PLEASE READ! My editors internet is out so she can not edit the chapters right now. Neither of us know when it will be fixed but when it does I will let everyone know. So that means this chapter is unedited. If grammar is not a big problem with you, then by all means read on. If grammar really gets to you then I suggest you hang back until the edited version is uploaded. I am mainly bad at using comma's and sometimes I word things awkwardly. Also please check out my profile because I will be updating it. I will also say when my editor's internet is back up on my profile. Well I hope you like it :D

UPDATE: This is the edited version :D

Chapter 25

The Finals

The water bending tournament had already begun. In fact, it was almost over. I had fought eleven matches and had only won six. Tekton had won ten and lost two. Huan and Taruk were fighting. I was impressed with Taruk's bending skills. He beat Huan, making that his ninth win out of twelve. I faced Da-Xia in my match. He won but he didn't do overkill. He just nicely beat me then helped me up. Arnook announced the semi-finalists, then everyone began to disperse. As I was walking home, a lot of people said "Good job," to me or, "There is still tomorrow," and other words of encouragement. I was very confused and met up with Wei. I told him about how everyone was being so nice to me.

"Well, most everyone in Hydronia has heard about your actions during the scouting mission. They're all calling you a hero," he said.

"Really? Wow," I said humbled, "So this is a taste of being a, well, a hero."

"Don't think this is what it is like," Wei admonished. "Do you want to experience that battle again?"

I shuddered and shook my head.

"I didn't think so, and that was just a small skirmish. Imagine the real war that rages on right now," Wei said.

I thought about that. That night, I had more nightmares, and I didn't get much sleep. I saw the Fire Nation woman again, and I could see her glimmering sword. It was a katana with a red grip threaded in gold. The next day was tense. It was the swordsmanship tournament. I wouldn't be holding back today. We all gathered in the Training Field. I had the Gambing Blade strapped to my waist. That tournament was much more fun for me since I got to truly demonstrate my skills. Of course with every match, I did the "No disrespect intended" thing. I fought vigorously, not holding back. I kept my disarming technique a secret as I was saving it for a special someone. Tekton and Taruk fought. Taruk was a beast and beat Tekton. Then he glared over at me. The crowd loved my display of skills and shouted "Hyriu Swordwielder."

I won every match I fought. I didn't gloat or boast to anyone. I just fought respectfully and then left the stage. I knew I had to be humble. This was a test of character. I noticed Wei watching me closely, confirming my suspicions. I never over did a fight, and if I came up against an opponent who wasn't that good, I still used complex moves to beat them. Others, on the other hand, played down their skills and beat their opponent with simple moves to show how bad he was. I didn't want anyone to feel bad about themselves; I wanted them to try. At the end of the day, I won all my matches, Taruk won eleven matches, and Tekton won eight, so he just barely made it. Everyone congratulated me on my success. Afterwards, I hung out with my friends and we celebrated.

The next day was the semi-finals. If you lost your match, you were out. The hand-to-hand combat semi-finals were first. Tekton and I fought; he won. The semi-finals would narrow the warriors down to just two people for the finals. They went pretty quick, it seemed. They were over before noon, and Koluk and Hito were the final two. Chief Arnook congratulated them both. There was a short break before the water bending tournament. I went to the stands and sat with Lina, Fai, Koluk, and Hana.

"Good job, Koluk," Hana said.

"I can not wait to see you fight tomorrow. I am sure it will be great," Lina said.

"Nice job," Fai said.

The water bending part started. We cheered on our friends. Taruk fought with an angry expression. He annihilated Tekton. The final two were Huan and Taruk. There was another break. I got up to go down to the field.

"You nervous?" Fai asked me before I walked away.

"Yeah, I am," I replied.

"Don't worry. They don't call you 'Hyriu Swordwielder ' for nothing," Hana said.

"Good luck," Koluk and Lina said.

I went down to the stage and got ready. My first match was against Kobun, one of Taruk's friends.

I drew my sword, "No disrespect intended," I said in a sarcastic way.

"Come on, Hyriu!" Huan shouted.

I attacked, whipping my sword around and slashing like crazy. He didn't attack because he was too busy blocking my strikes. In a spinning motion, I turned his sword away, ripped it from his hand, spun around, and stopped with my sword pointed at his chest.

"I submit," he muttered.

The crowd cheered. I gave Kobun his sword back and left the stage. People congratulated me all around. The semi-finals had several rounds. I moved up in each one. Finally, I had one last match to fight to make it to the Finals, and Tekton was my opponent. We walked on stage.

"Well, Hyriu, looks like one of us is going to the finals," he said with a smile.

"Yeah, and it's going to be me," I said with a cocky smile and drew my sword. "No disrespect intended."

"I most certainly don't think you will be getting past me," Tekton said.

You may begin," Arnook said and stepped back.

I swung my sword. We exchanged a series of blows and moved around the stage. The clang of steel on steel echoed throughout the field. Our swords met in the air, and we each tried to over power the other. I then whipped my sword around and tripped him by hitting his ankle with the blade. His sword slid across the stage. I pointed mine at his chest.

"I submit," he said.

I helped him up as the crowd went crazy.

"And Hyriu is going to the finals!" Arnook announced.

We walked off the stage. The next match was the last semi-final today. Taruk was fighting so vigorously that it almost scared me. He won and was going to the finals with me.

The next day, the city was humming. Excitement filled my veins. I stood among the other finalists.

"Well, here we are, the finals. We have three rookies as finalists this year, one of which is in two different categories." The crowd cheered. "And because of that, there will be a change in scheduling, so our rookie will not have two matches back to back. The water bending round will be first."

Then Huan and Taruk stepped forward. We all took our seats, and the match began. Taruk displayed amazing skills and a huge level of improvement. Within minutes, he had Huan beat. Taruk stood over him, victorious. The crowd erupted in applause.

"And our first winner of the Warrior Games is Taruk!" Arnook shouted.

There was a short break before the hand-to-hand combat final.

"Good luck," I said to Koluk.

He walked up on stage. The match began and Koluk fought vigorously. It was incredible to watch him fight. The crowd was in stunned silence. Before I knew it, it was over. Koluk stood strong and out of breath.

"Our second winner, Koluk, another rookie!" Arnook announced.

I prepared myself. Everyone in the crowd new the relationship between Taruk and me, and they were all on the edge of their seats. I saw Taruk glaring at me; I glared back at him as I walked on stage. He walked up as well.

I drew my sword slowly, dragging it out. I started to bow, but I stopped midway. I had been respectful to everyone I fought, even Kobun, Taruk's friend; but Taruk did not deserve my respect. Not yet anyway. I straightened and looked him directly in the eyes and said:

"Disrespect intended."

Gasps were heard from the crowd. Koluk had a large grin on his face. The rest of my friends had similar looks. I saw Wei fighting a smile. Taruk's glare turned fierce.

"Begin!" Arnook shouted.

Taruk attacked; I easily blocked and attacked him. After a few blows, I said to him:

"You wanted to know what I was doing in Heiwa Valley, right? Would you like me to show you?" I pushed him back.

He charged. Throughout the games, I had been using classic Water Tribe forms, but now I was going to use the moves that Daminao had taught me, a completely different style. I blocked in a swirling motion; the crowd and Taruk noticed the change. Taruk knew the Water Tribe forms and how to block them, but he clearly didn't know how to block Daminao's swirling tactics. I decided to use my disarming technique I had invented. I waited for a proper opening then hooked my sword around his and twisted. His sword flew out of his hand. I knocked him to the ground and pointed my sword to his chest with a triumphant smile. He kicked my sword away and tried to get up. As soon as I saw what he was doing, I reacted with lightning speed. I did a forward flip placing my right hand on the ground to help, so for a split second I was doing a one-handed hand-stand. I spun when I landed on my feet so I was behind Taruk. Before he knew what was happening, I put my sword to his throat.

"Is that really your best?" I asked mockingly. "Say. It."

He glared at me, "I…sub…mit."

"That's right, and if you cross me again like what you've been doing, I promise you, it won't be a game," I threatened.

He looked scared for a moment, but then he recovered. I sheathed my sword as Arnook announced me the winner. My friends ran up to me, and we celebrated. Koluk, Taruk, and I were all given gold, blue, and silver medals with a purple ribbon so we could wear it around our necks. On one side was the symbol for Hydronia, a full moon behind two spears making an 'X' with a vertical sword at the center. I noticed that the sword was the Gambing Blade. On the other side was the symbol for the category that we won. On mine there was a sword; Koluk's had a fist, and Taruk's had three curling waves.

I was standing on stage, still with my friends. Suddenly, the cheers faded into silence, but I could still see people clapping and shouting. I realized that the same thing that happened when Arnook announced the tour of the palace was happening again. In a flash, I was looking at a destroyed training field. I could see clouds of smoke everywhere, and I saw that the big domed roof of the Gambing Library had partly caved in and smoke was pouring out. I looked around and saw the Robed Man. The blood drained from my face.

"Oh, don't worry this isn't your third warning," he said. "Oh wait, but you should worry, shouldn't you? I mean, the Avatar has returned. Your friend, Taruk, doesn't seem happy with you, and he doesn't strike me as the type to sit idly by to watch you mock him. And then of course, there is me you have to worry about. Yes, look around you. Do you see all of this? It will happen if you resist me, but not only this, many other great cites will be brought to ruin because of your possible mistake."

"Why are you here if this isn't a warning?" I asked cautiously.

"I am here to encourage you to make the right choice. You obviously lack the intelligence to make a proper decision," he started walking toward me.

Suddenly, three figures appeared before me. I recognized them as the three spirits I had talked to on my birthday: Kan Dao, Weizao, and Kizuna.

"You will not touch him!" Kan Dao said.

The Robed Man looked at her then the other two with slight interest, but in an amusing way, "So you have a personal spirit guard, huh? Well I would say 'I don't have time for this,' but actually, I do. I do have time since it will only take this," he thrust out his hand, and the three spirits flew back and were ripped to pieces before they hit the ground, "to get rid of them."

I felt exposed, unprotected and very, very scared. His power terrified me.

"Oh did you think your precious spirits would be a threat to me?" he laughed. "Sorry to disappoint you. But you now know how weak they are and how strong I am."

Kyoshi appeared in front of me, "We chose Hyriu because we knew he would be strong enough to defeat you. The spirits only give him guidance. He is much stronger than you know."

"Oh you doubt my knowledge? That wounds me, truly it does. I can see that, with proper training, the boy might be a threat to me. But fortunately, you will not receive proper training unless it is from me. Under my guidance, you would become much more powerful than your precious spirits. Without me, you will fall. It is inevitable, ask Kan Dao; she knows how this will end. I just want to help you, help you discover your true potential."

"Don't listen to him, Hyriu," Kyoshi said, "He is trying to discourage you."

"I know. Don't worry Kyoshi. I will never join him," I said.

"Don't be so sure. Just think about what I have said and the validity of it," he melted into the shadows.

I saw a rush of images of people dying, buildings collapsing, and cities burning.

I opened my eyes to see the concerned looks of my friends. The crowd was still cheering.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Hana said.

"You were quiet for a few seconds," Tekton said, "But-"

"But in those few seconds, your eyes turned solid black," Koluk said.

"Really?" I asked and looked around.

I spotted Taruk who was looking at me with confusion and suspicion. When I got the chance, I told my friends what happened and filled them all in about the second warning vision. I told Wei, and he told me not to worry though he looked worried himself.

The celebrations lasted late into the night. I tried to look happy, but the Robed Man seemed to always ruin fun events, and I went home early. I had more nightmares, and I saw the Fire Nation woman again. Except this time, I noticed she looked young, no older than fourteen or fifteen. That disturbed me most.

If you read that then thank you. I do not know how bad it was grammar wise but still, thank you. As always continue reading, a new chapter goes up every Sunday! Also please follow, favorite, and leave a review. And again check out my profile as I will be updating it with several things. Stay tuned for Chapter 26: No Rest for the Weary next Sunday.