A/N: Water…Earth…Fire…Air…Ki! A while ago, someone started writing one of the best crossovers between Avatar and Dragon Ball Z. He called it Five Elements; after a few successful chapters, he took a break from this story for a while, but I'm here to tell you…he's back! Hey there, AntiHero here! I know it's been a long time since I last updated this story, sorry about that been busy with my other successful ones and few other things in life; but the PMs have reminded me that this story's not done yet and that people are still waiting for more chapters to read and enjoy! Well here's one now and I hope it will be worth the wait for you guys!
Disclaimer – I do not own Avatar the Legend of Aang or Dragon Ball Z
Chapter25 – The Blind Bandit and the Stone Soldier
When we last saw the Gang, (well according to my story) they were in a special swamp where Aang saw a vision of a girl he was destined to meet and Gohan saw his younger brother; now, the teens were wondering an earth kingdom town. The three benders were patiently waiting on the nonbender who was deciding on whether he should purchase a bag or not. "It's pricey, but I really do like it." Sokka said about the bag.
"Then you should get it. You deserve something nice." Katara told him.
"I do, don't I?" Sokka agreed before he frowns at the bag. "But no. It's too expensive, I shouldn't."
"Alright, then don't." Katara said a bit annoyed. The three benders and Momo walked with Sokka sadly following after them; he then ran back to the bag with a smile.
"You know what? I'm gonna get it." He said gleefully.
The benders were waiting along the street for their friend when a man came up to them. "Psst, psst. Hey, you kids like earthbending? You like throwing rocks? Then check out Master Yu's Earthbending Academy." He smiled as he handed a flyer to the Avatar before walking away.
"Look, there's a coupon on the back. The first lesson is free." Aang said as he looked at the flyer.
"Who knows? This Master Yu could be the earthbending teacher you've been looking for." Katara suggested. Moments later, Aang's companions were waiting outside the earthbending academy; Aang came outside in the academy uniform dusting sand off.
"Well?" Gohan asked.
"He's not the one." Aang replied.
Just then two Yu's students passed by the Gang. "I think The Boulder is gonna win back the belt at Earth Rumble 6."
"He's gonna have to fight his way through the best Earthbenders in the world to even get a shot at the champ."
Intrigued Aang rushed over to the boys and asked "Excuse me, but where is this earthbending tournament exactly?"
"It's on the Island of Noneoya - none o' ya business!" The boys replied harshly before walking away laughing.
"Ha, ha! Oh, I got to remember that one." Sokka laughed as he and the other met up with Aang.
"I'll take care of this." Katara assured Aang before going after the boys. "Hey strong guys, wait up!"
As they waited for the Waterbender to return, Sokka did his usual complaining. "What was I thinking? I don't need a new bag. Why'd you guys let me buy this?" He then dropped his new bag on the ground and Momo jumped into it to take a nap.
Katara then returned and announced "You ready to find an earthbending teacher? Because we're going to Earth Rumble 6!"
"How did you get them to tell you?" Aang inquired.
"Oh, a girl has her ways." Katara replied giving an innocent smile; at the same time, the boys from earlier were frozen in ice from neck down, hanging the alley walls horizontally with their heads literally put together.
At night, the Gang made their way to the Earthbending arena that was underground; it composed of a large rectangular ring made of earth with stairs at all four corners. The seats were circled around the ring. The four teens found empty ones very close to the ring. "Hey, front row seats! I wonder why no one else is sitting here." Aang said, just as a flying boulder landed in the seats right next to Gang.
"I guess that's why." Sokka said as he sat next to Gohan, who was next to Aang and the Waterbender sat next to the Avatar.
An Earthbender appears in the center of the ring, bent multiple boulders into the, hoisted himself with an earth pillar then ended it by lowering the pillar back into the ring. "Welcome to Earth Rumble 6! I am your host, Xin Fu!" the Earthbender introduced himself; the crowd cheered loudly as they got excited.
"This is just gonna be a bunch of guys chucking' rocks at each other, isn't it?" Katara sighed in boredom.
"That's what I paid for." Sokka answered eagerly.
"The rules are simple. Just knock the other guy out of the ring and you win." Xin Fu explained before jumping back into his own personal seat. "Round one! The Boulder versus the Big Bad Hippo!" The bell rang as two big Earthbenders stepped ingot the ring; the Boulder was a dark skinned muscular man with dark brown hair in a pony tail, a tattoo on his back, wearing pants wristbands and ankle weights. The Hippo was an even larger light skinned man with light brown hair, wearing nothing but sumo style underwear, he roared to show his four teeth that were identical to that of a hippo's mouth.
"Listen up, Hippo. You may be big, but you ain't bad! The Boulder's gonna win this in a landslide." The Boulder declared excitedly.
"Hippo mad!" the Hippo shouted back while taking a stomp. The Boulder attacked first by pulling a few chunks of earth from the ring and tossing them at his opponent; they smashed against the Hippo, but when the dust cleared he was still standing with a rock in his mouth. He munched it to pieces and spit them out. The Hippo then stomping hugely on the ring causing it to quake and have the Boulder stumble backwards.
"Unbelievable, ladies and gentlemen! The Hippo is rocking The Boulder!" Xin Fu stated. The Boulder went all the way to the edge of the ring but didn't fall out as he pulled out a plank of earth to push himself forward before throwing it at the Sumo; Hippo was flexing to the audience and didn't until it smashed against his back. He turns to face his opponent who quickly levitates a piece of rock from under the Hippo and tosses both out of the ring. "The Boulder wins!"
The Gang watched the victor with impressed looks. "Not bad." Gohan commented.
"How about the Boulder Aang? He's got some good moves." Katara suggested.
"I don't know. Bumi said I need a teacher who listens to the earth. He's just listening to his big muscles." Aang shrugged, feeling unsure. "What do you think, Sokka?" The Tribesman in question was too busy cheering for the Boulder with the crowd to answer him.
"Next, the Boulder versus Fire Nation Man!" Xin Fu said as an Earthbender in Fire Nation clothing stepped into the ring while waving a flag with a fire insignia. The crowd along with Sokka booed at the fire themed Earthbender.
"Please to rise for Fire Nation national anthem." the man pleaded to the crowd before he started to sing. "Fire Lord, my flame burns for thee!" The audience expressed themselves with more booing and by throwing multiple rocks at the Earthbender.
"Go back to the Fire Nation!" Sokka shouted as he threw his own rock that struck the Earthbender's head. Fire Nation Man was suddenly pulled into the ring, stopping at his armpits; the Boulder then hoist himself up with a large earth pillar.
"No. No please!" begged the soon to be defeated opponent.
The Boulder starts his finishing move by jumping up and plummeting towards the ring with his knees out and his hands holding his ankles behind his back; he smashed into the ground, creating a pillar that launched his opponent out of the ring and into the boulder that was next to the Gang.
"Yeah! Whoo! The Boulder knows how to put the hurt in the dirt!" Sokka taints the Earthbender.
A man on a Badger mole cleans up the rubble, preparing the ring for the next fight one after another, the Boulder eradicated, eliminated or embarrassed every Earthbender that he faced as he made his way up. The many fans cheered for their hero, including the Water Tribesman. Finally, there was only one opponent left for the Boulder to face before becoming the new Earth Rumble Six champion…the current champion. "Now, the moment you've all been waiting for…" Xin Fu announced; the ring grew dark as the champion appeared. Two ladies stood beside the champion Earthbender as the light focused on that person. "The Boulder versus…your champion, the Blind Bandit!" The one facing the Boulder turned out to be a young girl in earthbending Gi, holding the championship belt and wearing a green cape, and yet no one was surprised to see her other than the Gang. The two ladies took the belt and the cape away as she prepared to fight.
"That girl's the champion?!" Gohan questioned as he glanced at her.
"She can't really be blind. It's just part of her character, right?" Katara asked in disbelief.
Aang gazed at her eyes and saw that it was just as her title said "I think she is." He replied.
"I think she is...going down!" Sokka shouted.
"Can she really win this?" Gohan thought. "Her Ki is higher than it should be at her age but the Boulder's is still a bit higher. Plus how can she fight when she can't see him?"
The Boulder faces the current champion but seems hesitant to fight her "The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young, blind girl." He states.
"Sounds to me like you're scared, Boulder!" the girl mocks him while jabbing her finger.
The Boulder frowns at her comment. "The Boulder's over his conflicted feelings, and now he's ready to bury you in a rock-a-lanche!" He declares, now wanting to fight.
"Whenever you're ready...The Pebble." The girls mocks him again before laughing, as she does, the Avatar's eyes grew wide as he recognizes her laugh from his time in the swamp.
Gohan noticed his adoptive brother's look. "What is it Aang?" he asked him.
"The way she laughed just now…it's just like the girl from my vision did," Aang replied.
"It's on!" the Boulder said, he glares at the smaller Earthbender while sweating; the girl looks back at him with an expressionless face. The Boulder then takes a step forward as if he was to charge at the girl. The champion reacts by taking her own fighting stance; the Boulder prepares to make his next move by raising his foot. However, the girl suddenly kicks the ground in front of her, causing the small rocks in the ground to move towards her opponent. Aang stares in awe as he watches the Blind Bandit's attack strikes the Boulder's foot, making him slip and force a full split. Sokka faces goes from smile to frown as the male Earthbender let out a cry of pain. The Blind girl then waves her hand, creating three earth pillars to launch the Boulder out of the ring; he crashed into the wall below the seats and fell to the ground.
The Blind girl smile and raises her fist triumphantly "Your winner, and still the champion, The Blind Bandit!" Xin Fu declares. While the crowd is cheering, the Tribesman is crying.
"That was amazing! She won so easily!" Gohan stated.
"How did she do that?" Katara asked in awe.
"She waited…and listened." Aang said with a smile.
"I think we found your Earthbending teacher bro," Gohan said.
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" someone shouted from the stands; the audience looked to the direction where the voice came from and saw a person in an orange Gi similar to Gohan's aside from the long sleeved undershirt with a hood that covered the his face. Strapped to his back was a small red pole in a sheath. His clothes had the same small turtle symbol on the right side of his chest but the big symbol back translated to 'Kai' while Gohan's translated to 'Demon.' The newcomer jumped from the stand, flipped through the air and landed on his feet the ring before facing the Blind Bandit. "I'm here to have a rematch against you Bandit!"
"Well, this is a nice surprise! Our favorite runner-up has returned for another attempt to becoming the champion! Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you…the Stone Soldier!" Xin Fu introduced the soldier.
The Blind Bandit smirked at her new challenger "Long time no see soldier, Have you finally finished your so called special training?" she asked jokingly.
"Yes! And this time will be different…because I'm going to beat you!" the Soldier declared as he brought out his staff and pointed it at the Bandit.
"Hmm, I suppose we can still have one more round!" Xin Fu said before turning to the audience. "What do you say folks?! Who's ready for some more action?!" The crowd cheered wildly in response to his question. The Bandit and the Soldier smirked at each other as they took their stances and prepared to fight. "Then our next match is…the Stone Soldier versus the Blind Bandit!"
"The soldier and you seem to have the same taste in style Gohan," Katara said to the Z Fighter.
"Do you think he can beat her bro?" Aang asked but got no answer. "Gohan?" He looked to his right and saw his brother staring at the Soldier in shock and wonder. "Gohan, you ok? You look like you've seen a spirit."
"Huh? What?" Gohan said when he snapped back to reality. "Sorry, I was just…distracted."
"Come on Soldier! Take her down!" Sokka shouted to the runner-up.
Gohan continued to stare at the Stone Soldier. "His Ki feels…familiar. And that Gi is identical to mine…could it be?" he thought.
"Match, begin!" Xin Fu yelled.
"Power Pole extend!" the Soldier commanded to the stick; it grew in length until it was now longer than its wielder.
"That staff…I've seen it before." Gohan muttered.
The Soldier then stabs one end of the pole into the ring floor, when he pulls it out a stone rectangular prism is attached to it; he then flips it over and does the same thing with the other end, getting the same results. He twirls the new doubled ended earth hammer before stopping and holding his hand out. Numerous pieces of the earth are pulled out of the ring and start floating around the Soldier; he then points to the Bandit and the rocks fly towards her. The Blind girl just smiled and threw her fist forward, causing the flying rocks to turn into dust; the Stone Soldier then appeared behind the Bandit and swung his hammer at her. She quickly brought out a chunk of earth to block the attack but ended up being knocked backwards by Soldier's attack. The Bandit dug her feet into the ring to stop herself from moving backwards. "Not bad Soldier, your swings have gotten better! But it's still not enough to beat me!" the Bandit said.
"Oh, I'm just getting warmed up!" the Soldier assured. He then smashed his hammer against the ring, quaking it repeatedly. The Bandit effortlessly stuck her feet to the ring with earth so that she wouldn't be moved from the tremors. "Now I've got you!" the Soldier declared before he rushed at his opponent; he jumped up and brought his hammer down on her. She summoned to walls of earth to stop the attack, the Soldier then let go of his weapon and tried to punch her from behind. Sensing his attack coming, she encased his wrist in a block of earth before he could hit her. The Bandit then stomped, launching a rock fist from the ring to punch him in the chin. The Soldier back flipped and rubbed his jaw after landing.
The Soldier then raised his arms shaking the whole Earth Rumble 6 arena and he summoned a giant boulder from the ring; he then hurled it at the champion who put herself in a rock barrier to protect herself. The Stone Soldier then retrieved his weapon and charged at the Blind Bandit; he smashed against the stone dome, making it crack and crumble. But when he looked inside he didn't see the champion anywhere. He then jumped back just as the Blind Bandit came out from underground; she then bent two rock walls out of the ring and trapped the Soldier in a stone sandwich. The soldier held out his hands to push against the walls, dropping his hammer in the process. The Blind Bandit made the stone hammer levitate before rearing her fist back and throwing it forward; the hammer flew towards the Soldier like a missile, it struck him in the chest and sent him flying out of the ring. The Bandit raised her fists in triumph as the crowd cheered.
"The Blind Bandit wins again!" Xin Fu declared.
The Bandit then looked over to the edge of the ring where the Soldier had climbed back on; he approached and looked away in depression. "I lost…again." He muttered.
"At ease Soldier," the Bandit said while holding out her hand. "You put up a good fight, as always! It's always more fun to beat you than anyone else, thanks for the challenge."
The Stone Soldier bowed respectfully to the champion before shaking her hand. "Same goes to you! But don't get comfortable with that title! I will beat and take it for myself someday!"
"I look forward to it." The Bandit said.
Gohan couldn't take his eyes off the runner-up. "It has to be him." He muttered.
"What is it Gohan?" Aang asked.
"I think the Stone Soldier…is my brother Goten," Gohan answered.
Just then, Xin Fu jumped into the ring while holding a bag of gold. "To make things a little more interesting, I'm offering up this sack of gold pieces to anyone who can defeat the Blind Bandit!" he announced to the audience; at first, no one gave a response to his challenge. "What? No one dares to face her?" he asked seeming surprised.
"We will," Aang and Gohan replied as they stepped into the ring.
"You both wish to fight her? That seems a bit unfair, doesn't?" Xin Fu stated.
"Actually, I wanna fight him." Gohan said while pointing to the Soldier. "What do ya Soldier? Still got some fight left?"
The runner-up raised an eyebrow before chuckling "What kind of fighter would I be if I turned down a challenge? I'll gladly take you on," he said. "If that's ok with you Xin Fu." The host nodded before jumping out of the ring.
Many specters from the audience were cheering for the brothers, including the Water Tribesman. "Go get em guys! Avenge the Boulder!"
"Do people really want to see four little girls fighting out here?" the Bandit said tauntingly, getting the crowd to 'ooooh.'
"Hey!" Gohan and the Soldier said offended.
"We don't really want to fight you. We just want to talk to you." Aang admitted.
"Boo! No talking!" Sokka shouted.
"Don't boo at them!" Katara said while slapping her brother.
The boys took a step forward and the Bandit smirked; she stomped on the ring and a large rock sprung from underneath the boys' feet. They jumped into the air, confusing the Bandit as she can no longer feel where they are. The Soldier turns to face them as land on the ground behind the Bandit. "Somebody's a little light on his feet." The Blind Bandit states as she turns around in anger. "What's your fighting name, the Fancy Dancers?" The boys shrug to her comment and the Bandit tries the same trick again; the brothers somersaulted through the air and land on the Champion and runner-up's right.
"Don't worry Bandit, I got this!" the Soldier assured as she stepped towards their challengers.
"Aang, stay behind me! I need to see something!" Gohan instructed the Avatar. The Stone Soldier pulled out numerous cube rocks from the ring and hurled them at Aang and Gohan; the Z Fighter pushed the Airbender aside and started smashing the flying stones with his fists.
"Not bad, but let's see if you can handle this!" the Soldier and he raised a giant rock from the ring and threw it at Gohan; the Son of Goku held out his and the large stone suddenly stopped right in front of his palm.
"Here, your turn!" Gohan said and he released a kiai that shattered the stone and sent them back at the Soldier. The Runner-up started rapidly twirling his staff, deflecting the many flying rocks. In that instant Gohan jumped and phased right in front of the Soldier, looking like he intended to punch the Soldier. Instead, he just grabbed the blue hood and tore it off revealing the Stone Soldier's face to the entire audience; the Soldier had hair shaped like a palm tree and black eyes. The Avatar and the Z Fighter stared at the Stone Soldier with wide eyes as he turned to smash the latter with his hammer. Gohan dodged the strike and landed beside the monk. "That hair, that face, and that Gi…there's no mistake, it is you Goten!" Gohan stated.
The Soldier looked surprise that the Z Fighter knew his name. "How do you know my name? Who are you?" He asked.
"You mean…you don't know me?" Gohan asked back incredulously. "It's me…your brother." The Soldier whose name was Goten grew wide eyes at the Z Fighter's statement.
"I'm getting tired of all this talking! You guys challenged us and now you're gonna see what happens to those who do!" the Blind Bandit declared as she raised two giant boulders from the ring; she threw it at the pair and Aang reacted instinctively by jumping up and releasing a gale force attack with his hands. The attack repelled the rocks but also blew the Champion into the runner-up so hard that they both slid right out of the ring. Xin Fu, the Boulder, and the water tribe siblings look completely surprised by what just happened. The silent crowd suddenly cheers for the boys' victory while they go over to the edge of the ring to see the Blind Bandit and the Stone Soldier storming away.
"Please listen! I need an earthbending teacher, and I think it's supposed to be you!" Aang called to the girl.
"Whoever you guys are, just leave us alone!" the Bandit said back.
"Goten wait! I'm really your brother!" Gohan said to the runner-up.
Goten glanced back at his brother before the Blind Bandit grabbed his wrist and said "Let's go Soldier!"
"I don't have a brother," Goten said softly. The Bandit then opened a door by stomping her foot; the two entered it before she closed it just as Aang and Gohan reached it. Gohan swung his right fist and smashed the rock wall but the two fighters were already gone, the boys turned away in depression before joining their friends and the host in the ring. Many specters were in the arena cheering as Xin Fu presented the belt and sack of gold to the new champions; Sokka hugged the host before receiving the prizes.
"Way to go champ!" the Tribesman said to the monk but he still looked sad. The next morning, the four teens were trekking through town, continuing their search for Aang's future teacher and Gohan's brother. "I gotta admit, now I'm really glad I bought this bag. It matches the belt perfectly." Sokka said admiring his new belt.
"That is a big relief." Katara said sarcastically.
"You sure the Stone Soldier is your brother Gohan?" Aang asked.
"I'd never forget his face." Gohan assured. "I know it was him, but for some reason he didn't recognize me."
"He did resemble your dad," Aang stated. "Something might've happened to him when you last saw him."
"Bottom line, he's alive and I need to find him!" Gohan said.
"Well if we want to find The Blind Bandit and the Stone Soldier, the Earthbending Academy is a good place to start." Aang suggested.
The Gang entered Master Yu's Academy where students were busy training; the two students they met before the earthbending tournament were punching sand in a pot when they noticed the Gang entering the academy. "Oh great, you again." One of the students said when he recognized the four teens, clearly not happy to see them.
Katara inched forward and glared at the boys, making them flinch. "Yeah, I didn't think so." She said.
"Nicely done." Sokka said to his sister.
"What did you do to them Katara?" Gohan questioned.
"Hey, you're the kid who beat The Blind Bandit and the Stone Soldier." The other student stated when he saw Aang.
"We need to talk to them, do you guys know where they are?" the Avatar asked.
"The Blind Bandit's a mystery. She shows up to fight, then disappears." The 1st student explained. "The Stone Soldier's even more mysterious. His face has always been covered until today, and he rarely makes an appearance but after he does, he always leaves with the Blind Bandit."
Aang looked depressed by the student's answer. "I'll handle this," Katara said to comfort her friend before she jabbed her finger at the 2nd student and declared "You're not telling us everything!"
"No no, I swear it's true! No one knows where they go, or who they really are." The 2nd student said while holding up his hands.
"That's because we're asking about the wrong person." Aang realized. "In my vision, I saw a girl in a white dress with a pet flying boar. Know anybody like that?"
"Well, a flying boar is the symbol of the Bei Fong family. They're the richest people in town, probably the whole world." The 1st student replied.
"Yeah, but they don't have a daughter." The 2nd student said from behind his friend.
"Flying boar is good enough for me. Let's check it out." Aang said to his friends and the four turned to leave.
"Yeah, you better leave." The students sneered quietly.
"Hey, I've got my eye on you." Katara said to the boys before leaving.
"Water Tribe," Sokka whispered as he followed her.
Back at the Earth Rumble Six arena, the Boulder stood next to Xin Fu as they discussed the events from their last fight. "I'm telling you, The Boulder was standing right there!" the participant of the tournament assured the host. "I saw the bald kid strike, but there was no earthbending! Nothing made contact! The Blind Bandit just crashed into the Stone Soldier and they both fell out of the ring! They must have took a dive and split the money with those kids."
Furious, Xin Fu smashed his fist against the wall, causing a few rocks to crumble and fall onto his foot; he screams in pain before declaring "Nobody cheats Xin Fu."
The Gang finally found the Bei Fong compound; it was a huge house with a big garden, and some ponds. All of it was surrounded by a gate with a flying boar symbol over it and two guards standing post. "That's the flying boar from my vision. Come on!" Aang said. The four then snuck into the compound, Aang and Gohan jumped over the wall, Sokka and Katara climb over it; they quickly hide in the bushes and peek out with Aang on the bottom, Katara above him, Sokka above her and Gohan above him. The ground suddenly started rumbling before it launched the Gang into the air, they scream as they descend back to earth; Gohan lands on his feet, Aang and Katara both land in a bush and Sokka lands chest first onto the ground. Aang looks up and spots the Blind Bandit now dressed in the white gown from his vision.
"What are you doing here, twinkle toes?" she asked the monk.
"How did you know it was me?" Aang asked back.
"Don't answer to twinkle toes. It's not manly!" Sokka said.
"You're the one whose bag matches his belt." Katara chastised her brother.
"How did you find me?" the Earthbender continued to question the Airbender.
"Well, a crazy king told me I had to find an Earthbender who listens to the earth." Aang started to explain, as he did, the Blind girl raised an eyebrow questioning his sanity. "And then I had a vision in a magic swamp and..."
Katara cut him off and gave a short answer "What Aang is trying to say is, he's the Avatar, and if he doesn't master earthbending soon he won't be able to defeat the Fire Lord."
"Not my problem." The Earthbender replied as she held her hand in Katara's face. "Now get out of here or I'll call the guards." She then turned and walked away from the Gang.
"Wait, where's my brother?!" Gohan asked the Bei Fong girl.
The Blind Bandit stopped and said "If you're talking about Goten then forget it. He told me he didn't have a family when we met, and he clearly doesn't know you."
"Please, just let me talk to him," Gohan requested.
"He's busy, but I'll let him know you said hi." The Blind then continued to walk away.
"Wait!" Aang called to her. "I really need to learn earthbending and you're the only one who can teach me!"
"I thought I already said no twinkle toes!" the Earthbender replied.
"Look, we all have to do our part to win this war. And yours is to teach Aang earthbending." Sokka said to the girl.
The Earthbender stopped for a moment before turning around. "Guards! Guards, help!" she cried with a fearful look; the Gang quickly fled as the guards rushed to the blind girl's aid.
"Toph, what happened?" one of the guards asked her.
"I …thought I heard someone. I got scared." The girl named Toph replied.
"You know your father doesn't want you wandering the grounds without supervision, Toph." The guard told her.
"Hey, where's that bodyguard of yours?" the other guard asked.
Goten soon came running towards them, wearing the same uniform as the guards. "Toph! I heard you calling, are you alright?" he asked the girl.
"I'm fine Goten," she replied.
"Where have you been?!" the guards questioned the spiky haired boy. "You're suppose to be at Toph's side at all times!"
"I know. I'm sorry." Goten apologized while bowing his head.
"You'd better not have been slacking off boy!" the guard warned him.
Toph stood in front of her bodyguard "Goten was just checking to make sure the place was safe for me to walk around. He told me to wait bur I got impatient and came outside on my own." She said defending the boy.
The guards glanced at each other before nodding. "Very well, we'll let it slide. You'd better escort Toph back to her room boy."
"Yes sir!" Goten complied before taking Toph away; Aang and Gohan were watching from nearby rooftop. The Avatar thinks for a moment before smirking and gesturing his brother to follow him.
Later that evening, Master Yu and Toph Bei Fong were sitting before the Bei Fong couple while Goten stood beside the blind girl; a cup of tea was placed in front of Lao Bei Fong, he picked it up, inhales the tea's scent before taking a sip. "I'm pleased to hear that Toph's private lessons are going well," Toph's father said as he placed his teas down. "But I want to be sure that she's not trying anything too dangerous."
"Absolutely not, I'm keeping her at the beginner's level. Basic forms and breathing exercises only." Master Yu assured.
"Very good." Lao replied.
A servant in a gray robe came in and bowed. "Excuse me sir, but you have a visitor." he said.
"Who thinks they are so important they can just come to my home unannounced?" Mr. Bei Fong questioned furiously.
"Uh, the Avatar, sir." The servant replied. Toph and Goten looked surprised before glancing at each other. Toph's parents did the same as the servant left and Toph blew a strand of hair from her face, clearly irritated. Moments later, the Gang was seated at the dining table with the Bei Fong family, Master Yu and Goten. Servants went around placing food on the table. Gohan, Aang, Katara, and Sokka sit on the left side of the table respectively; Goten, Toph, Mrs. Bei Fong and Master Yu were on the right respectively while Toph's father was at the table head. Lao Bei Fong glanced at his wife and Master Yu who were eating peacefully before looking at the Gang, Aang and Katara were sitting calmly while Gohan and Sokka were stuffing their faces. He then at Goten and back at Gohan seeing the similarities in how they were eating.
"Goten, you and this…spiky haired boy seem so alike," Lao stated. "It's almost like you're related,"
"Well, actually…" Gohan started to say before he was cut off.
"Yeah! That's a weird coincidence huh?" Goten said before he resumed eating.
Mr. Bei Fong shrugged it off just a servant placed a hot bowl of food before his daughter. "Blow on it. It's too hot for her." He ordered.
"Allow me." Aang offered. He lets out a small whirlwind that floats over to Toph's food and cools it off before fading. The adults clap at this display of airbending.
"Avatar Aang, it's an honor to have you visit us." Toph's mother states.
"In your opinion, how much longer do you think the war will last?" Lao asks the Avatar.
"I'd like to defeat the Fire Lord by the end of summer," Aang explained before glancing at Toph expectantly who only frowned back. "But, I can't do that without finding an earthbending teacher first."
"Well, Master Yu is the finest teacher in the land. He's been teaching Toph since she was little." Lao said gesturing to Toph's teacher who was dabbing his mouth with a napkin.
"Then she must be a great Earthbender," Aang begun to say before Toph lifts up her foot, releasing a small earth wave to jab the monk. "Probably good enough to teach someone else…ow!"
Aang and Mr. Lao (the former angrily) glance at the blind girl who feigns innocence by eating calmly. "Toph is still learning the basics." Master Yu explains.
"Yes, and sadly because of her blindness, I don't think she will ever become a true master." Mr. Bei Fong admits.
The Gang looks at each other before Aang says "Oh, I'm sure she's better than you think she is."
Now annoyed, Toph pulled her foot back, pulling Aang's chair forward and causing his face to slam into his bowl of soup. Everyone seems confused while looks upset at the blind Earthbender who still fakes not doing anything but eating. Aang slaps his face before smiling; he then lets out a sneeze that blows the food into the faces of Master Yu, Mrs. Bei Fong, Toph and Goten. After the food falls off of the girl's face she stands and asks "What's your problem?!"
"What's your problem?!" Aang asked back. Lao looks between the two teen, confused.
"Well, shall we move to the living room for dessert then?" Mrs. Bei Fong asked calmly while wiping food off.
After dinner night had fallen, the Gang was given a room to stay for the night; Katara and Sokka were sitting on one of the beds while Gohan was on the other meditating. Momo rested in Sokka's bag, Icarus was beside Gohan and Appa stayed outside by the room window. The Monk went over to the window and pets his friend. "Good night, buddy." He said. Toph then enters their room; the Airbender notices her and reacts by taking a fighting stance.
"Relax. Look, I'm sorry about dinner. Let's call a truce, ok?" She tells him. The Avatar calms down when he sees she means well and then follows her out of the room.
Soon after they left, Goten enters the room and approaches his brother; Gohan opens his eyes when he senses his Ki. "What's up bro?" He asked the younger fighter.
"Can we talk?" Goten asked. "Outside if you don't mind."
"Sure, it'll give us time to catch up." Gohan replied as the two stepped out of the room and went into the yard. Goten lead his older brother all the way to a rocky plain outside. "What's this?" Gohan asked.
"The guards made a place for me to train during my free time." Goten explained.
"So what are we doing here?" Gohan asked.
"You're going to convince me that you're my brother." Goten answered as he took a fighting stance. "Now, let's do this!"
"Oh, you wanna a proper spar huh?" Gohan realized. "I'm down with that, let's see how strong my little bro really is." He dropped his sword and took his own stance. "Alright Goten, show me what you got!" The younger fighter complied by jumping to kick his brother; Gohan ducked the first strike and blocked the second kick. Goten continued to unleash a fury of punches and kicks but Gohan managed to block all of them. Goten finishes his assault with a one final punch that Gohan blocks with his arms before jumping back.
"Not bad! But see how you handle this!" Goten said as he formed two energy balls in his hands.
"So, he can use his Ki to attack directly," Gohan thought.
"Ready!" Goten shouted as he launched his attacks at his brother. Gohan jumped to avoid the attack; it sailed past him and shattered a rock. He the sensed Goten coming at his right side to kick him and grabbed his brother's leg at the last second before tossing him aside. Goten slid on the ground before jumping back to his feet and rushing at his brother; the two Sons of Goku speed around the battlefield while exchanging blows. Eventually, Gohan took to the skies and stay there which seemed to tick Goten off. "Hey no fair Gohan! Get back down here!" he yelled.
"Why don't you just come up after me?" Gohan inquired.
"Cause I can't!" Goten replied.
"Wait, are you saying you can't fly?" Gohan asked and his brother nodded. "Huh, déjà vu. Well, I shouldn't be surprised; all the other Energybenders I've met couldn't fly either." The Z Fighter descended to ground level. "Sorry about that bro, if you want I can teach you to fly."
"Really? You'll teach me to fly?!" Goten asked excitedly.
"Some other time, now let's pick up where we left off." Gohan said and the two continued their match. They dashed around the area trading blows; Gohan then fired three energy blasts at his brother who dodged two of them and the deflected the other with his own blast. The collision made a smoke screen that blocked Goten's field of vision; he saw Gohan jump out f the smoke and jumped after him.
"Since he's not flying this time, he won't be able to dodge me in mid-air! I've got him right where I want him!" the 2nd Son of Goku thought before he noticed his brother cupping his hands together at his side. "That stance…seems familiar to me."
"Kamehame…" Gohan exclaimed as his gather Ki into his palms. "Ha!" He fired the energy blue beam not at his brother but at the sky, launching himself at Goten like a rocket; Gohan skull bashed his brother, sending him plummeting back to the earth. Goten landed on his back and groaned as Gohan landed on his feet and offered his hand to his brother. "I think I won this time," he said. . "You're pretty strong Goten!"
Goten nodded as he took his hand and was pulled to his feet. "Thanks. You're tough opponent Gohan." he said. "And I believe you."
"Huh?" Gohan asked.
"I believe you…we are brothers." Goten clarified.
"Really? What convinced you?" Gohan inquired.
"The way we fought, it reminded me of a dream I had once." Goten explained. "We were different, you were older and I was much younger, but what really convinced me was that move you used to end the fight."
"You mean the Kamehameha wave?" Gohan asked.
Goten nodded. "In my dream, you showed me how to use that technique. Although…my control was…far from perfect, I could still use it well. Once we even did it together to beat some guy, that's when I knew you were my brother for sure."
"Well, I'm glad I could convince you! I thought you were dead until just recently." Gohan said. "What happened to you?"
"I don't really know. I just woke up one day with a bad headache." Goten replied. "I couldn't remember anything, just my name. I wondered alone until I was taken in by the Bei Fong family. I've had dreams of you and other people, but I wasn't sure if any of you were real."
"Trust me, there's a chance the people in dreams are real." Gohan said before he asked. "So, where you find the power pole?"
"Found it while I was traveling, felt…drawn to it for some reason," Goten answered.
"No surprise. That pole used to belong to our dad." Gohan said.
"I don't remember our dad, what was he like?" Goten.
"He was a great fighter, one of the best in history." Gohan replied. "He was my hero and I even met him once. I wanna be just like him someday."
"Do you think I'll get to meet him?" Goten asked. "So that I can learn who I am?"
"Absolutely. Just you wait; I know he'll reveal himself to you like he did me." Gohan assured his brother. "Alright bro, it's getting late. We should head to bed now." The 1st son of Goku started head to towards the Bei Fong house.
"Gohan, wait!" Goten called to his brother. Gohan looked back to see the Stone Soldier looking. "I know we're brothers and you probably want me to go with you. But the Bei Fong's are like family to me, I can't just leave them, especially Toph. Whenever you guys are ready to leave, it'll have to be without me."
Gohan approached his brother and put his hand on his shoulder. "I understand. I would do the same thing if I was asked to leave Aang, he and I are real close like you and Toph. I won't take you away if you don't want to leave but if you change your mind, I'll personally train you. I'll teach you all sorts of cool stuff; all you have to do is say the word."
"Thanks bro, I appreciate it." Goten said.
"No prob, now let's get inside." Gohan said before the two Energybenders made their way back into their rooms.
Elsewhere in the yard, Avatar and the Blind Bandit were walking together over a small bridge; Toph walks carefree across the rail as she begins to talk "Even though I was born blind, I've never had a problem seeing." She steps down explains how she can see while blind. "I see with earthbending. It's kind of like seeing with my feet. I can feel the vibrations in the earth, and I can see where everything is. You, that tree, even those ants." Aang looks around but is unable to locate the ants due to it being dark.
"That's amazing." Aang states.
"My parents don't understand. They've always treated me like I was helpless." Toph said depressed.
"Is that why you became The Blind Bandit? And hide your earthbending?" Aang inquired.
"Yeah," she replied.
"What about Goten? How does he fit into this?" Aang asked.
"H e was hired to b my personal bodyguard. H e takes the blame for any disappearance and keeps my parents from knowing the truth." Toph explained. "Being the Stone Soldier is just so he can have his own fun fighting with me."
"Why stay here where you're unhappy?" Aang asked her.
"They're my parents. Where else am I supposed to go?" Toph asked back.
Aang thought for a moment before suggesting "You could come with us,"
"Yeah. You guys get to go wherever you want. No one telling you what to do, that's the life. It's just not my life." She states sadly; her face then turned serious and she looks to her right. "We're being ambushed!" she then grabs Aang's hand and starts to lead him back to the house; they're cut off by one of the Earthbender from the tournament. He digs around them and jumps in front of their path. The two takes their stances but are soon encased in metal boxes before they can react. The Hippo jumps onto the boxes and stomps on them, the rest of the Earthbenders from the arena appear as Aang and Toph are completely imprisoned.
"I think you kids owe me some money." Xin Fu states.
Moments later, the Bei Fong couple, Master Yu, Gohan, Goten, Katara and Sokka came to where the Earthbenders had ambushed the Avatar and the Blind Bandit. The only thing they found were the marks in the ground from the boxes used to imprison the two and a knife sticking through a note. "Whoever took Aang and Toph left this." Sokka said as he picked up the blade and showed it to the others.
Katara took the note and read it aloud. "If you want to see your daughter again, bring 500 gold pieces to the arena. It's signed Xin Fu and The Boulder."
"I can't believe it." Sokka said as he grabbed the note and fell to his knees. "I have the Boulder's autograph!"
The teens look at the tribesman questionably while Lao speaks to Yu. "Master Yu, I need you to help you get my daughter back."
"We're going with you." Katara told him.
Toph's mother knelt in front of the marks holding her hands together. "Poor Toph. She must be so scared." She said.
Inside the earth arena, Aang and Toph were still encased in the metal boxes that were now hanging from the ceiling by chains; and contrary to what Mrs. Bei Fong said, the blind Earthbender was taunting her captors, clearly not afraid. "You think you're so tough...why don't you come up here so I can smack that grin off your face?"
"I'm not smiling," Xin Fu replied sternly.
"Toph!" Lao called.
The Earthbenders turned to see Lao Bei Fong, Master Yu, Gohan, Goten, Katara and Sokka in the ring. Sokka holds up the bag of money. "Here's your money. Now let them go!" he demands as he drops the money; Master Yu bends it over to Xin Fu, he checks it before gesturing for Toph to be released. The girl's box is lowered and opened, she steps out and goes to her father and the two leave with Master Yu and Goten.
"What about Aang?" Katara asked.
"I think the Fire Nation will pay a hefty price for the Avatar." Xin Fu states as he shows the wanted poster of Aang. "Now, get out of my ring!"
The teens prepare to when all of the Earthbenders jump into the ring. The water tribe siblings seem worried while Gohan glares and grabs his sword, still wanting to fight. "Go. I'll be ok." Aang tells them. The three reluctantly leave towards the exit where they meet up with the others.
"Toph, there's too many of them. We need an Earthbender. We need you!" Katara pleaded with the blind girl.
"My daughter is blind!" Lao says crudely. "She is blind and tiny and helpless and fragile! She cannot help you!"
Toph closes her eyes before reopening them and taking her hand away. "Yes, I can." She states before heading back to the arena. The Earthbenders begin to leave the ring with the Hippo carrying Aang when a large springs from the ground and intercepts them. "Let him go! I beat you all before, and I'll do it again!" she yells to them.
"The Boulder takes issue with that comment!" the Boulder replies as the Hippos drops the box holding Aang; the Gang prepare to advance as the Earthbenders charge towards them.
"Wait!" Toph tells the Gang. She waits patiently, feeling the vibrations in their movements as they get closer. "They're mine!" she declares surprising the Gang while Goten just nods. The Blind Bandit stomps her foot and lifts her arms creating a light tremor; she stomps her foot again, causing an earth wave to blow her opponents backwards and scatter them with a wall of dust. She then steps into the dust as her father watches nervously. The first one she encounters in Fire Nation Man; he notices her and starts to attack by shifting his foot. Toph smiles at this as she can feel his next move. The older Earthbender throws a wave of sand at the girl; she effortlessly dodges it and strikes him with an earth attack that knocks him out of the dusty ring and onto the floor below the stands.
With Aang, the Gang managed to release him from the metal box; he rushes to help the blind Earthbender but is stopped by Goten's power pole and the wielder shakes his head no.
Next is the Earthbender wearing a green mask. He walks through the dust on all fours when he's hit in the head by a small pebble, he looks over to see a smirking Toph at his right. He jumps into the air, summoning two rocks to his palms and throws them at the girl; Toph catches and them and tosses them away. Before her opponent can touch the ground, she stomp her foot a few times, making multiple rock pillar that smack her opponent and eventually knocking out of the ring and onto Fire Nation Man. Gopher man attempts to sneak attack the girl by digging underground; Toph shifts her feet, sensing where he'll come out from. The male Earthbender tosses a rock at the blind girl but she catches it and throws back at him. He literally flies out of the ring and crashes into the other two Earthbenders Toph beat.
The Hippo emerges from the dust, swinging an earth disk while the Boulder jumps out; they both turn to see the Blind Bandit stepping out to face them and give her mean looks which makes her father even more worried. Toph's ear twitches as she hears the other Earthbender swinging towards her. She stands on the center of the ring which is the Earth insignia; the Boulder and the Hippo charge at her just as she bends the circle, causing the three of them to change positions so that the swinging Earthbender crashes into his colleges. The Gang stare in awe as Toph smiles then launches three Earthbenders out of the ring where they collide with the other three losers.
"I never knew. Your daughter's amazing." Master Yu says to Lao.
The Blind Earthbender brings her hands down, blowing the dust away and showing the last Earthbender she has to face, Earth Rumble Six's host. Xin Fu cracks his neck and takes his stance; Toph does a spit take and does the same. The two begin circling each other before Xin Fu starts off. He brings out asingle boulder, two boulders, another one, three boulders and then a large rock and kicks them all towards the Blind Bandit. Toph brings out two triangular rocks plates to shield her from the attack before launching one of them towards her opponent. Xin Fu jumps to dodge them and sticks his hand into the ring; Toph feels the vibrations in the ring and moves to the side, avoiding the next rock he throws at her. She then slams the ground, sending an earth wave at Xin Fu which throws him out of the ring towards where Lao and Master Yu were seated. The Aang, Katara, Gohan, and Goten smile at Toph while Sokka's jaw hangs open as he faints. "She's the greatest Earthbender I've ever seen!" Master Yu states to Toph's father who seems a bit upset.
Soon everyone was back at the Bei Fong compound; Toph stood before her parents who were sitting with two servants beside them while Goten stood next to her and the Gang sat behind her. "Dad, I know it's hard for you to see me this way, but the obedient little helpless blind girl that you think I am just isn't me." Toph confessed to her parents. "I love fighting. I love being an Earthbender. And I'm really, really good at it. I know I've kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping me secret from the whole world. You were doing it to protect me. But I'm twelve years old and I've never had a real friend. So now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me." When she was done she seemed a little sad.
"Of course it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph. It's made me realize something." her father stated.
"It has?" she asked.
"Yes. I've let you have far too much freedom!" Lao declared as his wife nodded in agreement. "From now on, you will be cared for and guarded 24 hours a day!"
"But dad!" Toph argued but was shut down.
"We are doing this for your own good, Toph." Her mother said. The Blind said nothing more as she looked down feeling even sadder.
"Please escort the Avatar and his friends out. They are no longer welcome here." Lao orders his guards.
As they were leaving, Aang looks back and says "I'm sorry, Toph."
"I'm sorry too. Goodbye Aang." Toph bids the monk.
Goten puts his hand on her shoulder to comfort. "Let me take you back to your room," he said.
"Actually Goten, I've realized something else from today. You haven't done your job as Toph's bodyguard and are a bad influence on her." Lao said to the 2nd son of Goku. "Therefore, you are relieved of your duty. Please leave immediately."
"Dad! You can't! Goten's family!" Toph argued.
"No he's not…not anymore!" Lao said sternly.
Toph wanted to argue back but Goten stopped her. "It's fine Toph, he's right. I wasn't the best bodyguard to you, because I knew you didn't need one. What you needed…was a friend and I tried to be that."
"What would you know of what my daughter needs?" Lao asked.
"More than you would know sir." Goten replied as he took of the earth hat and placed it on the floor. "Thank you for all you've done for me. Just give me a few minutes to gather my things." As Goten started to leave, he looked back at the blind girl and muttered. "See ya around Bandit." Toph didn't reply as she watched him leave before turning away and shedding a tear.
Outside the compound, the Gang was preparing to depart from on top a small cliff; as they did, Aang stood at the edge staring sadly at the Bei Fong compound, and Katara came and stood beside him. "Don't worry. We'll find you a teacher. There are plenty of amazing Earthbenders out there." She assured her friend.
"None like her," the monk replied.
Just then, the second son of Goku appeared on the cliff dressed in his fighting Gi with his power pole strapped to his back and a bag under his right arm. "Listen guys, I know you originally came for Toph, but would it be alright if I went with you?" he inquired.
Gohan smiled at his brother. "Sure thing bro, welcome to the team."
"Thanks, I look forward to our training sessions bro! You're gonna teach me all sorts of new things!" Goten said.
"Alright, let's get going." The Z Fighter said and the two climbed onto Icarus.
Aang and Katara climbed onto Appa and were about to take off when the Airbender heard someone breathing heavily; he looked back to see the blind Earthbender rushing to catch up to them. "Toph! What are you doing here?" he asked her.
"My dad changed his mind. He said I was free to travel the world." Toph answered.
The Gang looked at each other before accepting her answer. "Well, we'd better get out of here - before your dad changes his mind again." Sokka suggested.
"Good idea." Toph agreed.
"You're gonna be a great teacher, Toph." Aang told her.
"Speaking of which, I want to show you something Aang." She said.
"Ok." Aang replied as he descends to the ground; as soon as he touched the earth, his new teacher stomped her foot, bending a rock from the ground to knock the Avatar into a tree.
"Now we're even." She declared before raising her hand to Sokka. "Um, I'll take the belt back."
The Water tribesman reluctantly removes the champion's belt and tosses it to the rightful owner. "Ow!" Toph cried as the belt hit her head and knocked her down.
"Sorry." Sokka apologized just before Aang fell from the tree to the ground.
Inside the Bei Fong home, Master Yu and Xin Fu stand before Lao Bei Fong. "I know you two are very different…but I believe you have a common interest." The rich man states as his servant places a chest in front of the two; he opens it, revealing several pieces of gold, surprising the two. Master Yu and Xin Fu glance at each other, silently agreeing to work together and share the payment. "The Avatar has kidnapped my daughter. I want you to do whatever it takes to bring her back home." Lao orders them. The two Earthbenders bow to him, accepting the task at hand.
With Toph, she rests on Appa's saddle looking very happy before Goten appears next to her. "Looks like we're on a new adventure together eh bandit." He says.
"Can't wait for the trouble we'll get into soldier." Toph replies before closing her eyes peacefully.
A/N: And there you have it, the Blind Bandit and the Stone Soldier aka Toph and Goten have joined the Gang. I'll try to keep updating this story over time but I've got other ones that I currently work on so I may forget a few times. Hope you've enjoyed this chapter and let me know if you think I should do the Zuko Alone chapter; I know I didn't show Zuko leaving Iroh but it still happened anyway except it was Trunks, Zuko and Iroh that all went different paths but they'll be together again soon. It's not a poll so answer in reviews or PMs. If not, then I'll just skip it and move on to the chase. Stay tuned and keep reading! Until then, BBFN AntiHero out!