Chapter 2
On the eve of the decisive game of the tournament, Katara found herself unusually confident about her chances against Azula Nakamura. Just a couple of days ago, the prospect of facing Azula in a showdown for this year's title had felt very scary and daunting. Having easily defeated On Ji Takeda the day before had boosted Katara's confidence further, and following that, together with Toph and Aang they had spent hours in Katara's hotel room, analyzing Azula's games from earlier in the tournament and trying to come up with a strategy to foil the Fire Nation prodigy.
Katara felt immensely grateful towards their two younger friends for their assistance, especially Aang. He remained in contention to claim the third spot, but Aang still decided to forego his own preparations in order to help Katara. Perhaps his decision was motivated by his feelings towards Katara, and perhaps Toph had insisted in joining them because she was a little jealous and didn't like the idea of Aang and Katara spending the whole evening in Katara's room. Regardless of all these romantic complications, the three of them had spent a very fruitful evening at the Pai Sho board, coming up with a strategy that made Katara feel very good about her chances.
Still, despite all these solid preparations, after Aang and Toph had left and Katara was once again alone in her room, she found it impossible to fall asleep. It was 2am in the morning when Katara finally gave in and dug out the jar of those large green pills. Katara had hoped to get through the night without having to rely on Librium, but aware that without a wink of sleep she would be completely useless in the morning, Katara eventually admitted defeat. Less than half an hour later, she was out cold, waking up well past 8am when a slightly concerned Sokka had shaken her awake.
When they arrived at the University of Yu Dao a couple of hours later, Katara was still feeling unnaturally mellow and relaxed from the effects of the sedative. The great hall was abuzz with spectators, almost full to the brim, a change from the previous days. It seemed that even the casual fans of the game had realized just what was at stake on this final match day. Even the local newspapers were present and Katara had been subjected to the flashes of photo cameras. If Katara hadn't taken Librium earlier, she probably would have freaked out from all this unexpected attention, but now, she simply faced the crowd with a slightly bemused smile and allowed Sokka to drag her through the entrance and towards the stage where six Pai Sho boards had been set up in anticipation of the start of play.
Only one of these boards would have the attention of the spectators, and everyone in the hall knew that, nobody more acutely than the other contestants. Katara felt particularly touched when all the other players walked up to her to wish her good luck in her confrontation with Azula, even the other Fire Nation kids, Shoji Nomura, On Ji Takeda and Kei Lo, all expressing a wish to see Azula taken down a peg or two. Some of the kids were particularly vehement about their anti-Azula sentiment, which was not something that Katara personally agreed with and approved of. It wasn't that Katara hated Azula Nakamura. She barely even knew the other girl. From what Katara knew, Azula was arrogant and rude, enjoyed flaunting her perceived superiority, and just wasn't the kind of person Katara would want to socialize with. But Azula hadn't done anything to Katara personally, at least nothing to earn her hatred.
Katara had already taken her place at the Pai Sho board, waiting for the start of the game to be announced, when Azula arrived at the same time as always, exactly five minutes before the start of the game. The Fire Nation girl sat on the other side of the board, barely acknowledging Katara's presence as she quickly arranged her tiles, and then selected the accent tiles. As Katara had learned from studying Azula's previous games, Azula always chose one of each accent tiles, Rock, Knotweed, Boat and Wheel. This was the accepted canonical choice on the professional Pai Sho circuit, and Azula probably wanted to present herself as a very mature player. Having studied Azula's games, Katara had to admit that her opponent knew how to utilize all of the accent tiles well.
Boat and Wheel tiles were considered to be difficult to master, and as a result many of the junior players eschewed their use, instead going for double Rock and double Knotweed, as they were quite simple to deploy. Katara usually chose single Rock, double Knotweed, and then either Boat or Wheel depending on her opponent. It was a sophisticated enough approach that separated her from the average junior player and made her stand out from the crowd. However, on this occasion, Katara's strategy was different and she went and selected the simplistic choice of double Rock and double Knotweed. Azula's reaction to her choice didn't escape Katara, the other girl briefly frowning in annoyance. Katara smiled inwardly, feeling even better about her plan. Azula appeared almost insulted that Katara would simplify her game to what the Fire Nation girl considered a childish level.
Finally, the game began and the two girls began to develop their tiles in traditional patterns. It didn't take long before Azula went on the offensive. With her White Lotus blooming, Azula's Orchid traced threatening patterns on the board, but Katara defended well, managing to preserve her flower tiles. Confident that she had scattered Katara's flower tiles well enough, Azula began to work on creating harmonies, but she soon found herself bogged down by Katara's defensive strategies. This is where Katara had to cross her fingers in hopes that her plan would work. Going through Azula's games, they had noticed how the Fire Nation prodigy usually gained decisive advantage very early in the game and had never been seriously challenged in any of her contests. But what if Katara were to focus only on blocking Azula's harmonies without even thinking about forming her own, doing everything she could to frustrate Azula? Maybe some cracks would start to appear if only she could put Azula under a little bit of pressure.
The first sign of her plan working was when Azula began to take more time to consider her moves. Up until then, throughout the entire tournament, Azula had been producing her moves with the regularity of a metronome. Now, she was clearly slowing down and becoming frustrated at Katara's dogged and impenetrable defense. Whenever she tried to attack with the Orchid, Katara's tiles would skillfully retreat. Whenever Azula tried to plant and arrange new flower tiles, Katara used her Rocks and Knotweeds to stifle her further. Frustrated, Azula began to look uneasy, even nervous, and she did the only thing she could think of and that was to become even more aggressive in her approach. And that's when she made a mistake.
Azula moved her Orchid tile to threaten Katara's Rose, without realizing that upon its retreat, Katara's Rose tile now forked Azula's White Jade and Rhododendron. With her next move, Azula would not be able to protect both of her tiles. She was about to lose one of her crucial flower tiles, in what could very well be the decisive moment of the game. Azula spent an agonizingly long time on her next move. Katara subtly observed the facial expression of her opponent. She could swear that there was an almost panicked look in Azula's eyes. A couple of beads of perspiration had broken along the other girl's brow. The Fire Nation prodigy was losing control of the game and of her own discipline.
Eventually, after twenty agonizing minutes, Azula made her move, choosing to save her Rhododendron. Upon making her move, she pressed the button on the timing clock and then unexpectedly rose from her seat and walked off, entering the nearby bathroom. Azula's sudden retreat and the sight of Katara claiming the helpless White Jade tile sent the hall of spectators into raptures, causing the tournament referee to issue a rare call for silence.
Having hit the button of the timing clock, Katara began to wonder about Azula's behavior. She seemed to be taking a lot of time in the bathroom, which Katara found very odd. Of course, Azula's time was ticking down and Katara could simply wait for the clock to run out, but after about ten minutes of waiting, Katara began to feel a little anxious herself. It wasn't that she had to check up on Azula, but Katara couldn't help feeling a combination of worry and curiosity, and accompanied by the confused murmurs of the spectators, Katara also rose from her seat and walked up to the bathroom.
Upon entering the bathroom, Katara was faced with the slightly surprising sight of Azula standing in front of the large mirror, frantically reapplying her eyeliner. Katara blinked, unsure of what had happened. Had Azula been crying? That seemed almost impossible. Girls like Azula Nakamura didn't cry. Or did they?
"Uh… is everything alright?" Katara finally dared to ask, taking a step closer.
Azula ignored her as she quickly applied the finishing touches of her eyeliner. When the Fire Nation girl turned to face Katara, she once again looked as perfect as always and it was impossible to tell if she had been crying or not. The look she gave Katara was deeply scrutinizing, and not at all in a pleasant way. Katara couldn't quite put it into words or thoughts what it was about the way Azula stared her down, but it made her feel extremely conscious about her own appearance.
Katara was often told that she was a very pretty girl, even beautiful, and sometimes she even believed those words. She was aware that the clothes she had on were at least a couple of years behind the latest fashion, and Azula's penetrating gaze had a way of telling Katara how plain she looked in comparison, also reminding her about the social chasm between the two girls. Katara was well aware of it as she stared back at Azula, with her amazing red vinyl jacket, matching curved PVC dress and stylish red go-go boots. Azula wasn't the kind of girl who just followed the latest fashion trends. No, she was definitely a trendsetter.
The staring contest between them ended in a way that took Katara completely by surprise. Having made Katara feel like a lowly worm under the heel of her boot, Azula reached inside her red vinyl purse and pulled out a bunch of bills. "Two hundred fifty," Azula said disdainfully, holding the money out for Katara. "Together with the prize for second place that makes it five hundred, same as if you had won."
Katara had to do a double take at the unexpected gesture. At first, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was Azula really giving her money to throw a game? That was insane! If the tournament referees found out anything about this, Azula would be disqualified instantly, and perhaps even banned from participating for years to come. Why would she risk doing something so crazy?
Azula interpreted her silence the only way she could think of, turning to rummage further inside her purse and pulling out a few more bills. "Five hundred, plus the prize money for second place," she said, sounding both angry and anxious at the same time. "That's my final offer. Come on, just take it already! I know that a northern sea rat like you could really use the cash. Just look at you, it's obvious."
Katara angrily slapped Azula's extended hand aside, almost making her drop the bills. It was true, her family could have made good use of the money on offer, but no, Katara just couldn't do it. She valued her honesty and integrity too much. "What do you take me for?" she glared right back at the other girl. "You can't buy me off like that!"
"Don't try to pretend like you're somehow different from everyone else," Azula scoffed back at her. "Everyone has their price. Everyone can be bought."
"Well, you're wrong about that, Azula," Katara snapped heatedly. "Some of us have principles. Tell me, how many of your victories have you bought like this?" That was a low blow and Katara knew it. She had studied all of Azula's games, and she knew perfectly well that all of them had been completely legit wins. Still, Katara was fuming and she was looking to insult the other girl right back.
"What did you just say?" Azula spoke slowly, her voice low and dangerous. "You will take that back, immediately. How dare you accuse me of… do you even know who I am, you dirt-poor peasant?"
"A stuck-up bitch who needs to be taught a lesson she won't soon forget," Katara retorted, hands on her hips. Katara hadn't thought herself being able to stand up to someone like Azula Nakamura, and yet now that she was in this situation, the way Azula was acting truly made Katara's blood boil and gave her the necessary courage. "Fine, I know that you didn't buy off your other opponents. I said that only to insult you, just like you insulted me with your… offer. Which I would not accept even in you quadrupled it."
"You are making a big mistake," Azula said in a warning tone as she pocketed the money away.
"Actually, I'm doing you a favor, not making a mistake," Katara did not relent. "If I took your money and someone later found out, we'd both be banned for who knows how many years. You think you're good enough to beat me, Azula? Well, then get back to the Pai Sho table and show me what you've got."
"Fine, then! I'll destroy you!" Azula snarled, a dangerous glare in her eyes, but somehow, Katara could not help but feel as if the other girl's confidence had taken a knock despite her tough act.
After Azula had stormed out of the bathroom, Katara took a moment to check her appearance, adjusting her hair loops before also returning to the tournament hall and sitting down at the table. Azula had made her move, planting one of her remaining flower tiles. It was a confused and indecisive move, completely uncharacteristic of Azula Nakamura when she was at her best, and it made Katara smile inwardly as she sensed that victory was now very close.
In the end, Katara didn't even have to do much, because Azula did most of the work for her, starting to go for over the top aggressive moves that simply weren't there. She was utterly disintegrating before Katara's eyes, all bravado gone from her face, replaced with an expression that seemed like a mixture between fear and disbelief. Losing one tile after another, Azula still refused to give up, trying to persist with her doomed attack even after she no longer had enough flower tiles on the board to form a harmony ring.
It was only following a desperate stare from Katara that one of the tournament officials decided to step in, an uncomfortable expression on his face as he reached in to stop the timing clock before speaking calmly to Azula. "Miss Nakamura, please," the referee said. "The game is over. You don't have enough tiles to continue."
"I can still force a draw," Azula insisted stubbornly, glaring at the tournament official. What she claimed was impossible and Azula knew it, she just didn't want to admit it to herself. With so few tiles remaining, Katara was set to form a harmony ring in three moves.
"Young lady, I implore you to accept the result with the dignity we expect of someone as talented as you," the referee would not budge, holding Azula's angry stare.
At that moment, regardless of the way Azula had acted in the bathroom and despite of the hurtful things she had said, Katara felt a twinge of sympathy for the other girl. This was obviously a humiliating experience for her, and Azula seemed to be taking it very hard. Katara knew that in her place, many would have been smiling smugly about their hard-earned victory, but she was raised to be a very polite young woman. She resisted the temptation to rub it in, instead offering Azula the customary post-match handshake while managing to keep the satisfied smile off her face. However, Azula wouldn't even shake her hand. The Fire Nation girl simply rose from her seat and walked away, drawing gasps and shakes of the head at her rude and disrespectful behavior.
Still, Katara did not get the opportunity to wonder about Azula Nakamura and her weird issues much longer. As soon as she rose from the table, the spectators in the hall erupted in cheers and she took their applause with a polite bow, smiling demurely. Most of the other games were still ongoing, but her fellow competitors all as one swarmed her, taking a break from their own games to come over and congratulate the new World Junior Champion who had just defied all expectations, beating the odds-on favorite in a dramatic last round duel.
Yue was first on the scene to congratulate Katara, not limiting herself to a handshake or an encouraging clap on the shoulder. No, Yue excitedly pulled Katara into a full body hug, an embrace that lasted considerable time and made Katara feel rather light-headed and just a touch dazed. When Toph and Aang both embraced her afterwards, Katara barely acknowledged it, still lost in the sensations of Yue's incredibly soft and tender curves pressing tightly against her.
A few minutes of excitement later, the other competitors returned to finish their own games, while one of the tournament officials led Katara off the stage and into a smaller adjacent room where she was sat down at a table, handed a glass of water, and then made available for the press. Facing the three journalists with the photographers accompanying them and answering their questions, the enormity of what she had just achieved began to sink in for Katara. As the sedative she had taken the previous night started to wear off, Katara began to feel a tad anxious under all this attention, but with the interviewers being mostly nice and encouraging, and her still feeling elated from her victory, any possible panic attacks mercifully stayed away for the time being.
Apparently, according to one of the journalists, the last time this title hadn't been won by either a Fire Nation or an Earth Kingdom representative was exactly 50 years ago, when Pakku Karetak had scored a sensational victory. The journalists all appeared very interested to hear from Katara that Pakku had been something of a Pai Sho role model for her, and a reason why she had even picked up the game in the first place. Her grandmother Kanna had actually dated Pakku in their high school years, but he had eventually left her in favor of a professional Pai Sho career. Kanna hadn't begrudged him for his decision though, which was why there had been a Pai Sho board with all the tiles in the Enuaraq household when Katara was growing up. Her interest had truly blossomed into a serious hobby in her early school years. Katara was a very bright girl and tended to become bored in class, finishing her tasks well ahead of everyone else. Some of her teachers had been only happy to allow her to leave the class early and spend time in the school's small library, poring over what few books on Pai Sho there were, going over the games of the past greats and trying to learn from their experiences as much as she could.
Having extracted this story and much more information from Katara, the satisfied journalists eventually ran out of questions and Katara was again whisked away by the tournament's organizers, being led into a secluded space at the back of the stage and given time to prepare for the upcoming victory ceremony. There were only so many times she could check on her makeup or hair, however, and with nothing left to do but wait, Katara began to feel anxious again. Fortunately, one of the organizers was thoughtful enough to bring her a cup of tea and some sandwiches, at which point Katara realized that she hadn't eaten since early in the morning and was actually starving.
Katara was still busy finishing off the second sandwich, when someone else was led backstage, none other than her good friend Aang. "Oh… does this mean you won?" Katara asked, having quickly swallowed a chunk of bread.
"I did!" Aang cheered, doing a little fist pump. It looked as if he expected Katara to hug him, but fortunately she was holding the half-eaten sandwich which provided her with a way out. "My goodness, that was tough, though! Toph and Teo both won their games quickly, so they were both on 7 points, and so I needed to win. Just barely squeaked it out in the end…"
"Kori played a good game, did she?" Katara asked, smiling.
"Yeah… she hasn't done much at all during the entire tournament, and then right at the very end she suddenly turns it on, crazy," Aang shook his head, letting out a big sigh of relief. He then sat down next to Katara, grabbing one of the remaining sandwiches.
"Do you know if we'll have to wait for that victory ceremony much longer?" Katara wondered. "I'm getting more and more nervous. Also, I want to call home and tell dad and grandma everything that happened."
"Well, they were just waiting for my and Kori's game to finish," Aang grinned happily. "I mean, they needed to know what name to put on that big check for the third place. Also, I think they're still looking for Azula. She kind of needs to be up there on the podium with us."
"She hasn't reappeared?" Katara asked. "It's just crazy how she stormed off like that."
"Yeah, it's really rude, everyone's talking about it," Aang nodded. "But I'm sure they'll find her soon."
"I hope so, she's just making things worse for herself, acting like that," Katara nodded as the two kids settled in more comfortably to wait until they would be called upon. After a wait of about five or six minutes, one of the organizers appeared once again to fetch both Katara and Aang, leading them back onstage where a large podium had been assembled. Looking around the gathered crowd, Katara managed to spot Sokka's blue shirt, her brother giving her a massive grin and a big thumbs up, Katara smiling and waving at him in return.
"There's Azula, with her father," Aang suddenly nodded to their left. "Gosh, he looks really angry."
Katara glanced over at where Aang had nodded towards, noticing the young girl in red vinyl clothes standing next to a tall man in his mid-forties, long haired and with a perfectly groomed goatee. The expression in his dark eyes was not particularly kind. In fact, the man seemed to be glaring daggers at anyone who dared to look his way. Also, the way he kept his hand on his daughter's shoulder did not seem to be in any way comforting. Whether his firm grip was meant to stop Azula from running away, Katara was not sure, but it did not seem at all comfortable.
The expression on Azula's face, however, made Katara deeply concerned. Azula had always had a pale complexion of pristine alabaster, but now she looked worryingly white as a sheet. The Fire Nation girl did not just appear devastated about her loss, no, for some reason she appeared absolutely terrified, as if she was being led to her execution. Even though Katara was still very angry at Azula for her attitude, all the insults and the attempted bribe, the Water Tribe girl began to wonder what exactly was up with Azula's strange behavior. Was it perhaps something about the reaction of her father that terrified Azula? Surely Ozai Nakamura could not be that displeased about Azula's showing. Second place was a great achievement, and this was the first game that Azula had lost in the time span of a year and a half since she had started taking part in tournament play. Surely it was an achievement to be proud of?
Katara did not get the chance to dwell upon it all for too long, as shortly afterwards the head of the organizing committee took the microphone and began to speak. It was one of those boring speeches that Katara had already learned to tune out, the organizers thanking the sponsors, the spectators, the participants, everyone and their little dog, in a grandiose gesture that took far more time than it honestly ought to and seemed to bore everyone in attendance. Finally, came the time to honor the prizewinners of the tournament, and at least that served to perk up the audience.
"Placing third, with 7.5 points out of 11, Air Nation's very own… Aang Jetsun!" the boring spokesperson tried to announce dramatically, but his lack of charisma rather doomed the effort. Still, that didn't seem to put a damper on Aang's spirits as he cheerfully stepped onto the lowest step of the podium and with a flourish bowed to the crowds. The audience responded with a raucous cheer, many of the spectators aware of what a big deal this was for the tiny Air Nation, the applause persisting as the bronze medal was placed around Aang's neck and a giant fake award presentation check was pressed into his arms for the boy to hold proudly.
"Coming in second place, with the impressive score of 10 points out of 11, the pride of the Fire Nation… Azula Nakamura!" the spokesperson called out. The crowd's response was decidedly tempered. Much of it had to do with the political situation of Yu Dao. Over the past decades, Yu Dao and its surrounding territories had changed hands between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom on at least four different occasions. It was the proverbial buffer state between two superpowers of the world, and as such, it had the unfortunate fate of being the staging ground for military operations between the two great nations who thus far had avoided attacking each other directly. As a result of these frequent changes, the people of Yu Dao were split among three primary factions, two groups of radicals who campaigned for Yu Dao and its surrounding lands being incorporated in either of the two great powers, and the third, largest group, advocating for Yu Dao's independence. The spectators seemed to be split along these factions, which meant that Azula did get some excited cheers from at least a part of the crowd.
Glancing at the Fire Nation girl nearby, Katara suddenly realized that she hadn't made a step towards the podium, showing no interest to do so. It was only when her father bent down to whisper something in Azula's ear, that she reacted, flinching as she started to walk towards the podium with nervous steps, almost stumbling as she climbed on the step reserved for the runner up. She truly looked like she was being led to the gallows, and the silver medal hanging around her neck was a noose to hang her from.
"Finally, the very deserving winner of this year… and it's none other than Katara Enuaraq of the Water Tribes, also with highly impressive 10 points out of 11! Let's hear it for the new U15 World Junior Champion!" the announcer cried loudly, and Katara quickly took her place on the highest step of the pedestal. The occasion felt overwhelming and she couldn't do much else but grin like a fool at the adoring crowds, the smile never leaving her face when the gold medal was hung around her neck and a giant check for 500 yuan pressed in her hands. When a massive bouquet of flowers was also thrust at her moments later, Katara carefully laid the check down at her feet before accepting the bouquet, continuing to wave at the crowd.
Katara was still getting high on the cheers of the spectators, when she became aware of Azula climbing down from the pedestal and turning to leave. It was a clear and disrespectful breach of protocol that at first made Katara quite angry with the Fire Nation girl. However, when Katara saw how Azula's father forcefully yanked on her arm, causing her to stumble as she struggled to keep pace, Ozai quickly dragging his daughter away from the scene, Katara's anger faded immediately.
Everyone always spoke about how Azula was born to be lucky. Somehow, merely from observing these few exchanges between Azula and her father, the famous Ozai Nakamura, suggested to Katara that perhaps Azula wasn't quite as lucky as those envious of her seemed to think.
Next chapter: Katara and the other kids enjoy the tournament's after-party, while Azula suffers the consequences of her defeat…