"Alright now, Katara, Toph, when we get to the Arena, I need you both to promise that you'll keep cool and collected… no matter what happens," Aang said seriously, taking the lead as the trio wound their way down through the upper rings, headed for the great openings in the walls.
"I can't guarantee I won't beat you and take the championship title for myself," Toph said, cracking her knuckles and stretching her back.
"I mean it," Aang said, turning to look at the two women as he nervously plucked at the edges of his shawl, "no matter what, don't go crazy, ok?"
"Ok," Katara said, wondering why Aang was nervously glancing at her.
"Whatever," Toph scoffed, absentmindedly polishing her Earth Rumble Championship belt, which still looked as flawless and shiny as ever.
"Alright, c'mon, let's get moving… tonight's bracket it gonna be pretty awesome, considering who's competing," Aang said excitedly, picking up the pace as they passed into the middle ring, where the craftsman, merchants and others of the working class spent their days, peddling wares and services.
They walked in silence as the chill night air whipped through the streets of Ba Sing Se, tugging at their limbs and making Toph, who was only dressed in her traveling clothes and her heavy metal belt, shiver and shake as she walked. Katara, seeing Toph's chill, took off her jacket and placed it around Toph's shoulders. The small, blind earthbender smiled in gratitude, and Katara couldn't help but feel happy. Toph wasn't one to smile often, not genuinely, anyway, and Katara hadn't seen her smile that way in some time.
"Ok," Aang said, pulling up the collar of his shawl and ducking his head as they made their way into the lower ring, which was eerily still and silent, "we're nearly there. I'm gonna make a few stops. You guys know where to go?"
"Yeah, but Aang, where are you-"
Before Katara could finish, Aang had jumped away, clear over the rooftop, his shawl fluttering in the moonlight as he went.
"Wonder what that was about," Toph muttered.
Together, Katara and Toph made their way to the warehouse arena. It was filled with sounds of ruckus and merriment as they approached, along with the unmistakable sounds of bending. There was the loud roar of fire consuming oxygen, and there were the uncanny crystalline crashes of earth being destroyed. Water, too, was utilized, the sound of it swishing to and fro under the control of a bender quite familiar to Katara's ears.
"Should we go in," Katara asked, eyeing up the door as she spoke to Toph.
"Might as well," Toph said, "Twinkletoes still hasn't shown up. I can't even feel him right now."
"Alright, we'll go in, stick to the wall and wait for him," Katara said, pulling open the door as light flooded the dark street and the two women slipped inside.
"Hang on a sec," Toph muttered suddenly, her eyes widening as she turned her blind head to and fro.
"What is it, Toph," Katara asked, never having seen the earthbender so angry, like a rabid badgermole sensing its natural enemy.
"Azula," Toph muttered through gritted teeth as the very same woman stepped from the crowd around the ring.
"Me," she said sweetly, crossing her arms and glancing carelessly between Katara and Toph.
"Toph, go find Aang, I'm about to tear Azula to shreds," Katara sneered, uncapping her waterskin and coiling it around her arm like a snake, taking up a wide waterbending stance.
"No way," Toph growled, "she's mine."
The crowd noticed the commotion, and together they turned to watch Azula face down Toph and Katara. Even the competitors in the ring took notice of the sudden shift in energy and came to a halt so as to bear witness.
"Cat fight," someone shouted.
As one, the men of the arena began to hoot, whistle, and bark like otterhounds as they fist pumped and cheered for a fight. Azula, who was dressed in close fitting robes of maroon and gold, with plenty of public midriff to boot, smirked at her former enemies.
"Hey there, peasant," she jeered at Katara, "long time no see… I suggest you strike first, I don't want to be disqualified from my upcoming match, and these men do like a spectacle."
"Oh, I'll show you," Toph snapped, stomping upon the floor and sending a large fissure at Azula.
The fissure wove closer like a bolt of lightning shooting over the floor, threatening to swallow Azula up until an orange and yellow blur appeared before her. With an equally powerful stomp, Aang stopped the gaping crack's progress, and with a clap of his stiff, flat hands, he once more closed the gap, leaving the floor as perfect as if had been moments before.
"Drinks all around," he shouted at the patrons, all of whom cheered and chanted his named.
"Avatar Aang! Avatar Aang! Avatar Aang!"
"What the heck, Twinkletoes," Toph shouted over the cheers, "you do realize who that is, don't you?"
"Of course," Aang smiled, placing a hand upon Azula's shoulder, "Azula here is on loan from the Fire Nation! I told Zuko I needed some fierce benders for a little social experiment, and low and behold, he sent the Lightning Princess!"
"Former Lightning Princess," Azula corrected him, her smile stiff as she pried Aang's hand from her shoulder.
"Aang, don't tell me she's-" Katara asked worriedly, her fears overwhelming her.
"Yep, from the looks of things, she'll be facing me in the championship again! Last year was great, she almost got me!"
"Oh, I'm sure it'll happen, sometime," Azula muttered, grabbing a drink from a passing waiter and downing it all in one.
"Haha yeah, maybe," Aang laughed, clapping Azula on the back before taking Toph and Katara by the hands and leading them up to a stand beside the arena. From this elevated viewpoint, Aang was able to watch the matches in private, and keep track of the brackets.
"It's so smoky," Toph complained, coughing a little.
"Well, we want this to stay a bit of a secret, so all the doors and window stay shut. We can't disturb the people's sleep," Aang explained happily, "though I do wish they'd smoke outside."
"What is Azula doing here," Katara asked, wrenching her hand from Aang's, "why is she… I mean…. Oh my spirits, did she write that note?!"
"Azula is here because Zuko thinks this might help with her… anger issues. After the asylum let her out, she tried therapy, but… well, I think she might've burnt down the therapist's office or something. Oh, and- uh- yeah, she did write that note," Aang said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head and grinning.
"Aang, she's obviously trying to kill you," Katara pressed in an undertone, "she's got something else on her mind! Azula always lies."
"Oh, I guess you've been taking a leaf out of Zuko's book," Azula griped, sidling between Katara and Aang and sitting down at the rather withered looking wooden table with a tray of food.
"Well, he's the Firelord for a reason," Katara verbally jabbed.
"Yes, because he betrayed his country and joined the Avatar. If I'd done it first, I'd be Firelord right now, instead of him," Azula sighed, sounding rather sour.
"We'd never let you join the group," Toph stated flatly, "even Zuko almost didn't make the cut… and he was pathetically persistent."
"Oh, I know all about Zuko being pathetic," Azula said, turning to look at Toph, "this one time-"
"Save the stories, Azula, why are you really here," Katara asked angrily, slamming a hand down on the table and shoving her face into the denounced Fire Nation Princess'.
Azula, noting the rather fragile state of Katara's emotions, raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Well, Aang is technically my caretaker, so whenever he comes in, I have to be by his side… usually, it's just the two of us at this table, for hours and hours in this smoky, dingy warehouse. We eat together, spar together… it's quite nice."
"I'm gonna-"
"Katara, no," Toph said, clutching Katara's wrist in a grip of iron, the water she was bending falling to the floor as her movements ceased.
"Smart move, Bei Fong," Azula muttered, "you've gotten better at telling when I'm baiting you."
"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me," Toph said, letting Katara's hand fall.
"She was lying," Katara snarled, wrenching her wrist from Toph's hand.
"Nope," Azula replied evilly, "every word of that was true. Usually, it is just me and Aang up here in the 'VIP section' as he calls it."
"Zuko made me promise that I keep a careful eye on her every move," Aang corroborated, "so whenever I go and get her from the compound, I have to remain in close proximity to her."
"And he walks me back to the compound every night," Azula said, tearing at a piece of turtleduck, "and it's always so romantic and moonlit-"
"And then I hand her over to the guards," Aang cut in, giving Azula a disapproving look, "and she's locked up until the next bout."
"Aang, I can't believe you didn't tell me about any of this," Katara said, looking completely devastated, "how come you didn't-"
"I didn't want you to worry, and I figured it was exactly this sort of Avatar business that'd make you lose your mind. I mean, c'mon, a dumpy warehouse in the lower ring, filled with seedy people and Azula to boot? That's, like, everything you don't approve of rolled into one giant ball of worry and concern for you to take out and anxiously scrutinize whenever your prone to worrying! Which is all the time," Aang added exasperatedly.
"So hiding something like this is gonna make me feel better?"
"Ignorance is bliss," Aang said, his smile gone as he stared Katara in the eye.
"I told him that," Azula chipped in happily, nearly laughing at Katara's scandalized look.
"Hold on… no way," Toph said suddenly, turning to look behind her.
"Well, well, well… if it isn't the greatest earthbender in the world," said a voice.
"You," Toph asked, spinning around and taking up an earthbending stance.
"That's my name," the tall man said.
"I remember you," Aang said, "you taught Earthbending in Toph's hometown!"
"Yes, I am Master Yu," the tall man with the strange facial hair said, "I'll be competing in one of tonight's matches."
"I don't see your name on the roster," Aang said, raising an eyebrow as he glanced up at the Earthbending master, who was now dressed in more traditional earth Kingdom robes.
"I used a stage name," Yu shrugged, "there should be something there about the Golden Master…"
"Oh, yeah… looks like you'll be facing Azula in the next match! Sorry about the mixup," Aang said with a large smile.
"Uh-hang on, thee Azula? From the Fire Nation Royal family?"
"That's right," Azula said thickly through a mouthful of fire flakes.
"Erm… right… well then, I'll see you for the next match," Yu said, sounding shaken as he dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief he'd pulled from within his robes.
"Can't wait," Azula uttered carelessly, waving as she hunched over her platter, which was now almost empty.
Aang, ever the harbinger of peace, grabbed Katara's and Toph's hands once more, and led them over to the table, the three of them taking up the bench across from Azula. Aang sat, smiling peacefully, while Katara and Toph lingered for a moment before gracefully placing themselves upon the bench. As if sensing their hesitation Azula glanced up, her golden eyes flickering between Toph and Katara as she calmly chewed her food.
"I must say, Azula, you seem much more… composed… than you have during our previous meetings," Katara said tactfully.
"Yeah, you were nuttier than elephant-roo poop. What happened to you," Toph asked.
"Well, you guys all remember that terrible Kemurikage incident, Right? Essentially what happened is blah,blah, blah, loss of direction, mumbo jumbo, Avatar Aang to the rescue, free pass out of the Fire Nation," Azula said uninterestedly, waving her hand as she slurped another drink..
"Should you really be boozing up before a match," Toph plied, her nose crinkling with the scent of alcohol.
"Should you really be so boyish, for a short, blind girl?"
"It's gonna take more than a few words to get under my skin," Toph said, masking her anger under a thin layer of patience that she usually reserved for truly helpless students.
"My, my," Azula smiled, her golden eyes finally focusing upon Toph, rather than just glazing over her, "it seems you have grown… to some extent. Certainly not upward, of course."
"Her question stands," Katara said, diving into the conversation after witnessing two titans do verbal battle.
"Well, how do I put this… when I'm stone cold sober, I can plot ten moves ahead of anyone, shoot lightning like it's fire, and I could very easily escape the custody of my guards. I am drinking to pass the time, dull my senses, and give my opponents a better shot at surviving our matches," Azula noted with relish, "not to mention, it gives me this indescribable feeling of peace… like the world and it's problems aren't mine to fix. There's also the fact that the Avatar is forced to make contact with me after I've had a few drinks."
"I've had to carry her out of the arena… and not because she was beaten by her opponent," Aang mumbled darkly.
"A woman has needs," Azula sighed, looking Aang up and down as he devoutly shook his head at his wife.
As one, they turned to watch the match, though Toph couldn't actually watch it. It was an interesting fight, an earthbender versus earthbender slugfest. Earth flew like bullets as the competitors both forced an offensive, much like any stubborn Earth Kingdom citizen would. That said, there was definitely something strange about the way they moved.
"Those guys are all over the place," Toph noted, sipping a dink that came in a cup of ice, "I mean, I can barely keep up with both of their movements from up here. They're sort of… hopping around, and not really digging into the dirt."
"Yeah, that's because over time, the benders who compete in this tournament have sort of developed their own fighting styles," Aang said excitedly, "I've learned a lot from just watching them. The earthbenders have learned to dodge and weave like airbenders, the waterbenders have learned to dig in and get angry like firebenders, and the firebenders have learned to go fluid and wriggle like waterbenders."
"Waterbenders don't wriggle," Katara interrupted, "waterbending is a powerful skill, developed over thousands of years by-"
"Who cares," Azula said, blush tickling her cheeks at Katara's statements, "no one here, doll! In the arena, it comes down to skill, power, and the ability to maintain dominance. Even the slightest hint of weakness, and your enemy will exploit it."
"Spoken like a denounced Fire Nation princess," Katara said scathingly, preparing herself for a reaction from the firebender.
"Nice try, sweetie," Azula laughed, "but therapy has done quite a number on me. I'm strong, confident, and nothing can get me down."
"Oh yeah? How about Zuko, sitting on the Fire Lord's throne," Katara probed, wondering how deep Azula's therapy had gone.
"Over it," Azula scoffed, "I mean, come on, Fire Lord? He's tied down by red tape and policies and laws. Me? I'm in the Earth Kingdom, tearing it up and loving every second of it!"
"Azula, is that any way to talk about your big brother," asked a familiar, raspy voice.
"No way-"
"It can't be-"
"Zuko!"
So it was. Zuko, the Fire Lord and foremost leader of the Fire Nation stepped up onto the VIP stand, his bodyguard turning to stand at the ramp leading to it.
"Zuko, I can't believe you came," Aang said happily, hugging his friend, "how have you been?! It's been so long!"
"I've been…. peachy," Zuko muttered, pulling at his hood to make sure it covered his face, "I hear you've made progress with Azula. I came to check on it firsthand."
"Just like you," Katara smiled, rolling her blue eyes, "can't trust anyone's word but your own."
"I've been through a lot, and I'm using my own personal experience to make decisions for the good of my people, is that so hard to understand," Zuko asked tiredly.
"I'm just messing with you… it's good to see you, Zuko," Katara said with a laugh, hugging Zuko as well.
"Yeah, I've missed you too, Zuko, come here so I can show you some affection," Toph said, rolling back her sleeves.
As was customary ever since Zuko had mistakenly burnt Toph's feet, he rolled back his own sleeve to reveal a muscled arm and he held it out for Toph to strike. With a look of pain, he avoided any unmanly noises when she struck, leaving Toph to smile sweetly, even though she'd just destroyed his arm.
"Wow, you feel pretty buff, Zuko," Toph admitted.
"Vigorous body training every day keeps the mind focused and sharp," Zuko said with a smile, rubbing the charlie horse to get the blood moving.
"So, Iroh still swilling tea," Aang asked.
"Yeah, he's here in the Earth Kingdom… I'm surprised he hasn't come to call, yet," Zuko answered, "and he's been completely amazing. I write him so often that it's become a daily occurrence. Uncle has the answers to everything!"
"Be grateful," Katara warned the Fire Lord, "you never know when Iroh will be moving onto… bigger and better things."
Perhaps Zuko understood Katara's words, or perhaps he really had grown from his moody youth, but he bowed his head and pushed his hand into his palm, smiling as he did so.
"You're right, of course… Uncle has been speaking of leaving for some time… I need to appreciate him while he's here," Zuko replied in summation.
"Brother Zuzu," Azula said happily, throwing herself upon her brother and giving him a hug, surprise etched into his being as he held incredibly still, like a gazelle-deer being hugged by a saber toothed moose lion.
"You seem awfully happy," Zuko said, gently but firmly setting his sister back into her seat.
"Of course! I'm glad you get to see this match, I'll be heading into the semifinals," Azula said, smiling at the Fire Lord.
"About that… Aang, when you called this a social experiment-"
"I know, I left out the seedy element and the fighting, but really Zuko, this is important! Crime statistics show lower crime rates, wealth is being redistributed amongst the winners of the matches, and there seems to be a coming together of all three nations the likes of which I couldn't have foreseen," Aang interrupted, looking Zuko in the eye to show how serious he was.
"A coming together of violence," Zuko said darkly.
"I don't believe that," Aang said firmly, "probending is a new way for people to show off their bending skills in a safe environment! Even Katara has noted how constricted she feels when she hasn't done any bending for a while. It's four times worse for me, being the Avatar and all, so this is a great opportunity to relieve stress and strut your stuff! Tell you what, Zuko, what say you and I go a few rounds in the ring after the fighters finish these last few matches? This place clears out fast after the dust settles; I can give you guys a firsthand perspective of probending."
With a loud, overwhelming roar, the crowd made its approval of the victorious party heard. With a sigh, Azula downed her drink, wiped her lips upon the back of her hand and thumped her chest.
"That's my cue," she said, clapping her brother on the shoulder.
Zuko tensed, expecting to feel his sister's razor sharp talons pierce his shoulder, as they often had when they were younger. But no… he only felt a slight sting as she misjudged the power of her movements.
"Good luck," the Firelord found himself muttering as he turned to watch his sister's progress towards the arena.
"I think she's up to something," Katara muttered to Zuko, unheard by everyone else, who were busy applauding the matches conclusion and the start of the next one.
"I don't know about that," Zuko answered just as quietly, "but I'll keep my eye on her."
Earthbenders took to the arena to clear the debris and rubble, making it as perfect, unmarked and smooth as it had been before the previous round. Meanwhile, Azula sat in a stool upon on side of the arena. Unlike most competitors, she readied herself for the match, calmly binding her hands in white tape, not looking worried in the slightest. Meanwhile, Yu and someone else, likely a coach or co-conspirator, talked in hushed tones as they prepared Yu for the next fight.
"Aang, is my sister… drunk?"
"Yup," Aang said happily, scribbling the name of the winner upon his Roster.
"Why?"
"It helps her give the opponents a fighting chance," Aang explained as the group watched Azula and Yu step onto the raised arena, cracking their knuckles as the referee announced the match.
"Up next, our reigning runner-up champion: Azula! The Azure Flame!"
From the crowd came a flurry of excitement, as they loved to watch the princess fight. She raised a hand and took a bow, waiting for a hush to fall upon the crowd once more.
"And her opponent, a newcomer to the arena, and a completely unforeseen upset… the Golden Master!"
A few people actually booed Yu as he took a traditional Earth King stance and politely bowed, first to the crowd and then to Azula, who scoffed. Yu's eyebrow twitched as he withdrew from the center of the ring and took up a strong, steady stance upon one side. Azula mocked Yu's bowing, mimicking his pompous stiffness with a smirk before turning to face him in a matching Earthbending stance.
"Uh-oh," Zuko remarked, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth, "she smells it."
"Smells what," Katara asked, taking a deep whiff of the smelly, overcrowded warehouse.
"Fear," Toph laughed, pointing at Yu, who was visibly shaking in his fine, gold-stitched clothes.
The bell rang, and with a vicious grin, Azula bum rushed Yu, as if she were pouncing upon her prey. He sidestepped and countered with a stomp. The Earth formed a pillar that was about to strike Azula on the side, where her skin was exposed, but she punched at the pillar, shattering it and sending a blue shockwave of fire through the warehouse. Yu was pushed backwards, his feet barely staying upon the arena's floor, and his clothes and hair were singed. Azula shrugged, looking apologetic before she swung her leg around in a downward slash, finishing off with two strong punches.
Yu, adopting a different stance, immediately began to try and dodge around the fire blasts, but he misjudged their size and ended up having to drop to the floor, watching with terror as the fire passed inches from his face.
"Finish him off!"
"Prey for the Azure Flame!"
"Stop playing with your food!"
Thus rang out the cries of the men and woman around the ring. Azula slowly and deliberately walked around Yu, who slowly pushed himself up. His clothes were smoking pretty badly now, and he seemed weak, but he managed to stand and face Azula. Faster than he could register, Azula whipped her hand back and flung it forward, stopping less than an inch from Yu's face, his eyes crossed as he watched Azula's knuckles twitch.
With her other hand, the Azure Flame held out a thumb, showing it to the crowd as they cried out for blood. With dread, Yu watched as she gave the thumbs down sign and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. He closed his eyes, waiting for fire and pain. Instead, he suddenly found himself without support, and Yu, the Golden Master, tumbled from the ring, Azula having let him fall off the edge he'd been precariously perched upon.
"Our winner is the Azure Flame," the referee cried, throwing his hat into the air as Azula moved onto the Championship tourney.
"Wait, why didn't she ruin that guy," Zuko asked, "Azula loved the power she got from dominating and manipulating other people… why wouldn't she leave a scar on the guy."
"I told you, Zuko," Aang hollered over the crowd as he applauded Azula with the rest of the crowd, "she's changed!"
"Don't get too excited Zuzu," Azula said, plunking down at their table once more after having emerged from the crowd, "who ever said a scar needs to be physical?"
"I guess it doesn't," Zuko said, wondering if there was a point to any of Azula's drunken rantings.
"You're right, and that Golden Master guy… he's going to be pretty scarred up. Not physically, mind you, but mentally… he won't be able to look me in the eye for some time."
"I think you're lying," Toph said suddenly, her blank, unseeing eyes snapping to Azula, her brow furrowing.
"What are you implying, short stuff," Azula said, slopping more alcohol as she poured another drink.
"For a moment, your façade slipped… you were lying when you implied you wanted to scar the Golden Guy… I think you just love winning, and I think you love bending, and I think you're grateful that Aang decided not to take your bending like he did to Ozai!"
"While I am grateful to the Avatar for his mercy, I am still the most fierce combatant this Arena has ever seen," Azula muttered, her voice dangerously quiet, "and that's while I'm under the influence."
"I know. And I think you're making great strides, but from now on, I don't want you drinking before matches," Zuko said, staring his sister in the eye as she glared back, "I couldn't live with myself if you ended up getting hurt because you were too drunk to fight properly. You hear that, Aang? No more booze for the Azure Flame!"
"Sure thing, hotman," Aang replied, still as happy as ever as he made note of Azula's victory on the roster.
As the Avatar had predicted, the warehouse quickly emptied of people, leaving only a single lonely sweeper, Azula, Zuko, his bodyguard, Toph, Katara and Aang.
"You see, Aang, all people want are violence," Zuko said, gesturing at the empty arena, "they want to see benders of different nationalities beating the daylights out of each other."
"Sorry Zuko, but I'm putting my foot down on this," Aang said, "even if it isn't perfect now, this has a lot of potential! This could be the next big thing!"
Without hesitation, Aang leapt from his seat at the wooden table, flipping clear over it and landing temporarily on the railing before flipping once more and coming to a halt by the sweeper, who continued his slow task without even glancing up.
"Hey sir, what's your name," Aang asked.
"Hijoru," the old man muttered, still not looking up.
"It's nice to meet you… anyway, I had a question. Do you like watching the bending matches that we host?"
"I did at one point, not too much anymore, though. It's gotten a little stale," the janitorial worker admitted.
"How so," Aang asked.
"Well, after you've seen every different type of bender fight every other type of bender, there really isn't much more to see… maybe it'd be different if it was a team sport… get a bigger arena, teams of three, one player for each element... yeah, then it might be worth watching."
"Wow… that's actually a great idea," Aang said, glancing behind him and noticing how Zuko and the rest of the group was approaching, "I only have one more question, if you don't mind… Hijoru, was it?"
"Shoot," the old man replied, eager to finish his conversation and continue his work.
"What is it that you like most about these matches? Is it the blood and the gut wrenching violence… or it is something else," Aang queried, still acutely aware of Zuko's presence behind him.
"The violence… well, that's one way of putting it," the old man said thoughtfully, scratching at his chin, "I think of it more as a contest of spirit… a way to show the world who you are and what you're made of. Plus, it's easy to get lost in thought when you watch two benders go head to head. Take for instance, a firebender and a waterbender… they're both so different, you'd think they came from different worlds entirely. But no, in the end, they both enter the ring, bow to each other, and give it their all."
"I don't think I could've put it better myself," Aang said, smirking at Zuko for a moment, "now, about that idea of yours. How would you like to help me run this place?"
Aang's offer seemed to genuinely catch the janitor's attention. He stopped, looking at Aang with a raised eyebrow.
"Run this place," Hijoru asked quizzically, "what do you mean by that?"
"Help me schedule new contestants… obviously, we can't start the team matches this year, but next year I could probably rustle up a new place for these bending battles to take place. Of course, you'd be in charge of most everything, but it'd be a much better wage than whatever you're getting now."
Hijoru was stunned by the Avatar's kindness, and with a smile, he nodded. They exchanged information and a few more ideas before Hijoru once more took up his broom. Now, however, he swept with renewed vigor, and his eyes seemed far away as he contemplated how his life was about to change.
"That was really nice of you, Aang," Zuko noted, "and I think you made your point… I'll let Azula continue this if she wants… just, no more drinking."
"Got it," Aang said, turning and walking until he was on one side of the Arena, and everyone else was on the other.
"Now then, which of you wants it first," Aang jeered, stripping off his shawl and shirt and tossing them out of the ring.
With a smile, Aang raised his fists, his muscles bulging as he faced down three of his elemental teachers and Azula. It was strangely familiar, as they had often sparred with each other before Ozai's defeat. Afterword, they hadn't really had the time for it… That was in the past though. Katara, Zuko and Toph all glanced at each other and Azula cracked her knuckles menacingly.
Two sides charged, one with two firebenders, the greatest earthbender in the world, a master waterbender, and the other with only the Avatar, who grinned at the thought of having so many of his closest friends with him in the Arena.
Over the next year, Aang kept his word. He personally commissioned the probending Arena be built into Republic City, and much to his surprise, the denizens of the United Republic of Nations took to it like platypus-bears to honey. Hijoru, once a lowly street sweeper, became a multifaceted businessman and a steadfast ally of the Avatar. Katara watched as her husband not only grew physically with each passing day, but mentally as well. He was happy and excited whenever probending was mentioned, as it helped to soothe the restless Avatar Spirit within him; the side of him that needed to bend, and compete and defend the world. He met new people, saw the world from all sides and eventually grew into a fine Avatar. After the establishment of the team probending sport, Aang was, sadly, forced to resign as an actual competitor and act more as an honored viewer at the matches, due to the fact that no bending team could actually beat him. Azula, too, resigned shortly after Aang, returning to the Fire Nation to make her case to the Fire Lord, and soon she was officially rehabilitated, and allowed to act as a counselor to her brother.
"The Avatar is a bridge between worlds, a peacekeeper, and an impartial judge to all nations," Aang had said to Katara after facing down against her, Zuko, Toph and Azula, "but the Avatar is also a warrior during wartimes… this probending thing is gonna help me adjust to the peace."
"I suppose it just goes to show you can never tame a warrior's spirit," Katara laughed, raising a glass of wine and toasting with Aang before they drank deeply and partook of the great meal before them.
And so ends another of my fics. I must say, this didn't turn out quite like I'd envisioned, but I suppose it was alright. Not great, but the more I wrote, the farther I felt I got from my original idea, which was essentially that the Avatar invented probending to soothe and ease the Avatar Spirit, which was not usually accustomed to peace. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the fic!
