"Alright fine, I'll try to endure this," Sokka muttered as Katara tried to find the chapter they were reading before. She reached the required page and ran her finger down the paper.
"So, where did we leave off last time?"
"When Sokka suddenly really needed to use the toilet," Toph answered while grinning.
"Oh, right. Okay then, on with the story."
"Woah, I really had to go" said Sokka while re-entering the room "So, my idea was…"
"Limits!" exclaimed Azula, jumping up from her seat and surprising Sokka
"W-what…?" said Sokka, staring at her without understanding at all what she meant with that scream
"You're not the only one who doesn't understand her at all, Sokka," Zuko smirked.
"Thanks. That makes me feel a lot better."
"That's it! The real point of this test isn't to see if he's able to move mountains through earthbending, or to burn down the world with firebending nor to move oceans with waterbending! A real master will be able to withstand limitations and rules, to fight properly despite them all, or more likely, to fight properly using them all for his own convenience."
"Then… you think limitations are a good idea? Aang probably wouldn't want too many restraints on him…" muttered Sokka
"Who cares about what he wants? We're the ones who are supposed to set all of this up; he has nothing to do other than follow our indications"
"Actually, since I'm the one who has to face three highly skilled bending masters here, I'd thought someone should care about what I want," Aang spoke up.
Toph shrugged. "Hey, you're the all-powerful Avatar who defeated the Fire Lord and saved the world all before the age of thirteen. I think you can handle three bending masters."
"Considering he's survived your earthbending lessons so far, I'd agree with you," Sokka nodded.
"Meaning… if I say he's not allowed to go all lovey-dovey with my sister, I could get away with it?" asked Sokka
"That's ridiculous, Sokka" said Azula "How lovey-dovey could he be if he'll be facing off against her? The only limits you can impose on him will be on anything that concerns this particular test, outside the arena he's free to snuggle with her as much as he wants"
"Wish I could set some rules about that," Sokka muttered.
"B-but I don't want him snuggling… Wait, arena?" repeated Sokka "Nice one there… this is an arena! The field where this test will take place will be called arena!"
"Whoopee, Snoozles, you just discovered the term 'arena'," Toph cheered drily.
"He hasn't been acting very sensibly so far in this story, has he?" Katara asked.
"Pretty much, starting from the point where he was smiling stupidly at my sister," Zuko smirked.
"Hey, just because I've been silent all this while doesn't mean you guys can crack jokes about me," Sokka protested. "If you wanna finish this story, then just stick to that with no more comments about me, please."
"Sure thing, Snoozles."
"Brilliant" said Azula "Can we get on more important things now?"
"Uh, sure…" said Sokka, with an uncomfortable smile on his face "What limitations were you thinking of?"
"Well, judging by what you said about steambending, I believe the Avatar and his opponents are to only use the purest expression of the elements, meaning no Metalbending, Bloodbending or Lightningbending"
"That I can agree to" said Sokka "But I doubt Katara would have wanted to bloodbend Aang…"
"Of course. I'm not planning to use bloodbending at all anyhow," Katara said.
"Still, I wouldn't mind trying metalbending on Twinkletoes," Toph grinned. "He's never attempted that before, has he?"
"I'll still like not to, if I can help it," Aang said quickly.
"And Zuko can't bend lightning anyway, right Zuko?" Sokka said as he turned to the Fire Lord.
"I've tried, but I haven't succeeded yet. Nevertheless, Uncle's lightning redirection technique was very helpful, wasn't it?"
"Yup," Aang agreed while nodding fervently.
"Maybe this could transcend beyond the Avatar's test somehow" said Azula "People could use this same format to fight a fair battle of bending with three types of bending on each team…"
"That doesn't sound half bad, Azula… but I think we're going too far" said Sokka, putting his hands on her shoulders "Maybe you're right, and maybe this could go beyond what we expect, but for now let's just focus on Aang's test, okay?"
Azula sighed and shrugged his hands off
"As you wish. Anyhow, you had an idea as of how to deal with the rocks and water supply, right?"
"Yes! I have a great idea!" he yelled, jumping towards the scroll again "The stage should be held up somehow, above a huge pit, maybe… below there will be a huge water supply, from where the waterbenders get all the water they'll need, and within the stage there will be holes in which the rocks and stones will be kept. Toph can just raise them from the ground and use them to strike Aang!"
"I doubt she'll be pleased about this new development, but it is only fair" said Azula "She can't be allowed to bend the stage in itself, nor can Zuko burn it up… and your sister can't freeze the floor either, it could be dangerous somehow…"
"You guys aren't planning to burn or freeze anything, are you?" Aang asked his friends, who shook their heads.
"But I like the idea of bending a whole stage though," Toph grinned. "In fact, that's pretty much what I do in Earth Rumble Six."
"Yeah well, you can bend all the stages you want, as long as we're not on it," Sokka told her.
"But then it wouldn't be any fun!"
"If you think burying us in the ground is fun, then I think Aang should look for a new earthbending teacher," Zuko spoke up.
"Then no ice, that's alright… maybe the stage could be made of metal somehow" muttered Sokka "We won't allow any metalbending, so it could be done…"
"It sounds like a plan" admitted Azula "Does the Little Avatar know how to make ice?"
"Of course he does" said Sokka
"Then there'll be no need to test that side of his abilities" declared Azula "But I'm not very big about using the water from the lower pit you mentioned just a second ago…"
Sokka had been drawing out his ideas on the stage he'd envisioned on the scroll. Azula took the brush from him and drew five lines which divided the stage in three factions.
"There could be small sewers like this, similar to the grates that run in the Palace, the ones your sister used to trap me back during my Agni Kai against Zuko" said Azula "Water should be running through them, and that way there will be water as well as rock within the stage, ensuring that all that can be used will be inside the arena itself, see?"
"That's a good idea, actually" muttered Sokka, thoughtful "And the rocks should be within some long tubes or something, on each section…" and he drew small circlets within all the divisions of the stage.
Azula frowned and stared at what Sokka had drawn, deep in thought.
"And exactly what kinds of rocks will be within this?" she inquired "It's very unclear"
"Well, how many rock types are there?" asked Sokka, confused "Aren't you looking too closely at every little thing…?"
"I have to look closely at little things, because it's more than clear that you won't do so" she replied, surprising him
"H-hey! I do care about tiny details!"
"No, you don't care enough. That's the reason why I always beat you whenever we battle on the map" she said, smirking "I do admit your strategies aren't bad most of the time, but you're too careless in many aspects, and that leaves you far too open to be attacked by your opponent"
"For once, I actually agree with Azula," Katara admitted.
"Hey, you're my sister! How could you betray me?!" Sokka cried exaggeratedly.
"I'm not saying you aren't a genius; you did come up with the invasion plan during the eclipse, and it went very well," Katara analyzed. "But you do tend to miss some little but crucial details; drawing a human and a waterbender in the belly of a rhino-whale, for instance, and expecting the Mechanist to create a submarine based on that."
Sokka gave a dejected sigh. "Fine, I'll admit it: I'm not good at designing warcraft."
"You did a great job on Appa's armor though," Aang piped up in an effort to cheer up his friend.
"Well, now we know Snoozles can make a living designing protective plating for six-footed flying bisons," Toph smirked.
Sokka stared at her with slight annoyance, but he shook his head yet again
"Fine, fine, I'm not a good enough strategist, Your Royal Highness is superior in every way…"
"I'm glad we've settled that" said Azula, without even bothering to erase the cruel satisfaction evident on her face
"Of course," Zuko muttered.
"Now, back to this matter… Earthbenders can bend every type of rock, but some of them, if too heavy, might not be easy to manipulate. Also, it would be helpful if all the rocks are the same size and shape"
"Now that's something Toph won't like at all" Sokka muttered, smiling uncomfortably "All of them will be exactly the same?"
"But they'll be very compact stones, perfect to strike your opponent with a full physical blow" added Azula "Granted she won't be too jolly about this, but it's the best way to make sure she fights within the assigned rules"
"And how exactly would we get those stones, if I may ask?" said Sokka, crossing his arms
"High level earthbenders might help us with that" suggested Azula "They could take piles of earth and compress them, forming heavy rocks with the same shape, rocks that no mediocre earthbender could use to attack his opponent. Only a real master would be able to use one of these"
"Ooh, I'd love to help with that," Toph grinned.
"That would be sort of defeating the purpose, wouldn't it?" Zuko pointed out.
The earthbender huffed indignantly. "Fine, if you all want to play to safe, then have it your way!"
"With Azula around here, playing it safe sounds like a very good idea," Sokka answered as Aang nodded in agreement.
"And which shape would that be?" asked Sokka, slightly confused
Azula took the brush again and drew a circle on the corner of the scroll, adding on it a small square in its very center
"There. This should be the standard figure of all rocks used in this duel" she declared, grinning at her work.
"Sure… but what exactly is this figure?" asked Sokka, staring at it intently "A cylinder, perhaps?"
"It would be more of a disk" decided Azula "It would have a thickness of about two inches or so, I believe. The edges shouldn't be too sharp; the disk could cause too much damage if they were"
"So exactly how much damage are we trying to get done here?" asked Sokka, confused "I mean, what is our objective with all of this? How would Aang win, or how would the others win…?"
"Hopefully without any serious injuries," Aang said in answer to the book.
"In Earth Rumble Six, whoever kicks out the other opponent out of the ring wins," Toph said thoughtfully. "Maybe you could use that."
"But then all you'd need to do is send three well-aimed rocks into each of your opponents' stomachs, and you're pretty much the winner already!" Sokka protested.
"True," the earthbender grinned. "That's why it's great being me."
"Interesting question…" admitted Azula, staring at the drawing thoughfully.
"Well… Since everything seems to be so limited…" said Sokka, sitting again in front of the scroll "Why don't we make this slightly simple? Whoever falls off the arena loses, and that's it"
"Told ya," Toph said.
"But the Little Avatar would have to beat three people down" muttered Azula "It sounds like the others would have a better chance to best him if we went for that"
"And you want to give him that chance?" asked Sokka, surprised "We want to see if he's better than them, what better test that this? Take the three of them on and push them through the back of the ring"
"I'm not really keen on that," Aang said hesitantly.
"Don't worry Twinkletoes, we won't blame you if you do that," Toph replied, then grinned as she added, "That is, if you manage to pull that off."
"Sometimes I wonder if Azula is really the biggest threat in this story," Katara said as she glanced worriedly at her blind friend.
"Only the back?" asked Azula "And what about the sides?"
"Nah, it's harder to blow someone off by the ends of the arena" said Sokka, smiling.
"It does seem fitting somehow…" admitted Azula, staring at the drawing intently "And how do we prevent them from falling off by the sides?"
"We would have to put up some kind of fence, I guess" said Sokka "But we can get to that by the moment we get rolling on the actual fabrication of the whole thing, right?"
"Yes, it's a good idea" muttered Azula "Anything else you'd like to add?"
Sokka looked at the drawing again and sighed
"I don't know about you, but I sure don't want anyone getting too badly hurt on this. The stage will be held above the ground, and water should surround it just in case, to prevent people from getting bad injuries if they're knocked off. But don't worry, this water won't be used for bending, only the water supply within the stage can be used for battle"
"It's slightly amusing how you say 'people'… exactly how many players do you expect on this arena?" asked Azula "It's supposed to be a test for the Avatar, not a game"
"Well, it's just a generic way to talk about Aang, Zuko, Katara and Toph" he said, lifting his hands up in signal of rendition "But it wouldn't hurt if other benders wanted to pick this sport up or something, just like you said before…"
"And just as you said before, let's just focus on the issue of getting the Avatar his mastery of all elements. You can worry over this becoming a popular game later; though I doubt there will be good enough benders to fight in the conditions I have in mind"
Sokka raised an eyebrow, slightly confused
"You have more ideas up your sleeve there?"
"There's nothing up my sleeve, Sokka" she grunted "But yes, I have more things in mind… This is only the beginning. This test will be very hard for the Avatar to succeed in, but I believe he'll be able to handle it somehow; else he wouldn't be the Avatar"
"I hope you're right about that…" said Sokka "So, what do we do now?"
Azula blushed slightly and stared at him in slight shyness, surprising him
"Uh, are you okay?" he asked
"No," Zuko said automatically. "'Okay' Azula doesn't stare at people in slight shyness."
"We already know that Zuko, you don't have to interrupt the story just for that," Katara said in a slightly annoyed tone. "Still though, it feels like this is one of the longest times we've read a story without interrupting, doesn't it?"
"Well, watching Sokka and Azula in love is interesting enough to get us all to shut up," Toph said while Sokka shot her another glare.
"W-well… maybe I'm the one who needs the bathroom now…"
Sokka couldn't help but laugh at her statement while she playfully punched him in the shoulder. Azula exited the room in a moment, and he stared as she walked away, not missing a glimpse of the smile on her face. She wasn't very good at showing her feelings, but she definitely was a much kinder person than it seemed to everyone else. But Sokka was glad nobody other than him had seen that side of the Fire Nation Princess; it made him feel special, and it made him realize that he was special in her eyes as well.
"I don't think I can ever stop saying how much this story freaks me out," Zuko said as Katara closed the book and placed it on the low table.
"Same here," Aang piped up. "The thought of Azula in love… it isn't really frightening, but it does feel… weird."
Sokka picked up the book. "Well, pretty much everything in this book is weird. I mean, we've got Zuko with Katara, Toph with Aang, giant Momo, cabbage merchants who are part-time assassins, and even Zuko with Suki. That I don't like at all," he added grumpily.
"Hey, it's not like Suki appears much in here. I'd say she came off lucky," Toph said as she reclined backwards on the couch. "Speaking of which, you did say you were planning to visit Kyoshi Island soon, right Snoozles?"
"Yup, it's been quite a while since I last saw my dear Suki," Sokka grinned, then his eyes suddenly brightened. "Hey, can I take this book with me? I'd love to see what she thinks of these stories."
"Meh, do what you want," Toph shrugged. "I don't mind a break from all these crazy tales."
"Then it's settled then! Kyoshi Island, here I come!" And with that, Sokka dashed off with the Companion in hand.
Yup, Kyoshi Island's introduction to The Gaang's Companion will be coming up in the next chapter! Wanna know what Suki, Ty Lee and the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors make of the fanfiction world? Then you'll have to read on to find out! Thanks again to Seyary-Minamoto for her story (and for giving Sokka a good old freak-out, which is always welcome)!