XXIV: Masters and Children
In the dawn, Iroh woke and stretched with a yawn, and from behind he heard a voice: "Good morning, Uncle, I'm glad that you're doing well."
Iroh turned and quickly pulled Zuko in for a hug: "I've missed you, my nephew."
"Everyone else is here, save for Aang, he's gone and disappeared on us, but somehow I feel that's the way that it's meant to be."
Iroh backed off from Zuko and looked into his eyes, he studied them closely and told Zuko: "Something seems different about you, Prince Zuko, there's a new spark in your eyes. It's not like an member of flame, but a ray of sunlight."
"I've learned a lot about Firebending since we last spoke. As you've suggested, we met the Sun Warriors and the masters judged us. Those dragons… They were amazing!" Zuko replied.
"You'll have to tell me everything, but first, Master Pakku has offered to challenge me to a game of Pei Sho! Please, would you share a moment of peace with me before Sozin's Comet?" Iroh asked. Zuko nodded and accompanied his uncle to Pakku's tent.
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"I still can't believe that you reclaimed Omashu from the Fire Nation all by yourself! You really must be the greatest Earthbender of all time!" Suki told Bumi. As she spoke, Toph happened to be walking by.
"That's right." King Bumi replied.
"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but to overhear your talking. Did you say that that this old is the greatest Earthbender ever?" Toph asked. Bumi laughed and snorted as he replied: "I believe she said of all time."
Toph burst out into uproarious laughter, as Bumi glared at her with a pout, Toph told him: "Listen, pops, just because you're as old as dirt, doesn't mean that you can bend it!"
"Little girl, I've got toenails that can bend better than you!" Bumi retorted showing his old toes to the blind girl.
"Oh really!" Toph challenged.
"That's right."
"There's only one way to decide who's the best Earthbender… AN EARTHBENDING RUMBLE!" Sokka declared, and so they moved to a safe spot where they could duel. Toph and Bumi faced each other in their chosen ring while Suki and Sokka sat off to the side as an audience member and the referee.
"In the East corner we have Toph: A.K.A. The Blind Bandit and The Runaway, and the self-proclaimed best Earthbender of all time! In the west corner we have King Bumi: A.K.A. The Mad Earthbending Genius and The Over-the-Hill Hitter! Now I want a nice, messy, rock-filled fight! You may start at the sound of the gong!" Sokka announced, he pulled out a small gong and struck it, but Toph and Bumi stayed put.
"Young people go first." Bumi stated.
"I wouldn't dream of disrespecting my elder." Toph replied.
"COME ON ALREADY, FIGHT!" Sokka shouted.
Finally Bumi kicked things off by raising a pile of boulders and chucking them, Toph brought up another pile and smashed her boulders into Bumi's to break them into pieces and she managed to dodge the rest. What followed was a fight that shook the whole area!
Katara was the first to hear all of the commotion and couldn't believe that her brother was allowing for these two, very powerful, Earthbenders to fight just to see who the best was!
"YEAH ROCKALACHE!" Sokka declared as they had caused a large rockslide that shook the 'Old People Camp'!
During the shake, Jeong Jeong was bucked out of his seat while he was having breakfast, Master Piandao ruined his calligraphy parchment, and Iroh and Pakku's Pei Sho table was disturbed.
"What's happening?" Pakku asked.
"It looks like I won!" Iroh declared with excitement as he looked down at the table.
"Are we under attack?" Master Piandao asked approaching Pakku's tent.
"Where are the kids?" Jeong Jeong asked. At hearing this, Zuko ran off, telling them: "I'll find them!" and then under his breath, he muttered: "I just hope that I'm not too late."
However, as he and the White Lotus made it to the scene of the ruckus, he found that it was not an attack, but an Earth Rumble between Bumi and Toph! With the combined efforts of Katara, Zuko, and the White Lotus they managed to break up the fight, and Sokka declared it to be a draw, both benders were still pretty good, but after seeing that everyone was in one spot now, h decided that he didn't get to see enough friendly fighting.
"Zuko! Hey man, I'm glad you're here with everyone else now! Did you get a chance to tell your uncle everything you learned since the eclipse?" Sokka asked. Everyone paused and turned to face them.
"No, he was busy playing a game this morning with your new grandfather." Zuko replied. Sokka widened his eyes and exclaimed: "WHAT! You're telling me that you haven't told your uncle that you've grown to be THE WORLD'S most powerful FIREBENDER!"
Needlessly to say, the White Lotus gave them their full attention.
"Zuko, is there something that you want to tell me? I know that after meeting the Sun Warriors you can discover the true meaning of fire, but to become the 'world's most powerful Firebender' that is something that you have to do on your own. Have you advanced your training? Or is Sokka exaggerating?" Iroh asked.
"Why don't you find out for yourself, General Iroh? C'mon, why don't you put Zuko through the ultimate test?" Sokka asked.
"I'm not going to challenge my nephew to an Agni Kai!" Iroh exclaimed.
"Don't go about it like an Agni Kai then, think of it as a demonstration. You and Zuko exchange blows and you demonstrate as to how you go about to avoid getting hit. Besides, I'm sure that Zuko is excited to show you everything that he's learned." Sokka replied.
Zuko sighed and told his uncle: "He's actually right. I think that you'll find what I've learned to be quite fascinating, Uncle, but I'd have to play it out like an Agni Kai. Please Uncle?"
"For you, Zuko, of course, it should be a nice warm up before I go in to retake the city of Ba Sing Se for the Earth Kingdom!"
Bumi and Toph fixed up an arena so Zuko and Iroh could bend to their hearts' content. Iroh set his blue robe off to the side and threw the first punch, shooting a fireball! Zuko dissipated it using a stance from the Dragon's Dance form, a low stance with his arms spread out. He returned fire using a technique that Toph showed him. He put both fists forward, pulled his forearms up and created a flame, and then made a pushing motion to throw a wall of flame Iroh's way, and Iroh blocked the attack with a blast of his own fire.
Zuko made another attacking move, only this time he was bending lightning! Iroh's eyes widened in amazement! His nephew unlocked the secret to bend lightning! Iroh assumed a stance to show that he was ready to redirect it, and so Zuko released the lightning Iroh's way, and Iroh redirected it to the sky!
They exchanged a series of blows, but with Zuko demonstrating techniques borrowed from the other elements, and then he decided that it was time to amp up his power, and he began to release his multicolored flames! The flames glowed green, orange, red, violet, and so many other colors! It was like dragon fire!
"Someone come in and help my uncle!" Zuko ordered, because now he was prepared to show them the ultimate surprise! Jeong Jeong came into the ring and both he and Iroh struck at the same time, and the threat of two Firebenders helped Zuko to trigger the Dragon State! The White Lotus looked at Zuko's glowing eyes in shock and awe!
He continued to move their fire like waves of water, and added some spin to achieve more heat, he practically danced around his opponents' strikes in spirals like an Airbender, and threw hard blasts like an Earthbender throwing rocks, his flames showing one beautiful color after another! Iroh even grew bold enough to start bending lightning at Zuko, and was amazed to see him redirect it into the sky too!
They called it quits a little while later, and Zuko's eyes finally dimmed to their normal state, and he bowed respectfully to his opponents.
"Zuko, what was that?" Iroh asked, not sure how to feel, Zuko motioned for the other members of the White Lotus to come closer and explained: "Avatar Aang showed us how to open up our chakras, a technique that's supposed to allow him to master the Avatar State. When I opened up my last chakra, I woke up a gene that takes the form of a spirit. The gene was passed down to me from my great-grandfather, Avatar Roku, and the gene proved to be a child of Raava, the Light Spirit. With it, I can trigger something that I've come to call the Dragon State. Uncle, I've fully realized the element of fire."
Iroh pulled Zuko in for another hug and spoke: "Well done, Zuko! You've grown so strong! Just remember this: with great power, it is easy to let it consume you, it must be used in wisdom."
"Of course, Uncle, besides, the Dragon State leaves me a little dizzy after every time I use it." Zuko replied.
They returned to the 'Old People Camp' or at least what remained of it after the rumble. On the way there, Zuko told Iroh: "The other night ago, I had a dream where my Dragon State Spirit actually talked to me. The spirit has the form of a golden dragon, he told me that his name was Lux."
Iroh gave Zuko a strange look, Zuko expected it though, he knew that he was an oddity now that he had this trait, so Zuko continued: "I asked Lux if there was another child of Raava out there, and he told me that I didn't have to fear Azula, but his sister, Kaimana, does that name mean anything to you?"
"I've never heard of the name before, I just know that it has something to do with the ocean." Iroh replied. Zuko's head snapped to look over to Katara.
Upon their return he kids sat in a ring with Iroh and they were having lunch before they had to depart, Iroh talked about their destinies, Zuko knew that he was going to have to face his sister and requested for Katara to assist him, Sokka decided that even if they didn't know where Aang was, it was their duty to help him, Zuko had told them that despite the destruction that they've caused on the Day of Black Sun, the Fire Nation managed to produce some airships. Sokka's plan was to take over an airship and turn it against the rest of the fleet.
"Uncle, after the war, what are you going to do?" Zuko asked.
"After I re-conquer Ba Sing Se, I am going to re-conquer my tea shop, and play Pei Sho every day!" Iroh replied. They were ready to bid their farewells, but Zuko pulled Katara off to the side and told her: "If we are to face Azula, I need you to open your chakras."
"What are you talking about? I've already opened them during Aang's lesson." Katara replied.
"I don't think that you could open all of them. You had trouble letting your mother go, and I know that you carry a shame for learning Bloodbending; although it will be hard, you do need to accept all forms of your bending. Now please, go meditate, and open your chakras."
"Why are my chakras so important to you?" Katara asked.
"I may have reason to believe that you're a child of Raava too. Does the name Kaimana mean anything to you?" Zuko asked. Katara recalled her dream and her eyes lit up. How could Zuko know of the beads that her mother handed over to her? That was the exact word that was spelled out on them!
Katara sat down and Zuko guided her through the chakras again. When her eyes opened, they were glowing blue! Katara got to her feet and so did Zuko with a bright smile on his face as Katara got to her feet and pulled water out of thin air and bent it! She calmed herself down and her eyes dimmed, and she and Zuko threw themselves into a hug.
"I can't believe it, I'm descended from an Avatar!" Katara exclaimed.
"That ancestor must've been alive hundreds of years ago! Yet you can still carry the gene."
"My Dad had relatives that could bend, but that was some time ago… Thanks Zuko… Say, does that make you my brother?" Katara asked.
"Only our special spirits are brother and sister, make what you want out of that, now let's go." Zuko told her, and they saddled up on Appa and took flight ready to return to the Fire Nation.
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Coming up for the epic climax we have two chapters to separate the two final battles, because that will be too much epic-ness to put in one chapter. However, I ask for your help, what can I do differently between Aang and Ozai's fight so I'm not copying and pasting a transcript of the show?
Please review!
