"There's one technique you need to know before facing my father," Zuko says back at the courtyard of the beach house. "How to re-direct lightning. If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it. You turn your opponent's energy against them."
"That's like Water bending," Aang lights up.
"Exactly," Zuko demonstrated the technique. "My uncle invented this himself by studying Water benders. The lightning enters your fingers, and you guide it with your other hand through your arm, into your belly, and out your other hand."
"So have you ever re-directed lightning before?" I ask.
"Once," Zuko answers. "Against my father."
"What did that feel like?" Aang asks.
Zuko stops, lost in his memory. "Exhilarating…but terrifying. You feel so powerful holding that much energy in your body, but you know that if you make one wrong move, it's over."
Aang tugs on his robe and gives a nervous laugh. "Well, not 'over' over. I mean there's always Katara and a little spirit water action, right?"
"Actually, I used it all up after Azula shot you," Katara sighs.
"Oh." Aang droops.
Zuko brings him back to focus. "You'll have to take the Fire Lord's life, before he takes yours."
For some reason, I can't picture sweet tempered Aang killing anybody, even somebody as evil as the Fire Lord. It just doesn't suit him. Actually, in all the time I've known him, he hasn't even squashed a bug. And believe me, there have been a lot of those. Yuck.
"Yeah," Aang said quietly, "I'll just do that."