A/N: I'm back and here's another chapter of Five Elements. Hope you'll like this one after waiting for so long for an update; sorry about that, been kinda busy. But as promised it's here! So sit back and enjoy!
Disclaimer – I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Avatar The Legend of Aang
Chapter27 – Bitter Work
It's the start of a new day; the Avatar was up and at it while the rest of his companions were still resting in the large rocky terrain. "Today's the day!" Aang exclaimed with excitement. "Can you believe it? After all that time searching for a teacher, I'm finally starting earthbending! And this place... i-it's perfect! Don't you think, Sokka?" The Tribesman merely groaned from inside his sleeping bag while looking annoyed. "Oh, you're still sleeping, huh?" the monk realized. Sokka groaned again before turning over to resume sleeping. "Sorry,"
"It's nice to see you excited about training Aang," Gohan said as he got up. "But don't forget that you'll have a lot of work ahead of you, and it starts the moment your new teacher wakes up."
Right on que, the ground started to quake and the stone tent burst open, revealing the Blind Bandit and the Stone Soldier. "Good morning, earthbending student!" Toph greeted her new pupil.
"Good morning, sifu Toph." Aang replied and bowed to his teacher.
"Hey... you never call me sifu Katara." The Waterbender commented from her sleeping bag.
"Well, if you think I should..." Aang said while scratching his head. Sokka sat up in his sleeping bag and growls.
"Sorry, snoozles. We'll do our earthbending as quietly as we can." Toph promised before stomping on the ground, causing an earth pillar to rise from under Sokka; the water tribesman screamed as he was launched into the air before landing roughly on the ground. Sokka then gets and hops around in his sleeping bag while grumbling at everyone before going off on his own.
"I hope you don't mind if I join your training sessions Toph, just for moral support," Gohan said.
"Whatever, but Goten's gonna have to focus on you," Toph replied.
"No problem, and after we're done, you can teach how to fly and other energy attacks," Goten said.
"Sure thing bro," Gohan agreed.
"So what move are you going to teach me first?" Aang asked Toph while performing earth stances. "Rockalanche? The Trembler? Oh! Maybe I can learn to make a whirlpool out of land!"
The Earthbender places her hand to settle him down and replies "Let's start with "move a rock"."
"Sounds good! Sounds good!" Aang says.
Aang and Toph stood in front of two boulders with the latter gave instructions to her pupil while their friends watch from the sidelines. "The key to earthbending is your stance. You've got to be steady and strong. Rock is a stubborn element. If you're going to move it, you've got to be like a rock yourself." She explained to the Avatar while taking her stance.
"Like a rock. Got it." Aang repeated.
"Good. Now the actual motion of this one is pretty simple." Toph states while demonstrating; she throw a punch at the rock, propelling it forward into a wall. "Okay, you ready to give it a try?"
"I'm ready," Aang says as mimics Toph's stance; he looked serious as he performs the same motion as his teacher. But instead of moving the boulder, the energy bounces off and hits Aang, making him scream as he propelled backward into Appa where he fell flat on the earth.
"Rock beats Airbender," Sokka laughs.
In his dream, the retired Fire General looked much younger as he was playing with his first son; Iroh ran up a hill with a single tree on top as the toddler chased him. "I got you, dad!" Lu ten laughs as he pretends to throw a fire attack at his father; Iroh fakes being hit and falls on his back before being tackled by Lu ten. The Father and son continue laughing before the joyous memory turns into a saddened one further in time. The current Iroh is kneeling at his son's grave in the rain on top the very same hill with the tree having no leaves this time. "My beloved Lu Ten, I will see you again." Iroh promises to his son.
"Uncle…" a voice calls to him as he wakes up; the son of Ozai sat by his uncle. "You were unconscious. Azula did this to you." He explained. "It was a surprise attack."
"Somehow, that's not so surprising." Iroh said as sat up.
"I'm glad to see you up Iroh," Trunks said as he came to sit by him. "I hope you're in the mood for some tea, Zuko made you some."
"I hope I made it the way you like it." Zuko said as he poured Iroh a cup. The Fire Prince handed it to his uncle who took a sip.
Iroh's face expressed a bit distaste. "Mmm, good." Iroh says before taking another sip, expressing the same distaste and handing the cup back to Zuko. "That was very, uhh... bracing!"
"Don't worry, I'll make you some real tea later," Trunks whispered to Iroh.
Zuko poured another cup to his uncle who accepts it but then throw it out secretly "So uncle, I've been thinking. It's only a matter of time before we run into Azula again. I'm going to need to know more advanced firebending if I want to stand a chance against her." Zuko stated. "I know what you're going to say: she's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her."
"No, she's crazy and she needs to go down." Iroh agreed; though surprised Zuko nods as hi mentor groans and stands up. "It's time to resume your training." He said to Zuko before addressing Trunks. "The same goes for you my boy; your sister has clearly gotten stronger and more experienced. You need to improve yourself. I can teach you some advanced techniques that I've heard of, but you have to promise not to use them to kill or out of anger, especially when it comes to you fighting Bulla."
"I understand father. Bulla has kept up her training much better than I did in the last three years, I have to show her that despite her superior natural talents, I'm still her older brother and that I won't let her get a head of me so easily," Trunks said as he stood up. "I promise. Besides…Azula and Bulla aren't my true targets," the Energybender then walked out, leaving his companions.
Back with that Gang, Aang recovered and came back to the boulder. "I don't understand what went wrong. He did it exactly the way you did." Katara said to Toph.
"Maybe there's another way." Aang suggested. "What if I came at the boulder from a different angle?" He attempted to try again but was stopped when his teacher grabbed his collar.
"No, that's the problem. You've got to stop thinking like an Airbender." Toph instructed while tapping Aang's head. "There's no different angle, no clever solution, no trickity trick that's going to move that rock." She pushed the Avatar aside and took another stance. "You've got to face it head on. And when I say head on, I mean like this!" She demonstrated her advice by jumping at the rock and easily smashing it with her head.
"Whoa," said Aang and Gohan.
The monk seemed a little uncertain so Katara went to speak with Toph. "I've been training Aang for a while now. He really responds well to a positive teaching experience. Lots of encouragement and praise. Kind words. If he's doing something wrong, maybe a gentle nudge in the right direction." She advised.
"Thanks, Katara. A gentle nudge. I'll try that." Toph replied only for her to shout "Keep your knees high, Twinkletoes!" The Avatar and his guardian were carrying large boulders on their backs while Toph used her earthbending to make small piers of rock come from underneath their feet and disrupt their balance, making it harder for them. Next, Toph and Goten brought them over to some thick sand; they both rubbed their hands together and started jabbing it. Gohan copied them and did the same. When Aang tried, her doesn't get through the sand like the other grunts as he hurts his hand. After that, Gohan is doing pushups with Goten sitting on a stack of large flat rocks on his back while Aang was standing and waiting patiently while sweat drips down his head. Toph suddenly jumps out from underground and shouts "Rocklike!" startling the Airbender and making him fall; she then puts him back on his feet with her earthbending and flicks him in the head.
Later the blind girl is using her hand to hold Sokka back as he tries to take hi war club back from her; she pushes him and he gives up before walking away. Toph hands the weapon to her student who is blindfolded. She then makes multiple earth columns come out of the ground for Aang to hit with the club; the Avatar misses the first two and stops as two more spring from the ground. One appears right in front of him; he strikes it and Toph nods. Following, Toph and Goten stand a few feet before Gohan and Aang; she then bends two long stone walls at the sides. Toph draws a line in the dirt before creating rock armor for both her and Goten, surprising Aang and Gohan. The two move over the line towards them, the Blind Bandit to the Avatar and the Stone soldier to the Z Fighter. Gohan and Aang use their hands to stop them and push them back; they managed to move their stone armored comrades a bit before they started pushing harder. Aang and Gohan gave more effort and pushed Goten and Toph back to the other side of the line. A little later, Aang is standing on two earth pillars, tossing and catching a rock with a hilt while Gohan is performing martial art moves with big stone weights around his wrists and ankles. Toph moves in between the pillars and jabs while shouting "Rocklike!" The pillars raise but Aang stands firm and remains still; Toph then meets him on her own pillar and nods appraisingly, making him smile.
Elsewhere, Sokka was positioned in a tree while preying on a tiny animal munching on grass. "You're awfully cute, but unfortunately for you, you're made of meat." He states. "Just a bit closer..." when the creature was close enough, the tribesman jumped to attack with his blade, only to miss and land inside a crack in the earth. The cub looks at Sokka and wags its tail, unaware of what he just did. "Gotcha!" he shouts and prepares to attack but ends up sinking deeper in the crack, leaving only his head and hands sticking out. He squirms to get free but to no avail. "You are a lucky little meat creature." Sokka says to the cub who wags its tail again.
At an old building, Iroh sat before his students with a fresh pot of tea as he educated them. "Lightning is a pure expression of firebending, without aggression. It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other firebending is. Some call lightning the cold-blooded fire." He pours then both a cup as he explains. "It is precise and deadly, like Azula. To perform the technique requires peace of mind."
"I see. That's why we're drinking tea: To calm the mind." Zuko points out while taking his tea.
"Oh yeah, good point! I mean, yes." Iroh replied. Moments later, the three were outside as Iroh continued with his lesson. "There is energy all around us. The energy is both yin and yang; positive energy and negative energy. Only a select few Firebenders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance and in a moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together. You provide release and guidance, creating lightning." Iroh motions for the boys to step back and they obey; the old master then summons lightning from his fingertips while swinging his hands around; he then puts his hands together and extends his right hand to the sky, shooting lightning into the heavens.
"I'm ready to try it!" Zuko said eagerly.
"I think we should let Trunks go first," Iroh suggests.
"I'm not sure I can pull this off Iroh, I'm not a Firebender," Trunks states.
"No, but you're an Energybender who was trained like a Firebender, and Ki and Fire are very similar elements," Iroh says. "You can perform the technique but not the same way. Channel Ki into your hands and put them together," Trunks followed his teacher's instructions; his energy filled hands came together and started sparking like electricity. "You see? Your energy is coming together to create balance; all that's left is for you to imagine how you want to release it and do so. Once you separate the energy, you do not command it. You are simply its humble guide."
Trunks nod as he slowly separates his hands, splitting the energy between them; he then thrusts his hands forwards, unleashing numerous bolts of lightning from his hands into the sky. When he finished, he glanced at his hands and smirked "Not bad," he said.
"Very good, keep practicing and you'll have down in no time." Iroh said before addressing Zuko. "You're up nephew. Remember, you're not commanding the lightning, just guiding it. Breath first."
Zuko did as told before performing the same movements as his mentor, only no lightning is channeled through his fingers; Iroh and Trunks watch as Zuko points to the sky to fire lightning but instead, and explosion burst from his fingers, blasting him backwards. Iroh shakes his head sadly.
After multiple training sessions, they boys were finally ready for their final test. "This time we're going to try something a little different. But first, Goten's got some exercise for his big brother." Toph said. They look to see the younger brother standing with a pile of rocks. "What exactly are you guys doing now?"
"I'm going to throw these rocks at Gohan, he's gonna try and dodge them." Goten explained. "Remember this bro?"
Yeah, this is a great drill. It sharpens intuitive reaction and teaches you how to react when you don't have time to think right?" Gohan explained.
Goten nodded "Just like old times. And gradually, I'll move closer to you, so you'll have to react faster." He said "You can take those weights off if you want,"
"No thanks; this'll improve my training even more!" Gohan said while taking a stance. "Now let em fly!"
"Alright, just know, I'm gonna throw em as hard as I can!" Goten warned as he picked up the rocks. "Ready?"
"Ready!" Gohan answered.
"Ok, here it comes!" Goten said; he tossed the first rock which his brother managed to evade. "Not bad," he said before throwing more. The rocks came flying like bullets but Gohan swiftly dodged them; Goten moved closer and closer, narrowing them distance and Gohan countered by reacting much quicker. Eventually the 2nd Son of Goku ran out of rocks as he brother remained untouched. "Wow, you're pretty fast bro,"
"Thanks. You've got a killer throwing arm sport," Gohan commented.
"I'll say." Katara said while pointing to the wall behind Gohan; there were multiple dents and cracks in it from the repeated pelting it with rocks.
"I hope that's not all you got though," Gohan said.
"You actually want more?" Aang asked.
"Your brother's got guts," Toph said.
"Alright, let's kick things up a notch," Goten said. The Stone Soldier closed his eyes and raised his right hand; huge pieces of the earth were pulled out of the ground and placed above him. "Let's see how you handle this," Goten said before sending large stones at his brother.
Gohan jumps to evade them but more quickly come at him while he's in the air; the Z Fighter dodges them with grace as more and more rocks are hurled at him. "Hammer Time!" Gohan exclaims before he starts smashing the rocks to pieces. He finished by smashing the last one with his head before he glanced at his younger sibling and asked "Come one bro, is that the best you've got?" while grinning cockily.
"Time to turn it up," Goten said before he slammed his hand onto the earth. The fighter with the palm tree shaped hair raised his hands again, causing the area to shake as he pulled an enormous earth column from underground. "How about this big brother?!"
"Are you crazy?!" Katara asked.
"Don't do it! You'll crush him!" Aang cried.
Gohan just smirked and said "Bring it on!" surprising his friends.
"Alright, here it comes!" Goten said as he swung his hands, sending the huge earth at his brother. Gohan stood ready as it moved towards him.
"Gohan, get out of the way!" Katara cried.
"Gohan, no!" Aang shouted.
The 1st Son of Goku ignored them and just put his hands out; the large rock crashed into him. Gohan tried to push it back but it moved him all the way into another large rock, colliding into it with him in between. No, Gohan…"
"How could you do that?!" Aang shouted at Goten. "He was your brother!"
"Wait for it," Goten replied.
"Huh?" Aang and Katara asked.
"Don't worry, he's fine." Toph said. The area suddenly started shaking as the two large pieces of earth slowly started moving.
"HAAAH!" Gohan roared as he pushed the earth at his sides away from him with his energy until they both shattered into dust. He then landed on the ground and asked. "How's that for head on?"
"Ok, that was pretty cool bro." Goten said.
"Yep, you'd make a great Earthbender," Toph complimented him. "Now, I think we should get back to Aang's training,"
"Ok, we'll get going then," Goten said. "Let's go bro, now it's your turn to train me!"
"In a minute sport, I wanna see Aang's next training," Gohan aid.
"That's okay Gohan, I'll be fine." Aang assured. "You should get to training Goten now,"
"Are you sure Aang?" Gohan asked and the monk nodded. "Alright. Come on Goten, I'll race ya!"
"You're on!" Goten said as they two dashed off to do their own training.
"Um, I'm not going have to what he did am I?" Aang asked his teacher.
"Of course not. What you're doing is a little simpler; instead of moving a rock, you're going to stop a rock. Get in your horse stance!" Toph told him before pointing to a big boulder on the edge of a cliff. "I'm going to roll that boulder down at you. If you have the attitude of an Earthbender, you'll stay in your stance and stop the rock." As she explains, Aang grows more afraid and Katara more concerned while Momo hides behind her. "Like this." She says while showing how to do it.
"Sorry, Toph, but are you sure this is really the best way to teach Aang earthbending?" Katara inquired.
"I'm glad you said something. Actually, there is a better way." Toph answers before taking Aang's belt and tying it over his eyes. "This way he'll really have to sense the vibrations of the boulder to stop it. Thank you, Katara!"
"Yeah, thanks Katara!" the monk says sarcastically to his friend who laughs nervously.
In a short time, Toph stood at the top of the cliff with the boulder; she pushes the boulder, sending it rolling down the cliff towards her student. Aang stood ready but his face expressed fear as he felt the boulder get closer to him. Katara watches with worry while Momo hides behind her head. As the boulder got closer to him, Aang still looked terrified while his teacher just waited with his arms crossed. Just when the rock was right in front of him, Aang quickly jumped over, letting it continue to roll til it crashed into a wall. Aang landed on the floor while Toph ran to meet him with a disappointed scowl. "I guess I just panicked. I don't know what to say." Aang said.
"There's nothing to say! You blew it! You had a perfect stance and perfect form but when it came right down to it you didn't have the guts!" Toph said to his face while jabbing him in the chest, making him sit with his legs crossed.
"I know. I'm sorry." Aang apologized.
"Yeah, you are sorry. If you're not tough enough to stop the rock, then you could at least give it the pleasure of smushing you instead of jumping out of the way like a jelly-boned wimp!" Toph yelled to his face again "Now, do you have what it takes to face that rock like an Earthbender?!"
"No. I don't think I do." Aang admitted making his teacher turn away from him.
"Aang, it's no big deal. You'll take a break and try earthbending again when you're ready." Katara tried to comfort him. "Besides, you still have a lot of waterbending to work on, okay?"
"Yeah... that sounds good." Aang agreed before getting up and leaving with the Waterbender.
"Yeah, whatever, go splash around until you feel better." Toph said before leaving.
With Zuko, the son of Ozai was still having no luck producing lightning like his uncle had shown, he was blasted backwards again by a fiery explosion while Trunks and Iroh watched from the sidelines. "Why can't I do it? Instead of lightning, it keeps exploding in my face! Like everything always does!" He questioned angrily.
"I was afraid this might happen." Iroh said as he approached his nephew. "You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside you."
"What turmoil?" Zuko asked.
"Zuko, you must let go of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away." Iroh advised.
"But I don't feel any shame at all! I'm as proud as ever!" Zuko said.
"Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the only antidote to shame." Iroh told him.
"Well... my life has been nothing but humbling lately." Zuko said in depression.
The old Firebender takes a second to think and says "I have another idea. I will teach you both a firebending move that even Azula doesn't know, because I made it up myself!" Hearing this makes Zuko smile at his uncle.
With the sons of Goku, the older brother was ready to instruct the younger on how to fly. "Alright, time to teach you how to fly bro." Gohan said. "Since you already know how to use your energy, it should be real easy for you."
"I feel like we've done this kind of thing before Gohan," Goten said.
"Me too, maybe in a past life," Gohan replied. "Alright, use your energy and try to fly, just be careful."
"Ok," Goten said before he started hopping around. After a few minutes, he stopped and said "I don't think it's working,"
"Well that's because you're just hopping." Gohan laughed.
"Hey, don't laugh at me!" Goten said.
"Sorry sport, it's just that I definitely feel like we've done this part before." Gohan stated. "Alright, let's start over. This time, really use your energy; channel it through your body and then expel it through your feet to get airborne."
"Ok, I get it." Goten said. The younger brother's face turns serious as he followed his older brother's instructions. The wind around them began to pick up as Goten began to float of the ground; pretty soon the younger fighter had ascended several inches above the ground. "Hey, I got! Like this Gohan?"
"Yeah, just like that bro! Keep it up!" Gohan said.
Goten continued to rise above the earth eventually reaching up to the heavens. "Wow! This is amazing!" Goten said. "Hey Gohan, this is great!"
Gohan quickly flew up to meet his brother. "That's pretty good Goten, but don't you think you're a little too high? Maybe you should move closer to the ground, just to be safe." he suggested.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Goten assured. "Besides, I'm the Stone Soldier; even if I fall, I can take it."
"Well, if you say so," Gohan said. "Ok, next is for you to move around through the air. To do that, you have to release more energy in order to launch yourself. Give it a try,"
"Right." Goten complied. The soldier began slowly pushing his body through the air; after taking it a bit slow, Goten started moving faster til he was zooming through the air like a pro. "Hey, I'm getting the hang of this!"
"Wow! You're a natural Goten!" Gohan said. "But let's see how fast you can go!" The 1st Son of Goku flew after his brother before speeding past him. "Try to keep up!" he told him.
"You're on!" Goten accepted the challenge. He quickly chased after his brother and tried to catch him; everything he got close, the older sibling would change direction. The two zipped through the sky while laughing and having fun. "You're really fast Gohan,"
"Thanks, but don't sell yourself short Goten, you've gotten pretty good at flying in just a day," Gohan complimented his brother. "You picked it up better than I did,"
"You think so?" Goten asked.
"Yeah. If you want, we can take a break," Gohan offered.
"No way! I've still got ton of energy, I wanna keep flying!" Goten said.
"Well in that case, guess it's time to teach you the next step," Gohan said.
"You mean, there's more?!" Goten asked with an excited smile.
"Now it's time for you to apply your new flying skills in aerial combat," Gohan said. "Let's how well you can sky dance." The two brothers took their fighting positions and smirked at each other before charging at full speed and clashing fists.
In a small pond, Aang and Katara were practicing waterbending while Momo chased after a frog; the two took turns bending a stream of water together in a circle while passing it to each other. "You know this block you're having is only temporary, right?" Katara asked him.
"I don't want to talk about it," The Avatar said clearly still depressed.
"You do know that's the problem, don't you? If you face this issue instead of avoiding it..." Katara started to say being cut off.
"I know, I know, I know, I know, I get it, alright!" Aang said in frustration as he dropped the water. "I need to face it head-on, like a rock. But I just can't do it! I don't know why I can't, but I can't!"
"Aang, if fire and water are opposites, then what's the opposite of air?" Katara inquired.
"I guess it's earth." Aang replied.
"That's why it's so hard for you to get this. You're working with your natural opposite. But you'll figure it out. I know you will." She assures him; she then picks up a piece of reed without Aang knowing. "Think fast!" she shouts while tossing it at her pupil. Aang reacts by bending the water and slicing the reed in half, making it sail past him. "Excellent. You have the reflexes of a waterbending master." She praised him.
"Thanks, Katara. Sifu Katara." Aang says to his waterbending teacher while bowing; Katara smile and returns the gesture.
With Iroh, the Dragon of the West had his students sitting in front of him while he drew symbols in the dirt with a stick and educated them. "Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want." He said as he drew the fire symbol; next he drew the earth symbol. "Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring." After that came the air symbol. "Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had pretty good senses of humor!" Iroh joked, when he students didn't react, he went on. "Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything." He pauses after drawing the water symbol.
"Why are you telling us these things?" Zuko asked.
"It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If we take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale." Iroh explains while drawing lines to separate the symbols. "Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole." He then draws a circle around the symbols.
"All this four elements talk is sounding like Avatar stuff." Zuko stated.
"Is this why the past Avatars were so powerful and skilled? Because they not only learned the purpose of the elements, but the way of the nations they derived from?" Trunks inquired.
"It is the combination of the four elements in one person that made the previous and even the current Avatar so powerful. But, it can make the both of you more powerful too." Iroh said as he pointed to his pupils. "You see, the technique I am about to teach you is one I learned by studying the Waterbenders."
Zuko grew anxious while Trunks stared at the symbols in wonder. "Where does Ki fit into all this?" he asked.
"I'm glad you asked son, it's good to never forget where bending all came from," Iroh said. "Ki is the element of versatility, the Energybenders of the past were skilled fighters with great potential; they could be as determined as a Firebender, enduring as an Earthbender, free as an Airbender, and adaptable like a Waterbender. Energy had neither beginning nor end, it only existed. Ki could be everything and also nothing, it had not a purpose but a true; but that depended on the bender." Trunks nodded in understanding.
The Avatar was meditating by himself with his lemur sleeping in front of him when his earthbending mentor came and sat behind him. "Hey Aang! I found these nuts in your bag. I figured you wouldn't mind. And besides, even if you did, you're too much of a pushover to do anything about it." Toph taunted him while holding up a small bag with Aang's face drawn on it.
"As a matter of fact, I don't mind. I'm happy to share anything I have," Aang said though a little annoyed.
"You know, I'm really glad you feel that way, because I also have this great new nutcracker." Toph said as she brought out Aang's glider; the Airbender looked at her in distress as she used his staff to smash the nutshells.
"Actually, I'd prefer if you didn't..." Aang started to say before she smashed another one. "That's an antique, hand crafted by the monks..." she smashed another one. "It's a delicate instrument!"
"It's not the only delicate instrument around here." Toph states as she and Momo eat the nuts; the Earthbender then leaves while banging the staff against some rocks.
"Ohmmmm..." the monk hums to himself so he can focus.
"Hey Aang, have you seen..." Katara came to ask.
"Meditating here!" Aang quickly says.
"It's important. It's almost sundown and Sokka isn't back yet. I think we should search for him." Katara said.
Aang gets up and says "We'll find him faster if we split up." The two hurry off to look for their non-bending companion.
Sokka, who was still stuck in the hole, was speaking to the heavens while the small animal he tried to hunt was pulling on his ponytail. "Okay, karma person or thing, whoever's in charge of this stuff, if I can just get out of this situation alive, I will give up meat and sarcasm. Okay? OW! That's all I got! It's pretty much my whole identity! Sokka, the meat and sarcasm guy! But I'm willing to be Sokka the veggies and straight talk fellow! ...Deal?" At that moment, the Air Nomad came looking for him. "Aang! Thank goodness! Have you got any meat?" Sokka calls to his friend.
"Sokka! Are you okay?" Aang asked as he went to Sokka and tried to pull him out.
"Stop, stop! You're going to pull my fingers off and I don't think the rest of me's coming!" Sokka yells in pain.
"Hmm... I bet I can airbend you out of here." Aang says and tried to do so; he releases a massive gust of wind into the hole, but it only blows Sokka's hair upwards til his boomerang falls back onto his head and flattens it.
"Seriously, Aang, I know you're new at it, but I could use a little earthbending here. How about it?" Sokka asked.
"I can't. I can't do it." Aang said in sadness.
"If you can't earthbend me out of here, go get Toph." Sokka suggested.
"I can't do that either." Aang tells him.
"You can't? Why not?" Sokka asked.
"It would just be really... uncomfortable." Aang answered.
"Uncomfortable? Well, I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable." Sokka says sarcastically.
"Thanks, Sokka." Aang says as he sits down and starts to talk. "This whole earthbending thing really has me confused. There's so much pressure. Everyone expects me to get it right away. It puts me in a really awkward position."
"Awkward position... I think I know the feeling." Sokka says.
"If I try, I fail. But if I don't try, I'm never going to get it." Aang continues. "I feel like I'm caught between a rock and a hard place."
"Hmm. How about that." The Tribesman says before the tiny animal comes back. "Aang, this is my friend Foo Foo Cuddlypoops. Foo Foo Cuddlypoops, Aang." He introduces the two.
"Aww, what a cute name for a little baby sabertooth moose-lion cub." Aang points out while picking up the cub.
"Really? He looks nothing like a sabertooth mooselion." Sokka said.
"It's hard to tell before their giant teeth and horns grow in." said the monk. "Whatcha doin' out here, little guy? Did you lose your mama?" The cub in question blinks at the Avatar before a loud roar his heard; Aang looks to his left to see a full grown moose-lion rustling in the bushes, seeming rather angry.
Iroh, Trunks and Zuko were moving their arms in motion similar to waterbending movements. "Waterbenders deal with the flow of energy. A Waterbender lets their defense become their offense, turning their opponents' energy against them. I learned a way to do this with lightning." Iroh said.
Realizing where he was going, Zuko gets excited and says "You can teach us to redirect lightning?!"
Iroh nodded "If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it." He then points upward with his fingers. "You must create a pathway from your fingertips up your arm to your shoulder and down into your stomach." The fire general traces along his arm to his big gut while explaining. "The stomach is the source of energy in your body. It is called the sea of chi; only in my case, it is more like a vast ocean." He laughs before continuing the lesson. "You direct it up again and out the other arm. The stomach detour is critical. You must not let the lightning pass through your heart or the damage could be deadly." Iroh warns them while pointing to Zuko's chest where his heart was. "You may wish to try a physical motion to get a feel for the pathway's flow. Like this." Iroh demonstrates again and hi students copy him. "Now, are you focusing your energy Can you feel your own chi flowing in, down, up, and out?" he asked them.
"I think so," Zuko replies.
"Come on. You've got to feel the flow." Iroh says while doing a wavy dance move.
"I can feel it, the energy moving through me," Trunks states.
They repeated the motion until Iroh eventually stops. "Excellent! You've got it! Nice work both of you!" he praises them; they both bow to their master.
"Great! Now let's try it with real lightning!" Zuko suggests.
"What, are you crazy? Lightning is very dangerous." Iroh replies.
"I thought that was the point: you teaching us how to protect ourselves from it." Zuko points out.
"Yeah! But I'm not going to shoot lightning at you!" Iroh argues before facing away from his students. "If you both are lucky, you will never have to use this technique at all."
"Iroh, I know you're trying to protect us, but we have to try this move out. We will run into Azula and Bulla again, and they're going to hit use with everything they've got; they won't hesitate, so we can't do the same. We'll only face them confidently if we feel prepared. We might even have to face Ozai someday," Iroh and Zuko looked at Trunks questionably; the lavender haired teen placed his hand on his mentor's shoulder. "Please father, I've already been struck by lightning once, I have to be ready for it next time. We both do."
Iroh stares at his son's scar before nodding sadly. "Alright, I'll do it."
"Yes!" Zuko exclaims.
"Thank you." Trunks said gratefully. "Let me try it out first,"
Iroh takes his position as Zuko moved back a bit. "Are you ready?" Iroh asked. Trunks gets into position and nodded to the old Firebender. Iroh holds out two fingers from his hands and swing them while channeling the cold fire; he brings them together and points it at Trunks who reacts by pointing out two fingers from his right hand. The lightning goes into his fingers and travels through his arm into his body; Iroh and Zuko watch with awe as Trunks holds the lightning in. He then points two fingers from his left hand into the sky, directing the lightning to exit his body into the heavens. "Impressive Prince Trunks, you pulled it off." Iroh said.
"That was incredible!" Zuko said. "How'd it feel?"
"Exhilarating, but terrifying; like the lightning was trying to rip through me," Trunks replied. "It's quite the rush."
"Your turn Prince Zuko," Iroh said. Zuko takes his stance as does his uncle; Iroh seemed a little hesitant but still performed the technique. He summoned the lightning again and shot it at the son of Ozai. Zuko caught it with the two fingers on his left hand and the lightning surged through his body. The Fire prince managed to hold the lightning in but struggled to release it. "Don't command it Zuko! Just guide it! Let it out freely!"
Zuko's body twitched as he tried to move his right hand to direct the lightning out. "He's not capable of handling it! He can't hold it for much longer!" Trunks said before rushing over to Zuko; he jabbed his heart with his fingers from his right hand, pulling from his comrade and sending it out his own body through the fingers on his left hand. When he finished both teens fell to the ground on their knees while taking heavy breaths.
"Are you boys alright?" Iroh asked as he helped Zuko up.
The younger Firebender pulled away from his uncle and glared at his friend. "Why'd you interfere?! I had that handled!" he exclaimed.
"No, you didn't," Trunks said. "If I hadn't done that, who knows what would've happened."
"Hit me again! I have to get right this time!" Zuko ordered to his uncle.
"Zuko, I…" Iroh was about to say.
"Are you trying to kill yourself before Azula can do it?!" Trunks questioned. "You're not ready for this!"
"You don't get to decide that!" Zuko argued.
"Yes I do, especially when your inner turmoil is going to get you killed just cause you desperately want to get an advantage over Azula!" Trunks said.
"At least I can acknowledge that I have a turmoil! You may not be trying to best Azula or your sister, but your intentions aren't any better than mine!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Trunks denied.
"Don't lie to me! I know why you're really doing this; IT'S CAUSE YOU WANT TO KILL FIRE LORD OZAI! MY FATHER!" Zuko stated as he approached the lavender haired teen and grabbed his shirt.
"Prince Trunks…son…is that true?" Iroh asked in shock.
Trunks looked away at first before smacking Zuko's hand off and glared at him. "Yeah, it is!" he replied angrily. "So what of it?! That Monster had been the cause of too much suffering, especially my own! He tried to kill me more than once! He humiliated and disgraced the both of us for standing up to him! He turned our own sisters against us! I can no longer stand living under his tyranny! So when I get back to the Fire Nation, I will personally end his life!"
"Trunks…" Iroh started.
"Hey! This isn't about me! This is about Zuko trying to do something that he can't!" Trunks quickly said. "He can't summon lightning and he can't redirect it! His inner turmoil is hindering him and if don't acknowledge that we could end up seriously hurting him!"
"Uncle…please, I can do this. I know I can." Zuko pleaded.
The Fire General looked away sadly before saying "I'm sorry Prince Zuko, I can't take that risk. It was probably too early to teach you that technique, both of you."
Disappointed the Fire Prince looked up and noticed the dark clouds brewing. "Well, if you won't help me, I'll find my own lightning!" he said before getting on the ostrich-horse and riding off.
Iroh closed his eyes in depression before turning his attention to his adoptive son "Trunks…"
"I don't wanna talk about it. I'm gonna go train some more," Trunks said without before going off to be alone.
The mother moose-lion continued to growl at the boys while Aang still held up her cub. "Hey, there... we found your cub!" the monk said feeling a bit uneasy. They cub yawned and the mother growled again; Aang put down the baby and it quickly ran over to its mother before hiding in the bushes. "See? We have no problem with you! We're friendly." He assured, but the mother only roared back at him.
"Aang, this is bad! You gotta get me outta here!" Sokka says, worriedly. The animal then charges at the two making Sokka scream; Aang reacts by using his airbending to hoist the animal over his friend. The moose-lion lands on its feet and turns to face them again, still looking pretty fierce. "This is really bad! Please, Aang! You have to earthbend me out, there's no other way!" Sokka pleads to his scared friend. Aang performs a few stances and tries to earthbend, but nothing happens.
The beast digs its paw into the ground, ready to attack again "Oh no!" Aang says before jumping away from Sokka onto a rock. "Whoo-hoo! Look at me!" the monk does a funny dance to try and divert the beast's attention, but it focuses only on Sokka since he can't move. The moose-lion charges at the tribesman and Aang jumps back to protect his friend; he hits the animal with an airwave, pushing it away from Sokka.
"Please don't leave me again," Sokka begs, terrified.
"I won't." Aang promises. The beast charges at them again, but Aang stood his ground without fear; he then thrust his hands at the attacker, blowing it backwards with a strong air blast. The moose-lion looks at the Avatar before getting up leaves in peace. The boys then hear some clapping and look to their right to see the blind Earthbender sitting cross-legged on top a rock.
"What are you doing here?" Sokka questioned.
"Just enjoying the show," Toph answers.
"What? You were there the whole time?" Aang asked.
"Pretty much," Toph said.
"Why didn't you do something? Sokka was in trouble! I was in trouble! You could've gotten him out and helped us get away!" Aang says angrily.
"I guess it just didn't occur to me." Toph simply replies before tossing down a nut; she then brings out Aang's staff to crack it but he quickly grabs it.
"Enough! I want my staff back!" Aang demands before taking it.
"Do it now!" Toph ordered while getting to her feet.
"What?!" Aang asked, still upset.
"Earthbend, Twinkletoes." Toph replies. "You just stood your ground against a crazy beast, and even more impressive, you stood your ground against me. You've got the stuff."
"But…" Aang said a bit confused.
"DO IT!" Toph ordered again. Aang complies and takes his stance; he stomps on the ground and punch at a rock with all his might and unlike his first attempt, this time the boulder is launched further away. "You did it! You're an Earthbender." Toph congratulates her pupil.
"I can't believe it!" Aang says with joy.
"Aww, this is really a wonderful, touching moment." Sokka points out before asking "So, could you get me out of her so I can give you both a big, snuggly hug?"
"No problem, Sokka!" Aang said as he went to help his friend.
"Actually, you should probably let me do that." Toph warns her student. "You're still a little new to this. You might accidentally crush him."
"Yeah, no crushing, please." Sokka agreed. The Blind Bandit walks over to the tribesman and stomps on the ground, making half his body pop out before she grabbed his hair and pulled him but then dropped him on the ground and walked away.
Back at their camp, Katara was waiting for Aang and her brother to come back when Gohan and Goten showed all covered up in bruises. "What happened to you guys?" she asked.
"We got a little carried away in our training," Goten answered. "Big brother's super tough!"
"Yeah, and you're pretty strong yourself sport. Anyway, we'll be fine." Gohan said before looking around. "Where's everyone else?"
"I'm not sure," Katara replied with concern. "Aang and I went looking for Sokka a while ago; I thought they'd be back by now."
"Toph's not here either, do you think something happened?" Goten asked.
"Wait, look!" Gohan said as he pointed over to where the three missing started to approach them with Aang helping Sokka to walk and Toph carrying Aang's staff.
"You found him!" Katara exclaimed before embracing her brother.
"The whole time that I was in that hole, not knowing if I would live or die, it makes a man think about what's really important. I realized..." Sokka began to say before he was interrupted.
"Hey, Katara, look what I can do!" Aang said he takes a stance and shoves his arms up, cutting off the top half of a rock.
"Way to go Aang!" Gohan said.
"Nice work!" Goten said.
"I knew you could do it!" Katara says before whispering to Toph. "You tried the positive reinforcement, didn't you?"
"Yep, it worked wonders." The Earthbender replies.
Appa moans and the monk goes to meet him with excitement. "Appa! Appa! I can earthbend now! The key is being completely rooted! Physically and mentally unmovable!" Aang says before Appa licks him, making him move forward a bit and fall on his face to which the boys laughs at.
The Fire Prince had made his way on top of a mountain and was currently standing in the midst of a huge storm shouting at the heavens. "YOU'VE ALWAYS THROWN EVERYTHING YOU COULD AT ME! WELL I CAN TAKE IT, AND NOW I CAN GIVE IT BACK!" he yells, waiting to be struck; lightning flashes around him twice but none come his way, making him angrier. "COME ON, STRIKE ME! YOU NEVER HELD BACK BEFORE!" he challenges the sky again, when nothing happens, tears stream down from his eyes as he shouts out and falls to his knees. He then feels a hand on his shoulder and looks up to see Trunks standing beside with no emotion.
The lavender haired prince gives his friend a comforting smile and says "Come on, let's go." The two then walk down and take the ostrich-horse back to their teacher. "This is a result of what Ozai has done! So no matter how long it takes, I will end the suffering the Fire Lord brings, by ending him!" Trunks swore to himself.
A/N: Done! Sorry it took so long to get back to this story, things been a little rough for me. But don't worry, I'm still writing, just might take a bit longer than my usual pace. Just keep reading and stay tuned, still more chapters to come. And keep sending those reviews! Thanks again to those who follow or favored this story. Until next time, BBFN AntiHero out!