead?"
"You are very much alive, Gohan," Piccolo answered. "And this place is one picked out from our memories."
"You mean the place where you first trained me, the valley of monsters," Gohan recalled. "I can't stay here; my brother needs my help, and I have to go!"
"I'm afraid you cannot leave," Piccolo stated. "You seem to be conflicted about some things, so I brought you here to be your teacher once again."
"I don't have time for a lesson, an entire city is being attacked, and my friends are in trouble! I have to help them now!" Gohan urged.
"If you wish to leave this place, Gohan," Piccolo said while entering a fighting position, "then you'll have to get past me first!"
The wind continued to rage on. Appa landed, and Sokka got off to search for any sign of their friends. He spotted the large canyon that the fire princes created but their trail seemed to have vanished. Sokka looked back at the girls; Katara's expressed depression as they didn't know their friends' fate.
In the small cave, with the fire going and their prisoners restrained, Trunks and Zuko decided to sit out and wait for the snowstorm to die down. Zuko blew fire into his hands, attempting to keep himself warm. "We finally have him. But we can't get him home because of this blizzard," Zuko spoke to his friend.
"Well, we knew this was never going to be easy, didn't we?" Trunks asked.
"I know, it's just… there's always something." Zuko then looked at their prisoners. "Not that they would understand though."
"Well, they are our enemies," Trunks reminded him.
"It's funny, the Avatar reminds me of my sister." Zuko got up and stared out the cave entrance into the blizzard. "Everything always... came easily to her. She's a firebending prodigy – and everyone adores her."
"Yeah, Azula has always been special to our nation," Trunks agreed. "She's powerful, graceful, cunning, and beautiful. She's the Sapphire Princess alright." Trunks' face shifted to a smile as he thought about the daughter of Ozai; he frowned afterward when another person came to his mind. "I guess my sister is no different. She's been more gifted than I am, and she's done everything she could to be just like Azula; she's even named herself the Sapphire Shadow."
"My father says our sisters were born lucky, and that we were lucky to be born." Zuko expressed hurt from how his own father berated him. "But I don't need luck though, I don't want it. I've always had to struggle and fight and that's made me strong. It's made me who I am," the Prince declared.
Trunks placed his hand on his comrade's shoulder. "It's made us who we are. And that means we're not letting anything stand in the way of completing our mission, not even this blizzard."
At the City, Fire Navy Ships were stationed outside the wall, still shooting fireballs into the city. Many Fire soldiers were riding on Komodo Rhinos with mini catapults while Fire Tanks closed in on the inner wall. The Northern Waterbenders fired water blasts in an attempt to defend their city; two tanks were knocked away but the rest launched grappling hooks at the ice barrier. The defenders scattered as the grappling hooks pierced through the inner wall. The tanks reeled in their chains while fastening themselves to the ice. The chains pulled until the ice cracked and a large piece of it was removed, allowing Firebenders to march in on their rhinos. The area in between the inner wall and the outer wall was completely void of people and was now overrun with Fire Nation invaders. More fireballs were launched into the city, more tanks were penetrating the inner wall, and more fire troops were invading.
It was clear that this was a one-sided battle and that the Water Tribe could not hold out for long. Outside the city, the leader of the invasion force was standing at the bridge of his head ship, watching his army demolish the Northern Water Tribe with glee. His general came up to him. "I don't need to remind you that we have a time limit," Iroh stated. "If we don't defeat the Water Tribe before the full moon rises, they will be unbeatable."
"I assure you, I have everything under control. In fact, I intend to remove the moon as a factor," Zhao divulged.
"Remove the moon? How?" Iroh inquired.
They were suddenly interrupted by someone appearing on the bridge and shouting, "Admiral Choi!" A Fire soldier pulled off his helmet, revealing himself to be Hahn. The Water Tribesman brought out his spear and declared, "Prepare to meet your fate!" He charged at the Fire Admiral, attempting to skewer him, but Zhao effortlessly tossed the teen off the ship and into the water while General Iroh shook his head pitifully. "As I was saying... years ago I stumbled upon a great and powerful secret... the identity of the Moon Spirit's mortal form," Zhao spoke on.
"What?" Iroh asked in surprise.
"I was a young Lieutenant serving under General Shu in the Earth Kingdom..." Zhao explained as he remembered his youth. The Lieutenant Zhao was somewhere dark, reading thousands of scrolls with a candle for light. His eyes seemed fascinated in a particular scroll. "I discovered a hidden library, underground in fact. I tore through scroll after scroll. One of them contained a detailed illustration and the words "moon" and "ocean." I knew then that these spirits could be found – and killed. And that it was my destiny to do so."
"Zhao, the Spirits are not to be trifled with!" Iroh warned the Admiral.
"Yes, yes, I know you fear the Spirits, Iroh. I've heard rumors about your journey into the Spirit World," Zhao said condescendingly. "But the Ocean and Moon gave up their immortality to become a part of our world and now they will face the consequences!"
"I have to what?" Gohan asked.
"Did I stutter? I said you'll have to get past me first!" Piccolo repeated.
"I don't have time for this, I need to go back to help my friends now!" the boy urged his mentor.
Piccolo dropped his stance before turning his back to Gohan, which confused the boy. After a few seconds, Piccolo aimed his hand at the spiky-haired teen and fired an energy blast at him. Acting on instinct, Gohan jumped into the air to avoid the attack, leaving himself open to Piccolo's frontal assault. The green fighter swung his fist at the boy; Gohan blocked it by crossing his arms, but the force behind the attack pushed him back a few feet. Piccolo tried to kick his pupil, but Gohan blocked the attack. The green fighter then fired a blast from his mouth and Gohan dodged it by going airborne again. Piccolo caught the boy off guard by striking him with energy blast from his eyes.
The eye beams vaporized Gohan and he fell hard on the ground. Piccolo simply stared at his old student with a neutral expression. "If you have time to complain, then you have time to fight back!" he said.
The Son of Goku slowly stood up and wiped his forehead. "I guess I have no choice but to fight you," Gohan replied.
"If you truly wish to leave, then you're going to have to defeat me first." Piccolo took off his cape and hat. "And I assure you, it won't be an easy task. So you'd better fight with everything you've got."
Gohan nodded as he entered his fighting stance. After a few seconds, Gohan jumped at his master and threw a punch to his face, but Piccolo easily caught it.
Back in the Spirit world, the Avatar was hopping across wooden pylons toward a giant twisted tree with a stable source of light behind it. He stopped in front of the tree just as an enormous jackal-like spirit walked behind it. Aang saw a dark hole at the bottom of the tree for entrance; as he slowly approached the entrance; his face grew more and more scared when he suddenly heard a screeching noise that startled him. "Oh! Whew! You're just a curly tailed blue nose," Aang said in relief. The spirit turned its head to the monk, revealing that it had no face. Aang gasped but quickly calmed himself down before taking a deep breath. "Show no fear. Show no emotion at all," Aang spoke, his voiced mixed with Roku's. Now mentally prepared, the Airbender walked into the lair of the Face Stealer.
Aang went down a dark staircase while looking around for the face stealer. As he went down, he failed to notice the moving creature hiding along the ceiling in darkness as he said, "Hello? I'm looking for a spirit named 'Koh.'" The creature's legs started to move. Aang sensed that he wasn't alone and looked around for Koh; he saw nothing and was unaware of the spirit creeping up behind him. Koh smiled before he rushed into Aang's face and greeted, "Welcome!" Its body consisted of a giant centipede while its face was a white clown-like one with red lips. Although he attempted to scare Aang, the Avatar showed no trace of fear for the face stealer. "Thank you," Aang responded as he bowed to Koh.
"My old friend, the Avatar. It's been a long time," Koh stated.
"You know me?" Aang inquired.
"How could I forget … you? One of your previous incarnations tried to slay me! It was eight or nine hundred years ago!" Koh sneered as his face changed into that of a middle-aged man and got in Aang's face.
If the Avatar was surprised, he didn't show it as he continued to talk to the spirit. "I didn't know that. Why did he... or I... try to kill you?"
"Oh... it was something about stealing the face of someone you loved..." Koh explained as his face changed into that of a beautiful woman with long flowing black hair. Aang stared at the woman's face, showing no sign of recognizing it or feeling any emotional attachment to it. Koh soon laughed while switching to a curly tailed blue nose face. "Of course, that's all behind us. Why should I hold a grudge against you for something in a past life? After all, you're a different person now. You've come to me... with a new face," Koh whispered into Aang's ear; the monk took a deep breath which transcended to his physical body.
The Fire Princes noticed Aang's movement. Prince Zuko looked out the cave entrance, seeing that the snowstorm was still going strong. "Guess we'll be here awhile," Zuko said.
Gohan and Piccolo's battle continued on, the green master having the advantage in everything, yet Gohan's determination prevented him from backing down. The young fighter rushed at his teacher to deliver a hand chop strike, which Piccolo simply blocked with his forearm. Gohan continued his assault by throwing multiple blows at his green foe, all of which Piccolo blocked before knocking Gohan to the ground with two blows to the head. Gohan stood up and rubbed his head. "Is that the best you can do?" Piccolo questioned. Gohan jumped at Piccolo again but the Demon King easily knocked him away. Gohan bounced off a tree and charged at his teacher again. He threw numerous strikes at Piccolo, but he swiftly dodged all of them before kicking Gohan in the gut. The black haired child grasped his stomach in pain as he stayed on the ground.
"What? Finished already?" Piccolo asked the boy.
"N-Not even close," Gohan answered as he stood up again.
"What are you even fighting for?" Piccolo questioned his student.
"Huh? You know the answer already," Gohan declared. "I have to go back to my friends and help them!" Gohan charged at his mentor again, throwing punches and kicks that never seemed to make contact. Gohan then managed to get a hit in when he kicked Piccolo in the chest; when Piccolo flinched a bit he tried to strike him again with a punch to the face, but the master grabbed his fist and threw the boy away. Gohan landed on his feet just as Piccolo fired a blast from his hand. Gohan blocked it with his hands and pounced toward his teacher. Piccolo fired another beam with his mouth; Gohan dodged it by bending backward before jumping above his opponent. Piccolo attacked again with his eye beams but Gohan avoided by flipping backward. "You'll never hit me with the same old trick!" Gohan exclaimed.
"Then how about a new trick?!" Piccolo yelled as the antenna on his head released an electric blast that zapped the young boy. Gohan fell to the ground face first as his body was smoking from Piccolo's attack. Gohan struggled to get up again as Piccolo repeated his question. "What are you fighting for?"
"I already told you, I have to help my friends!" Gohan answered.
"That's why you're fighting me! But why do you fight at all?!" Piccolo rephrased.
"What do you mean by that?" Gohan asked.
"I mean you spend all your time fighting in a war against an entire nation, taking on foes much stronger than you and yet you hold back to avoid really hurting or killing them," the Demon King elucidated. "So I ask again, what exactly are you fighting for?" After waiting a few minutes, Gohan could do nothing but look down as he could not provide his teacher an answer. "No answer; then you might as well give up!"
"No! Never!" Gohan cried as he rushed toward Piccolo again. He tried to kick his mentor but was surprised when his attack seemed to hit nothing. He looked back and saw that his master had dodged his strike by splitting in two. "What the heck?! Is this some sort of magic trick?! No fair, Piccolo!"
"It's not magic, kid! I'm using nothing more than my Ki to perform this technique!" Piccolo stated before the two Piccolos flew straight at the boy. Gohan struggled to keep up with the duo before he suddenly slipped and was kicked away. Gohan quickly recovered and charged at his opponents, but one them reacted by waving his hands and unleashing a shockwave that paralyzed Gohan. Gohan struggled to fight against the electricity that was licking his body but it was futile. "What are you fighting for?! Tell me!" Piccolo asked again. As he spoke, his clone was pointing two fingers at his forehead and focusing Ki into them.
"I-I don't know!" was the only answer Gohan could give.
"Then you'd better get used to this place, 'cause it doesn't look like you're leaving any time soon!" said the Piccolo clone. He lowered his fingers and pointed them at Gohan. "Special Beam Cannon!" the clone cried as he fired a spiraling beam at the Son of Goku. The attack hit Gohan and blasted him off the large cliff; he started to scream as he fell down a large abyss before he quickly grabbed onto the side of the canyon. He sighed in relief while looking down into pure darkness as far as they eye could see. He then looked up and saw both Piccolos standing at the edge of the cliff and glaring down at him with stern looks.
In the physical world, Katara, Sokka, and Princess Yue were still searching for Aang and Gohan in the snowstorm. They scanned the snowy area, but still found no sign of the Fire Princes or their friends. Katara seemed to grow more depressed as they searched through the harsh snowy weather. "Don't worry! Prince Zuko can't be getting too far in this weather," Yue assured the Waterbender.
"I'm not worried they'll get away in the blizzard. I'm worried that they won't," Katara admitted.
"They're not gonna die in this blizzard! If we know one thing, it's that Zuko and Trunks never give up!" said a determined Sokka, clearly putting his faith in the princes' tenacity. "They'll survive – and we'll find them!"
In his lair, Koh wrapped himself around Aang's body while the Avatar maintained his neutral expression. "It's been a long time since I've added a child's face to my collection," Koh stated as his face changed into one of an owl. "So... how may I help you?"
"I need to find the Moon and the Ocean," Aang replied.
"Their spirit names are Tui and La. Push... and Pull... and that has been the nature of their relationship for all time," the Face Stealer told the boy while circling him.
"Please, help me find them. An entire culture could be destroyed if I don't get their help," Aang pleaded while still showing no emotion or distress.
"Oh, you think you need their help? Actually, it's quite the other way around," Koh revealed as he loomed over Aang and his face shifted to an old man's face. He then charged at Aang with the face similar to that of the blue spirit's, complete with huge fangs and red eyes, and stopped inches away from his prey's face. "Someone's going to kill them!" Koh exclaimed, attempting to break Aang but to no avail.
Aang's only reaction was blinking before asking, "What do you mean? How can I find them and protect them?"
"You've already met them, actually," Koh revealed as his face shifted back to the clown one. "Tui and La, your Moon and Ocean, have always circled each other in an eternal dance." The giant centipede moved away from Aang and turned away from him as he continued to explain the spirits' identity. "They balance each other... push and pull... life and death... good and evil... yin... and yang."
The last statement made Aang's eyes grow wide. His mind was brought back to before he entered the spirit world, and he remembered the two black and white fish that swam around each other, forming the Yin and Yang symbol in the oasis pond. "The Koi fish!" he cried out while dropping his nonchalant expression to one of joy. Hearing Aang's joyful outburst, Koh zoomed toward the monk with his blue Ogre face again but was met with the Avatar's unemotional look. "I must be going now," Aang said before walking away.
"We'll meet again," Koh ensured as his face changed into a bald young man and he faded into the shadows.
Aang rushed out the Face Stealer's lair and looked into the water to speak to his past life/mentor. "Roku, the spirits are in trouble. I need to get back to the physical world," Aang told him.
"A friend is here to guide you back," Roku replied. The reflection of the past Avatar shifted into one of a black and white spirit that Aang immediately recognized. "Hei-Bai!" he greeted the forest spirit. The panda lowered himself and Aang climbed onto his neck; the two then made their way back to the physical world.
On Zhao's ship, Beat continued to keep watch over his old friend, who was still struggling to free herself from her bindings while banging against her cell. Just then, Commander Brute walked into the prison hold and addressed him. "We're about to enter the city; it seems our prisoner wasn't enough to get the Water Tribe to surrender peacefully."
"What are we supposed to do with her now?" Beat asked, showing a little worry.
Brody raised an eyebrow before answering, "Admiral Zhao's instructions were very clear: if the Water Tribe did not back down by the time we made it into their city and night had fallen, the prisoner would become invaluable to us, and I was given clearance to determine her fate." He turned to the door to leave, but stopped and looked back to Beat. "I'm wanted by the Admiral's side, so I'm authorizing you to deal with the prisoner."
"What do you mean by that?" Beat questioned.
Brody looked at him with an evil smirk. "Kill her!" He then left and shut the door.
Beat and Note both had looks of surprise and horror, but Beat quickly got over it and turned to face Note's cell door. "So that's it. After all the time we spent together as friends, you're just going to kill me like that meant nothing to you?" Note asked. Beat didn't answer as he unlocked the cell door and opened it. He grabbed Note and tossed her out of the cell onto the floor; she looked at him pleadingly while his expression seemed neutral. "Beat, remember what you told me! It doesn't matter if you're a member of the Fire Nation or that I'm a Water Tribe girl, we're still friends! You don't have to do this!" Beat gave no response as he brought his hand and formed the Ki blade.
"Beat, please!" she pleaded one last time as her friend raised his weaponized hand. Note closed her eyes as she waited for her swift execution. Beat closed his eyes as he seemed conflicted about what he was about to do; his eyes then shot open and he swung his Ki blade at his friend. Note opened her eyes and was surprised to find that she was still alive; in fact, she didn't feel anything from Beat's death strike. She checked herself and saw that her restraints were split in half, allowing her to move freely. She looked at Beat who put his Ki blade away and offered his hand to her. She took it and was pulled to her feet before she embraced her friend, who hugged her back. "Thank you," she said gratefully.
"You're right, we are still friends," Beat replied. "It doesn't matter where we're from or what people think." He smiled at her as he broke the embrace. "But, you should still get out of here and help your tribe."
"What about you?" she inquired worriedly. "Won't you get in trouble if they found out you didn't kill me?"
"If there's a punishment for allowing my friend from the Water Tribe to escape, I'll gladly face the consequences," Beat declared.
Note felt sad that her childhood friend would be punished for letting her go. She grabbed his hand and looked him in the eye. "Come with me," she suggested.
Beat was surprised at her offer but kept his posture. "As much as I'd like to, I can't. I'm still a Ki bender of the Fire Nation. I can't just join hands with other nations."
"Remember what you told me years ago, that we could go to a place in the Earth Kingdom where we don't have to be members of the Fire Nation or the Water Tribe. No one would judge us if they didn't know who we were. We can leave together," Note said.
"I don't know…" Beat replied with uncertainty.
Note moved a little closer to her friend as she held his hand tightly. "I don't care if the circumstances are different, you promised you'd come back to the North Pole and you have. This is our chance to leave and travel the world freely," Note pleaded. Beat gave no answer as he turned away from the female Ki bender. Note looked down in sadness as she released his hand; she gave a sad smile to Beat's head. "It's ok, I understand. You're not ready yet." She slowly walked away from him to the door. "Thanks for being my friend. I hope that never changes." Note exited the prison hold, leaving Beat to his thoughts.
In the North City, day had become night and the Fire Nation continued to attack the Northern Water Tribe. Most of their defensive walls had been penetrated and the fire tanks along with the army were storming the city, getting closer to the royal palace. Fireballs were still launched at the city, and citizens were fleeing for their lives as the fire tanks smashed through and threw fire at everything. The Waterbenders were in serious trouble when they looked up and saw the full moon in the night sky. Now at their peak, the Waterbenders began to counterattack the Fire army with their newfound strength.
A group of fire troops were crossing an ice bridge when a single Waterbender intercepted them and destroyed the bridge in order to push the enemies away. Another Waterbender sank a tank in the snow; it shot a fireball at him but he blocked it with the snow and threw a snow bullet at the turret, damaging it. A line of Waterbenders on the outer walls fired ice spears at the fire soldiers. Their attacks were blocked by the soldiers' shields, but at the same time, the soldiers were being pushed back by the ice shower.
Master Pakku was holding his own against the fire army; he froze eight soldiers before ducking a fire blast from a tank. Another army along with three tanks closed in on the old master, but Pakku demonstrated his superior skill by slicing off the wheels of the fire tanks with snow. The soldiers armed with spears surrounded him, so Pakku imprisoned them in ice. He then bended the snow to form a water vortex that hoisted him into the air, allowing him to dodge and block fire attacks while throwing water strikes simultaneously.
Three Waterbenders used the snow to toss a fire tank away; it landed in front of the Fire Admiral, who had appeared in the city along with his commander and a small battalion of Firebenders, all riding on Komodo Rhinos. The tank's impact caused a wave of snow to pile onto a Firebender on Zhao's right while some fell on Zhao's shoulder. The soaked Firebender used his heat to melt the snow while Zhao dusted himself off. "We'll be following this map to a very special location," Zhao explained as he held up a map before putting it away. "And when we get there...we're going fishing."
In Gohan's mind, the young boy struggled to pull himself up the cliff. He started rapidly climbing at first until his hand slipped and he fell back down. Piccolo only stared at his student's predicament. Down below, the abyss erupted and a burst of magma shot upward. Gohan eyes widened before he attempted to climb out again; his hand slipped again and he began to fall downward. He quickly grabbed the cliffside again and looked back up at his master. "Piccolo! Help me, please!" the boy cried.
"Only you can help yourself, kid," Piccolo replied.
The magma started to slowly rise toward the young fighter. He held onto the side of the canyon tightly so that he wouldn't fall. He grew more afraid as he glanced at the rising hot liquid. "I can't! I can't do this on my own! Please help!" Gohan begged again.
"Pathetic! Giving up already! You're even whinier than when I trained you," Piccolo stated as he and his clone turned away from the distressed child. "Why do you even fight at all?"
"Why do you keep asking me that?" Gohan questioned him. "I told you, my friends need my help. My brother needs my help!"
"What makes you think that your help is needed at all?" Piccolo asked.
"Because if I don't help, the Fire Nation will conquer the world!" Gohan replied.
"It's the Avatar's job to stop the Fire Nation, not yours!" Piccolo reminded him.
"Aang still needs my help! He can't do this alone; he's still just a kid!" Gohan argued.
"Ha! What help is one kid to another in this sort of crisis?!" Piccolo questioned, which made Gohan's eyes widen as he realized what his mentor was getting at. "How can you be any help to anyone if you always doubt yourself?" Suddenly, images of Trunks and Brody appeared beside the Demon King. "You expect things to be easy, but how can you accomplish anything if you don't give it your all?! You say you're fighting to support your friends, yet you doubt if you're actually helping! You calm to be defending the innocence, but you tend to hold back against your enemies! What is your goal, Gohan?! And what are you fighting for?!" Piccolo started to walk away from the cliff.
"What am I supposed to do?" Gohan thought as he held tightly to the cliffside. Gohan looked down in shame and defeat; his mind suddenly recalled his father's words of encouragement when he met him. "Gohan, you need to get stronger, stronger than you've ever dreamed. I know you can do it, because I believe in you." Gohan's grip on the canyon wall tightened. His face full of determination, he jumped up the wall and out of the canyon. Piccolo and his clone still had their backs turned as his protégé made it out of the abyss and knelt behind him. "I understand now," Gohan proclaimed. "I can't doubt myself anymore; I have to be strong. If I wish to help my friends, then I need to do everything I can. I have to use all the power I have!"
The Piccolos turned and faced Gohan while smirking. "You're starting to sound more like yourself now," Piccolo noted. "You were a true warrior; you always faced the challenges before you with bravery, and the drive to protect your loved ones has always helped you to get stronger. That will is still inside you, Gohan, you just have dig deep to reach it."
Gohan closed his eyes as he focused on the will he had to protect his friends. Gohan recalled more memories of his past life; one where he fought a one-eyed, flaming-haired man to save his dad, one where he fought some galactic tyrant, one where he plowed right through the chest of a giant blue monster, one where he battled a mutant grasshopper to save the world, one where he fought someone who looked like a bigger, more powerful version of Brody. He raised his head as he had the look of a true fighter on his face. "I must protect my friends no matter what it takes! My enemies may be stronger than me, but that will never stop me! I will continue to get stronger so that I can support my brother Aang and protect the world from any threats!" Gohan then stood up and took a fighting stance. "So get ready, Piccolo, 'cause now I won't hold back!"
Gohan charged at the Demon Kings with greater speed than before; he kicked both of them before either of them could react, forcing the two Piccolos to collide and mix back into one. Piccolo sat up and glared his pupil, but his form was different; he looked slightly older and was wearing a gi similar to his own. The Demon King got up and took his own fighting position. The two charged at each other and clashed; they traded multiple blows before Gohan jumped back to gain some distance. Piccolo stretched his arm and grabbed Gohan's face; he threw the boy into a large rock that shattered when Gohan collided with it. Gohan recovered and flew at his mentor, nailing him in the chest with a skull bash attack. Piccolo staggered a bit and started fired beams from his fingers at the boy. The Son of Goku swiftly dodged every finger beam and released a kiai that blew his teacher backward.
Piccolo started to split himself into many numbers before rushing at Gohan. Showing no fear, the boy began attacking each clone one by one, and every time he did, the replicas would dissipate into energy. Many of the duplicates started firing blasts at the boy, so Gohan countered by releasing an energy wave that blew the Ki blasts back at the clones, destroying them. He then jumped at the real Piccolo and kicked him in the head. Piccolo cringed before looking at his student who had taken his original form. Piccolo stretched his arms toward the young fighter, but Gohan swiftly grabbed his arms and tossed him upward. Piccolo stopped himself and retracted his arms. His student thrust his palm upward, creating an invisible force that struck Piccolo in the chin.
Gohan then jumped toward the Demon King, but Piccolo quickly recovered and fired a blast from his mouth that hit Gohan and sent him back to earth. Piccolo yelled, "Rapid Fire!" as he shot a volley of Ki blasts at his opponent. When he stopped, he descended to the ground, when Gohan suddenly burst out of the ground while emitting Ki throughout his whole body. He then fired the Ki in the form of a blast at his mentor; Piccolo dodged the attack and put his hands together. "Masenko, Ha!" Piccolo shouted as he fired the demon flash attack at his pupil. Gohan held up his hands as the blast came at him; the demon flash collided with Gohan's palms and he pushed against it. The blast eventually dissipated into a puff of smoke in Gohan's hands. "My turn." Gohan placed his hands above his head. "Masenko…Ha!" he cried as he poured Ki into his hands and fired the attack at his teacher.
Piccolo blocked the attack with a cross guard; when it ended, he lowered his arms and said, "You'll have to do better than that!" He suddenly noticed that Gohan wasn't where he last saw him. "Ka…me…ha…me…" A certain chant was heard from above. The green fighter looked up and saw the Son of Goku concentrating his energy into a single point in between his hands. "Haaa!" Gohan fired the turtle shock wave beam at his master; the attack consumed Piccolo completely. When Gohan was finished, he could see the Demon King lying on the ground, missing an arm. Gohan landed and slowly approached the Namekian before stopping at his feet. "Looks like I win," Gohan stated. Piccolo opened his eyes and smiled. "Looks like," he agreed, which made Gohan smile. However, he was unaware of something creeping behind him; the boy was suddenly nailed in the back with a Ki blast, courtesy of a Piccolo clone.
Gohan almost fell over but Piccolo quickly stood up and caught him as his clone disappeared. "You won the fight, but you let your guard down," Piccolo explained. "I know I warned you of that weakness." He let go of Gohan and the boy stood up. "You need to remember to stay alert, and never let your arrogance blind you in battle. Keep your guard up, don't hold back, and don't stop till the fight is truly over," the master advised his disciple.
"Yes, Piccolo," Gohan replied.
Piccolo smiled as he placed his hand on Gohan's shoulder. "You did well; there was no hesitation in attacks. You're starting be like your old self again," he praised his friend.
"You weren't using your full power, were you?" Gohan asked.
"Heh! Trust me, you're not ready to handle me at my best yet," Piccolo assured him. "Regardless, you defeated me, so you're free to go back and help your friends now. But before you leave, I want to give you something." Piccolo placed two fingers at Gohan's forehead. His fingers started to glow and the light spread to Gohan's body; when it died down, Gohan looked at himself curiously.
"What was that?" he inquired.
"Just passing some techniques I think will be useful in the future on to you," the Master answered. "Now, get going. You have a war to fight in, so don't you dare lose! Show the world that you're my student and Goku's son!" A light entrance suddenly appeared.
"I will! Thanks, Piccolo," Gohan said. He started to walk toward the exit before stopping to look back as his mentor. "Will I be able to see you again?" he asked.
"Whenever you need a teacher, Gohan, just call me, and I'll answer," Piccolo replied while smiling proudly. Gohan nodded to him and stepped through the exit. "Don't let us down, Gohan, because we believe in you," Piccolo said before he disappeared.
Back in the Spirit World, Aang and Hei-Bai rode all the way back to the spiritual paifang that Aang came through. "This is where I came in. But how do I get back?" Aang asked as he jumped off the black and white spirit. The Panda stood up and let out a thin beam of spiritual energy from his mouth; it hit Aang and the confused monk was consumed by the light before disappearing. "Good riddance," the spirit monkey from earlier remarked. Hei-Bai didn't take that lightly as he changed into his monstrous form and roared at the monkey, blowing him away before changing back to panda.
Aang appeared in the physical world at the oasis, but not the way he left. The Airbender immediately shouted, "Momo!" when he saw his lemur friend sleeping in front of the pond. Momo didn't wake up, so Aang called him again. "Momo?" As he tried to touch Momo, he saw that his hands were transparent and realized that he was still a spirit. "Oh no! Where's my body?" He looked around before he was unexpectedly engulfed in a blue sphere of light that started to fly him high above the oasis and into the snowstorm. His friends were still searching aimlessly when Katara spotted the moving light and pointed at it. "Look! That's gotta be Aang! Yip, yip!" Sokka steered the bison to follow the light of their friend. The light flew into the small cave and entered Aang's body. The light from his tattoos died down and he opened his eyes just as Gohan started to regain consciousness. They were both surprised to find themselves restrained.
"Aang?" Gohan asked.
"Gohan?" Aang asked. The two struggled against their bindings when they sensed they weren't alone. They both sat up and saw the Fire Princes standing before them.
"Welcome back," Zuko greeted them.
"Good to be back," Aang replied. Both boys took a deep breath and released a lung punch attack that blasted Trunks and Zuko into the cave wall while also blowing them out of the cave. Gohan grabbed Aang's shirt with his teeth and tried to fly away with him, but his ascent was slow due to his unbalance, allowing the princes to catch up and grab them.
"That won't be enough to escape!" Zuko said.
"We've got company!" Trunks alerted his friend while looking up.
Appa soon flew over their heads. "Appa!" Aang exclaimed with joy. The Sky bison landed on the ground and Katara quickly jumped off. "Perfect timing, guys," Gohan stated in relief. The Princes tossed their prisoners aside and took their fighting stances. "Here for a rematch?" Zuko asked Katara.
"Trust me, Zuko, it's not going to be much of a match," Katara assured as she blocked a fire blast with snow. She then used her Waterbending to hoist both princes into the air with an ice pillar before bringing them down hard. Zuko fell unconscious after the attack but Trunks stood back up.
"You won't beat me that easily!" Trunks declared before firing a Ki blast at the Waterbender. Katara quickly blocked it with an ice shield; Trunks prepared to attack again but stopped when he sensed something. He looked to his right to see Gohan channeling energy in order to break the energy rings restraining him. The bindings eventually burst apart, allowing Gohan quickly jump and kick Trunks in the head, knocking him out.
Sokka went over to Aang and cut his hands free. "Hey, this is some quality rope!" the Tribesman commented.
"We need to get to the oasis; the spirits are in trouble!" Aang warned them as he removed the rope around his legs. Aang, Katara, and Sokka got onboard Appa and prepared to fly away when they noticed Gohan picking up Trunks and Zuko. "What are you doing, Gohan?" Katara inquired.
"We can't just leave them here," Gohan answered.
"Uh, sure we can. Let's go!" Sokka argued.
"No, Gohan's right. If we leave them, they'll die," Aang agreed with his brother.
The Ki bender carried the Princes with him to the bison and jumped onto the saddle. "Yeah, this makes a lot of sense. Let's bring the guys who're constantly trying to kill us!" Sokka stated sarcastically. Appa then took off and headed back to the oasis.
In the oasis pond, the Moon and Ocean spirits were still swimming around each other when a hand suddenly grabbed the Moon spirit and placed it in a small brown bag. Admiral Zhao held up the captured fish and smirked as the full moon instantly turned blood red. The entire city was soon covered with the lighting of the new moon. As the North City began to darken, the strength of the Waterbenders started to diminish. Master Pakku's water vortex was cancelled out, another Waterbender was incapable of performing the Water whip, and the wave of water being used by a trio of Waterbenders to hold back a komodo rhino stopped bending to their will; all as a result of this new lunar eclipse.
The Waterbender begin retreat as the Fire nation advance once again. A line of Firebenders storm the city while letting out volleys of fire blasts. The Gang flew past the blood towards the oasis. "This is bad, all of the Waterbenders energies have decreased dramatically!" Gohan stated. Yue suddenly groans and holds her head in pain.
"Are you okay?" Sokka asked her.
"I feel faint." She replies.
"I feel it too." Aang says as he touches his head and looks up at the moon. "The moon spirit is in trouble."
"I owe the Moon Spirit my life." Yue starts to say.
"What do you mean?"Sokka asked.
"When I was born I was very sick and very weak." the Princess explains her past. "Most babies cry when they're born...
Flashback- Baby Yue is wrapped in a clothe as she's resting on a table, completely asleep and unaware of the world around her. "...but I was born as if I were asleep. My eyes closed." Many Water healers including, Yugoda, are surrounding the future princess of their tribe trying to heal her, but their healing abilities are ineffective. Yugoda goes over to Chief Arnook and his wife to tell them the baby's condition. "Our healers did everything they could. They told my mother and father I was going to die." After hearing that his daughter would die, the Chief stood at the citadel window and prays to the full moon, hoping the moon spirit will hear him. "My father pleaded with the spirits to save me... that night, beneath the full moon, he brought me to the oasis and placed me in the pond." Yue's parents take her to the same oasis she took the Gang too and her father put her into the pond. Her black heir changes to white, her eyes open and she starts crying. Her parents are thankful to the moon spirit. "My dark hair turned white, I opened my eyes and began to cry – and they knew I would live." Flashback ends.
"That's why my mother named me Yue, for the moon." Yue finishes her story.
At the oasis, Admiral Zhao, Commander Brute and four Firebender are there and the Fire Admiral begins to bask in glory. "I am now... a legend!" Zhao begins to exalt himself while holding the captured spirit higher. "The Fire Nation will for generations tell stories about the great Zhao who darkened the moon! They will call me Zhao the Conqueror! Zhao the Moon Slayer! ZHAO THE INVINCIBLE!" His boasting is interrupted by Momo jumping onto his head and playing with his face. "Get it off!" Zhao orders as Momo pulls on his sideburns. The Firebenders try to help their leader, but Momo flies away and lands on Aang's arm. The Fire soldiers prepare to fight as does the Gang. "Don't bother!" Zhao says as he aims his right fist at the bagged fish.
Aang quickly drops his staff and holds up his hands in surrender. "Zhao, don't!" he pleads.
"It's my destiny... to destroy the Moon... and the Water Tribe." Zhao sates.
"Destroying the moon won't just hurt the Water Tribe. It will hurt everyone – including you." Aang tells the Admiral. "Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world."
"He is right Zhao." a voice declares. Everyone looks towards the one who spoke, which turns out to be the Dragon of the West.
"General Iroh, why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?" Zhao asked with boredom.
"I'm no traitor Zhao, the Fire Nation needs the moon too. We all depend on the balance." Iroh lectures him. Zhao still holds firm and the Fire Lord's brother jabs a finger at him. "Whatever you do to that spirit I'll unleash on you ten-fold!" Iroh threatens him before taking a firebending stance. "LET IT GO, NOW!"
Admiral Zhao seems conflicted about what to do; he then closes his eyes before instantly reopening them. He looks to his commander who nods to him. Zhao suddenly turns back to his enemies smirking, and sets the bag holding the moon spirit on fire. "You want it, here." Zhao says as he lightly tosses the bag to the pond. Before anyone could react, a green energy blast hit the bag and explodes. Everyone recoils in horror as the moon spirit falls to the pond. Aside from a large wound, its body id still intact; however, the fish itself lays in the water, lifeless. The Gang looks up as the moonlight fades to gray; the full moon disappears from the sky completely.
"The Northern Water Tribe has fallen." Brody declares while smirking evilly.
General Iroh pounces at the two by unleashing a barrage of fireballs at them; Brody back flips away while Zhao deflects the onslaught. The four Firebenders attempt to fight Iroh, but the old master easily decimates them. Zhao watches Iroh best his men in fear before running away. Iroh defeats the last Fire guard and sees that the Fire Admiral and the Commander have fled.
Gohan senses Brody retreating into the city and quickly flies after him in rage. The Fire Commander runs through the city before he senses Gohan chasing after him. The two Ki benders eventually stop and land in the town square; they stare at each other as they prepared to fight. "Once again you've come to face me Gohan, and this you're alone without any magic sword to help you." Brody taunts the boy.
"Why would you do this?! Do you have any idea what you've and Zhao have done?!" Gohan asked in anger.
"We made sure the Water Tribe will not survive this battle." Brody. "Now the Fire Nation is one step closer to conquering the world."
"I won't let you get away with this!" Gohan cried.
"Ha! You're no match for me kid!" Brody states.
"Wanna bet?!Haaa!" Gohan yells as he releases his Ki. Hi body is soon surrounded by a massive white aura as he glares at his enemy. The force of his energy creates a strong wind that cracks the ice building around them; Brody just smirked as he withstood the wind with no trouble.
"Not bad kid. You've certainly gotten a lot stronger since the last time we fought." Brody praised him. "Too bad your power is still nowhere close to mine. But I'll tell you what, I'll give you a handicap."
"A what?" Gohan asked.
"I'll let you have the first strike. I leave myself wide open and you can hit me anywhere, I won't even try to defend myself." Brody explained as he spread his arms out.
Gohan seem to grow angrier as his foe show no sign of seriousness or fear. "Don't mock me! I could never attack an opponent who hasn't braced himself for battle!" Gohan declared.
"Heh! How noble, although it would seem like I'm mocking you and a part of me probably is, I'm actually giving you a free shot." Brody assured. "Cause once you've hit me with everything you've got, I'll strike back with unrelenting force. So you might want to strike now before I change my mind, you don't know whether your attacks with defeat me or not. Now, quit you're stalling and attack me!"
With a mighty battle cry, Gohan flew at Commander Brute with great speed; He kicks Brody right in the face. The commander staggers and Gohan begins rapidly punching him in the gut. Gohan continues his assault by hitting Brody with multiple blows before blasting him into a building. He the flies above the ice home and cries "Gekiretsu Madan!" as he starts firing multiple blasts at his opponent. Gohan pauses and starts to form and energy ball in between his hands. He takes a few minutes to pour a lot of Ki into the attack while condensing it at the same time. "Masendan…Ha!" Gohan shouts as he tossed his final energyblasts at the Fire Commander. The blasts hit the target and explode. The eruption shines in a red light as Gohan glares at where his enemy should be.
When the light died down, Gohan started breathing heavily as he descended towards the ground. He sees Commander Brute lying on the ground in a snow crater with his eyes closed. The commander suddenly starts laughing as he slowly rises to his feet. Gohan glared at his foe, who looked at him while smirking. His body looked unharmed as if the attacks Gohan hit him with were nothing. "Is that all the power you have?" Brody muttered. "What a letdown." The Commander slowly walks towards Gohan; the boy steps back in fear. The boy then felt an intense pain in his stomach when Brody sped in front of him and punched him. Gohan grasped his gut as his jaw was hanging open, letting out a mixture of blood and spit. "Don't tell me that seriously hurt, I merely gave you a love tap." Brody said before he kicked Gohan away.
Gohan slid across the icy floor on his back; he then stopped and slowly stood, wiping the blood from his mouth. He retook his fighting position which made Brody smirk. "Good, you're still on your feet for more, but I wonder how long it'll take for me kill you." He stated.
"Why don't you come here and find out!" Gohan challenged him while powering up again. Brody did the same and their energies began to clash; the Fire Commander grinned wickedly before rushing at his younger for, who braced himself.
At the oasis, everyone was still in shock at the death of the moon spirit. After Gohan left, they could hear the sounds of explosions in the city. "Gohan," muttered Aang before he and the others go over to the pond; the ocean spirit is swimming around its dead companion. General Iroh picks up the fallen spirit and looks at it in sorrow. "There's no hope now. It's over." Yue mourns.
Aang's eyes and tattoos suddenly start glowing. "No, it is not over." He declares. The Avatar steps into the pond and begins some sort of prayer. The others watch as the Avatar stands in the pond, motionless. Aang stands in the center of the water and the ocean spirit circles around him; eventually its eyes and white mark start to glow likes Aang and the light shines throughout the pond. Aang suddenly sinks into the pond, the water in the pond starts to glow blue veined with white. The light from the spiritual water spreads all the way to the palace; the pond water begins to rise and when it stops, it takes the form of a giant Koi fish like being with the Avatar in the center of the being. Aang raises his arms and the Ocean spirit does the same, now one with the Avatar.
The two make their way into the city; everyone can see the Ocean spirit as it moves. It stops and looks down at Master Pakku and his Waterbenders who were fighting with a group of Fire soldiers. The old master and his followers bow humbly to their savior while the soldiers raise their spears at it. One sweep of the Ocean spirit's hand and the Fire soldiers are washed away by the water. Aang swings his arms around, using the Ocean spirit's power to create a torrent that takes out more of Zhao's men. Fire tanks begin to counterattack by launching fireballs at the Ocean spirit, but its liquid body easily douses the flames and it hand washes them away like insects. The Ocean spirit continues to wander the city and more Water Tribe citizens bow to it respectfully. The Fire Nation invaders begin to retreat; the Ocean spirit the third inner wall and melts into water, chasing after its enemies.
With Gohan, the boy is being thrash around by the Fire commander. Brody looks to be bored while Gohan is tossed into an ice wall. The son of Goku stands and charges at his opponent; He throws as many punches and kicks as he can but Brody easily evaded his strikes and kicked him away. Gohan lands on the ground and is hit with an energy blast before he can get up again. When the smoke clears, Gohan is seen in an energy shield that he managed to put up at the last second; it dissolves as Gohan gets on his feet. This seems to make Brody smirk in amusement. "Heh! You just don't know when to give up, do you?" Brody asked as he sped towards Gohan and punched his right cheek. "No matter who stands in your way, you're always willing to fight for what's right! To be the hero, to save the day, to help innocent and weak!"
Commander Brute hand chops Gohan's face, causing him to fall to him knees in pain. "Just like you're father!" He exclaims before kicking Gohan again.
Gohan looks at him with wide eyes as he asked "H-How do you know my father?"
"Oh believe me Gohan, my father hasn't forgotten about your father! Or you!" Brody assured. He grabbed Gohan by the neck and picked him up to look him in the eye. "Just like your old man, you're just always ready to face the next challenge even if it's bigger than you, figuratively and literally!" He skull bashed Gohan's forehead and the boy cries in pain. "Even in a new world with a new life, you're still as annoying as ever. You and your father along with your little friends took my father and in the end, your father defeated him and nearly killed him!" Brody throws Gohan into another ice wall before slowly approaching him. "But he survived! And when he wanted revenge, your father was nowhere to be found, dead already! So who goes to fight my Dad in his place, the mighty son of Kakarot! Goku's legacy, you!" He stopped a few feet away from the son of Goku. "And with the help of your family, you ended my father's life permanently!"
Gohan slowly stood up as he grasped his right arm while breathing deeply. Brody glared at the young fighter as he continued to talk "You'd think being reborn in this new world, he wouldn't remember his humiliating defeat, right?! Well he did! Because when he died and was reborn, had multiple visions of his demise over and over again!"
"It's just like the visions I have of the other lives I lived." Gohan thought. "I'm sorry that your father couldn't get over his defeat, I'm not I fully understand why he hates us so much! But I can't let you get away with what you've done!" He declared.
"Oh? And what are you gonna do? Stop me?" Brody mocked the boy. "You're no match for me kid, and you along with all of your loved ones will suffer, I'll make sure of that!"
"No! I won't give up! I'll never stop fighting!" Gohan yelled. He jumped at Brody and tried to punch him; the commander dodged him, kneed him in the abdomen before punching him in the kisser and back into the ice wall.
"You're done! So now it's time to end this and avenge my father's pain!" Brody said. He aimed his hand at Gohan and fired a green blast at the boy. Another blast came out of nowhere and collided with Brody's attack, detonating it before it could hit Gohan. The Ki benders looked to where the blast came from and spotted two Ki benders in the air; Beat and Note. "Looks like more weaklings have come to die!" Brody growled.
"Note! And Beat?" Gohan exclaimed in confusion.
"Gohan, are you okay?" Note asked after landing by his side.
"Well, I'm still alive thanks to you." Gohan replied.
"How pathetic, can't survive without your friends to hold your hand." Brody muttered. He then looked at Beat who had landed in front of Note and Gohan. "Beat! Why is the prisoner still alive?! If you don't want to face punishment, you'd better kill both her and Gohan right now!"
"No." Beat said back.
"I'm sorry, what was that?!" Brody asked as he took a step forward.
"I said No!" Beat repeated himself. "I'm done with the Fire Nation! I no longer wish to return the compassion and kindness I was given by others with violence. I will not let the Fire Nation, its people, or even this war, make my hurt those who are my friends!" He took a fighting position and glared at Beat. "I won't let you hurt my friends any longer!"
"Are these friends really so important to you that you'll will to turn against the Fire Nation?" Brody asked.
Beat looked back at Gohan and Note; he closed his eyes and smiled. "Yes, they are!" he answered.
"Then you can die with them!"Brody roared. He fired green Ki blast at the traitor; Note quickly got in front of Beat and swatted it away. "Someone's in a hurry to die! But like they say, ladies first!" Before he could attack though, Gohan charged at him and hit him in the chest with his head. "You scum, still got some fight left in you?!"
"That's right!" said Gohan as Beat stood on his left and Note stood on his right. "And you're going to kill any of us, cause if the three of us fight together, we'll prove too much even for you to handle!"
"You think 3 on o1 will do you any good?! Do you truly believe you have enough power to beat me?" Brody laughed.
"Yes!" the three fighters answered as they revved up their energies. Brody fired a green energy attack at his opponents; they quickly dodged by jumping into the air. They then flew at Commander Brute attempting to attack him at three different sides simultaneously. Note got to him first but was elbow bashed away before she could strike, Beat tried to kick him but dodged and was punched, Gohan swung his fist at him but Brody blocked it before kicking Gohan in the chin. Note came at him again and tried kicking Brody numerous times; he swiftly avoided all her attacks before grabbing her leg, throwing her into her friend, and nailing them both with a Ki blast.
"Leave them alone!" Gohan cried as he flew at Brody. He channeled Ki into his right fist and swung it at Brody's face; the force of his punch created a shockwave that dug a large crater in the snow. Brody simply looked at the boy, whose fist was still planted in his cheek.
"Was that supposed to hurt?" he asked. Gohan slowly removed his fist as he stared at Brody in horror. Brody smiled evilly as he charged an energy blast and threw it at Gohan. The son of Kakarot was propelled into another ice home that crumbled and collapsed onto him after he crashed into it.
"Gohan, no!" Note cried. She sped toward the Fire Commander and threw multiple blasts at him before stopping to charge a Kamehameha wave. Unfortunately, Brody's hand shot out from the smoke and grabbed the female Ki bender by the neck before she could finish her attack. Note struggled against his iron grip but it was useless. "You won't get away with what you've done to my people!" she managed to choke out.
"I already have," Brody replied. The Fire Commander leveled his hand at her stomach as he formed a green Ki blast in his palm. Note's eyes grew wide with fear as the blast began to expand to the point where the heat was burning against her clothes.
"Let her go, now!" Beat ordered as flew at the commander while forming a Ki blade around his hand. He swung at Brody, who titled his head to avoid the slash. This allowed Note to kick herself free from his grasp and the two backed away from the enemy. Commander Brute looked at his right cheek, where a small cut had appeared and blood started to leak out. His eyes focused on his opponents as he straightened his neck before slowly walking toward them. Beat stood in front of Note defensively and declared, "Stay back, Note, while I cut this guy to pieces!" He rushed at Brody and swung his energy weapon at him again, but the commander easily dodged his attack. Beat continued to slash at Brody, who swiftly dodged every strike before grabbing the Ki blade with his bare hand.
"Playing with this kind of weapon is dangerous; someone might get hurt!" Brody mocked Beat.
"Yeah! Like you!" Note cried as jumped above Brody and came down on him with her own energy blade. Acting quickly, Brody brought up Beat's blade to block Note's assault. The two jumped back before swinging at Brody simultaneously. The Fire Commander dodged every attack they threw at him; he eventually got bored and grabbed both their Ki blades with his hands. The boy and girl struggled to remove their blades from Brody's hand, but his held on with no problem.
"How cute, the Water Tribe Prisoner and the Fire Nation traitor have forma special bond." Brody taunted before his face shifted into a frown. "Its thing like this that make me sick! Traitors and enemies getting all buddy – buddy, how repugnant!"
"Sounds to me like someone's just jealous that he doesn't have any friends!" Noted commented.
"Ha! Who needs friends when you've got power?!" Brody asked. "That's what makes me one of the strongest!"
"You're wrong! Having power is one thing, but having people who care about you and are willing to lend you their strength is another!" Beat said. "True power is not something you can attain on your own; it's those who are ready to fight with no matter what that determines how much power you can have!"
"THAT'S AN ARGUMENT ONLY A WEAKLING AND A LOSER WOULD MAKE!" Brody scream as he slammed Beat and Note together by their Ki blades. Their head were bashed together before the two of them were tossed away. Brody proceeded by firing a Ki blast but the two countered with their own combined energy blast that canceled his out. Brody was about to attack them again when he sensed something from behind him; Gohan arose out of the ice pile and with his hands above his head. "Masenko…ha!" Gohan shouted as he shot his signature attack at his foe. Brody simply dodged, but that didn't discourage the son of Goku. "One more, Ha!" Gohan fired another demon flash blast at Brody who dodged it again.
"That's it, you're best shot?!" Brody asked. His question was answered when he noticed Gohan flying at him head first; Gohan skull bashed Brody in the nose before backing away. Brody glared at the boy as blood slid down his nose; he wiped it away and put on a smirk of anticipation. "Not bad kid! Gotta admit, that attack was slightly effective!" Brody stated.
"Thanks, but I'm not the only one with a thick skull! Didn't expect to feel my own attack as well!" Gohan replied.
"You have such potential and yet you use it to resist the strongest nation in the world! You'll just end up dead without reaching your full potential; although you wouldn't be as strong as me, the Fire Nation could help you attain ultimate power!" Brody said.
"Sorry, but I'm not interested in letting the Fire Nation conquer the world just to gain power!" Gohan answered. "So thanks for the offer, but no thanks!"
"Then you're only just delaying the inevitable! Why do you continue to fight back when you have no chance of winning?!" Brody asked.
"What can I say? It runs in the family!" Gohan declared.
"Guess that's something I'll see in your blood when it's spilling out of your body!" Brody roared as he rushed at Gohan. The younger fighter braced himself as his opponent got closer to him. Brody threw multiple punches at Gohan; he blocked all of them before jumping onto Brody's head and using him as a springboard to push himself toward his allies.
"Are you guys okay?" he asked them.
"Been better, but yeah," Beat replied.
"Can you still fight?" Gohan questioned.
"Sure, but unless someone has a plan, I don't think we'll last much longer," Note remarked.
"Then I guess it's a good thing I have a plan," Gohan announced. Beat and Note looked at their teacher, intrigued as the Fire Commander started to slowly walk toward them. "I've got this new technique that should be able to take him out. Only problem is, this is the first time I'm using it in battle and it takes some time to charge, so I need you guys to hold him off long enough for me to get it ready."
"You want us to take on Brody by ourselves?!" Note asked.
"I know it's a long shot, but it should be enough to defeat him," Gohan assured. "You guys just have to hold him off for two minutes."
"We won't even last two seconds!" Note argued.
"I'll do it," Beat said. Gohan and Note looked at him as he stood up. "I'll give you the time you need, Gohan." Beat walked forward and stopped in front of his comrades as Brody moved closer. "Note, you stay here and guard Gohan in case Brody gets past me."
"Are you insane?! You can't take that guy by yourself!" Note yelled.
"Not much choice, is there? If I don't do this, he'll kill us and continue aiding the Fire Nation in this war! Taking him out is the first step to weakening the Fire Nation's power!" Beat stated.
"But it's suicide! Why do you have to do this?!" she asked.
"Because it's what my father would want, for me to fight for my friends rather than to take revenge!" Beat answered. He then took a fighting stance before rushing at Brody.
The Fire Commander smirked as he saw Beat coming at him. "You've got some serious guts for a traitor." Beat threw a punch at Brody; he easily blocked it with his arm. "But it's gonna take more than that to beat me!" Beat resumed his onslaught by throwing multiple blows at his enemy. While this was happening, Gohan placed two fingers to his forehead and began focusing Ki into the tips. Brody blocked all of Beat's attacks and countered with his own each time, but the traitor endured and fought back. Note watched anxiously as she saw her friend forge on through Brody's pummeling with his willpower. Gohan looked at her while still preparing his attack. "Go help him, Note," he told her.
"But what about you?" she inquired.
"I'll be fine as long as Brody's distracted. Besides, Beat won't last much longer on his own," Gohan said. "You'd better get in there now; he has a better chance of survival if you're there with him."
"Right!" Note agreed before charging into battle. She punched Brody in the face before any fighter could react.
"I told you to stay back!" Beat yelled.
"Please, like I was actually gonna leave to face this guy alone!" Note argued.
"You're so stubborn," Beat sighed.
"Takes one to know one!" Note countered.
The two Ki benders flew at Brody; the Commander grinned wickedly as they came at him and started attacking. Even with their two on one assault, Beat and Note weren't having any luck at taking down Brody. Eventually they managed to double gut punch the Commander, but he barely flinched from their combined attack. The two then backed away and cupped their hands together. "Kamehameha!" they cried as they fired a blue beam at their enemy. Brody just crossed his arms and blocked the attack. After that, he charged at both of them and smashed them into an ice wall with his thick arms. "Nice attempt, that attack actually stung a bit," Brody commended them as he prepared a Ki blast. "But now it's time for you to die!"
"I don't think so! Special Beam Cannon!" Gohan shouted as he shot his two fingers forward and fired a spiral beam at Brody's back. The Commander slowly turned around to see the attack flying at him. After the blast hit, an explosion of snow blinded Gohan, Beat, and Note. When they could see clearly again, they were shocked to see Commander Brute still standing there; the only difference was that the right side of his armor was torn, his chest plate was cracked, and blood was leaking from his right shoulder. (A/N: Just think of the condition Raditz was in after he dodged the Special Beam Cannon.) Brody stood there glaring at the son of Goku who trembling with fear. "He-He dodged the attack? But how did he move so fast?" Gohan thought.
"Well, I'm impressed. You managed to scratch me. I thought only my father could do that," Brody said as his Ki started to increase. "Now you will all pay!" He let out a huge energy wave that blew the three Ki benders away. When it died down, they were lying on the ground in pain, struggling to get up. "Still alive, huh? I'll fix that, starting with the traitor." He turned toward Beat, who was on his knees, and leveled his hand at him. "Traitors need to be taught a lesson; no one in the Fire Nation tolerates traitors and I intend to make an example out of you for anyone thinking of doing the same thing!" His hand started to glow with energy as Brody grinned. "Goodbye Beat!" The blast was fired at the traitor. Beat closed his eyes as he awaited his demise, but it never came, because another Ki blast intercepted Brody's and pushed it away from the boy. "What?!" Brody asked as his attack exploded somewhere else. Everyone looked up to see who stopped Brody's blast; they were surprised to see a certain lavender-haired prince standing on an ice bridge with his hand stretched out. "I should've known, only another pathetic runt would be stupid enough to interfere," Brody growled.
"Who's that?" Note asked.
"Prince Trunks!" Gohan and Beat said at the same time.
The Fire Prince jumped down to the battlefield. His intimidating scowl was directed at the Fire Commander. Brody noticed the angry look that Trunks was giving him but was by no means threatened by it. "What are you doing here, pretty boy? Come to help the traitor and his friends? How pitiful," Brody said.
"That's not why I'm here," Trunks replied. "I'm here to get back at you for what you and your admiral did to me and Zuko."
"Oh? And what exactly did we do to you?" Brody questioned.
"Don't play dumb! You and Zhao hired those pirates to kill us, and you almost succeeded! Just to get us out of the way!" Trunks yelled.
"I'm not the one who hired those low lives, Zhao did! I would've personally killed you both myself!" Brody said. "I guess I can just do that now. Since no one knows you're alive yet, I'd better make sure no one finds out!"
"Not if I beat you first, and that's just what I'm going to do!" Trunks declared.
"Hah! I'd like to see you try! You'll just end up on the ground like these insects!" Brody mocked him.
Trunks clenched his fist as he started channeling his energy. A blue fiery aura surrounded the prince's body as the ice he was standing on cracked. Trunks gave a mighty yell and rushed at Brody, punching him right in the stomach. He didn't give Brody time to recover from the attack before proceeding by kicking him in the head. Brody slid across the ground; Trunks then elbow bashed his chest before stepping back. Brody got up and charged at Trunks, only to stop when he saw Trunks pouring Ki into his hands. The prince put his hands together and aimed them at the Commander. "Final Flash!" Trunks shouted as he launched a golden beam of energy at his foe. The blast hit Brody straight on and consumed him in a giant fiery erosion. The other Ki benders shielded their eyes from the fireworks. "See you in the spirit world, Brody!" Trunks yelled as channeled more Ki into his attack. The light show continued before Trunks finally stopped to catch his breath. When the smoke cleared, everyone was surprised to see Brody was still standing in the same spot, barely fazed by Trunks attack.
"I don't believe it, that didn't even faze him!" Gohan said.
"Just how strong is this guy?!" Beat asked.
"This guy's a monster; we're barely doing any damage to him," Note stated.
Trunks gritted his teeth as he glared at his enemy. "Blast it! I knew he would be stronger, but I didn't think the gap between us would be so large!" he thought. Brody flexed his neck and spat out some blood. He slowly started walking toward the lavender-haired teen; Trunks' knees started to shake as the Fire Commander approached him. Brody then stopped and pointed a finger gun at Trunks. "Bang!" he said before firing a Ki bullet at the prince. Trunks quickly evaded it, but this left him open to Brody's next attack; the commander rushed at Trunks with his fist ready. Trunks managed to block it with his arms but was pushed back. Brody then fired a green energy blast at his enemy, which Trunks quickly jumped to avoid. Brody fired a second energy blast that Trunks swatted away. Brody jumped at Trunks, stopping above him with his hands clamped together.
"Where did all your power and confidence go?! Don't tell me that last attack was your best shot!" Brody cried. He brought his hands down to hit Trunks; the prince deflected his attack with an energy blast and the two started trading blows.
Elsewhere, Admiral Zhao was running through the city, trying to escape. He made it to a foot bridge before a fireball intercepted his path. He looked back to identify his attacker; the last person he expected to see was the son of Ozai. "You're alive?" he asked incredulously.
"You tried to have us killed!" Zuko shouted at the Admiral. He launched fire attacks at Zhao but he quickly rolled away to evade.
"Yes, I did," Zhao confessed. "You're the Blue Spirit and Trunks is the Red Spirit– you're both enemies of the Fire Nation! You freed the Avatar!" Zuko stepped through the smoke and took a fighting stance. The two seemed unaware of the Ocean Spirit chasing the Fire Nation army out of the city or the battle between the Ki benders going on in the square.
"We had no choice," Zuko replied before attacking again. Zhao easily deflected the fireballs but they managed to wreck his cloak.
"You should have chosen to accept your failure," Zhao said as he dropped his cloak. "You're a disgrace! Then, at least you could have lived!" The Admiral counterattacked by launching two fireballs at the prince. Zuko jumped over both and threw his own fire at Zhao, who dodged and the two traded volleys of fire. Zhao eventually left himself open and Zuko struck him; the older Firebender fell off the bridge and his rival jumped after him.
Back at the Oasis, General Iroh placed the Koi fish back in the pond, but it just floated there lifelessly. "It's too late. It's dead," Katara said. The four stared at the pond in depression from the death of the moon spirit. In their mourning, Iroh glanced at Princess Yue and noticed something about her.
"You have been touched by the Moon Spirit. Some of its life is in you!" Iroh stated.
Yue looked at him as she realized what he meant. "Yes, you're right. It gave me life. Maybe I can give it back." She started to approach the Koi fish but Sokka quickly grabbed her hand.
"No! You don't have to do that!" the Tribesman argued.
"It's my duty, Sokka," she told him without looking.
"I won't let you! Your father told me to protect you!" Sokka said as he squeezed her hand.
"I have to do this," she insisted. Yue removed her hand from his and went over to the deceased Moon Spirit, once again in Iroh's hands. The Water Tribe princess placed her hands on the fish; its body started to glow. Yue closed her eyes and exhaled before falling backward.
"No!" Sokka cried as he caught Yue. He felt her cheek and his expression turned sad. "She's gone. She's gone," he said sadly as he hugged Yue's body.
Outside the city, all of the Fire Navy troops got on their ships and began to sail away from the Water Tribe. The Ocean Spirit appeared and rose back to its monstrous form. It loomed over some boats and used its arms to push four of those boats away. The ships were repelled with great force and crashed against each other. Aang moved the Spirit toward another ship; it shot a fireball at him but he blocked it with the spirit's arm and sliced the top part of the ship off. The Spirit proceeded to cut up more of the Fire Nation's catapults.
The Ocean Spirit raised its arms and created a huge wave under the battleships. The wave carried the Fire Ships away from the outer wall of the city and into the open sea. The Ocean Spirit followed after the enemy ships and prepared to wipe them out.
Meanwhile, Trunks was still duking it out with Commander Brute. The prince wasn't having much luck as Brody was blocking his attacks and hitting him with multiple strikes. The other Ki benders watched as Trunks was being overtaken by the Commander. Gohan slowly started to get up, which confused his students. "Gohan, what are you doing?" Note inquired.
"I didn't come here just to watch someone else take on Brody! Plus, Trunks can't win this on his own!" Gohan answered. "You guys should probably get out of here while you can; I intend to finish this fight!"
"No way am I leaving you!" Note said as she stood.
"Me neither! We're finishing this fight together!" Beat agreed as he also stood.
Gohan nodded and the three raised their energies. Brody had smashed Trunks on the ground and was about to punch him when he was kicked away by Gohan. Beat attacked second by elbow bashing Brody's head. Note finished the attack by punching him in the gut, pushing him back further. Trunks looked at the other Energybenders in astonishment before getting up himself. He flared his own Ki as he looked toward Gohan. "So, the enemy of my enemy is my friend?" he asked the son of Goku.
"Yeah, that's it," Gohan replied.
"Don't think this changes anything. My mission is still the same," Trunks warned him.
"Fine, but we'll worry about that after we take care of him!" Gohan said.
The four Ki benders then spread out and surrounded Brody. He looked at them in confusion as they prepared to attack him head-on. "You bugs just don't know when to quit and run, do you?" Brody stated. "And that just makes it easier to squash you!" Gohan and Trunks charged at Brody and tried to hit him with numerous attacks, but Brody easily diverted their attacks before punching them both in the face and grabbing them by their necks. Beat and Note attacked him with a double Ki blast but he merely shrugged it off. He then slammed the boys in his hands together before tossing them away. Beat and Note attacked with more Ki blasts but Brody jumped up to avoid them and fired two at them. The blasts knocked the two of them to the ground when Gohan and Trunks quickly emerged and attacked Brody again.
Brody only smirked as he kicked Gohan away and punched Trunks' face. Trunks quickly recovered and fired a blast at Brody; the commander deflected the blast and fired his own blast at the prince, sending him flying. Gohan attacked again, throwing punches and kicks at the commander. Brody simply grabbed Gohan by the face and slammed him on the ground. He then jumped up and started stomping on Gohan repeatedly. The son of Goku screamed in agony with each stomp from the Fire Commander. Every stomp caused Gohan to sink deeper into the ice. "What's the problem son of Kakarot?! Don't have any more tricks up your sleeve?!" Brody asked as he jumped up again but this time at a higher altitude.
"Just this last one! Light Grenade!" Gohan shouted as he fired an energy ball from his hands. The blast hit Brody in mid-air and it expanded into a giant energy wave that consumed him entirely. The combustion stretched toward the clouds, and when it ceased, Brody fell from the sky with a trail of smoke behind him. He crashed on the ground but had managed to land on all fours. He was breathing heavily, his right chest plate was completely gone, exposing his ab that was burned, his left pants leg was ripped, and one of his eyes was closed shut. The Fire Commander looked up and saw that he was surrounded by his four enemies.
"He's down! Let's finish him off!" Trunks cried as he and Gohan placed their hands above their heads. Both of their palms started to form a sphere of Ki. At the same time, Beat and Note had cupped their hands together and were focusing all of their energies into their palms.
"Masenko…Ha!" Gohan and Trunks shouted as they fired yellow beams at the Fire Commander.
"Kamehame…Ha!" Beat and Note yelled when they launched the turtle shockwave at Brody.
The four energy blasts crashed into Brody from four different angles; the collision made an explosion that swallowed up the commander and stretched to the clouds above. All of the Ki benders who were fighting Brody were exhaling deeply. The eruption died down and the spot Brody was last seen was covered with smoke. The smoke eventually cleared and the four fighters got a look at what was left of their foe, only to be shocked at the state he was in. His body was more injured than before, the top part of his armor was completely destroyed, showing his bruised chest, his arms were singed, and blood was leaking from his left leg. But most shocking was that even though evidence showed that he was caught in the explosion, he had managed to place a force field that shielded him from most of the blast. The fighters gawked at the commander as he lowered his protective barrier; his eyes were covered by his long hair and his body started channeling a green aura. "Gotta say, that was a close one. Almost thought I was done for…" Brody muttered as he slowly raised his head, revealing his eyes full of killing intent. "Now you all will suffer!"
In a flash, Brody disappeared and there was a sound of someone gasping in pain. Gohan, Note, and Trunks turned to Beat's direction to see Brody had kneed their ally in the back. Beat fell to the ground as Brody disappeared and punched Gohan in the gut in an instant, putting him in the same condition as the traitor. Brody smirked at his victims' agony before he appeared in front of Note. She instinctively tried to kick him in the head but he dodged her attack and kicked her in the waist, knocking her into an ice wall. Brody then slowly turned his neck to gaze at his last target: Trunks. The Fire Commander slowly walked toward the prince; Trunks stretched his hands forward and started rapidly firing energy blasts at his enemy. Brody was just consumed by a wall of smoke as Trunks continued firing, when a fist suddenly uppercut Trunks in the chin before he was blasted away by a Ki blast from Brody's mouth.
The oppressor looked around at his beaten opponents, each one lying on the ground in pain. Beat had his right hand on his back, Gohan grasped his stomach with both hands, Note clutched her aching waistwith her left hand, and Trunks rubbed his face, trying to ease the pain he felt.
"I can't believe after everything we did to him, he's still moving around like our attacks were nothing more than mere bug bites!" Gohan thought in disbelief. "And yet his attacks have broken my ribs!"
"He's so bloodthirsty; how in the world did we ever think we stood a chance against him?" Beat wondered.
"There's no way he could possibly be human! He's gotta be some kind of monster, even more than the Fire Nation's standards!" Note thought fearfully.
"After all this time, even with all my training, the gap in power between us is still at a wide margin. I'm still no match for him!" Trunks thought in despair.
Brody grinned evilly when he saw all of the looks of fear on his prey's faces. "Don't tell me all of you are too scared to attack me now?! Ha! Pity, I was hoping to inflict more pain on you before you died!" Brody's body began to channel green Ki into the shape of a sphere; with a mighty yell, the Ki sphere combust and blew all of Brody's challengers away while destroying some of the town square. When Brody finished, he could see all of the Ki benders were lying in the snow face down. At first he thought they were dead, but when he saw their bodies twitching, his face shifted into a frown. "Still alive, huh?! That won't be for much longer 'cause I'm ending this now!" Brody declared as he slowly approached the son of Goku. He stopped right in front of his head when he noticed Gohan struggling to get up. "You are truly stubborn! Just do yourself a favor and accept defeat so that you won't experience more pain!" Brody taunted the boy.
"Never!" Gohan exclaimed as he glared at the commander. Gohan suddenly dashed at Brody with his right fist ready. He swung it as hard as he could in his weakened state, but Brody easily grabbed his wrist. Brody then kneed Gohan in the chin before elbow bashing him down. Brody laughed as his enemy was trembling. "Well, whether you give up or not won't change anything…" Brody stated as he picked up Gohan by the neck and started choking him. "Because your time is up!"
Gohan grabbed Brody's hand, trying to force it open before he lost all of his breathing air. The more Brody squeezed, the more air escaped from Gohan's lungs until his arms eventually went slack and he passed out. Brody formed a Ki blast in his hand and held it at Gohan's face. "Any last words?!" he asked, despite knowing that his foe was incapable of answering. "None? Then I guess this is goodbye!"
"Let him go, Brody!" said a voice from behind the Fire Commander. He quickly turned around, expecting to see some new enemy, but was relieved to see that it was just the weakened Fire Prince who had spoke.
"Patience Trunks, you'll get your turn!" Brody said before turning back to Gohan. "I just have to finish off this weakling then I'll be right with you!"
"I…said…let…him…go!" Trunks huffed as he pulled out his sword and dashed at the commander. Brody was too focused on what he was doing that he didn't notice Trunks coming up behind him with his Brave sword drawn. When Trunks got close enough, he swung the sword as hard as he could, slashing it across Brody's back. Brody instantly stopped what he was doing and looked back at Trunks; the lavender-haired fighter only stared back while exhaling strongly. A large cut suddenly appeared on his back; although Brody couldn't see it he could feel it as blood spilled out from his back. He dropped Gohan and slowly turned to face the warrior who had the nerve to strike his back like that.
"Fine! Since you can't wait, you can die first!" Brody said before he punched Trunks in the face. The prince staggered a bit, but quickly shook it off and swung his blade at Brody again. The commander simply swatted the blade out of his enemy's hand. Brody then punched him again, this time sending him flying into an ice wall. Brody then appeared in front Trunks and grabbed him by the throat. "Oh, I ain't gonna kill you just yet!" Brody snarled as he leveled his fist at Trunks' stomach. "First, I need to make you suffer!" Brody then punched Trunks in the belly, making him scream in pain. Brody started rapidly punching Trunks, making him scream more and more. Gohan eventually woke up to the sound of Trunks' screaming; he started coughing as his lungs tried to take air back in. Gohan watched as Brody mercilessly beat the Fire prince while laughing at his cries of anguish.
Finally not being able to take anymore, Gohan forced himself to get on all fours as he said, "Stop…" Brody seemed to ignore the boy's demands as he continued to torture the teenage fighter. "I said stop!" Gohan cried, getting Brody's attention. The commander looked over at the son of Goku, who was still struggling to standup.
"I'll be with you in a minute, Gohan! Right now, I have to make sure that this trash doesn't let people know that he's still alive!" Brody shouted as he resumed beating Trunks.
Gohan watched helplessly as Trunks was painfully beaten by Brody. He looked over to his other allies and saw that Beat and Note were too weak to fight; he was the only one left to take Brody down. He fought to get back on his feet, but his body refused to respond and he fell back on all fours. "No! I can't give up! I won't give up! I told my master that I would give it my all, that I would keep fighting! Even if my enemies are stronger, I will never give up! My father and my teacher put their faith in me and I won't let them down!" Gohan thought as he made it to his knees; as he was attempting to stand, his body started emitting a gold aura and his hair stood up. Gohan pushed himself back on his feet and yelled, "I SAID STOP!" and in that instant, his body exploded in golden light.
At the oasis, the Southerner continued to hug Yue's corpse when it suddenly faded from existence. A second after it disappeared, the Koi fish in Iroh's hands started to glow. The General placed the fish back in the water; it started swimming again and the pond illuminated a white glow. The light then took the shape of Princess Yue, now taking the role as the moon spirit. She floated toward the tribesman to bid him farewell. "Goodbye, Sokka. I will always be with you." They shared one final kiss before Yue disappeared and the moon returned in the sky.
After finishing its battle, the Ocean spirit looked up and saw that the moon has returned. The Ocean monster started to dissolve back into water; the Ocean spirit swam back to the city wall and placed the Avatar there before splitting into two parts and flowing into the city. Aang held his head in exhaustion from being in the Avatar state.
In the town square, Brody stopped inflicting pain to Trunks and looked behind him to see Gohan standing in gold light. "Ha! You still want to fight?! You're just wasting your time, you'll never defeat m…" His voice went quiet when he saw Gohan's terrifying new form. The boy's hair had gotten spikier and had change from black to gold, his eyes were now teal, his muscles had grown slightly, and he was emitting a fiery gold energy. "I-Is that the legendary transformation?!" Brody thought as he stared at Gohan in awe. "This…can't be! How could did this punk achieve the power I haven't managed to access?! How is he…a Super Saiyan already?!"
Gohan stared at Brody with a look of pure rage. He removed his headband, showing his bruised forehead that was bleeding and tied it around his right hand. "I can't let you hurt anyone else! No matter what, I will defeat you!" Gohan declared.
Brody stared shaking as Gohan began slowly trekking toward him. "No! It's not true! There's no way a worm like you could surpass me, even if you are a Super Saiyan!" Brody cried.
"Super Saiyan?" Gohan wondered.
Brody thrust his hand forward and fired a strong green blast at Gohan; he didn't stop there as he continued firing energy blasts at his opponent. When he stopped to take a few breaths, he was shocked to see Gohan was still standing there and not even the slightest bit fazed from the blast barrage. Gohan stared at himself as he thought, "Incredible! He put a lot of power into those attacks and yet, I didn't feel a thing. I'm not even the slightest bit damaged!" He looked at his hand, feeling the flow of his new power. "So this is the power of a… Super Saiyan! The power to protect my friends and fight for what's right! I can feel it! I could probably match the Avatar like Gyatso said." Gohan was suddenly bonked on the head by Brody; the commander smirked, thinking he inflicted some pain on the Super Saiyan, but he gasped when Gohan raised and looked at him questionably. "Did you just hit me?" he asked.
Brody staggered back without answering; he then growled as he punched Gohan in the face. The Super Saiyan just blinked as he glared back at Brody. The Fire commander started trembling as he looked into Gohan's enraged teal eyes. "Are you feeling scared yet?!" Gohan questioned before punched Brody right in the stomach. "You should be!"
Brody grasped his gut as he wheezed; the pain from that single blow was greater than anything he ever felt in his life. Blood spilled from his mouth as he staggered back. He jumped to attack Gohan, but the Super Saiyan simply stretched his hand out and released a kiai that blew Brody into an ice home. Brody looked at his enemy as he struggled not to pass out. He then gritted his teeth as he channeled his energy throughout his body. "This can't be! I refuse to accept this! I don't care if you are a Super Saiyan, I will not lose to you!" The commander rushed at Gohan with his Ki at full capacity. He threw a fist at the son of Goku, but he effortlessly dodged it and punched Brody back in the face. Brody quickly recovered and continued throwing punches and kicks at the Super Saiyan. Gohan avoided every single strike until he grabbed both of Brody's arms and skull bashed him in the head. Brody backed up and glared at Gohan as blood slid down his forehead. "I am Commander Brute, son of the Legendary General Brute! How dare you humiliate me! I promise you, I will make you pay for this!" Brody declared.
Gohan just frowned at him and said, "I'm actually not interested in continuing this fight any longer, so it's time to end this!" Gohan then poured his Ki into his fists; both started glowing as gold spheres formed around them. Gohan then took a step back before running toward Brody. The Fire Commander put up his hand to defend himself but was met with an elbow bash to his face. Gohan continued his assault by kicking Brody multiple times. He then reared his left fist back and shouted, "Take this! The Fist of the Mighty Oozaru!" As he threw his Ki enhanced fist forward, an image of a giant raging ape appeared and Brody was sucker punched right in the gut. Brody choked up and coughed out some blood as he staggered back.
He held his stomach in agony as he could feel every one of his ribs had been shattered from that single blow. Gohan prepared to finish his attack by pulling back his right fist as the energy around it began to take the shape of a gold dragon. "Super Dragon Fist!" he called out as he swung his fist at Brody and nailed him in the right cheek. Brody was launched backward; he slid across the icy floor, digging a trail in the process. After he stopped, Brody attempted to move but found it difficult. "It's time to end this!" Gohan declared as he jumped into the air high above Brody. He cupped his hands to his side as he prepared to perform his father's special move. "Ka…me…ha…me…" Gohan chanted as he formed a star of blue Ki. Brody stared at the boy about to obliterate him, and for the first time in a long while, Brody felt…afraid. He was always taught to never feel fear, and the only person he was truly afraid of was his father, but now he was terrified that this boy would end his life once and for all.
"Ha!" the Super Saiyan roared. He thrust his hands forward and launched the magnificent blue beam at the Fire Commander. The blast hit Brody dead-on and detonated instantly. The explosion consumed Brody while destroying a few empty ice buildings. When it stopped, Brody was lying in a deep snow trench that was starting to take in water. Gohan walked over to the crater and picked up Brody; he could sense that he was still alive but unconscious. He carried him onto an ice bridge and placed him on it. "Be glad that I held back to avoid killing you," he muttered to his beaten foe. He then went back to the battlefield to find the unconscious fire prince, who was starting to regain consciousness, before flying him to the bridge and also doing the same with Beat and Note. Gohan looked over at the Fire commander and asked, "What am I supposed to do with him now?"
"Let me take care of him," Prince Trunks responded as he slowly stood up. He paced over to the fallen commander and hoisted him onto his shoulder. He glanced at Gohan and saw him in his new golden form. "That's some power you got there! It's amazing!" he said to the Super Saiyan.
"Yeah, it is!" Gohan agreed. He picked up Beat and Note before looking back at Trunks to say, "You'd better get out of here while you still can. The Water Tribe will be here any minute." Trunks nodded to him; the two then noticed that the lighting around them had changed. They looked up to see the full moon in the night sky once again. "I don't know how, but the moon is back where it belongs, which means the Waterbenders should have their strength back."
Trunks knew what he meant; neither he nor Brody were in any condition to battle fully powered Waterbenders, so they needed to retreat fast. As Trunks turned to leave, he sensed something coming toward the ice bridge. "Watch out!" he cried as a giant wave of spiritual water crashed into the bridge, crumbling it. Gohan managed to jump away from the Ocean spirit's attack with Beat and Note in his grasp. He placed them on the entrance before he looked back to see the Ocean spirit's essence had formed a giant hand that had grabbed Brody and Trunks. The Fire Prince was struggling to get free, but in his current state, he had no chance of escaping. Gohan watched as the Ocean spirit's hand lowered toward the water; time seemed to slow down as he became conflicted on what to do.
Both Ki benders were his enemies, and would stop at nothing to take him down, capture his brother, and help the Fire Nation rule the world. Gohan's eyes fell on Brody; his expression grew angrier as he could only see all the terrible things the Commander had done since they met, including killing the moon spirit, which was why he was in this situation. Gohan may have spared him, but that didn't mean he should stop someone else from killing him; if anything, he deserved what he was getting.
His vision shifted to Trunks and his feelings became uncertain of this fighter. He'd been after Aang since the beginning, and had beaten him a few times. But Gohan immediately started to remember that he and Trunks were friends in another life and the few good things Trunks had done, despite being his enemy. "I know he's a good person, but should I save on the whim that he might change one day?" Gohan wondered. "And if I save Trunks, I save Brody too."
As the Ocean spirit's arm continued to lower into the water, Gohan spotted Trunks' Brave sword sticking out of the bridge. After closing his eyes and instantly reopening them, Gohan ran to the edge of the broken bridge and grabbed Trunks' blade. He jumped toward the water arm and swung the sword at it, severing the hand from the rest of the arm and freeing the Ki benders of the Fire Nation and grabbing them by their hair. The Super Saiyan then shot a beam from his mouth at the water arm, pushing it back into the water. After it disappeared, he dropped his enemies onto the right part of the damaged ice bridge and went over to the left part. His Super Saiyan form finally faded as he tossed the Brave Sword over to Trunks before picking up Beat and Note. He looked over back at the lavender-haired teen, who had picked up Brody.
The two fighters stared at each other for a full minute before Trunks declared, "Thanks. But like I said before, this changes nothing between us." He then turned and left with Gohan doing the same. "Maybe not now, but someday…" Gohan pondered as he searched the city for a healer.
Somewhere else in the city, Prince Zuko and Admiral Zhao continued their Agni Kai on an ice bridge. Both Firebenders launched a series of attacks at each other, but Zuko came out on top by unleashing a powerful fire blast that knocked Zhao backward. The scarred Prince continued his assault by shooting more fireballs at his opponent until he finally knocked Zhao flat on his back.
As Zhao stared up at Prince Zuko, his eyes caught sight of the full moon now back in the sky. "It can't be!" Zhao shouted. At that moment, the Ocean spirit's essence had swarmed the ice bridge. Zuko rolled away but Zhao was caught by La's hand; the son of Ozai looked back to see the Fire Admiral being slowly pulled off the bridge. As the Admiral struggled, Zuko stepped onto the bridge's rail and stretched his hand out. "Take my hand!" he cried. At first, Zhao's hand reached for the teen's hand, but he quickly pulled back as his face showed despise for him and pride.
The Future Fire Lord could only watch as the Fire Admiral was consumed by the spirit water and dragged to the ocean, disappearing completely. Trunks then came up behind him while carrying the unconscious Brody. "We should find Iroh and get out of here," he suggested.
"Yeah. Let's go," Zuko replied while still looking into the ocean.
The next day, many of the Waterbenders and the citizens were hard at work repairing the damage done to their city by the Fire Nation and the Energy benders' battle. At the damaged citadel, Master Pakku stood at the edge, staring into the horizon with his female pupil standing behind him. "I've decided to go to the South Pole. Some other benders and healers want to join me," Pakku announced as he turned to face the Southern Waterbender. "It's time we helped rebuild our sister tribe."
"What about Aang?" Katara inquired while looking over to the monk, who was standing away from them with Momo."He still needs to learn waterbending."
"Well, then he better get used to calling you, 'Master Katara,'" Pakku replied while smiling.
Sokka stood with Chief Arnook and Note after relaying the news about Yue's passing to them. The three stared at full moon that shined over the North City; though it was fading, it was still clear for them to see. "The Spirits gave me a vision when Yue was born." the Chief began sadly. "I saw... a beautiful, brave young woman... become the Moon Spirit. I knew this day would come." He closed his eyes and sighed.
"You must be proud," Sokka said.
"So proud. And sad," Arnook replied.
Note placed her hand on the Chief's shoulder to comfort him. "Even as a princess, Yue always felt like a prisoner here. Like she was bound to this city. But now as a spirit, I feel like she's finally… free," she said with a smile. "And now she will be a new source of strength to her people. She'll always be there for us; it's her duty now." The female Ki bender turned to leave as she thought, "Goodbye Yue, you'll be a great Moon Spirit. I'll miss you, but I know you'll be watching over me through the moon." She then went toward the medical bay to check on her friends.
She stepped into the medical bay and saw Yugoda tending to Gohan's injuries. He had bandages around his arms, legs, abdomen, and forehead. After a few minutes, she removed her healing water away from the boy and said, "There, that should do it. But you might want to take it easy for a while."
"Thank you, Yugoda," Gohan replied as the old healer left him to recover. He then looked up and saw Note. "Oh, hey, Note," he greeted.
"Hey Gohan. Glad to see you're doing ok," she greeted back. She then looked around before asking, "Have you seen Beat?"
"He said we should come find him when we're well enough. He said you'd know where to find him," Gohan told her.
Note thought for a second before stating, "I know where he is! Let's go!" She grabbed Gohan's wrist and started pulling him out of the medical bay. The two wandered through the city until they found their friend sitting on an ice bridge staring into the horizon. Beat looked over at them when he sensed them coming.
"Took you long enough," Beat said before questioning, "What happened to Brody?"
"Don't worry about him. Trunks took him away after I beat him," Gohan answered.
"I see," Beat said while still looking out to the sea. "I was hoping to get a chance to apologize to the both of you before I said goodbye."
"Goodbye? You're leaving?!" Note asked.
"Yes. I can't stay here. Even though I betrayed Zhao, I'm still a member of the Fire Nation. I'll never fit in here," Beat explained. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for causing the two of you problems."
"Don't worry about it. I always knew you were a good person," Gohan said. "I could never hold a grudge against my friends."
"You think of me as a friend?" Beat asked, surprised. Gohan nodded in response which made Beat smile. "Thank you, Gohan."
"You're my friend too, Beat. And I was never angry at you, I'm just glad you've decided to be my friend again," Note spoke as she sat beside him.
"So am I," Beat replied. He then looked away and thought for a moment. "Uh Note, there's something I wanted to ask you."
"What's that?" Note inquired.
"I was hoping that you would accompany me on my journey," he answered. "I know that this is your home, and you probably want to stay and help your people; plus you're still sad about what happened to the princess. But I'd really like for you to come with me like we agreed years ago." He turned to face Note, who was staring at him with wide eyes. Seeing her expression made him nervous as he started chickening out. "Y-You don't have to if you don't want to! I could just leave and come back in few years when you're read—Ow!" he cried as he rubbed his arm from the punch Note gave him. "What was that for?"
"For being an idiot! Like I wouldn't want to go with you, I was actually about to ask to go with you!" Note revealed.
"You were? So does that mean yes?" Beat asked.
"Yeah it does! I'm ready to travel the world if you are!" Note replied.
Gohan smiled as he watched his friends. "You know, you guys don't have to travel the world by yourselves. You could always join me and my friends," he suggested.
"Thanks Gohan, but I don't think we want to go where you're going," Beat told him.
"I don't even know where we're going yet," Gohan admitted.
"Well, wherever you guys are headed, you'll definitely run into the Fire Nation and we want to avoid that for as long as possible," Beat explained.
"Plus, we've got a lot of catching up to do. We'll be fine on our own," Note assured her teacher. She then got up and hugged him, which surprised him at first but he quickly got over it and hugged her back. "Thanks for training us; these new skills will be very helpful when facing this world."
"My pleasure. You guys are very talented," Gohan replied. He then released Note and approached Beat, extending his fist to him and saying, "I'd be willing to spar with you again anytime, Beat."
Beat smiled as he bumped fists with his teacher. "You beat me the last time, but I'll keep training to get stronger. I won't let you leave me in the dust," he vowed.
"I hope you and Note get a lot stronger; I look forward to the next fight with my students," Gohan said. "See you guys later." He then flew away to join up with his friends.
Out at sea, General Iroh, his disciples, and the fallen commander were on a raft sailing away from the Northern Water Tribe. They floated past multiple destroyed fire navy battleships. As they passed the wreckage, Trunks was sitting on the raft, Zuko was staring back at the city, Brody was still unconscious from his battle with the Super Saiyan and Iroh was tending to the sail of the raft. "I'm surprised, Prince Zuko. Surprised that you and Trunks are not at this moment trying to capture the Avatar," Iroh admitted before he looked at his pupils skeptically.
"I'm tired," Zuko stated without looking.
"Then you should rest," Iroh advised him as he put his hand on his nephew's shoulder. "A man needs his rest."
"What about him?" Zuko asked as he looked over at Brody.
"He won't be up for a while, but I'll keep an eye on him so that you can get some rest. Deal?" Trunks replied.
"Deal," Zuko said. He laid down on the raft and stared into the sky with a hurt look on his face before he closed his eyes.
Iroh smiled before going over to Trunks. "Why don't you get some rest too? I'll keep an eye on Brody for you," he offered as he put his hand on his adoptive son's shoulder.
"Thank you, father," Trunks said before he laid down and closed his eyes.
Back at the City, the Avatar was looking out at the damaged city in sadness. He then noticed Katara standing behind him and turned to face her. After staring at each other for a moment, the two embraced each other. They heard their Lemur chirp and looked to see him staring up at them. "You too, Momo," Katara told the lemur. "Come here." Aang held up his arm for Momo. The Lemur jumped onto his arm and moved to his shoulder. Katara pet him as Sokka appeared by Aang and put his hand on his other shoulder. Gohan showed up with Icarus and Appa floated up beside them. The Gang stared out as they prepared to embark on their next great adventure.
In the Fire Nation Capital, inside the royal palace, the Fire Lord sat in his throne room surrounded by flames. Before him knelt the Fire Nation prodigy, Princess Azula. Fire Lord Ozai began to speak to his daughter regarding the events of the loss at the North Pole. "Iroh is a traitor. Your brother Zuko and Trunks are failures. I have a task for you…" Azula smiled as she received her assignment.
A/N: And that concludes Five Elements season one. You will not believe how many late nights I've had while trying to write this chapter. It took much longer than I planned. Sorry if it's too long, I didn't expect my additions to be so much. But all flaws aside, what do you think, especially about the part where Gohan goes Super Saiyan? Now I have an announcement… I'll be taking a break from this story for some time. I want to spend time working on my other Fanfics and putting out some of my other ideas for future Fanfics. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning this story, just putting it on hold for a while. Just be patient my fellow readers, I'll get back to it before you know it! Until next time, TTFN AntiHero out!
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Dragon Tail Z by Yours truly, AntiHero627