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"The Earth Kingdom city of Omashu!" The entire pyramid structured city of Omashu was visible to the group. Aang's excitement is clear on his face. "I used to always come here to visit my friend Bumi."
"Wow. We don't have buildings like this in the South Pole!" Katara said, impressed.
"They have buildings here that don't melt!" Sokka said, overwhelmed.
"Man, it's been a long time since I've been to Omashu. Glad to see that it is the same as ever," Lance said.
"Well let's go, slow pokes. The real fun's inside the city!"Aang said excitedly.
Aang leaps off the top of the hill with his airbending. He had landed a few meters below and in the snow and was starting to slide down.
Katara Stretched her arm out to him, halting Aang with her cry. "Wait, Aang! It could be dangerous if people find out you're the Avatar."
"You need a disguise." Sokka said somewhat seriously.
Aang looks up. "So what am I supposed to do?" "Grow a mustache?" Aang asked In a slightly sarcastic tone.
Aang was wiggling his nose under which is now a patch of Appa's fur, serving as a mustache. Aang is also wearing a tall wig made of the same material.
Aang Scratches underneath the wig. "Ugh. This is so itchy." Aang is standing beside Appa, "How do you live in this stuff?" Aang asked Appa.
Appa slowly turns his head toward Aang and snorts at him as if he was scoffing.
"I guess I'm glad that most people don't recognize the lions in their human form, otherwise I'd probably need a wig as well," Lance noted.
"Trust me, I'd like to be in your shoes right now," Aang responded.
Sokka is sitting on a rock with Katara standing beside him, arms crossed.
"Great! Now you look just like my grandfather."
"Technically, Aang is 112 years old." Katara said, glancing at Sokka.
Aang nimbly kicks up his staff and spins it rapidly around before placing it upright on the ground to be used as a walking stick. He hunches his back and leans heavily on his staff like an old person.
"Now let's get to skippin', young whipper-snappers. The big city awaits!" Aang said In an old man's voice.
Aang shuffles towards Omashu, while Sokka and Katara questioningly look at each other. Aang, Katara, and Sokka are walking down the long path to Omashu.
"You guys are going to love Omashu." The three friends walk toward the gate. Aang looks over his shoulder at Sokka. "The people here are the friendliest in the world."
Aang's eyes widen in surprise as he hears the harsh voice of the sentry. The trio stops walking.
"Rotten cabbages?!" One of the gate guards asked/yelled angrily. They could see three guards and a cabbage merchant with his cart in front of the closed gate of Omashu. "What kind of slum do you think this is?!" The guard said harshly.
The talking guard squishes the cabbage he is holding and knocks another two cabbages out of the hands of the merchant. He proceeds by earthbending a rock under the cart, catapulting it high in the air, making it tumble down the chasm with all the cabbages.
The cabbage merchant Leans over the rim of the path. Dramatically waving his arms in despair. "No! My cabbages!"
Katara, Sokka, and Aang appear and look over the rim, their mouths open in shock, as a loud crash is heard.
"Man, the people here are a lot more strict than I remember," Lance commented. "Maybe it has to do with the war?"
"I don't know, Lance. But, let's just keep smiling!" Aang said broadly smiling; somewhat nervously.
While Aang walks over to the guards, Katara, Lance, and Sokka give each other an uneasy look. Katara flashes her teeth in an awkward way and chuckles uncomfortably, while Sokka merely raises a doubtful eyebrow. Aang approaches the sentries at the gate. The earthbender steps to the front and raises a boulder out of the ground before Aang and levitates it above his head.
"State your business!" one of the gate guards said aggressively with a glare.
Aang quickly runs from underneath the boulder and toward the guard; he halts right in front of the surprised man.
In an old man voice, poking the chest of the sentry. "My business is my business, young man." The boulder crashes down due to the guards lack of concentration beside Katara, Lance, and Sokka as they jump up slightly from the impact; Aang pointes a finger at them. "And none of yours!" The guard, taken aback by the threateningly pointing finger just centimeters from his face. "I've got half a mind to." Sokka's eyes and mouth are wide open in shock at Aang's audacity to talk to the sentry like that, and Katara, shaking her head with eyes wide open in shock. "Bend you over my knee and paddle your backside!"
"Settle down, old timer! Just tell me who you are." the gate guard said In a calmer voice.
Sokka and Katara are still in shock in the background. "Name's Bonzu Pippinpaddleopsicopolis, the Third". Sokka raises a questioningly eyebrow while Katara walks up, smiling friendly. "And these are my grandkids." Aang said in an old man voice.
"Hi. June Pippinpaddleopsicopolis. Nice to meet you." Katara said, waving.
The gate guard Pensively rubs his beard, while eying the two children before him. Pointing at Katara. "You seem like a responsible young lady. See that your grandfather stays out of trouble. Enjoy Omashu!"
The guard steps aside and motions at the city's entrance.
"We will!" Katara said lightheartedly.
Katara, Aang, Lance, and Sokka start walking toward the gate. Sokka passes the guard with an uneasy look on his face, never letting the guard out of sight.
The gate guard Eyes Sokka as he passes. "Wait a minute!" Sokka halts, eyes widening in fear as the guard grasps his shoulder. Aang and Katara turn around to see what the holdup is. The guard turns Sokka around. "You're a strong young boy! Show some respect for the elderly and carry your grandfather's bag!" the guard said sternly.
Sokka's eyes change from fright to disbelief and annoyance while Aang removes his shoulder bag.
"Good idea!" Aang said In an old man voice.
Aang throws the bag at Sokka; the bag bounces off his head to drop into his arms. Sokka shoots Aang with an annoyed glare over his shoulder. The trio resumes walking to the gate once more. The trio stands before a big Earth Kingdom emblem on the wall before them. The giant earthen wall splits open in the middle of the emblem, opening up to let any passengers through. The guard opens up the gate walls. As the first wall slides open, a second and third are bent aside as well. Katara and Sokka watch in awe at the spectacle while Aang and Lance are smiling behind them. They walk through as the walls already start to move again to close right after them. Aang walks through the opened gates, when suddenly Momo's ears pop out of his wig. The guard granted them entrance eyes widened in surprise. He tries to keep an eye on Aang as long as he can, but the airbender is obscured from his view by the closing gates.
The group pulls up at the parapet at the rim of a nearby chasm. Sokka and Katara, excitedly taking in the city spread out before them as Aang and Lance pulled up next to them, Momo's head now entirely popped out of his wig. He leans on the rim as well and joins the siblings in mouth open gazing at Omashu's scenery. The streets are filled with people. There is an intricate system of chutes. The aqueduct like structures are built over and beside the houses with typical green roofs.
"This is the Omashu delivery system." Aang said Back to his regular voice. "Miles and miles of tubes and chutes."
Four earthbenders are standing beside a platform where one earthen cart slides out of the picture and another one filled with vegetables comes into view. As the cart passed one earthbender, he uses his bending to change the cart's directing and pushes it to the front, where another earthbender bends it up a tube to two other earthbenders standing at the ready to receive it. One earthbender quickly bends stone lintels underneath the cart so it would not fall down again, while the other one thrusts it off the platform, where it slides down a chute at high speed.
"Earthbending brings the packages up, and gravity brings them down."
"Great, so they get their mail on time." Sooka said unimpressed.
"They do get their mail on time, but my friend Bumi found a better use for these chutes." Aang said excitedly while he squints eyes mischievously.
Flashback to a hundred years ago, when Aang visited the city before. A young Bumi is watching over the city. When Aang walks up, he excitedly jumps around.
"Look around you! What do you see?" Bumi asked excitedly.
"Um ... The mail system?" Aang asked unsurely.
Bumi Points his finger in the air and waves it around while Aang walks up to him. "Instead of seeing what they want you to see, you got to open your brain to the possibilities." Bumi said while Leaning toward Aang.
"A package-sending system?" Aang said Uncomprehending.
One of the chutes starts up. "The world's greatest superslide!" Bumi said excitedly.
Bumi is giving a crazed smile with a broadly smiling Aang. "Bumi, you're a mad genius!"
Bumi chuckles with an odd snort. Aang and Bumi proceed to ride down the "superslide", happily laughing. Bumi throws his hands in the air.
Back to present day; the lush, green tree the duo passed, now old, snow-covered and without leaves. The heads of Aang, with Momo in his wig, Katara, Sokka, and Lance can be seen above the rim. They are sitting in a mail cart. Aang looks excited, while the siblings look around them, unsure and slightly frightened.
Aang Raised one finger to emphasize his words; the cart rocking back and forth, creaking. "One ride. Then we're off to the North Pole. Airbender's honor."
Uneasy Katara says. "It sounded like fun at first," Katara, Lance, and Sokka finally see just how steep the chite is. "But now that I'm here, I'm starting to have second," Aang leans forward, tipping the balance of the box, sending it down the slope at a tremendous speed, making Katara scream out her last word. "Th-o-o-oughts!"
A happily laughing Aang. Momo in Aang's wig, holding on to the hair, squinting his eyes due to the wind. Katara screams in fear, while Sokka grits his teeth in terror. Lance is also scared, but not as much as the two siblings. The cart makes a turn, and follows it down the slope. The chute they are riding pulls up next to a parallel one, where a cart with a rack of six spears is racing down. The cart of the trio pulls up next to the cart with the spears and they all stare at it, no one making a sound. They race past it and both tracks join together. Sokka and Katara scream as the two chutes merge into one chute with the spear-cart behind them, but quickly gaining. Sokka hears it coming and turns around. He gasps and ducks just in time to avoid being skewered by the spears. Katara turns around, and screams in fear as she sees the weapons so close. Aang, smiling excitedly, turns as well to see what the commotion is all about.
"I'm on it!" Aang said excitedly.
Aang begins to rock the cart. Hitting each side once, the cart flies out of the chute and onto a roof, where it continues its descent.
Meanwhile, a soldier is talking to his men.
"Men, you'll be going off to combat soon. It's important that you be prepared for anything."
Aang, Katara, and Sokka come in riding the cart between the soldier and the warriors. Things freeze for a second as the sound of a little bell can be heard, before continuing. The warriors gasp in surprise as the cart ricochets and continues moving. Other carts are moving over a chute. The cart with the group breaks through the railing closing off the other chute and crosses the track, knocking over one of the supply carts, spilling a load of pumpkins all over the ground. The knocked over cart lies on the track, where another incoming cart crashes into it.
The group enters the cart.
"Aang, do something! Use your airbending!" Katara yelled scared.
"Yeah! Good idea! That'll make us go even faster!" Aang yelled excitedly.
"Not sure that is what they meant!" Lance yelled.
Aang airbends behind him. They pass by a restaurant, where a couple is eating together. They look up in surprise at the kids and lion flashing by while the waiter dashes over to see what is going on.
An earthbender soldier is waiting for the arrival of the next cart. As a cart of scrolls stops in front of him, the cart with the group is flying down an incredibly steep slope. As the slope flattens out, the kids cry out in alarm as they are moments from colliding with the motionless cart in front of the bender. The earthbender on duty at that station sends it on its way, briefly relieving the trio in the speeding cart. Much to the riders' horror, another cart instantly pops up from the tube below the bender. Before it can be moved, the kids' cart crashes into it, catapulting them and their cart into the air, high above a lower level of the city. Aang airbends the cart in front of them as they fall, making them drop back into the cart. The kids ride down several roofs, leaving damaged tiles in their wake. Inside a craftsman's home, he whistles serenely as he puts the final touches on a vase. The cart flies through one window, ricochets off of the floor where the vase is, smashing it and making the riders grunt, and flying out the window opposite. The craftsman peers out the ruined window as a dust cloud emerges, revealing that the cart has crashed against something else.
"Sorry!"
They land on a balcony and slide through another house. Emerging on the other side, a bearded cat chases Momo around Aang's wig until the lemur pushes it off. The cart smashes through a parapet and drops vertically out of sight. The same cabbage merchant that had his cabbage cart thrown into the abyss earlier, is now cuddling a cabbage at a replacement cart. Alerted by something coming from up above, he walks from underneath the cart's roof to check it out, and gasps in horror as the kids' cart drops on it, smashing the replacement cart to pieces and scattering what intact cabbages are left all over. Aang, Katara, and Sokka are in a tangled heap by the remains, while Momo elegantly floats down.
The merchant Grasped his head in despair. "My cabbages! You're gonna pay for this!" the cabbages merchant yelled angrily.
Guards walk up, surrounding the still dazed trio. Aang sits up, his disguise pretty much gone, revealing his youthful face and airbending arrow.
"Two cabbages please." Aang said sheepishly.
The palace of Omashu.
There is a watch guard in the front, and the King of Omashu sitting on his throne, flanked by two guards, in the back of an enormous room. The first watch guard slightly moves aside to let the three children and lion pass. Sokka looks very uneasy, Katara slants her eyes up in an attempt to look sympathetic, and glances to the side. Lance tries to look serious as they approach the king. As Katara gazes at the king, the elderly king looks at them questioningly, arching an eyebrow and grunting in wonder. The "visitors" are being pushed into a kneeling position by two guards.
"Your majesty, these juveniles were arrested for vandalism, traveling under false pretenses, and malicious destruction of cabbages."
The cabbage merchant Jumped agitatedly up and down, waving his left fist in the air. "Off with their heads! One for each head of cabbage!"
The guard gestured at the merchant. "Silence! Only the king can pass down judgment. What is your judgment, sire?"
The king squints his eyes and grunts pensively. The trio uneasily eye each other. Sokka is whimpering and Katara is smiling, her hands folded in front of her and her eyes twinkling hopefully. Aang is the only one who keeps staring at the side, one eyebrow arched and pouting. Aang now whistles nonchalantly.
Raising his hand. "Throw them …"Sokka, Lance, Katara, and Aang gasp. "a feast!"
The guard gasps and the merchant grasps his head with both hands in dismay upon hearing the king's verdict. Sokka is smiling, while Katara darts a questioningly look toward Aang, who arches his eyebrows in wonder.
At a richly-filled dining table. There are all sorts of different dishes and teapots. Momo eats a lot of the food, chittering contently. The children are sitting at the table, the king standing behind their chairs. Lance proceeded to grab some food and slowly start eating.
"The people in my city have gotten fat from too many feasts" Leaning in over Aang, grabbing the chicken leg that is on his plate, holding it in front of him. "so I hope you like your chicken with no skin." The king said to Aang.
"Thanks, but I don't eat meat."
"How about you? I bet you like meat." The king said to Sokka.
The king stuffs the chicken into Sokka's mouth, who eats it appreciatively, and walks over to his own seat.
Quietly to Aang, Katara whispers. "Is it just me, or" Turns circles with her index finger beside her temple, implying the king is crazy. "is this guy's crown a little crooked?"
"I don't know, but at least his food tastes good," Lance complimented.
"So tell me, young bald one, where are you from?" The king asked sitting down.
"I'm from ... Kangaroo Island!"
Two guards are standing watch behind the king. "Oh, Kangaroo Island, eh? I hear that place is really hopping!"
A moment of silence occurs, someone coughs off camera. The three children and lion are looking straight at the king with blank faces. Sokka and Lance burst out laughing. Katara and Aang look at him, still with a blank expression.
"What? It was pretty funny." Sokka stops laughing; unsure.
Back to the king, who lazily stretches his arms, and yawns. "Well, all these good jokes are making me tired. Guess it's time to hit the hay."
The king eyes the children with a weird expression as he leans to the left on his chair. Suddenly, he hurls a chicken leg at them. Aang nearly tumbles off his chair in reflex of catching the chicken leg in a small airball. The guards gasped in surprise. Aang is still suspending the chicken leg in the airball.
The king Gestures at Aang. "There's an airbender in our presence, and not just any airbender". He decisively stands up. "The Avatar!"
Cut to a shocked Aang, who quickly stops bending and puts his hands behind his back. The chicken leg falls on his plate. Walking up to the three children, as The King continues.
The king Sits down again. "Now, what do you have to say for yourself? The king smilies satisfied. "Mr. Pippinpaddleopsicopolis?"
Momo is still sitting in the middle of the table, eating.
Aang Stands up, throwing his hands in the air. "Okay, you caught me. I'm the Avatar. Doing my Avatar thing, keeping the world safe. Everything checks out." Aang looks underneath the table. "No firebenders here. So, good work, everybody!" Pulling Katara and Sokka into a hug. "Love each other." The king looks dismayed. "respect all life," The foursome walked backward toward the exit. "and don't run with your spears. We'll see you next time!"
"Yep, thanks again for the food. See you later!" Lance said.
As they near the guard at the exit door, the two men cross their spears, effectively blocking their paths. Back to the king.
"You can't keep us here! Let us leave!" Katara yells accusingly.
"Yeah! We need to save the world from the Fire Nation!" Lance protested.
The king questioningly picks up a lettuce leaf from his plate and waves it in the air.
"Lettuce leaf?"
The king takes a bite out of a lettuce leaf and chews it slowly.
Sokka holds his hand for his mouth. "We're in serious trouble. This guy is nuts." Sokka whispers.
"Tomorrow, the Avatar will face three deadly challenges. But for now, the guards will show you to your chamber."
"My liege, do you mean the good chamber or the bad chamber?" the chamberlain said while leaning in towards the king.
"The newly refurbished chamber." the king said while turning to the guard.
"Wait, which one are we talking about?" The chamberlain said while putting a finger in the air.
"The one that used to be the bad chamber, until the recent refurbishing, that is. Of course, we've been calling it the new chamber, but we really should number them. Uh, take them to the refurbished chamber that was once bad!"
As the children and their guards walk out of the room, the king stares at them before chewing on a new lettuce leaf.
Inside the room where Aang and his friends are staying. A wall cracks and moves down, revealing Aang with Momo perched on his shoulders, Katara, Lance, and Sokka. They are roughly pushed inside, and the wall is immediately bent up again after them. Upon looking around, there is no door in the room at all. The room has three green beds in the center with three green drapes hanging from the ceiling above them.
"This is a prison cell? But it's so nice."
Momo jumps off Aang's shoulders and onto a bed. "He did say it was newly refurbished."
"Nice or not, we're prisoners!"
"I wonder what these challenges are gonna to be." Aang said worriedly.
"We're not sticking around to find out. There's got to be some way out of here." Katara said determinedly.
Aang excitedly pointing at something at the other side of the room. "The air vents!"
The group notices a hole in the wall. Aang smiles happily, staring at the hole, while Katara, Lance, and Sokka eye each other in wonder.
"If you think we're going to fit through there, you're crazier than that king." Sokka said harshly.
Aang Turned to Sokka. "We can't, but Momo can!"
Happily points in front of him. Momo is lazily lying on the bed, licking a half-eaten apple. His belly protrudes from eating so much. Aang appears at the side of the bed.
"Momo, I need you to find Appa and bust us outta here!" Aang said hopefully.
Momo looks up surprised at his friend, blinking and chittering softly.
Momo is being pushed inside the tube. The animal is shoved back and forth a few times, much to its displeasure. Aang is standing on a chair, trying to push Momo into the air vent without success.
"Go on, boy, get Appa!"
Aang quits trying, looking down discouraged, leaving Momo stuck in the vent. Sokka is relaxing on a bed.
"Eh, how was Appa supposed to save us anyway?"
Momo is trying to free himself by pushing against the wall with his hind legs.
"Appa's a ten-ton flying bison; I think he could figure something out."
Momo was unsuccessful and gave up, his hind legs hanging down in defeat.
"Hey, Momo may not be able to escape, but I can," Lance offered.
"Um, excuse me, but how can you make it into one of those vents?" Sokka asked. Suddenly, Lance changed form into a light blue cat. "Oh, that's how."
Aang put Lance into the vent and he proceeded to walk on through the vent. "Hopefully, Lance can go get Appa and they can get us out of here."
Katara climbed into her bed. "Well, no point arguing about it now. Get some rest, Aang." Aang walks toward his bed. "Looks like you'll need it for tomorrow."
Aang sadly sits on the side of his bed, looking down. Some time later, Aang is lying on his bed, snoring loudly and drooling on his pillow. The room is only dimly lit, casting a somewhat green glow. The wall behind Aang opens, revealing a guard. The crunching sound of the earth being moved wakes Aang, who quickly raises his head and glances around.
"Sokka? Katara? Where are my friends?" Aang said, alarmed looking at the other empty beds.
"The king will free them if you complete your challenges."
"And if I fail?" Aang asked unsure.
"He didn't say." Extending his arm. "Your staff, please?"
Aang lifts his staff with his foot, grabs it, and spins it around, places it upright next to him, before tossing it to the guard. Aang is flanked by two guards, entering the large throne room.
Serious. "First, Avatar, what do you think of my new outfit? I want your honest opinion. I'm waiting." The king said seriously.
"I ... guess it's fine." Aang said while scratching his head.
"Excellent! You passed the first test."
"Really?"
"Well, not one of the deadly tests." The king said upbeat. Waving his finger from side to side, emphasizing his words. "The real challenges are much more, uh, challenging."
Aang suddenly dashes forward to the surprise of his two guards. Using his airbending, his speed is enhanced. He quickly crosses the distance between him and The King. Aang halts in front of him, the wind passing over them.
"I don't have time for your crazy games! Give me my friends back! We're leaving!" Aang said aggressively.
"Oh, I thought you might refuse." A wall opens, revealing Katara, a blue cat in a cage that Aang rightly assumed was Lance, and Sokka struggling in the grasp of a guard. Aang turns to them. "so I will give your friends some special souvenirs."
Aang looks back at the king. Katara is frightened as her guard slides a green ring over her finger. The moment the guard retracts his hand, the ring glows and tightens around her finger. Sokka has gotten a ring as well, his being blue, and is now frantically trying to remove it from his finger. Katara tries to pull it off as well, both are unsuccessful.
"Those delightful rings are made of pure jennamite, also known as creeping crystal. It's a crystal that grows remarkably fast." "By nightfall your friends will be completely covered in it." the said in a sinister tone. "Terrible thing, really." the king said Slightly sympathetic. "I can stop it, but only if you cooperate." The king said in a serious tone.
The king glances toward the siblings. Sokka's finger is now donning a blue jennamite ring. The ring glows and expands toward his hand.
"Ah! It's already creeping!" Sokka said, panicking.
For some strange reason, Lance refused to try and break the crystal by transforming into his human form or lion form.
"I'll do what you want." Aang said seriously.
The king gives an evil grin.
In a cave filled with stalagmites and stalactites. Aang stands on a flat rock with a waterfall in front of him. In the waterfall, there is a ladder, and above the ladder hangs a rope. Sokka, Katara, and the king are on a balcony cut into the wall to the left of the waterfall. Katara and Sokka are guarded behind him. The jennamite ring has already expanded to engulf part of their right forearm.
The king glances back at the siblings with a grin on his face. The jennamite as it glows and creeps a bit further on the arms of Sokka and Katara. Lance's cage, meanwhile, started to grow more bars.
"It seems I've lost my lunch box key and I'm hungry. Ooh, there it is!" The king points to the inside of the waterfall. "Would you mind fetching it for me?"
The key hanging from a chain and a vertical iron ladder are dimly visible behind the waterfall. Aang airbends to the base of the fall and plunges into the waterfall. He manages to climb up the rock face to the base of the ladder and grasp it with one hand. Before he can get any further, the torrent of water pushes him away and out.
"Ooh, climbing the ladder. No one's ever done that before." The king said sarcastically.
Panting, Aang rests a moment between two stalagmites, leaps from them to the stalactites above, and closer to the waterfall still high by the roof of the cavern. He dives into the fall above the key and tries to grab the key as he falls with the water; the rush of the water carries him past and in a moment he shoots out again, keyless.
"That's right. Keep diving head in. I'm sure it'll work eventually."
Aang cuts a stalagmite with airbending and throws it like a spear at the key, accelerating it with another air blast. The stone spear snags the chain suspending the key, and carries it out of the waterfall. The spear pierces the stone wall above the King's balcony, the key now dangling right in front of the king.
"There! Enjoy your lunch! I want my friends back now!"
"Ah, not yet. I need help with another matter. It seems I've lost my pet, Flopsie."
Aang is in a large sunken enclosure in a new room, with the king, Katara, and Sokka up above. Aang finds a lop-eared bunny.
"Okay! Found him!"
"Bring him to me. Daddy wants a kiss from Flopsie!"
"Come here, Flopsie." The goat gorilla jumps down behind Aang, startling both him and the bunny. "Huh?"
Squealing with terror, the bunny bolts across the arena with Aang in pursuit.
"Flopsie, wait! Flopsie!" The king is laughing. Aang is chasing the bunny. "Flopsie!"
The bunny eventually enters a hole. Aang puts his arm in the hole up to the shoulder trying to grab hold of the frightened rabbit. The light dawns on his face. "Wait a minute. Flopsie?"
The snarling goat gorilla bounds toward Aang but instead of attacking, picks him up and licks him.
"Flopsie!"
Flopsie puts Aang down and, obeying a whistle from the king, climbs up from the arena to him and rolls onto his back, offering his belly.
The king Rubbs Flopsie's belly. "Oh, that's a good boy. Yes, who has a soft belly?"
Aang jumps up to where Katara and Sokka. Both are encased in crystal to their shoulders. "Guys, are you okay?"
"Other than the crystals encasing my entire body, doing great!"
Lance's cage was almost completely covered in bars at this point.
At that moment, a crystal grows on one side of Sokka's body, making him become unbalanced and fall. Aang walks over to Bumi.
The king Rubbs Flopsie's belly. "Oh, yes."
"Come on! I'm ready for the next challenge."
The king gives an evil laugh and they all go to an earthbending arena. Aang and the king are on a balcony overlooking the arena, Sokka and Katara along with a guard are on an adjacent balcony. The crystals are past their heads, leaving their faces exposed.
"Your final test is a duel. And as a special treat, you may choose your opponent."
Two tough-looking men come out, standing next to the king. Aang looks at them uncertainly.
"Point and choose."
"So ... you're saying whoever I point to, that's the person I get to fight?"
"Choose wisely!"
"I choose ... you." Aang points to the king.
"Wrong choice!"
The king straightens up and removes his outer robe, proving himself to be a powerfully built old man. He earthbenders Aang off of the balcony, making him fly into the arena. The king jumps down right in front of Aang, and laughs.
"You thought I was a frail old man, but I'm the most powerful earthbender you'll ever see."
"Can I fight the guy with the axe instead?"
"There are no take-backsies in my kingdom. You might need this." The king points to the guard standing near Katara and Sokka.
The guard tosses Aang his staff. The king bends several rocks at Aang who just avoids and evades the attacks.
"Typical airbender tactic: avoid and evade. I hoped the Avatar would be less predictable."
The king attacks Aang some more. Aang just keeps avoiding and evading.
"Don't you have any surprises for me? Sooner or later you'll have to strike back!"
Aang uses his staff to helicopter into the air. The king bends a large boulder into the ceiling, raining rocks onto Aang, knocking him from the air. He charges at the king on foot, but a series of bending attacks leaves him flat atop a large rock pile.
"You'll have to be a little more creative than that!"
Aang bends an air scooter and charges forward on it, throwing a huge air blast at the king as he comes. The king throws up a stone barrier and the blast deflects to both sides of it.
"Did someone leave the windows open? It feels a little drafty in here. Are you hoping I'll catch a cold?"
The king bends more attacks at Aang, leading him across half of the arena.
"How are you going to get me from way over there?"
Aang charges forward on foot again, using airbending to accelerate but the king softens the arena floor, leaving him sunk to the waist. The king bends two stones to collide on the spot but Aang pops out at the top of them when they meet. Visibly angry now, he bends the slab the king is standing on all the way to the back of the arena. The king bends the largest boulder yet to come at Aang from behind but he does an air-assisted back flip over it. The king makes more bending moves, cracking the floors and walls of the arena, tearing out a huge chunk of the wall and balcony they had been standing on. Seeing what is coming, Aang gasps and runs in tight circles, conjuring a tornado. When the king flings the huge piece at Aang, it is caught in the tornado and instantly whips around right back at the king. The king bends it to sand before it can smash him, but before he can recover, Aang attacks from the top of the tornado, landing at the king's feet with his staff poised to strike. The king's arms are raised as if surrendering but a small pebble strikes Aang's head, drawing his attention to the large boulder suspended over the both of them.
"Well done, Avatar. You fight with much fire in your heart." He tosses the boulder aside and bends up to the balcony where the two siblings are almost completely encased. Aang joins him. "You've passed all my tests. Now, you must answer one question."
"That's not fair! You said you would release my friends if I finished your tests."
"Oh, but what's the point of tests if you don't learn anything?"
"Oh, come on!"
"Answer this one question and I will set your friends free. What ... is my name? From the looks of your friends I'd say you only have a few minutes."
The King walks out of the room. Aang confers with Katara and Sokka.
"How am I supposed to know his name?"
"Think about the challenges. Maybe it's some kind of riddle." Katara suggests.
"I got it!" Sokka cries out.
"Yeah?" Aang started to get his hopes up.
"He's an earthbender, right? Rocky. You know, because of all the rocks."
"We're going to keep trying, but that is a good back-up." Katara said.
"Okay. So back to the challenges. I got a key from the waterfall, I saved his pet, and I had a duel." Aang thinks.
"And what did you learn?"
"Well, everything was different than I expected."
The jennamite grows as she talks with anxiety. "And?"
"Well, they weren't straight forward. To solve each test, I had to think differently than I usually would. I know his name."
Aang confronts The King.
"I solved the question the same way I solved the challenges. As you said a long time ago, I had to open my brain to the possibilities." The king laughs with the same odd snort Bumi did a hundred years ago. "Bumi, you're a mad genius."
Aang and Bumi hug like old friends.
"Oh Aang, it's good to see you. You haven't changed a bit. Literally."
"Uh, over here!" Katara reminds the duo.
"Little help?" Sokka asks for them to be helped.
Bumi breaks the crystals using earthbending, making pieces fly everywhere. He catches one of them.
"Jennamite is made of rock candy." He takes a bite into the crystal. "Delicious!"
Meanwhile, the cage that held Lance also broke, and he finally returned to his human form. "Sorry I couldn't be of help. When I escaped they found me and told me what was really going on. It may not have been the best thing to do, but in the end you guys and I were never in any danger," Lance explained as he ate some of the jennamite. The three kids gave a glare at Lance, but were quick to forgive him due to the circumstances.
"So this crazy king is your old friend Bumi?" Katara asks.
"Who are you calling old? Okay, I'm old." Bumi admits.
"Why did you do all of this instead of just telling Aang who you were?" Sokka asks the question on everyone's mind.
"First of all, it's pretty fun messing with people." Snorts. But I do have a reason. Aang, you have a difficult task ahead. The world has changed in the hundred years that you've been gone. It's the duty of the Avatar to restore balance to the world by defeating Fire Lord Ozai. You have much to learn. You must master the four elements and confront the Fire Lord. And when you do, I hope you will think like a mad genius. And it looks like you're in good hands. You'll need your friends to help defeat the Fire Nation." Momo climbs up on Aang. "And you'll need Momo, too."
"Thank you for your wisdom, but before we leave, I have a challenge for you."
Bumi and Aang are now riding down the mail system. A cloud of dust is raised as a crash is heard.
"My cabbages!"
Thank you, Moonview, for your constructive criticism. I have already begun to remove the camera actions from the story. Second, the lions have been instructed to avoid teaching the Avatar unless there is no other option. After all, Aang needs to build a connection to the human world in order to help motivate him to save it. He may try to teach them some basics, however. The past paladins are spirits of nature. They protect the spirit realm and their respective element while the modern lions are to protect the Avatar. Lastly, Keith's chains are ones that can trap spirits, regardless of their power. The most recent chains are from Wan Shi Tong's library. Also, Iroh has been keeping everyone calm and at this point everyone believes that Keith is of no threat due to the chains, even if that isn't entirely the case.