Hi everyone! Well, I got this idea to share these short stories about Momo and Appa. I hope you enjoy!

MOMO AND APPA GO GAMBLING AT A CASINO

The Fire Nation Casino was not for the faintest of hearts. Built for the fiercest of the fiercest gamblers, it was famous for its attraction for the most hardcore gamers in all of the Four Nations. Momo swallowed as he rode on Appa's back, saying, "Are you sure this is a great idea?"

"Don't worry, Momo," Appa assured him. "It'll be a piece of lychee-nuts." They walked into the casino; Momo stared around.

He didn't like the look of this place at all. There were so many different people and animals there, looking extremely frightening. He caught sight of two badgermoles growling at each other. He whimpered. Appa shot him a glare.

"Don't be such a scaredy-lemur," he scolded. "Now come on." They headed down the hall and to the center of the casino. Momo let out a gasp.

Six people were playing the newly-invented Republic City game – pro-bending; they were fighting fiercely against each other. When they were knocked out of the ring, some people cheered, while the rest of them slammed their heads against the wall.

"What's going on?" Momo squawked. Appa frowned.

"It looks like they're betting on who's going to win the game," he said. "That sounds like fun. We should do it!"

"Wait!" Momo shouted, but Appa was already running towards the casino. "I'd like to bet a thousand yuan on the blue team!"

"Do you, now?" someone growled. Momo's heart lurched with terror as he saw who it was.

Four pirates stood in front of them. In the center stood the pirate captain, his iguana parrot on his shoulder. "Hello there," he snarled. Momo backed up in terror.

"Fancy seeing you again," the pirate's lip curled. "I remember how you stole our waterbending scroll. You had some nerve!"

Momo chittered, remembering how he had snatched it from the iguana parrot. "You guys stole it from a waterbender," he pointed out.

If Momo had been looking for precisely the wrong thing to say, that was it. The pirate glared at him furiously, and his iguana parrot roared in anger. Momo took a step back in fear.

"How dare you?" the pirate thundered. Several people turned around to stare, and he lifted his sword. "Well, time for a rematch!" He darted forward.

Momo hid behind Appa, crying out in terror. "O Great Bison, save me!" he cried.

"Wait!" Appa shielded Momo. "Why don't we solve this with gambling?"

That stopped the pirate. He smiled at Appa, curling his lip. "I do love me a good gamble." He grinned. "Here's the deal: two teams are going to duke it out on the pro-bending arena, and we're gonna each pick a side. If my team wines, you give me the waterbending scroll. If yours wins, you get, like, three yuan."

"That doesn't sound like a fair trade." Momo frowned.

"That's right," the pirate agreed. "Let's make it even more unfair. If mine wins, I get the waterbending scroll and Momo."

"Deal," Appa agreed.

"Wait!" Momo stared at Appa. "I didn't agree to this!"

"Don't worry," Appa declared. "There's no way we're going to lose." He lifted his furry arrow. "Especially not when our friends are in the match!"

Momo stared at the match. Their three friends – Katara, Toph, and Zuko – were walking towards the arena; everyone was cheering. He grinned.

"I call betting on our friends!" he yelled.

The pirates were growling in frustration. "Fine, then," the lead pirate declared. "We'll vote on the other team!" He pointed forward.

Momo gasped in horror. The second team was filled with burly, powerful people. They had strong muscles, and they punched the air, clearly ready for the fight. "Wait a minute – isn't that Sparky Sparky Boom Man?" he asked. Appa stared and let out a gasp.

"You're right!" he shouted. "He nearly killed us last time!" He frowned. "Wait, didn't he die at the Western Air Temple?"

The pirates were laughing so hard, they were doubling over. "Serves you right," the chief declared. "Now – we're gonna win!"

But Katara, Toph, and Zuko weren't backing down, either. They faced the upcoming team, their expressions determined. "Team Avatar!" they yelled. The other side grinned.

"Team Sparky Sparky Boom Man!" they shouted. The referee blew his whistle, and they were off.

Immediately, Katara drew water from the pool below, Toph drew earth from the discs, and Zuko generated fire. They ran towards the second team, pushing them into zone two. The green light was given, and they ran into the next zone.

"Yes!" Appa cheered. The pirates were growling in frustration.

"Team Avatar is advancing!" the announcer called. "Sparky Sparky Boom Man fires!" The combustion-bender shot fire out from his third-eye, which Katara encased in water.

"Foul!" the announcer yelled. "You are not allowed to shoot flames from your third eye!" Sparky Sparky Boom Man growled in frustration.

Appa and Momo leapt up in joy. "Yes!"

"And the round is over," the announcer yelled. "Team Avatar wins the first round!" The crowd cheered.

Momo grinned. We're winning! If they kept it up, they would win the bet and get their three yuans! "Keep it up, Team Avatar!" he yelled. The pirates glared.

"Go, Sparky!" they yelled. "Don't lose to the Avatar's girlfriend!"

"And now round two," the announcer called out. "And Team Avatar is off again! It looks like the opposing team is targeting Toph! They think they can target her, just because she's blind! Will they be able to pull it off?"

"I think not!" Toph launched into action, knocking the other team's earthbender hard with a disc. The earthbender fell over, thrown over the edge.

"It looks like Sparky's team is down to two players!" The announcer gasped. "Oh, and they're advancing onto Team Avatar – they've got the green light! They're advancing forward – and the round is over! Well done, Sparky Sparky Boom Man!"

Momo tensed. Now the third and final round would be their biggest challenge. He turned towards Appa and saw that he was tensing up as well. The pirates crossed their fingers, looking nervous.

The final round commenced well enough. Katara and Zuko pushed Sparky's team back a ring, helping them advance to the front. However, Sparky shot back, shooting Katara in the foot. She stumbled back. "Katara!" Toph and Zuko shouted, running towards her.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Sparky shot a fire-blast towards Katara, Toph, and Zuko, blasting them. To Momo's horror, the three of them shot over the edge of the platform, straight into the water below!

"IT'S A KNOCKOUT!" the announcer roared. "My goodness, what a match! That was intense, to the last second! Sparky Sparky Boom Man and his team are now our champions!"

"NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Momo and Appa cried at the same time. The pirates smirked.

"We'll be taking what's ours," the chief pirate declared, grabbing Momo.

"No!" Appa grabbed Momo by his tail; Momo cried out in pain as he was pulled in two directions. "Let me go!" he cried helplessly. Appa pulled him back with his mouth. He glared at the pirates, saying, "You're not getting Momo!"

"You're the one who went along with this!" For the second time, Momo cowered behind Appa.

"I didn't think they'd actually lose!" Appa pointed to the arena. "Look at them now!"

Katara, Toph, and Zuko had climbed up on the platform, panting heavily. They were soaked to the bone, and they had shocked expressions on their faces. Momo had never seen a more pathetic bunch. Sparky Sparky Boom Man walked up to them, gloating.

"How'd you like that?" he asked. "I totally kicked you guys down! I WIN!" He pranced around the platform.

"How dare you," Toph snarled, creating an earth fist from the discs. Katara glared at him, lifting water from the pool.

"I don't like gloating winners," she declared. "Especially ones who try to kill my friends! You're lucky I didn't bloodbend you!"

"Guys!" the referee shouted. "Match's over!"

"Too bad, Zuko," Sparky laughed. "I guess you lost." He smirked. "By the way, your scar's on the wrong side, Fire Prince loser."

That was it. Zuko glared at Sparky, his hands flaming. "You know, I don't like it when people say that," he snarled. "And I don't like to lose."

"Neither do I," the pirate suddenly announced, looming over Momo. Momo walked back in fright as the pirate launched over him, grabbing him off the ground. "Appa!" he cried. "Help me!"

Katara, Toph, and Zuko turned around. "Pirates!" they shouted. Katara immediately drew water from the pro-bending arena; Toph shot metal discs at the pirates. The pirates yelled, dropping Momo. They ran towards the exit in fright.

Suddenly, a volley of flames enveloped the exit. They turned around, staring as Zuko walked towards them, daggers of flames in his hands. He glared at the pirates.

"You know, I don't like people who try to hurt my friends," he said. "And I don't like you. I've still got a score to settle with you!" He shot a fireball at the pirate, who dodged.

The fireball hit the casino, evaporating all of the water in the pro-bending arena. Everyone screamed as the fire spread, and Katara, Toph, and Zuko gasped in horror. "Appa!" they shouted frantically. "Save us!"

And exactly like in just about every previous episode, Appa flew towards them, grabbing Momo on his back and collecting Katara, Toph, Zuko, and Sokka. Momo blew Aang's bison-whistle, and they were off.

And that, my friends, is why you should never gamble.

Hope you enjoyed it! Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Published November 25, 2022.