More Than One Lifetime
Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry for the little wait for chapter 5. Let's get right into this!
Chapter 5: The Southern Air Temple
Intro: Avatar: The Last Airbender Opening
"Water…"
"Earth…"
"Fire…"
"Air…"
"Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed, and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang. And although his airbending skills are great, he has a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone. But I believe Aang can save the world!"
"Oh, and Sonic's here too."
"Hey!"
Well, it's been an eventful time for the Gaang, hasn't it? From the South Pole being attacked, Katara being captured, Aang going absolutely berserk in the Avatar State, the universe being against Sokka, and Sonic trying to pick up things on the fly, it surely hasn't been easy. Though, since they're not getting chased by Zuko anymore, at least for the time being, they can finally get some much-needed rest.
Unfortunately, Aang's plan for resting involved visiting the Southern Air Temple… where, you know…
"Wake up everyone! Air Temple here we come!" Aang yelled, everybody groaning as they woke up. Once they were fully awake, specifically Sonic and Katara, they both frowned at the notion of going to the Air Temple, for one obvious reason. "This isn't good…" Katara whispered to Sonic.
"Tell me about it," the blue blur replied, not knowing how the heck they were going to get out of this one. While the two were in their own thoughts, Sokka could care less about what was going on and tried to get some more sleep.
He covered his ears, saying, "Sleep now, temple later…"
Hearing this, that's when Aang got closer to Sokka, having a mischievous grin appear on his face. He would bend down a grab a stick, poking it on Sokka's sleeping bag repeatedly. "Sokka, get up! There's a prickle snake in your sleeping bag!"
It's safe to say that this action would fully wake Sokka up, not wasting anytime to go into his yelling habit as he started to bounce around in his sleeping bag like an idiot. "AHHHHH! GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF! AHHHHH!"
He wouldn't realize what was happening until his bouncing would send him falling to the ground, the young boy now being irritated more than usual if that were even possible at this point. Katara and Sonic couldn't help but to bust out laughing at the sight. Aang couldn't hold it in either.
"Great, you're awake! Let's go!" Aang said.
And with that, the Gaang would get on Appa and head for the Southern Air Temple.
"We're almost there, guys!" Aang yelled excitedly, the Gaang riding on Appa while heading straight for the Southern Air Temple. Katara and Sonic both exchanged glares, knowing that Aang didn't know the truth yet. They've been holding it back from him for his own good, but maybe it's time to finally say something.
"Aang," Sonic began, sighing. "There's something that you should kno-"
Before Sonic could finish, Katara quickly put her hand over his mouth and interrupted him. "Oh boy, it sure is cold today! What's been up with the weather lately?!" she exclaimed, changing the subject immediately as Sonic could only look at her with annoyed eyes. Sokka was grumpy since his beauty sleep was interrupted earlier this morning. At this point, the only hope he had left was the possibility of meat being at the Air Temple.
Ah, if only he knew that airbenders were vegetarians.
Aang raised an eyebrow at Katara's sudden weather comment, but ultimately looked passed it since he felt that he was getting closer to home. Once he saw that he was in the Patola Mountain Range, his eyes got big and wide. "Everybody, hold on tight! Appa, yip yip!"
Appa grunted, ascending upon the mountains as the wind was now majorly hitting everyone's faces, especially Sokka since the universe hates him. "Oh, why me?!"
Luckily for him, Appa flying over mountains wouldn't last too long, and in mere moments, the Gaang would find themselves in close proximity with the Southern Air Temple. Truth be told, from the outside, the temple looked pretty decent. Then you consider the fact that it's been 100 years since Aang left, it was honestly a miracle that it wasn't burned to the ground for obvious reasons.
Aang's grin couldn't get any bigger. "There it is… The Southern Air Temple."
Sokka and Katara were amazed at the sight of the temple. It looked mystical, beautiful, and ancient all at the same time. Since Sonic has already seen the temple, his reaction was normal. Still, even though he was there with Aang 100 years ago, he never got a true tour of the temple. Maybe he could actually see the rest of it this time since he was too busy trying to stay out of sight.
"Aang, it's amazing!" Katara shouted.
The cheerful air nomad could only look on, knowing that he has reached his destination. He would look down at Appa while he was flying, telling him, "We're home, buddy. We're home."
Fire Nation Docks
After Aang kicked the Fire Nation out of an Earth Kingdom village, it's safe to say that he emphatically left his mark. His mark was especially left on Zuko's ship, who is now trying to get it repaired as quickly as possible so he can get back to finding Aang. Once they made it to the docks, Zuko and Iroh got off the ship.
"Uncle, we have to get this ship repaired as quickly as possible. I don't want to lose his trail." Zuko told him.
"You mean the Avatar?" Iroh replied, Zuko then turning to him quickly in anger, his voice being in a 'manageable' shouting tone.
"Don't mention his name on these docksI If the rest of the Fire Nation finds out he's alive, every firebender in existence would be out looking for him, and I don't want anyone getting in the way!"
As Zuko was speaking, a man that carried himself with a strong presence would decide to interrupt the conversation. Light skin tone, amber eyes, gray hair, while also standing above Zuko and Iroh. "Getting in the way of what, Prince Zuko?"
Zuko folded his arms, his eyes representing annoyance and had a distaste in his voice that wasn't too hard to notice. "Captain Zhao."
"It's Commander now. And General Iroh," Zhao spoke, turning to Iroh and gave him a respectful bow. "Great hero of our nation."
Iroh would return the favor with his own bow, replying, "Retired general."
"The Fire Lord's son and brother are always welcome here. But I have to ask, what brings you two to my harbor?" It was clear that Zhao was curious about this.
Iroh would point to their ship in response. "Our ship is being repaired."
Zhao looked at the ship and analyzed it. It was clear that ship was damaged, but it was extraordinarily damaged. They had to have been in an intense battle of some kind.
"That's quite a bit of damage."
Knowing that Zhao was getting suspicious, Zuko had to turn things around. "Yes… You wouldn't believe what happened." He was silent, swearing in his mind that he had a plan but everything was now blank for him. So, he quickly passed the baton to Iroh. "Uncle! Tell Commander Zhao what happened!"
Iroh's eyes went wide at this, at first not knowing what the flameo to say, but hey, he would try. "Ah yes, I will do that. It was incredible!" he exclaimed, slightly raising his arms in the air, but had no idea what to say next. He would lean over to Zuko and whisper, "What, did we crash or something?"
"Yes!" Zuko quickly shouted, hating every second of this. "Right into an Earth Kingdom ship!"
"Really?" Zhao raised an eyebrow, but then a smirk would appear on his face. "You must regale me with all the thrilling details." Suddenly, that's when Zhao's face got extremely close to Zuko's, keeping his smirk all the way through. There was no doubt about it, Zhao was up to something. "Join me for a drink?"
Zuko, being as irritated as ever, tried to walk away. "Sorry, but we have to go." When he tried to walk away, that's when he felt Iroh's hand on his shoulder.
"Prince Zuko, show Commander Zhao your respect." He told his nephew, turning back to Zhao. "We would be honored to join you." he told him, as the two began to walk with each other. "Do you have any ginseng tea? It's my favorite."
Zuko growled in frustration, releasing fire from his fists in resentment but he now knew that he had to go along with this. He would reluctantly follow Iroh and Zhao, already having a feeling that this wasn't going to end well.
Little did they know that somebody else was watching them.
We go back to the Gaang walking around the temple. One member of the Gaang in particular started to get grumpier and grumpier with each passing second, his stomach now growling loudly. "So where do I get something to eat?"
Katara turned to her brother in annoyance. "You're lucky enough to be one of the first outsiders to ever visit an air temple, and all you can think about is food?"
"I'm just a simple guy with simple needs." responded Sokka, holding his stomach but then he got an idea. "Aha! I know!" He would reach into his pockets, looking for his blubbered seal jerky. Once he brought his hand out and opened it up, there was literally nothing there. "Wait a minute… Who ate all my blubbered seal jerky?"
"That's what it's called? Sheesh, this world has some really messed up animal names. I used it to start a campfire last night." Sonic told him, now putting his hand on his chin. "Hmm… now that I think about it, that flame did smell kinda good."
"YOU WHAT?!" Sokka yelled. Alright, that does it. You don't mess with a man's blubbered seal jerky, especially a hungry man's blubbered seal jerky. As if the universe needed to prove it anymore, it's clear that it had a vendetta against Sokka.
And he was now sick of it.
"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Without any hesitation whatsoever, Sokka charged at Sonic unexpectedly and tackled him to the ground, the two rolling all over the ground like a bunch of idiots.
"Hey, hey! I didn't know that was food! I'm not from this world, remember?!" Sonic reminded Sokka, but that didn't seem to matter. Katara could only sigh and shake her head, but Aang didn't seem to be bothered by this.
Maybe it was because he was focusing on something completely different.
"Hey guys, check this out!" he said, being as enthusiastic as ever. He started point to different areas all around the temple. "That's where my friends and I used to play airball! Over there is where the bison would sleep! And… and…"
Aang's enthusiasm left as quick as it came, having a deep sigh. Katara walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong, Aang?"
"It's just that this place used to be full of monks, and lemurs, and bison. Now it's just a bunch of weeds…" He sadly looked down. It was clear that the temple isn't what he remembered in the slightest.
"I can't believe how much things have changed…" Aang said, trailing off. That's when Sokka and Sonic would stop fighting and look at each other, trying to figure out how to cheer the young airbender up.
Luckily, they would come up with something.
"Wanna play some airball, Aang?" Sonic and Sokka asked in unison, making Aang smile widely.
A few minutes after that, Aang, Sokka, and Sonic could be found standing against three backboards. They were balancing themselves on wooden poles, all three of them looking like they were in a Mexican standoff. Sokka looked determined and ready to win this game, even if he has no idea what he's doing.
Sonic wasn't worried in the slightest, clearly not caring that Aang knew more about this game than him and Sokka. As a matter of fact, it actually motivated him.
Still, you could tell by the look in the boy's eyes that Aang was the master of this entire thing. Having the ball in his hands, he pulled his arm back and threw it at Sonic. The ball carried a little extra 'umph' seeing as an airbending slice is what was powering it to go so fast.
Fortunately for Sonic, he was the fastest thing alive.
"Nice try, but no!" When the ball was mere centimeters away from Sonic's face, this is where his super speed would come in. Already being ready for the ball coming to him, he would do a spinning kick that would hit it, sending it like a pinball as it struck every wooden pole.
It was also coming straight for Sokka, and… Well, he had no idea how to defend himself at this point.
"Why did I agree to this again?" he asked himself.
The ball immediately struck his chest, sending him flying through the backboard and into the snow. "Woohoo! Aang one, Sonic and Sokka zero!" Aang exclaimed, keeping track of the score as Sonic couldn't help but to chuckle at Sokka getting blasted like that.
"You're still alive, right Sokka?!" Sonic shouted, his laughing becoming louder.
Sokka's head would poke out of the snow, looking down in shame. "Oh, the humiliation…" He was going to get them back for this one way or another. That's a promise.
Katara walked to her brother and helped him up, Aang and Sonic meeting up with them. "Well, that was fun." Sonic said.
"Fun for who?!" Sokka retorted.
"Now now, Sokka. I'm sure if you keep playing, you'll get the hang of it." Katara told him, making Sokka sigh.
"Man, that sure brought back some memories. Thanks for playing with me, guys!" Aang had a bright smile on his face. Seeing Aang like this put a smile on the rest of the Gaang's faces. Hey, at least he was happy for the time being. "Oh! There's someone I want you guys to meet. Follow me!" said Aang, beginning to walk up to the higher points of the temple, while the Gaang wasn't too far behind him.
Once they went up the steps, they saw a statue of a Master Monk meditating before them. Katara and Sokka wondered who this could be, but Sonic had a hunch on who this person was, even if he's never seen him before.
"Who's that?" Katara asked.
"Monk Gyatso, the greatest airbender in the world. He taught me everything I know." confirmed Aang, bowing to not only his master, but his father figure in respect. When he stood up straight and looked into the eyes of the statue, it was like he was going down memory lane for a short moment. Gyatso really meant the world to Aang, and Aang meant the world to Gyatso.
He thought back to that faithful day when he left. He never even gave a proper goodbye to the man who essentially took him under his wing. It's safe to say that was secretly eating him up inside.
100 Years Ago
"But the true secret… Is in the gooey center!"
Monk Gyatso was busy making cakes, airbending the filling onto the middle. Usually, Aang would get more excited for things like this, but he was deep in thought, to say the least.
"Hmm…" Aang slowly replied, Gyatso looking at him.
"My ancient cake making technique isn't the only thing on your mind, is it, Aang?"
That question made Aang look to the sky, wondering about recent events. "This whole Avatar thing… Maybe the monks made a mistake."
Gyatso shook his head. "The only mistake they made was telling you before you turned sixteen, but we cannot concern ourselves with what was. We must act on what is!"
His hand motioned to the beautiful view of the Air Temple, the sun shining down on all the bison and the young air nomads. It was a gorgeous sight, much different to how the temple would look 100 years from now.
"But Gyatso, how do I know if I'm ready for this?"
"Your questions will be answered when you are old enough to enter the Air Temple Sanctuary. Inside you will meet someone who will guide you on your journey."
That caught Aang's attention immediately. "Who is it?!"
"When you are ready, he will reveal himself to you."
Gyatso telling Aang this only made him more frustrated, this whole Avatar thing still not clicking for him yet. Though, Gyatso knew how to cheer him up. "Now, are you going to help me with these cakes, or not?"
A small smile formed on Aang's face, cheering up a little bit. "All right."
Aang got by Gyatso, the two airbending masters getting into their stances, their hands moving rapidly as they began to create a ball of air.
"One…" Gyatso started the countdown.
"Two…" The ball of air was now getting bigger.
"THREE!" Once Gyatso gave the signal, both he and Aang sent the cakes flying across the other side of the Air Temple. The four council monks were meditating peacefully, until they felt a bunch of cakes hit their faces out of the blue, catching them completely off guard. Before they could even get the cakes off of them, that's when all the flying lemurs surrounded them and started eating off of their faces. Aang and Gyatso couldn't help but to laugh out loud at this. Gyatso went on to pat Aang's head.
"Your aim has improved greatly, my young pupil."
Flashback End
Noticing the silence that covered the entire area, Sonic walked up to his friend and looked at him. "You gonna be okay?" Since Sonic was there to witness the day of Aang leaving, he knew that this must've been hard for him to go through.
Aang gave a nod, although an unexpressive one. "Yeah, I'll be fine."
Sonic continued to look at Aang in concern, but would slowly look at the statue of Gyatso along with him. "This is what Gyatso looked like, huh? It sucks that I didn't get to meet you." He thought to himself. While the blue blur was in his own thoughts, Aang proceeded to slowly walk forward into the temple.
"Uh, is there a reason why you're going inside that dark temple?" Sokka asked, pointing at where Aang was going.
"I'm going to the Air Temple Sanctuary. There's somebody I'm ready to meet."
Sokka could only sigh at this. "Guess that means we gotta follow him, right?"
"Oh, quit your whining. We'll be fine." Katara spoke, the rest of them following Aang once more. As they traveled farther inside the temple, they were soon met with a wooden door which has three air symbols on it, almost looking like they were in a triangular pattern.
Sonic was now baffled by this. "Soooo… This person you want to meet is behind this door? Are you sure that this person is even still living? He may have been living 100 years ago, but that's the thing. It was 100 years ago."
"I mean, look at me," Aang replied, pointing to himself. "I've lived for 100 years, so it's not impossible."
"Good point." said Katara.
Sokka would have a different viewpoint on the matter, though. "And whoever's in there must be living off DELICIOUS, CURED MEATS!" He couldn't take it anymore, this boy was starving and he was going to get his meat one way or another. He ran towards the door, charging right for it and crashed into it.
The only thing was that action wasn't super effective.
Sokka ended up making himself look like a buffoon as he immediately fell back on his behind. He started rubbing it since it was in pain. "I don't suppose you have a key?"
Aang giggled. "The key, Sokka, is airbending."
Eventually telling Sokka to get out the way, Aang was now front and center. He was a good few feet away from the door, taking a deep breath before shooting air blasts at the three air symbols. Over time, the symbols began to turn, and once the process was completed, the door fully opened, leading into an even darker room that could only make Sokka groan in response.
"Hello? Anyone home?" Aang asked, walking into the room. Sonic, Katara, and Sokka would follow suit.
Meanwhile, back at the Fire Nation, things have taken a turn for the worst. Zhao had all of this planned. He made his crew members interrogate Zuko's crew, and that's when all the information came out. The Avatar was alive and well after 100 long years.
"So, a 12 year old boy not only bested you, but he ended up taking back an Earth Kingdom village essentially by himself. You're more pathetic than I thought." Zhao's tone was majorly condescending, and Zuko would only get enraged by this.
"I underestimated him once, but it won't happen again!"
Zhao nodded. "No, it will not, because you won't be getting a second chance. I already assembled a search party to find the Avatar myself. You and your uncle, on the other hand, are now free to go."
Zuko got up, getting right into Zhao's face. "You're making a big mistake crossing me, Zhao! I will capture the Avatar before you!"
"Prince Zuko, that's enough!" Iroh exclaimed, but his words would fall on deaf ears.
Zhao had an arrogant smirk appear on his face. "With what army? I have hundreds of warships at my command. But you? You're just a banished prince. No home, no allies, your own father doesn't even want you."
"You're wrong! Once I deliver the Avatar to my father, he will welcome me home with honor, and restore my rightful place on the throne."
Zhao didn't believe a word he said. "If your father really wanted you back, you would've been home by now, Avatar or no Avatar. But in his eyes you're a failure, and a disgrace to the Fire Nation."
"That's not true."
"You have the scar to prove it."
That's when Zuko's fists became lit with flames, having nothing but fire in his eyes. "Then maybe you'd like one to match!"
Zhao began to laugh. "Is that a challenge?"
Yep, it sure freakin' was.
"An agni kai, at sunset."
Silence covered the room, but ultimately, Zhao would agree to Zuko's request with a shrug. "Very well. It's a shame your father won't be here to watch me humiliate you. Though, I guess your uncle will do." Now getting ready for the Agni Kai, Zhao walked out of the tent, leaving Zuko and Iroh alone.
"Prince Zuko, have you forgotten what happened last time when you dueled a master?" Iroh asked, Zuko's eyes still having nothing but fire, especially on his scar side.
"I will never forget."
Southern Air Temple
Aang, Sonic, Katara, and Sokka were now in a room full of statues, much to Sokka's dislike. "Statues?! That's it?! Where's the meat?!"
"Who are all these people?" Katara asked in amazement, looking at potentially thousands upon thousands of statues.
"I'm not sure…" Aang replied. "But it feels like I know them somehow." As he took a closer look, that's when he would have a lightbulb moment. "Look! This one's an airbender!"
"And this one's a waterbender! They're all lined up in a cycle." Katara pointed to another one, but then began going down the row. "Air, water, earth, and fire."
"Is this supposed to be some kind of Avatar cycle or something?" Sonic asked, scratching the back of his head. Katara would look at him and give him a confirming nod.
"Yep, all of these people are Aang's past lives."
"Wait, I'm right?" Sonic was clearly surprised by this. Honestly, he was only taking a random guess.
"Wow! There are so many!" Aang was astounded by the amount of Avatar's there's been, continuing to walk all over the room to try and view all of them.
"Past lives?" Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Katara, you really believe in that stuff?"
"It's true! When the Avatar dies, he's reincarnated into the next nation in the cycle."
Sonic went off course, analyzing the statues and stopped when he saw one that caught his eye. From the looks of it, Sonic couldn't tell which nation this Avatar came from… Even though he probably wouldn't be able to tell anyway. Still, there was something… Special about this statue that drew him in. He couldn't quite put his finger on it.
It was Avatar Wan's statue.
Aang would go on the other side and stare at a statue himself, the person representing that of Fire Nation heritage. It looked like Aang was turning into a statue for a moment just by how still he became, until Katara snapped him out of it. "Aang, snap out of it!" She said, shaking him which brought him back to reality.
When she took a look at the statue Aang was looking at, she became curious. "Who's that?"
"That's Avatar Roku, the Avatar before me."
Sokka now walked over there and connected the dots for himself. "You were a firebender? No wonder I didn't trust you when we first met."
Katara looked down at the statue and saw that there was no name. "There's no writing on here, so how do you know his name?"
"I'm not sure… I just know it somehow."
Sokka could only growl at all this reincarnation, magical, spiritual cycle crap. "You just couldn't get any weirder!"
As they were talking, they heard a noise come from the entrance of the door. The Gaang all looked back, getting in their fighting stances to possibly face a potential threat.
What they saw wouldn't be what they expected in the slightest, however.
"LEMUR!" Aang yelled happily.
"DINNER!" Sokka also yelled, his mouth watering as he saw this as his only chance to get some food around here. He immediately ran after the white and brown winged lemur, Aang not being too far behind him. This would frighten the lemur and cause him to run away, the duo of Aang and Sokka now being in an all out pursuit. Either Aang would make him his new best buddy, or he was going into Sokka's belly.
"Hey, wait! You can't just leave us like tha-!" Before Katara could finish, Sonic grabbed her hand, telling her, "Gotta go fast if we want to keep up with them!"
Without wasting another second, Sonic blasted off with Katara at high speeds, freaking the girl out by just how fast he was. She saw his speed before, but actually feeling it was a whole other story.
"OHMYGAAAAAWWWD!"
Fire Nation
The Agni Kai was now ready to begin, Zhao and Zuko standing on opposite sides of a Fire Nation arena, the sun shining down on them. Zuko and Zhao both throw off their shoulder wraps, getting prepared for battle.
"Remember your firebending basics, Prince Zuko. They are your greatest weapons." Iroh reminded him.
"I refuse to let him win." replied Zuko, getting into his stance.
Zhao would get into his stance as well. "This'll be over quickly."
BGM: Avatar: The Last Airbender – Agni Kai
For a minute, it seemed like the two firebenders were in a staring contest of some sorts, but Zuko would make the first move. Pulling his fist back, he would sent a powerful fireblasts right at Zhao, but the more experienced warrior would dodge them with ease by stepping to the side.
"Come on! All you're able to do is dodge?!" Zuko taunted, continuing to send multiple fireblasts at him. Zhao smirked when the banished prince said that, taking a deep breath.
"Very well. Then let me show you how futile it is to go up against me." Seeing the fireblasts come right for him, Zhao would get into a blocking stance, blocking all of Zuko's attacks completely and made the fire disappear. Smoke would come near both Zuko and Zhao. While Zhao was completely confident that he was going to win this fight, Zuko was only getting more frustrated and desperate by the second.
"AHHHHH!" He spun around and sent a fire kick at Zhao, to which he was deflecting the fire repeatedly. When Zuko kept on doing the same thing, almost like he was mindlessly fighting, Zhao got closer to the ground and shoots a flame that would surround him, ultimately protecting him from Zuko's attack while also making the prince take a step back.
Zuko was breathing heavily. Truly, Zhao was a firebender that you didn't wanna mess with, but Zuko had a bone to pick with him.
"Basics, Zuko! Break his root!" Iroh yelled, giving him the best advice he could in this situation.
With one stomp, Zhao would begin his onslaught of attacks, shooting one flame out that Zuko would block, but he kept on getting pushed back. Another stomp, which meant a more powerful flame than last time. Zuko was barely holding on at this point, everything being off balance for him. The third time around, meaning the third stomp, Zhao sent one more flame at Zuko which knocked him to the ground.
With Zuko trying to recover, literally a second after he got knocked down, Zhao was seen in the air and landed right in front of Zuko, sending fire right at his face so he can get another scar.
But… Zhao wasn't able to recognize Zuko's willpower.
Just before the blast could hit, Zuko moves his feet rapidly, almost like he was breakdancing in a sense. He put Zhao's fire out, sweeping his feet and making him trip. With Zuko back on his feet, he smirked widely at this. Seems like the momentum has shifted in his favor now.
Zhao would get back on his feet, but Zuko would keep on striking the floor to keep him off balance. Wobbling over and over again, it was clear that Zhao had lost his advantage. On the sidelines, Iroh smirked at his nephew finally using the basics. To end off his barrage, Zuko sent a fireblast from kicking, sending Zhao back to the ground and made him skid across it.
With Zhao being defeated, Zuko stomped and came closer to his body, looking at him dead in the eyes. With anger in his voice, Zhao yelled, "Do it!"
Zuko would send a blast at Zhao, but he would intentionally miss his face by striking to the side. Zhao looked at where he shot the blast, and then looked back at Zuko in disgust. "That's it? Your father raised a coward."
"Next time you get in my way, I promise I won't hold back." Whether or not Zuko meant what he said would be a discussion for another day. For now, though, he was done here. He turned around and started to walk away. Zhao, feeling like he has been embarrassed, got up and sent a quick flame from a kick, as it was now headed straight for Zuko. But it was weird… it was like during that moment, Zhao moved slower than usual. Like, time almost stopped for him in a way.
Whatever the case may be, it allowed Iroh to get in front of Zhao and grab his feet, throwing him on the other side of the arena. Zuko tried to rush back in anger, but Iroh wouldn't let him. "No, Prince Zuko! Do not taint your victory!"
Iroh would look at Zhao, distaste being in his mouth. "So, this is how the great Commander Zhao acts in defeat? Disgraceful. Even in exile, my nephew is more honorable than you." Iroh said, catching Zuko by surprise.
"Oh, and thanks again for the tea. It was delicious." At that moment, Iroh and Zuko turned their backs to Zhao, walking away.
Zuko wanted to ask him something, though.
"Did you really mean that uncle?"
"Of course, I told you that ginseng tea is my favorite." Iroh slyly replied, making Zuko smile a bit. As they were walking back to their ship, they heard another voice rather close to them.
"Thank God you were able to finally put that fool in his place, with a little help from me, of course. I was getting annoyed by him."
That made Zuko and Iroh stop dead in their tracks, wondering who could be speaking to them. They started looking around, Zuko yelling out, "Who's there?!"
"Over here." The voice spoke once more, the two now turning to see a black and red hedgehog.
Zuko immediately got into his stance, recognizing the look from earlier. "Wait a minute… Are you related to that blue freak?!"
The black and red hedgehog slightly laughed at that. "Blue freak, huh? Seems like you've already met Sonic. Good to hear that he's alive after all."
He would take a step closer, feeling the need to properly introduce himself.
"I'm Shadow, Shadow The Hedgehog."
Back at the arena, Zhao was cursing himself for not only letting Zuko get the better of him, but Iroh as well. With his anger boiling, he would be met with another voice as well, just like Zuko and Iroh.
"OH HO HO HO HO HO! That was pretty bad. You call the young man a coward, and yet you're the one that strikes him from behind."
Zhao was turning his head, not recognizing the voice. "What?!"
The Egg Mobile would come flying down near Zhao, as no one other than Dr. Eggman would reveal himself.
"Greetings! I am Dr. Eggman. I've heard a lot about you, Commander Zhao." he said, grinning.
"Doctor what?" Zhao repeated, trying to get a grasp of everything. He's never seen anyone like Eggman before, and he definitely hasn't seen anything like the Egg Mobile. Where did this dude come from?
"You'll get used to it." Eggman told him, his grin becoming wider as he brought out a yellow Chaos Emerald, the jewel's glorious shine catching Zhao's attention.
"Let's make a deal."
Meanwhile, back at the Southern Air Temple, Aang, Sokka, Sonic, and Katara had all followed the lemur into a room. "Come on out, little guy! I'll make sure Sokka doesn't hurt yo-"
When all of them entered the room, they saw nothing but corpses. It's like the breath was taken out of Aang, seeing all of his people, so many airbenders… murdered in cold blood.
Sonic, Sokka, and Katara were dead silent at this sight, as they couldn't even imagine what Aang was going through right now. It was clear firebenders were here as well, given that their skeletons and helmets could be seen.
But the one thing that would tip Aang over the edge would be the corpse right in the middle of the room. He knew who it was by the necklace, and he immediately broke down.
"Gyatso…" Aang quietly said, clenching his fists and got on his knees. He slammed the ground beneath him out of anger, Sonic, Sokka, and Katara all rushing to comfort him.
100 Years Ago
BGM: Avatar 2009 – War (Film Version)
Gyatso was being pushed back by the Fire Nation soldiers, fighting off each and every one of them while they were being powered by Sozin's Comet. As he was valiantly fighting them off, he was watching all of his fellow airbenders die right in front of him. Each member of the council got defeated, along with the children's yells being heard in their final moments of living.
It was a traumatizing sight, the amount of blood being spread around the temple being absolutely massive. These yells were ingrained into Gyatso's head, and it would literally turn him into a monster.
Airbenders weren't supposed to kill. They're supposed to see the beauty of all living things, but… this? What's happening right now? To hell with morals and customs. His nation, his people were now essentially erased from existence.
It was time to end them.
"I'LL TAKE YOU ALL ON!"
Gyatso, using his remaining strength, was fighting off every last firebender. He rose into the air, as a tornado would lift him up in the air and look at the Fire Nation army before him. Moving his arms once, he sent a multitude of firebenders flying off the cliff to their permanent end. He would go to another group clap his hands together, the gust of wind putting out their fireblasts and would send an air slice to their bodies. Gyatso was out for blood, with every attack of his having a killing intention. The slice would pierce their bodies, literally slicing the firebender's soldiers' bodies into two.
"YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME?! I WILL TEAR YOU APART!"
After that, he crash landed right into the ground, creating cracks from where he stood. His impact sent a massive gust of wind all over the temple, blowing almost every firebender out of sight. Moving his arms once more, it's like he was moving at light speed as he started creating one tornado after another, trapping the firebenders and sent them all the way on the other side of the temple, where their bodies would crash right into the mountains which left their blood stain, ending them as he would let gravity take care of the rest, watching their bodies fall.
For him to take all of these firebenders on during Sozin's Comet, where firebenders are at their most powerful, it just proved how much of master Gyatso was.
He was going to kill them all.
Raising his arms in the sky, he started to move them around, but this time… he wasn't planning on making tornadoes. Instead, he was making the air a whole lot heavier and thicker around him, surrounding a whole ton of Fire Nation soldiers' faces with a mini air sphere. Clenching his fists, he would quite literally take the oxygen out of the soldiers' bodies, yelling all the way through as he was doing it. With the oxygen leaving the soldiers' bodies, they were killed right on the spot.
But Gyatso, as amazing as he was doing right now, couldn't keep this up for much longer. His stamina was waning, and this would be evident by the amount of soldiers that would strike back, sending a comet like blast at Gyatso which sent him flying into the room where he would meet his fate.
Blood ran down all over his body, struggling to get up. It was then that he saw somebody enter the room, and that person would be Firelord Sozin. An intimidating figure in his advanced years, golden eyes, and gray hair, he looked at Gyatso in disgust.
"Tell me where the Avatar is, and I may spare your life."
"I'm not telling you anything, you monster!" Gyatso replied, holding his arm in pain. "Have you not realized what you've done?! You've wiped out the Air Nation! You took my people away from me! And for what?! Just so you can kill the Avatar?!"
"The Air Nation isn't completely wiped out, because I know all of the kids I killed today were nowhere close to being the Avatar. Now, I will ask you this one last time… Where is he?" Sozin slowly asked, almost like he was talking to a child by his condescending tone.
Gyatso gritted his teeth, not planning to answer than in a million years. Not like he could, anyway, but he wouldn't even if he did know where Aang was.
"Rot in hell." Gyatso coldly replied, making Sozin shake his head in disappointment.
"Very well."
Not another moment was wasted, as Sozin sent two comet like fireballs at Gyatso. Using all of the energy he had left, making his one final stand, Gyatso's hand struck the ground, creating a massive air sphere around the entire air temple, the impact of the fireballs causing the whole world to shake.
After the clash from the two masters ended, Sozin stood tall over Gyatso, who was grimacing in pain. He was unable to move, his breathing becoming heavier.
"Let me tell you the same thing I told Roku before he died. I have a vision for the future, Gyatso, and you're standing in my way. For that, you will now meet your permanent end."
Sozin would swing his arm forwards, sending a fire whip right at Gyatso. Right in his final moments, Gyatso would think to himself, saying, "Aang, you're our last hope…"
The fire whip would connect, ending Gyatso's life right then and there.
Back to the Present
BGM: Avatar: The Last Airbender – Avatar State
"Come on, Aang. Let's get outta here." Sokka told him, but then Aang's tattoos started to glow. Suddenly, massive amounts of wind was now blowing everything away, and that included Sonic, Katara, and Sokka.
The statues in the Air Temple started to glow, from Roku to Kyoshi, to Kuruk, to Yangchen, and it went all the way down to Avatar Wan. From all around the world, Water, Earth, and Fire temples started to glow, signaling the awakening of Aang's Avatar spirit. The world itself, much like 100 years ago when Gyatso fought against Sozin, the whole entire planet started to shake.
In the Fire Nation temple, the old fire sages took notice of this immediately.
"Send word to the Firelord immediately! The Avatar has returned!"
For the events that are going on at the Air Temple, Aang felt a rage he's never felt before, entering the Avatar State and fully losing control of himself. He's lost his people, his nation, his culture, his best friend and father figure. He truly was the last airbender. The whole world has been at war for 100 years since he's been gone, and the amount of lives lost during that time has been unprecedented.
And it was all because of him running away.
"Aang! Aang, listen to me! I know it's hard, but you gotta calm down!" Sonic shouted, but that wouldn't work. He gritted his teeth, knowing that if something wasn't done quickly, then he, Katara, and Sokka could be blown off the mountain.
"Sorry about this, bro!" Sonic yelled, striking Aang with a homing attack.
Welp, World War 3 was about to start.
Aang in his fully powered Avatar State looked at Sonic with venom in his eyes, coming right for the blue hedgehog and grabbed him by the neck. Aang was flying through the air, and once they were close enough to a mountain, he threw Sonic on it, his back feeling like it had shattered into a million pieces.
It didn't, but hey, that's what it felt like.
Sonic slowly got up, grimacing. "Okay… Well then, Sonic, how do you beat the all powerful Avatar who's currently out for blood?" he asked himself, but he wouldn't have too much time to think as Aang was now sending multiple airblasts at him.
Sonic, still using his superior speed, dodged the air blasts. Well, most of them, anyway. The last airblast that Aang shot hit Sonic directly in the chest, sending him flying mountain through mountain.
"GOD THAT HURTS!" Sonic yelled in pain, the power of that attack feeling like an even more overpowered version of Shadow's Chaos Blast. The only thing that was keeping Sonic alive was his experience in battle, and that he's been through similar, and maybe, emphasis on maybe, worse pains before.
Looking behind him and seeing the other mountain he was about to crash in, Sonic screamed at the top of his lungs, maneuvering his body so his feet could meet the mountain instead of his entire body. Using his body, specifically his legs, he would boost himself up into the air and meet Aang. His fists would connect with Aang's gut, the two fighters now being on a collision course to the Air Temple. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Sonic yelled all the way through, doing his best to not even give Aang the chance to attack again, because if he did… Then it might very well be game over for the blue blur. Maybe if he had his super form, he would stand a chance, but he only has one Chaos Emerald…
"Wait! That's it!" Sonic shouted in realization. Though, his moment would be cut off by Aang kicking Sonic in the face in retaliation, proceeding to punch the hedgehog right in the jaw which made his body flip all over the place, colliding with the grounds of the air temple as he skidded across.
Katara and Sokka were watching all of this unfold for themselves, their mouths being agape. One, not like it needed to be proven again, but Aang was overpowered. Two, it's a miracle in itself that Sonic is somehow lasting thing long against an insane Aang. Seeing these two duel it out made them feel so useless.
Katara clenched her fists, having just about enough of this. "Come on, Sokka! We need to help!" She said, running off which made Sokka wide eyed.
"I mean, I want to help too, but how in the world are we going to fight against that freaking death machine?!" Obviously, he was referring to Aang. With Katara running off, it was pretty clear that she wasn't listening to him.
"WHY DOESN'T ANYBODY LISTEN TO ME?!" Sokka roared, completely being fed up by everything that has happened to him recently. He would run after his sister, and hopefully they wouldn't meet their doom by trying to be good friends.
Sonic would get up, panting heavily as he saw Aang coming for him again. He brought out the blue Chaos Emerald that he found at the South Pole, letting it power him up as much as it could. It wouldn't be Super Sonic levels, but at this point, he would take any kind of power boost.
With the Chaos Emerald charging his power as far as it could go, Sonic would kneel and start to perform his spindash attack, electricity surrounding him as the move itself was way more powerful than usual. Once he charged up enough, he blasted off, the two friends now getting into a clash with each other, shockwaves being able to be seen and felt all over the sky.
But even with that, Sonic's efforts still weren't enough.
Aang created a massive tornado that would make Sonic spin everywhere, now looking like a missile that was shot high in the air.
But eventually, he had to come back down.
And Aang was waiting for him.
Sonic was falling in slow motion, it seemed like. Out of power, and out of ideas. One Chaos Emerald wasn't going to cut it.
This may be the end of Sonic The Hedgehog,
He was still holding onto his blue Chaos Emerald, trying to think of something, anything that could turn the tides of this battle.
Aang was flying towards him again, and much like his speed, Sonic had to think fast.
He would give a look at the Chaos Emerald, then back at Aang.
There was one more thing he could try to do.
"Please freaking work…" Sonic muttered, his face being determined as ever. Right before Aang could strike, Sonic would shout two simple words.
"CHAOS CONTROL!"
Aang would grab the Chaos Emerald when Sonic said that, causing the attack to be electrifying. While Aang was going through pain, Sonic was going through the most pain. It's like his entire body was being filled with overwhelming power, an unexplainable power that he's never felt before. He was getting visions of everything… Wait, what were these visions?
When he felt this power, that's when an absolutely gigantic explosion happened, causing both Aang and Sonic to separate, landing on two different mountains. Aang would quickly get up like nothing happened, getting into his stance as he controlled the air around him.
But… something… out of the ordinary would happen with Sonic.
BGM: Dragon Ball Super – Ultra Instinct Theme
When he got up, his eyes were now fully glowing, just like Aang's. His two fists were clenched, air spheres suddenly forming around them. As a matter of fact, an entire air sphere, just like Aang's started to come around his entire body, the planet beginning to shake once more at the sheer overwhelming power of what seemed like two gods battling it out.
Sonic could now not only airbend, but he had his own Avatar State.
Was this because of the Chaos Emerald?
Looking at Aang, Sonic would let out an excruciatingly huge yell, raising his arms in the air and created a massive Air Wall, getting ready for the final round. Aang would do the same, his own Air Wall not being too far from Sonic's.
Once again, more than ever, Katara and Sokka could not believe what they were seeing.
"WHAT THE %$! #?!" They both said in unison.
Sonic and Aang would blast off, clashing with each other once more as both would pull their fists back. The collision and sheer impact of the now two powerful airbenders caused almost everything to erupt, destroying a couple of mountains into more than a million pieces.
Both of them were sent flying back to the Air Temple, Sonic now losing his Avatar State while Aang was still in his. Both of them were battered and bruised, but Aang proved to be more durable throughout all of this. Sonic would make himself stand, not realizing what happened to him as he held his arm.
"Well, I guess I had a good run…"
"AANG, STOP!" Katara yelled, getting Aang's attention with Sokka not being too far behind her. "I know you're upset, and I know how hard it is to lose the people you love! I went through the same thing when I lost my mom!" She looked down for a moment, that day replaying in her mind for a couple of seconds. But she would need to focus for Aang's sake.
"Monk Gyatso and the other airbenders may be gone! But you still have a family! Sokka, Sonic, and I! We're you're family now!"
Hearing Katara's words calmed Aang down, his tattoos now going back to normal as he fell backwards. Katara ran fast enough just in time to catch him, holding him close. "I'm sorry…"
"It's okay! It isn't your fault." Katara replied.
"Yes, it is…" Aang said, looking down. "My people are gone… my nation… everything is gone. And it's all because of me." He would later define the 'all because of me' quote for another time. Only Sonic would know what this truly meant.
"I really am the last airbender…"
With Aang's words, Katara hugged him, and Sokka would come closer to put a hand on the boy's shoulder. Sonic, who was walking with a very apparent limp, came closer to his friend and kneeled before him. "Guess I shouldn't have fought you like that, huh? Seems like all you needed was Katara to calm you down." Sonic said with his signature smirk, even with all the pain he's feeling right now. That's when Aang's eyes went wide.
"Oh no! Sonic, did I hurt you?!"
Sonic would act like he was fine. "What, me? PFFFFFFF, impossible. I don't consider it me getting hurt. Instead, I consider it the best thrill I've had in a long time."
Well, it was true that Sonic was bored before he got to this world.
Sonic wrapped his arm around Aang, his arm hurting from any kind of movement. Aang knew what Sonic was trying to do, but now he felt even more guilty. What would he have done to Sonic if Katara hadn't stepped in?
"Sonic, I-"
"Aang, I will be okay."
"Yeah! Besides, I don't think you're the last airbender anyway!" Sokka pointed out. "Sonic was airbending right with you!"
"HUH?!" Sonic and Aang replied in unison.
After everything had settled down, the Gaang went back to the sanctuary. Aang was looking at Roku's statue. "Everything's packed. You ready to go?" Katara asked.
"How is Roku supposed to help me if I can't talk to him?"
Katara thought about it. "Maybe you'll find a way."
Just as they were about to leave, yet another noise could be heard from the entrance, the lemur now returning from all of the chaos. He got closer to Sokka and left him some fruits and nuts, to which he would gladly accept. He would start stuffing his mouth, feeling like he hasn't eaten in days when it's only been an adequate number of hours.
Aang smiled. "Looks like you made a new friend, Sokka."
"CAN'T TALK, MUST EAT!" Sokka shouted, entering flavor town.
The lemur would crawl up Aang and rest on his shoulder. "Hey, little guy."
Outside, it was time to say their final goodbyes to the abandoned temple.
"You, me, and Appa. We're all that's left of this place." Aang told the lemur while petting Appa.
"Hey, I would argue Sonic fits in that category too!" Sokka said, holding a fruit in his hand.
"Yeah, I'm still confused on that." Sonic added. "Apparently, I'm an airbender now."
"We'll talk more about that when we take off." Aang said, smiling. "But for now… Katara, Sokka, Sonic, say hello to the newest member of our family!" he told them, the lemur being on his arm.
"What are you going to name him?" inquired Katara.
That's when the lemur would leap off Aang's shoulder and grab Sokka's fruit. He would get back on Aang's shoulder and start eating it.
"Momo." Aang confirmed, Sokka being in shock that his fruit was now gone. Katara, Aang, and Sonic laughed at this sight, and in mere moments they would take off on Appa, the sky getting darker.
BGM: Avatar: The Last Airbender – Leaving The Southern Air Temple
Aang and Momo were both looking back to see a twilight view of the temple. He was watching it get farther and farther away as Appa continued to fly, almost like it was disappearing. Aang watches with sadness as the clouds ultimately obscure his home from his view, the memories of his childhood coming through as he could only look back.
END OF CHAPTER 5: THE SOUTHERN AIR TEMPLE
BGM: Avatar: The Last Airbender – Credits
Sonic: Hey guys! This is Sonic again bringing you the next preview after I almost got annihilated! In the next chapter, we'll-!
Sokka: Momo, give me back my food!
Aang: Kyoshi Island here we come!
Katara: Doesn't anybody want to find out how Sonic was airbending?
Sonic: Seriously, again with this airbending stuff?
Next time on More Than One Lifetime!
Kyoshi Island
Sonic: I swear, these previews never come out right…
Author's Note: OVER NINE THOUSAAAAAAND WORDS! I AM TIRED! Lol. I figured since it took so long for me to update, I wanted to make this chapter extra-long, so I hope you guys enjoyed it. Now as y'all can see, Sonic can now airbend due to Avatar State mixing with the Chaos Emerald mumbo jumbo. Hmm… didn't I say this story and Don't Think Twice were connected? Uh oh, what in the world could this possibly mean?! *Evil Laugh Intensifies* Hope you guys are paying attention to both stories. This was one of my favorite episodes of Avatar and I wanted to give it the respect it deserves. That last scene with Aang looking back at the Southen Air Temple with Momo as the clouds slowly close off their view, that scene is so emotional man. Anyway, I'm getting off track. If you guys like what you read, leave a follow and a favorite! Don't forget to READ AND REVIEW! See you guys next chapter, and I'll also see you guys in Don't Think Twice!
