A year after Chai joined Prince Zuko's quest to restore his honor, the ship's crew found themselves around the south pole freezing and without any leads. Once again, Chai had successfully disabled the prince. "That's one-hundred me, zero you. It's like you want me to call you 'Prince Zero,'" said Chai.

"Just you wait! I'll defeat you soon!"

"And how long have you been saying that Prince Zero?" asked Chai. She sighed as he struggled to even sit up. "You know, if you let me, I could unblock you with a single jab to the right nerve."

"What do you take me for? I don't need your help," said the prince, "I don't need your pity. It wasn't my idea to bring you along or train with you! Why don't you just get lost!"

"Eh? You're telling me this now. If I knew you didn't want me here. I would have stayed home," said Chai as she crouched beside him, "If you said something sooner, you could have at least dropped me off at a port. At least then I could have caught a boat in the direction of home. But now we're here. In the South Pole, in the middle of nowhere. I guess you're stuck with me until we turn around and head for a port, eh, Prince Zero?"

"Fine! Until then, stay out of my sight. Maybe I'll throw you a farewell banquet before we dump you off somewhere!"

"How generous of you, Prince Zuko," said Uncle Iroh as he approached the two, "However, I believe it would be unwise to let Chai go. At least continue to practice with her until you can win a single match against her. I wonder if she would be able to match your sister…"

"Princess Azula, you mean? I heard she's a prodigy fire-bender," said Chai, "No offense, but It would be nice to have another girl around...Hey, how about trying to recruit her? As a prodigy, she would be a great sparring partner for both of us and I could finally have a girl-friend on this sausage-fest of a ship! Again, no offense. I just want someone to have girl-talk with...I wonder if she's kind, though…"

"That is a terrible idea," said the prince, "And I would never ask my sister for help! We don't even like each other!"

"Well, can you blame a girl for not wanting to be around you! You're hot-tempered and ill-mannered. I'd be ashamed to have a brother like you. It's really no wonder you don't have a girlfriend. If you don't like each other, that must mean you're opposites. She must be kind and polite."

There was a pause. Then Uncle Iroh said, "You poor, naive soul. I hope you never have to meet my niece…"

It was then a light shot into the sky. "What the hell was that?" asked Chai, "That is not normal."

"It's him," said Zuko, "It has to be…".

"What?! I'm sure that light came from here!" said Prince Zuko. They had come to a place with a broken iceberg.

"You expect the Avatar to stay in the same place?" asked Chai, "Now that would be an invitation to get captured...He, or she, probably moved on after a while."

"There's a possibility the Avatar is heading towards the local water tribe," said Uncle Iroh.

"And where is this water tribe?" asked the prince.

"I'll go consult the captain, but they may have moved since the Southern Raiders took their last waterbender," said Uncle Iroh, "If we must approach them, Prince Zuko, be sure to be gentle with them. They do not have much left." He then went in to check with the captain.

Then a loud boom sounded. Prince Zuko took a telescope from a crew member and looked in the direction the sound came from, "That must be him," said Zuko, "Impressively agile for an old man...That must be-Uncle! I found it and he's heading that way!" The prince dashed after Iroh as he thrust the telescope into Chai's hands.

She brought it to her eye and looked around in the same direction until she saw somebody in yellow and orange getup place somebody in blue down. "Well, I'll be," she muttered to herself, "My job here just maybe about up. But then, why do I feel a little disappointed?

After a while, the ship arrived at the water tribe village. When the nose came down to allow the crew to exit the ship, Chai saw a single boy donning war paint waiting. He rushed at the crew, but the prince easily knocked him to the side.

The rest of the village was huddled together. Practically just women and children. Where were the men? There had only been that obviously underprepared boy in war paint. And none of the women seemed to be fighters. Who the hell would leave a village so unguarded? Unless...but from what she heard, the Southern Raiders left the village only with a single life on their hands in the last time anyone from the Fire Nation stepped foot there.

"Where is the Avatar?" demanded prince Zuko and when no one answered, he grabbed an old woman from the arms of a young girl wearing a pendant with the water symbol engraved on it. "He would be around this age!" Again when no one answered he began to get heated.

"Your Highness!" Chai blurted out, "It's apparent the Avatar is no longer here. Perhaps we should move on?"

"Looking for me!" Everyone turned towards a young boy in the colors of the Air Nomads. He was sliding down into the village with a penguin.

"The Avatar is just a kid!" said Zuko.

"And you're just a teenager," replied the kid Avatar.

"Aang!" beamed the girl with the pendant at the same time as the boy in the war paint said, "Aang?"

"Katara! Saka! I'm back everyone!"

"You're mine, Avatar!" declared the prince as he began sending blasts of fire in his direction all masterfully evaded by this boy.

The boy in war paint took this momentary distraction as a striking opportunity, but Chai quickly disabled him with a couple of jabs. "Sorry," she said with a wink, "As pathetic as you are, I can't allow you to get a cheap shot on my boss."

"Saka!" the Avatar called out. He rushed over to his friend's side. Chai decided to take the opportunity to disable him, however, he was quite the challenge on Airbending alone. Just as Chai gained the advantage. A blast of fire came in their direction from the prince, but before it could land a blow, a wall of water blocked it and the girl with the pendant was the source. She dropped the wall, looking surprised with herself.

"A water bender!" The prince voiced the crew's surprise, "Capture her!" As the guards began to approach the water bender, she attempted to send an icy blast their way, but it went backwards and the guards captured her. "Let's go!" said the prince and as the Avatar began to go to the girl's rescue he formed a fire dagger and said, "Of course, I'm willing to bargain if you turn yourself over, Avatar. We'll be going a bit out. Find us in an hour and her freedom will be traded for yours!"

Chai realized she was a momentary spectator and began to move, but she found herself frozen in place. Her feet were literally stuck in the icy blast the waterbender failed to send towards the guards. She then heard the ship start and turned to see it depart. "Hey, Prince Zero," she yelled out, "Don't forget me in a place like this!" She felt the gaze of the village and Avatar turn towards her and she began to sweat.

"You," said the Avatar, "Who are you?"

"I'm obviously, the chick who chi blocked that dude over there, duh. Or haven't you been paying attention, Avatar?" said Chai looking off to the side.

"No, I mean your name."

"My name? I guess it's okay to say….I'm Chai Chamomile…"

"Hi, I'm Aang!"

"Don't be friendly with the enemy," said the boy in war paint, "But how in the world did I lose to a girl!"

"You're kind of sexist, aren't you?" asked Chai, "Look, you lost because you were shamefully underprepared. I mean, who the hell would leave the safety of their village in the hands of an undisciplined and underprepared fool! And where the hell have you been 'Avatar'? How the hell are you still a kid?"

"Look, now's not the time for questions or answers," said the Avatar, "I have to save my friend, Katara. Will you help me?"

"Help you?"

"If you promise to help me get Katara back. I'll unfreeze the water, hopefully, and give you a ride back to...Prince Zero?"

"Zuko. He's Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. Never call him 'Prince Zero,' only I'm allowed to do that," said Chai.

"Why?"

"That's between us. You know, I will help you, Avatar. It'll be more fun that way, after all."

"Thanks!" The Avatar looked thoroughly pleased with himself by just unfreezing the water.

Chai then bent down to look at the war-painted boy, who managed to sit up and said, "Wanna see a cool trick?" And she jabbed him just above the stomach.

"Hey, what's the idea?" asked the Avatar.

"That's a free service. Unblocking his chi, I mean. It would have happened soon enough, but I'm sure he wants to come. She's your girlfriend right?"

The boy jumped up and said, "What? No, ewe. She's my sister!"

"Really? Does that mean you're available? Well, good to see you effortlessly got to your feet."

"T-thanks?" he said, looking confused with a hint of blush.

"All right, off to Appa!" said the Avatar

"Avatar Aang," said the old woman who the prince grabbed before, "I would like to apologize for before. Please take Katara to the North Pole with you once you find her. Perhaps they will be able to better prepare her for these situations... I'm sure you have been looking for a Waterbending master yourself. I'm sorry you haven't found one here. Please take these supplies with you and tell Katara I believe in her and that her destiny is now entwined in yours," she handed a bundle to him and turned to the war-painted boy, "And Saka, be nice to your sister. And you," she gave a death glare to Chai, "You be thankful my granddaughter saved you and the Avatar is merciful. Don't cause trouble for them in the future."

"Look, ma'am," said Chai, "I'm just following orders. I may have no choice but to cause them trouble!"

"Mmm. Well dears," she said turning back to the boys, "Have a safe trip. And Avatar Aang, thank you for giving this old woman hope once again."

"It really flies!" said Saka.

"And I thought being on the sea was bad," said Chai trying to hold back vile as Appa, the sky bison, flew through the air, "Okay, let's get down to business…" Chai explained the layout of the ship and described the best route to the holding cell, where Katara was most likely to be held.

"Ok. got it," said Saka, " I could see myself there!"

"Really?" asked Aang, "It's all jumbled in my head…"

"Then I'll go get Katara and you distract that guy...what was his name?"

"Zuko, Prince Zuko. Don't forget it. Or me, Chai. We're probably going to be on your tail for a while after this, knowing him," said Chai, "Ah, there it is! Well, this is where we part," Aang and Saka looked at her surprised, "What? I can't let the prince see me with you. He's perceptive enough to put two and two together. I'll tell him I escaped you when you were bringing me along for the trade. And oh, don't tell him I did you this favor. If he somehow gains wind about it, I will hunt you down to the ends of the Earth and hand you over to the Fire Lord myself. Good luck." Chai saluted them as she dove off Appa and into the icy water.

She then swam onto an icy platform, chattering her teeth, "Ok, never again will I dive into the water in a place like this…" she watched as the flying bison grew smaller until it came close to the ship. "Well, might as well act like I'm rushing to help him…I hope I don't get frostbite from swimming in this water…" She dove back in and began paddling towards the ship.

When she reached the ship and was halfway up the side railing, somebody fell off the side of the ship. Chai saw it was Zuko when she caught him by the arm. "Losing to the Avatar, Prince Zero? Did he...blow you away?"

"Shut up and give me a hand!"

"You already have my right hand. Why would I give you the other? I don't see you that way, besides we will fall off and I don't care for swimming in cold water. Do you?"

"Chai! Quit joking! We don't have time for that. I don't have time for that. Just...swing me closer to the ladder, ok?"

"Alright, alright." After he got a grip, they made their ascent onto the ship.

"Aang, I found Katara! Let's go!" Saka said.

"Not so fast!" said Chai, "Miss me? Well, I'm back!" An awkward silence ensued. Chai motioned her head slightly to indicate Zuko who began to rise behind her.

"Oh, no. It's you…" said Saka in a stale tone. It's a start, thought Chai.

"Appa!" called out Aang.

"No you don't!" said the prince as he sent a fire blast towards the Avatar who evaded it, but didn't quite pay attention to where he leaped as he fell into the water.

"Aang!" called out Saka and Katara, but not a moment later, he came out, water swirling around him and eyes glowing. He knocked the ship into snow and ice, grabbed his friends and boarded Appa, flying into the distance until they disappeared.

"Get us out of this ice and follow that bison!" screamed Zuko.

"Well, at least we know the Avatar is indeed out there, eh, Prince Zero?" said Chai, "This seems less like a wild goose chase now."

"Still. I have no Avatar."

"Cheer up because I have a good idea where he's heading."