Chapter 5:

The crowd exclaimed in awe as the two firebenders brutally attacked each other. Orange and blue flames were erupting into the air, eliciting commotion from the audience.

Azula and Ozai dashed about the arena, struggling to deliver hits to their opponent. Azula rapidly delivered punch after punch. Her jaw clenched in fierce concentration. Both of the firebenders slowly advanced toward each other. All the while forceful attacks were launched at each other. Neither of the two warriors backed down.

Before they knew it, both Ozai and Azula were close enough for hand to hand combat. Ozai lifted his foot and kicked at Azula's head. The princess gracefully dodged. She could feel the heat of the flames licking at her face as his leg zipped by. Azula slammed two fists into Ozai's hard stomach. She let out a blast of blue flames, but Ozai roughly grabbed her fists and swung her over his head.

Azula managed to land on her feet and twist out of her father's grasp. She saw his outstretched palms summoning an enormous ball of fire. Whirling around, Azula created a spinning shield of blue flames that deflected Ozai's blow.

She hurriedly fell back into a firebending stance. Taking in a huge breath, Azula let the energy inside of her flow through her arms. Putting two of her fingers together, she released the energy in the form of crackling lightning. Ozai landed in the same form and shot a stream of electricity back at her.

Their two attacks clashed, and both duelers held their lightning for an excruciating amount of time. They fought each other, trying to gain dominance over the battle of electricity. Azula ground her teeth together, focusing her strength on the attack. If she were to surrender, she would surely lose when his lightning hit her. She could feel her energy slowly draining away, but Azula refused to submit.

Ozai gnashed his jaws together. Just how long could his daughter hold out?

After a few intense moments, both benders released their lightning at the same time. An explosion reverberated through the air. Ozai and Azula were violently blasted back from the repercussions of their attacks.

Azula was flung on the ground like a sack of potatoes, flipping and going head over toes uncontrollably. She smashed her shoulder, hip, and head against the ground as she flew back. She skidded on the ground on her hands and knees before shakily rising again.

She rose from the ground with as much dignity as possible, and saw that Ozai was standing at the end of the arena, braced in his stance. She noticed his shoulders were moving up and down, and a sheen of sweat covered his entire body. Azula felt a small sense of accomplishment at making her father work hard to beat her.

She noted with less satisfaction that she was covered in just as much sweat as he was. Her muscles were beginning to quiver slightly, and her chest was heaving.

Azula swallowed when she realized her chance of winning was a slim one. Ozai let out a jet of fire and Azula rolled out of the way. She counterattacked with quick, short blasts.

Azula released a rocket of fire beneath her feet, propelling her around her father. She released ferocious attacks of fire, while speeding around her opponent. Every blast sapped away at her strength, but Azula knew that she could keep up her firebending for a long time.

Ozai predicted where she was going to go and expelled a powerful blast, blowing her away. Azula felt searing hot flames tear at her skin as she raised her arms in defense. She crashed onto the ground on her back, and dust rose into the air. Azula shakily hoisted herself upright, just in time to see Ozai charging at her. He shot at her, and Azula jumped out of the way. She was a second late, however, and the fire burned the skin on her legs.

Azula released a bolt of lightning that grazed Ozai on the shoulder. He hissed with pain but continued sprinting at her.

The two firebenders clashed for the hundredth time. Scorching flames exploded here and there. The two most powerful firebenders fearlessly unleashed brutal attacks on each other. Fire burned the ground beneath them to a crisp, darkened with black soot. The duelists expelled their power, strength, and energy in an attempt to overthrow the other. Burns and bruises were given and received. The scent of determination and sweat hung in the air.

The crowd gaped with unblinking eyes, absorbing every detail of the battle. The Fire Lord and the Fire Princess exchanged furious blows, and it began to seem like the Fire Lord had the upper hand. He was stronger, and had more endurance and experience. Azula was a prodigy, but just being a prodigy wasn't enough to defeat the most powerful firebender in the world.

Azula felt her bones creaking with exhaustion. She was covered in injuries that ranged from medium to minor. Sweat dripped freely from her face now, and her hair had made its way out of the topknot and hung down loosely. She was breathing heavily, and was beginning to feel the accumulated fatigue of the long and drawn-out fight.

Ozai was in better condition, though he without a doubt felt the heavy pressure of tiredness settling into his body. The two of them had been battling intensely for nearly an hour now.

Every attack that Ozai sent at her threatened to snatch her off her feet. It took everything Azula had to stay steady and defend herself.

Azula panted and conjured up a blast of fire. It was nowhere near as powerful as it normally would have been. Ozai easily swatted it away and slowly walked toward his daughter. Without a warning, he sent out searing flames that caught her in the arm. Azula saw the attack coming, but her body was too sluggish to avoid the rapid attack. She bit her lip to keep from exclaiming in pain. Ozai slammed his foot into her ribs and Azula crumpled to the ground.

"What's wrong, Azula?" Ozai whispered darkly. "Aren't you going to prove you are worthy of being my daughter? Now stand up and fight!" Ozai reached down to strike her in the jaw, but Azula smacked his arms out of the way and blasted Ozai head on. The Fire Lord extinguished most of his daughters flames and smirked.

Azula got up to her feet and sank into a firebending form. Her limbs were shaking but she was not going to give up. Concentrating, Azula attempted to strike Ozai with lightning. The Fire Lord read her movements, dodged the attack, and engulfed Azula in a deluge of flames.

The princess let out an anguished cry as the flames brutally ate away at her skin. She expelled blue fire from her body, erasing Ozai's attack. Azula fell onto the ground on her stomach.

She could feel all the eyes from the crowd land on her. The audience was clearly in complete shock at seeing their princess knocked down in such a state. It wasn't something one witnessed every day.

Azula struggled to prop herself up. She saw her father's feet stop a few inches away from her. Ozai lifted his foot slowly, and then spitefully stomped on Azula's head. She could have sworn she heard her skull crack against the hard ground. Her vision blurred together and stars danced at the edge of her vision. A terrible, sharp, searing pain exploded from her head.

"Yield," Ozai said coldly.

"...N-never..." Azula gasped out. She pushed herself up on her elbows, shaking with the effort. Azula somehow managed to stagger to her feet with her head spinning. As soon as she stood up, her legs betrayed her. They buckled beneath her and Azula toppled back onto the ground. She lay on her back, staring up at her father. His image was blurry and unfocused.

"You will pay the price honorably," Ozai's lips moved, but his voice seemed a bit detached in Azula's mind. "You will pay for failing to kill Zuko. You will pay for lying to me and disobeying me. And you will pay for losing this Agni Kai."

Azula clenched her teeth, feeling weak. She had failed her father, yet again. In the back of Azula's mind, she knew that Ozai could not possibly plan to scar her for life. I'm not Zuko, she told herself, dazed. But Azula felt that she should know better. After all, her father was cruel.

Ozai put both of his hands forward and balled them up. An immense gale of fire erupted from both of his fists and struck the fallen princess was full force. Azula's cry penetrated the air as the crowd watched.

The people of the Fire Nation had seen the Fire Lord's brutal punishment towards his son, Zuko. And now the same fate had befallen the princess.

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Okay so this chapter took me quite a while to write, but I hope you enjoyed it! I hope the Agni Kai wasn't too long...anyways, drop a review down below, it would make my day! Honestly, your reviews make me feel a thousand times more happy to write!