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The Scientist and the Emerald Bomber – Chapter One Hundred Three
The heavy metal doors opened up with a screeching metal creak while a blaze of intense flame lit the pathway ahead.
Just as the team burst through the doors with their weary eyes gazing ahead.
"I…I hope that there weren't any more prisoners trapped inside." Elle stated as she panted for air while she gazed forward with worried amber eyes.
Her highborn friends hurried out alongside her.
Only to find herself instinctively jumping when her princess's voice rang out in her ears.
"Enough about that servant! Focus on the task at hand." Azula barked in an overbearing voice with her strict amber golden eyes staring harshly down at her serving girl's speedily nodding face.
She once more took great delight in how the younger girl so quickly submitted to her command.
"Y-yes princess." Elle squeaked in an obedient voice while her princess now smiled down at her in approval.
Mai and Ty Lee suppressed a sigh behind her.
And Zoi wordlessly stepped ahead of the group with her stony golden eyes surveying the area.
"Azula is right Elle. I am sure that was all of them." Ty Lee assured in a sisterly voice while she offered the younger girl a comforting smile.
In truth she wasn't so sure of that.
But she knew that Elle had been through enough for one day.
And that there was no sense in making the poor girl worry any more than she already has.
"I can only presume that the way out is through this tunnel. Judging by the chill that is blowing through the air." Zoi remarked as she marched on with her elbow covering her face while her companions shivered as they felt the temperature change.
"Ugh! Let's just get back to the gateway already. I hate this country!" Azula growled as she stomped through the increasingly cold tunnel while her servant scampered after her.
"The sooner we do that the better." Mai complained with a scowl on her lips as she held her arms to her chest in an effort to stay warm under her coat.
And with that the two firebenders cleared the flames that were obstructing the passageway.
The team trudged to the end of the smoking escape tunnel as they all shivered when they felt the air become progressively colder.
Before the five girls came to a stop to find themselves gazing up at a long ladder that led to an unknown location above ground.
"Up there." Zoi stated in a composed voice as she began to climb the ladder while her comrades followed after her.
"Stay behind me Elle." Azula ordered in a domineering voice with her possessive amber golden eyes turning to glance back at her young girlfriend's exhausted face.
"Wakarimashita Azula-sama." Elle replied in a mousy voice while she scrambled after the much taller woman.
Just before the princess began to climb the ladder with her cold eyes gazing up above.
As her servant girl timidly ascended below her with her two childhood friends being the last to follow.
Elle climbed the ladder as she gazed up through the hazy tunnel with the princess advancing above her.
And then about one minute later an escape latch was shoved open by the captain's hand.
While the Fire Nation women and their young friend quickly emerged from the tunnel only to find themselves savagely assaulted by a wave of frigid air.
And just like that the team stood up with their eyes widening as they gazed around them to find themselves standing in a military hangar of some kind.
An inferno burned all around them with many army vehicles now ablaze from the flames.
And in the distance, they could see the vast encampment was covered in flames for as far as their eyes could see.
A chilling wind swept through the air as they were forced to linger near the blaze to keep their bodies from succumbing to the vicious elements.
And then the five girls began to make their way through the flames.
Only for the highborn women to find themselves gazing ahead in unhidden fascination at the sight of a large airship burning to pieces right before their astonished eyes.
"Is that an airship Elle?" Azula questioned in an undeniably intrigued voice while the noblewomen stared at the burning aircraft in similar intrigue.
"That's so Azula-sama. I-it's called a jet." Elle informed as she held her coat close while her friends gazed at the blazing jet in wonder.
"I must say Elle. The people of your homeland have created some incredible technology." Zoi commented with her impressed golden eyes glancing over the burning aircraft.
Mai and Ty Lee stared back at the destroyed machine with looks of amazement in their eyes.
"We…. we created aircraft that can break the sound barrier and these jets can deliver nuclear bombs that have the power to destroy entire continents." Elle spoke up in a noticeably saddened voice while her highborn friends listened in a speechless silence.
The Fire Nation women now gazed on with their eyes wide in shock.
They recalled the ominous words that their young friend had told them not even an hour ago.
The great war…killed a large percentage of the worldwide population.
"Entire continents?" Mai breathed in a stunned voice as the flames burned around her while her little sister solemnly nodded her head.
'I must obtain a blueprint of this technology!' Azula thought with her amber golden eyes now agape in methodical curiosity while pieces of the aircraft began to crumble to the ground.
"T-that's so oneesan. They…poison the atmosphere and the crops. So, that those that do survive will suffer disease and deformities for decades to come. It…it renders the land unusable." Elle answered in a sorrowful voice while her friends listened in disbelief.
"T-that's…horrible Elle." Ty Lee spoke in a horrified voice while the princess listened with little pity in her callous gaze.
"It…really is. And before the great war…we even managed to create experimental space travel." Elle murmured with a far off look in her amber eyes while her companions listened in a riveted quiet.
The sheer concept of traveling through space was enough for the group to almost forget that they were standing under a rapidly crumbling shelter with very little protection from the frigid elements.
Almost but not quite.
"Space travel?" Zoi inquired in a taken aback voice while Azula also gazed on with fascination in her eyes.
"Yes. We traveled to the moon. And we…. we even created automated probes that we were able to send out to collect data from galaxies far away." Elle explained in an informative voice with her amber eyes gazing into the hot flames while the older girls gazed on in marvelment.
"That's…phenomenal Elle." Ty Lee stated in an awestruck voice while she gazed on with astounded brown-gray eyes.
"O-of course that was all prior to the big war. I doubt anything will ever come of all of that now." Elle stammered as she shivered in her coat with her sensitive eyes gazing down at her feet while the fires crackles in her ears.
The four Fire Nation women still gazed between the girl and the burning military base in unconcealed wonder.
"We…we had it all and then we threw it all away for a catastrophic war that nearly destroyed the entire planet. War…it's such a foolish endeavor." Elle lamented in an unusually glum voice with her companions listening in a bewildered quiet alongside her.
Her highborn friends turned to stare down at her with attentive expressions in their eyes.
"Are you alright kid?" Mai questioned with her tawny eyes taking on a concerned look when she took note of the girl's bothered expression.
"I'll be fine oneesan." Elle reassured in a meek voice as she tried to smile up at the woman's worried face while Mai frowned over her.
Ty Lee too gazed on with a worried expression in her tender eyes.
Only for Azula to roll her eyes as she stepped past the smaller girl.
"You and your weak-hearted peasant musings." Azula snorted with her fists planted on her womanly hips as she gazed down at her pet's gentle face.
And that was all it took for the girl's innocent face to brighten considerably once more.
"You know me Azula-sama. I just can't help myself." Elle responded in a soft voice while she peered up at her mistress's cold face with the woman's icy eyes gazing back down at her.
"No. I suppose you can't." Azula sighed with a shake of her head as she brushed the hair from her sweaty eyes as she resumed her walk through the rubble.
Her ruthless amber golden eyes glanced about with her full lips already pursing into another regal scowl as she listened to the brutal winds whistle in the distance.
"The fires have raised the temperature of the encampment. Enough for our bending to continue unimpeded and avoid succumbing to the elements. But it won't last long. Likely only for a few hours at most." Zoi announced in a grave voice with her serious golden eyes gazing out at the ruins of the burning fortress while her fellows gazed on in worry beside her.
Azula glared out through the thick smoke with her cold eyes taking on an aggravated gleam.
As her two childhood friends and her young girlfriend shivered in their winter coats behind her.
"What…what are we going to do Azula? We'll die if we get stranded out in a climate like this." Ty Lee questioned with anxiety lacing her voice while she huddled underneath her coat.
"N-no kidding. It's really cold out here." Elle stammered as she quivered in her coat while Mai shivered in agreement.
The princess stood scowling with her cold eyes glancing behind her in disapproval of the younger girl's discomfort.
"We'll find working transportation that we can use to take shelter from the cold. And then…" Azula replied in a rigid voice only to find herself trailing off when she heard a distinct mechanical sound carrying into the air.
And then the five girls swiftly turned around while they gazed up from underneath the burning hangar.
Only for their eyes to widen in alarm at what they saw coming up from over the horizon.
It was a fleet…of military aircraft!
"F-friends! W-we need to take cover!" Elle cried out in a panicked voice only for the princess yank her by the collar of her coat.
And then the highborn women broke out into a run through the burning camp with Elle being pulled along behind the sprinting princess.
Just before rapid gunfire began to rain down from the helicopters above while the older girls darted through the snow for cover.
"Damn these people!" Azula snapped with her ruthless eyes glaring ahead while Elle cried out behind her.
"It seems as if Cynthia was right after all." Zoi commented in a stoic voice while her fellow noblewomen sprinted after her.
Just before the team ran through the flames with their guarded eyes scoping out the pathway ahead.
As the sound of explosive gunfire and roaring winds split into the air.
And then they leaped for cover behind a large burning building as they took cold intakes of air in their increasingly pressured lungs.
They warily watched from over their shoulders as a heavily reinforced helicopter transport lowered into the snow just behind them.
Until the helicopter landed with the sound of its spinning blades still resonating into the air.
As numerous similar aircraft landed behind it with scores of armored soldiers rushing out with rifles in hand.
Just as the group began to back up in a defensive circle when the soldiers began swarming around the corner.
They glared on with narrowed looks in their eyes while they held their respective weapons out before them with their young friend quivering in fright behind them.
"I suggest you fools get out of our way unless you want to join your friends in the rubble!" Azula hissed with fire spewing from glowering lips while her cold amber golden eyes glared at the approaching soldiers.
She stood firm on her booted feet as she shielded her petite serving girl behind her larger back.
Only for the older girls to spin around when an indescribably eerie laugh flowed into their alert ears.
Before they turned to find themselves staring back at a foreboding man's unnervingly smiling face.
The first thing that they noticed was that his skin was ghostly pale and that his hair was a strange shade of white.
He was dressed in a well-groomed black uniform and he was striding confidently toward them with his hands clasped behind his back.
And his eyes…were an unusual color of red!
And most frightening of all was the fact that unlike the others he had a horrifying aura!
And just like that Elle's amber eyes grew wide in fear while her mouth dropped open in alarm.
Her cold hands shook on the straps of her backpack as her friends turned to gaze at her in concern.
"I-it's…it's him. Naoki showed us his face on a poster. He's the one that she told us to stay away from." Elle stuttered with her teeth chattering from the chill while her companions glared daggers back at the pale man's smirking countenance.
"There is no point in bluffing. I have been studying you firebenders for quite some time now. And I know well enough that your abilities are crippled by the cold." Nero spoke in a diabolical voice with his lips entrenched in a smile while the princess's amber golden eyes glared through his skull.
He approached with his gloved hands falling to his hips.
The Fire Nation women's eyes flashed with unease as they stared coldly back at the unsettling man.
'What does he mean by that? Is he implying that there are firebenders in this land?' Azula thought with her amber golden eyes glaring dangerously back at the man.
Her lips remained pursed into a regal scowl with her subordinates exchanging concerned glances behind her.
"Azula…there is something horrible about him. His chi…it feels monstrous. He…doesn't feel human." Ty Lee whispered with a trace of fear in her voice while she slid back beside her glowering friend.
"T-Ty Lee isn't wrong Azula-sama. I don't like him. He scares me." Elle spoke in a timid voice as she hid behind Azula's armored back.
Only for Nero to let out a demented chuckle that sent a shiver down her spine while the highborn women stared warningly back at his smiling pale face.
"I caution you against taking us too lightly. We are warriors and we can adapt to any conditions." Zoi stated in a rigid voice with her golden eyes glaring back at the man and his soldiers.
Azula held her head high in agreement as she stared icily back at the advancing man.
"Indeed. It is going to take more than a cold wind to bring us down." Azula remarked in a callous voice with her burning fists clenched at her womanly hips.
As the bizarre man smiled coldly back at them.
Before he came to a stop with his red eyes glancing from one member of Team Azula to another.
Only for his cruel gaze to momentarily settle on Elle's gentle face while the young girl's friends glared furiously back at him.
"We shall see. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nero, and I am the most illustrious scientist to ever live, and the head of this fortress's research division." Nero announced in a conceited voice with a twisted smile on his lips.
And that was all it took for the five girls' eyes to widen in alarm while they once more recalled the old sage's words.
A deranged scientist.
I can tell you that four of you have already met him. And you don't even know it.
And just like that an unnerving realization swept over them.
Then and there they understood that they were staring down the monstrous scientist that Mava had foreseen in her mystic flames!
"He…was the one that the old woman was talking about." Mai muttered with her tawny eyes widening in understanding while she took a defensive position beside her scowling leader.
"It would appear so. Although I don't recall ever meeting him before today." Zoi remarked in a stony voice with her boots crunching in the snow while her hand rested on the hilt of her blade.
Just before the group turned to their princess when the princess let out an arrogant scoff of dismissal.
"The most illustrious scientist to ever live and you couldn't even hold us captive? I am not impressed." Azula scoffed with a taunting smirk on her crimson lips while she held her fists on her armored hips.
Only for her amber golden eyes to narrow into yet another frigid glare when the researcher released another sinister chuckle.
Mai and Ty Lee shared an unnerved look with one another while they tried to suppress the shudder that was traveling down their spine.
"Arrogant princess. You think too highly of yourself. I purposefully delayed my arrival so that I could see your powers first hand for myself." Nero declared in a devilish voice with his blood red eyes staring back at the highborn women's taken aback faces.
"And why would you do that?" Zoi questioned with a curious edge to her voice while Nero's lips curled into a demented smirk.
"For scientific research. You see I have a passion for studying…gifted individuals." Nero informed in a heartless voice while he held out a gloved hand before the team's stunned faces.
His crimson eyes still gazed uncomfortably over their shoulders back at Elle's increasingly fearful face.
"S-study? What does he mean by study?" Elle stammered in an unsettled voice while her big sisters glared back at the man's smiling face.
"It means that he isn't going anywhere near you kid." Mai stated in a tone of finality as she held a blade in hand while she glared back at Nero in disgust.
"If it's power that you want to see. Then I'll show you more power than you could ever handle." Azula boasted in a sanguine voice while she stared coldly at the researcher's delighted face.
"We'll make certain not to disappoint you." Zoi spoke as she sunk into a combat stance with a smirk on her lips while her fellow noblewomen prepared for battle behind her.
All the while as the inferno still raged behind them with its intense flames serving to heat the air around them.
"I once sought you two for research. There was a time when I would have been ecstatic to cut into your flesh." Nero admitted in a casual voice as he held a finger under his chin while the team stared back at him with revolted eyes.
Ty Lee shuddered yet again with her brown-gray eyes expressing her fear as she slid another foot back.
"As you should. My bending is like no other." Azula commented in an egotistical voice with her amber golden eyes shining in a prideful gleam.
As her two childhood friends resisted the urge to sigh.
"However, that time has passed. I have since concluded studying firebenders. I no longer have any further use for you two." Nero stated in a voice devoid of emotion while the two firebenders stared back with insulted expressions in their eyes.
"No further use for us? So, you were watching us after all." Zoi snorted as she glared back at the man with stony golden eyes.
"What a creep." Mai muttered with revulsion in her voice while the man smiled back at them.
"That is correct Zoi. I found two suitable replacements. Two young commoner girls…that are just as talented as the two of you." Nero purred with his gloved fingers uncurling from his chin while Azula's amber golden eyes burned in offense.
"T-two young commoner girls…" Elle trailed off as she swallowed down her fear while her friend's eyes flashed with similar thoughts.
"You dare to compare the princess of the Fire Nation and a peasant in the same breath." Azula snarled with her amber golden eyes glimmering in anger while the researcher just smiled back at her.
"I can only assume he is talking about Naoki." Zoi spoke with a reflective look in her golden eyes while the princess scowled beside her.
"Hm. But on the other hand, I am very interested in you Elle Turner." Nero cooed in a twisted voice as Elle gulped while her protective friends narrowed their eyes into slits.
"I-interested in me?" Elle squeaked while her friends glared at the man.
"Come with me child. And I will show you the purpose behind that rare power of yours. And when I experiment on you, I promise that I will even use anesthetic." Nero assured in a monstrous voice as he extended his hand while Elle's innocent eyes grew wide in horror.
The Fire Nation women stared back in utter disbelief over the sheer monstrosity of the scientist's 'offer'.
"Azula-sama!" Elle cried out in fright as she stepped back behind Azula's back while the princess now glared mercilessly back at the researcher.
"You beast! You won't be laying a single finger on my little sister!" Ty Lee shouted in an infuriated voice with her kind eyes overflowing in anger while the younger girl shook in appreciation.
"Damn right you won't." Mai stated in a firm voice with her repulsed tawny eyes glaring back at Nero's undaunted face.
"Most certainly not." Zoi commented as she held her fists up before her face while Elle calmed down behind her.
"Our servant isn't for sale! Go find another peasant! We have already laid claim to this one!" Azula barked in a spoiled voice with her cold eyes glaring imposing back at Nero while her serving girl blushed beside her.
As her two childhood friends turned to stare pointedly in her direction.
"Elle isn't some piece of property that we own Azula." Ty Lee scolded in a disapproving voice with her hands on her hips while Azula just waved a hand in dismissal.
"T-that's my princess charming. She's a dream come true." Elle gushed with a dainty hand on her cold cheek while she swooned like a love-struck schoolgirl.
The princess held up her smirking head high with her three subordinates gazing on in a comical quiet behind her.
"Tell me something that I don't already know peasant." Azula huffed with a hand on her shapely hip while she felt her girlfriend's small hands touch her back.
She narrowed her eyes into yet another domineering glare with her gaze never leaving the man's still smirking face.
And then Nero wordlessly raised his gloved hand above his head while the sound of a mechanical door opening resonated into the air.
The four highborn women and their young servant turned to gaze in the direction of the first helicopter.
Only for the older girls to find themselves gazing up in confusion to see a teenage girl in metal bonds being led down the ramp.
She was wearing a facial cage and her bright golden eyes gazed out from underneath her bonds.
The girl had brown hair that was spilling out from underneath her face cage.
And she wore green robes that were blowing about in the arctic winds.
Elle's mouth dropped open in shock while she gazed up with widened amber eyes.
Just before her four friends turned to her in surprise to see her dart out from behind them.
"Katsu! Are you hurt?!" Elle yelled out with urgency in voice while the older girls' eyes widened in realization.
"This is Katsu?" Azula asked in a cold voice as she arched an elegant brow while Katsu's golden eyes darted about below.
"As I said before. I already have a firebender." Nero revealed in a sadistic voice while the Fire Nation women gazed up at the restrained girl in shock.
"That girl is a firebender?" Zoi inquired in a curious voice while her princess also gazed at the girl in interest.
"W-what did you do to her! Why are her eyes so despondent!" Elle demanded with anger in her voice.
The scientist smiled cruelly back at Ty Lee and Mai's repulsed faces.
"Oh, nothing much. Just a few behavioral modifications." Nero answered with a demented chuckle while he smirked back at the young girl's unnaturally incensed face.
"Whatever you did you better undo it now!" Elle shouted as she glared up at Nero while the man just grinned monstrously back at her.
"You never told me that this girl was a firebender Elle." Azula remarked in a refine voice with her callous eyes turning to gaze at her servant girl's fretful face.
"I…I didn't know that she was a firebender. I never saw Katsu bend a flame Azula-sama. I only saw her make explosive green light." Elle replied in a distraught voice while the older girls gazed back up at Katsu's restrained face in growing bewilderment.
"Explosive green light…that almost sounds like…" Zoi trailed off with her brows furrowing in contemplation.
"We're going to help that poor girl. Aren't we Azula?" Ty Lee pondered in a suggestive voice while the princess turned to glare at her through the corner of her eye.
Mai let out a snort over the mere concept of the princess being a freedom fighter.
"Do I look like a slave liberator to you Ty Lee?" Azula snapped in a pompous voice with her amber golden eyes glaring back at her childhood friend's frowning face.
Only for her regal scowl to deepen even further when she caught also Mai directing a stare her way.
She tapped a boot in frustration before she turned to glare over her shoulder plate down at her girlfriend's dismayed countenance.
Just as she released an aggravated groan before she turned her harsh gaze back to the researcher's sadistic face.
"I have a much better idea. Why don't we see how you two compare against my berserk bomber?" Nero spoke in a delightfully cruel voice with his crimson eyes staring back at the two firebenders intrigued faces.
"Berserk bomber?" Mai queried with a curious edge to her monotone voice.
The princess stepped forward beside her captain with a confident smirk on her beautiful lips as she gazed back at the bound firebender.
"There is no firebender that can even begin to compare to me. You'll find that out soon for yourself. You and everyone else in this wretched land." Azula spoke in a lethal voice with her frigid eyes glaring imposingly back at the scientist's smiling face.
"Be assured Nero. The princess and I are plenty strong. I promise you that you won't be disappointed with what we have to offer." Zoi retorted with a smirk of her own as she slid her boots back in the snow while the man smirked back at her.
Ty Lee and Mai stood poised in battle positions with Elle gazing on in worry behind them.
The blaze continued to rage around them with the many soldiers aiming their rifles at them.
And then not a moment later the two mighty firebenders auras flared to life!
Zoi's hair blew in the wind as her yellow flames spread out underneath her feet while she gazed on with stony golden eyes.
As tiny red embers emanated off her body once more.
An explosion of the princess's flames surged forward into the surrounding ruins.
And then not an instant later the princess's hot yellow flames began to transform into a searing azure inferno!
Azula smirked confidently from behind her wall of blue fire with her arrogant amber golden eyes staring back at her enemies.
Their three companions covered their faces as they stepped back.
All while they gazed on at the two firebenders with awestruck looks in their eyes.
And that was all it took for the soldiers to begin to back away in intimidation while the princess and the captain smirked back at them.
Nero gazed on with a smile still adorning his lips while he fearlessly stared into the growing inferno.
"Impressive. There is no doubt that you two are the greatest of your warrior class." Nero commented with a methodical smirk on his lips while the two firebenders' eyes flashed with unmistakable pride.
As Katsu stood on the ramp with her golden eyes widening as she stared back into the princess's blue flames.
While her mouth fell open underneath her facial cage as she gazed hypnotically into the burning azure inferno.
The longer that she gazed into the blue fire the more she found herself being overcome by the painful memories of the past.
As one particular memory continuously played over and over again in her mind.
The traumatized child sat huddled in a pitch-black cell.
Her frightened golden eyes watched in silence as a mechanical blowtorch protruded forth from a hole in the wall.
And then she before she knew it a blue flame ignited from the barrel of the torch while it drew closer and closer to her face.
"Stop! Please stop!" The child howled in a shrill voice while the blue flame mercilessly approached her terrified face.
And before she knew it her terrified screams were soon echoing all throughout the halls of the facility.
And then without any warning whatsoever Katsu screamed out at the top of her lungs while Team Azula turned to her in surprise.
The firebender thrashed in her bonds like a rabid animal while her golden eyes began to take on an increasingly maddened gleam.
Her shrieks split through the air as she snarled viciously in her restraints.
And most baffling of all was the fact that the girl was staring down at the bewildered Azula with rage in her eyes.
Nero watched with a cruel smile growing onto his pleased lips.
"K-Katsu! What's wrong?" Elle blurted out in a worried voice with her kind eyes staring up at the thrashing girl in confusion.
The highborn women gazed up with bewildered expressions in their eyes as they listened to the girl roar like a wild beast.
While the soldiers that were surrounding her started to back away in fright when a bright light began to emanate from underneath her bonds.
And then an explosion of green energy burst forth from Katsu's restraints.
As the broken pieces from her shattered bonds now rained down below before the astonished eyes of Team Azula.
The group now stared up with stunned looks in their eyes while Katsu now stood panting on the ramp.
And for the first time since they were able to get a clear look at the girl.
Katsu stood trembling with her fists gripped at her hips while her green robes blew in the cold winds.
While a long pony tail of brown hair now hung behind her as she panted with her bangs sticking to her face.
And most noticeable of was that a steel collar was wrapped around her neck.
Her maddened golden eyes now stared right back down at the princess's puzzled face.
And then a few fleeting seconds after that another explosion of light lit up the air.
As the soldiers that were unfortunate enough to be standing near the ramp were sent flailing into the rubble.
All while Nero smirked from the sidelines with his red eyes staring up at the raging bomber.
And then before Team Azula could react the girl was charging down the ramp towards the speechless group.
Azula and Zoi stared up with their eyes widening in shock as they watched the girl's green energy flicker with a barely perceivable emerald flame!
"Is…that a green flame!" Azula exclaimed with rare disbelief in her voice while her spellbound amber golden eyes watched the roaring girl charge at her.
As her subordinates stood rooted in their spots with their eyes still gazing up in shock.
Just as another round of bright combustionbending exploded above their startled eyes.
While a bright green light lit up the sky over the burning military base.
Naoki watched from in the far distance from where she sat in the wreckage with her crimson red hair blowing before her emotionless eyes.
And then mere moments later a concurrent series of explosions rumbled throughout the landscape while an explosion of blue firebending rang out in retaliation.
As the animalistic roars of Katsu echoed throughout the ruins of the fortress.
AN:
In this chapter Team Azula saw a jet, and they learned more about nuclear bombs and Elle also told them about space travel. So, they are starting to understand that while their homeland is far ahead of Elle's in terms of bending, and all things mystical, that Elle's homeland is conversely is ahead of them in terms of technology.
Also, the cause of the near destruction of civilization in Elle's world remains unstated. All we know is what Elle has said, and it is important to remember that she is a young girl who was not alive when it happened. Elle stated that a weapon was released into the air, we don't know what kind of weapon though. It may not have been a nuclear bomb.
I also wanted to state that while the cold does hinder firebending, Azula and Zoe are able to keep themselves going by fighting in the inferno. There are oil lines underground below the base, and that fuel is now on fire which is serving to keep the fires going above ground. This presents a setting where firebenders can continue to use their bending despite it being a frigid climate.
Also, while it is horribly cold, they are not there in the dead of winter so that helps too.
And so, we are now getting to know Nero and Katsu. Ty Lee's comments about Nero's aura feeling inhuman, as well as his unnatural eye color and white hair despite not seeming old, hint that he may have inhuman origins.
While bending and people with powers are possible in the story that I am telling, for the most part I am trying to keep certain things realistic. That means that it is not normal to have red eye color, and that it is also abnormal for someone who isn't old to have white hair.
We don't know much about him at this point in the story, by his own words. He once wanted to experiment on Azula and Zoe, but he chose not to. Because he found two young commoner girls who in his eyes were just as valuable. And also easier to acquire than a Fire Nation Princess and a famous soldier.
Nero is an utterly horrible person with no regard for the lives of other beings. You could potentially compare him to Silah. However, unlike Silah he is potentially more playful. And by playful, I mean that right now he just wants to watch his prized firebender fight with Azula and Zoe. He wants to see how Katsu compares to the best of all firebenders.
As for Katsu, she is indeed a combustionbender, more specifically she is a berserk combustionbender. This was hinted at when Elle told Team Azula that Katsu's light creates explosions. We'll learn more about Katsu over the next few chapters as we watch her fight.
A few things that I want to mention, is that because Katsu is from a different world, and because she has never experienced firebending culture. That means that her combustionbending is very different that the combustionbenders that we saw in the Avatar world.
Katsu doesn't have the third eye, which means that she doesn't combustionbend with her mind like the Combustion Man. She is able to combustionbend with her body, just like Azula and all of the other firebenders do.
Katsu's talent is also of a higher caliber than that of the Combustion Man, because while she cannot bend with her mind. She has an insanely high endurance, and her ability to produce a colored light is a sign of her vast talent.
Because of the torture that Katsu went through, she has developed an animalistic personality. She has a tendency to fly into berserk fits of rage, which is why Nero called her a berserker. This means that she is the opposite of Azula, who fights with precision and strategy, whereas Katsu charges right into the fray with no regard for her wellbeing.
While most firebenders are at a disadvantage using such a fighting style, Katsu is able to make it work for her because of her rare ability to produce explosions with green light. This wild behavior usually shocks her opponents.
I also want to touch on the nature of Azula's azure fire versus Katsu's green light. Azula's blue fire represent how focused she is on perfection and her flames reflect her cold mastery of her firebending. We also know from the few times that small amounts of white fire were seen in the midst of her blue flames, that Azula's bending is still evolving and that she can take it further.
Katsu's green light on the other hand represents her volatile nature as a berserker. In this universe, green means highly explosion and turbulent. It means that Katsu is extremely talented in her own way, but unlike Azula who is only unstable when she has a mental breakdown. Katsu is unstable on a regular basis.
When Katsu was a child, back when she knew her birth name and was called Clare. She was tortured in the government compound with a blue flame. Hence, why seeing Azula firebend triggered her into a fit of rage. She mistakenly believes that Azula is her torturer.
And while it may seem obvious that Nero is the one of the primary people to blame for her sufferings, keep in mind that things that are obvious to those of a sane mind are not often apparent to those who are unstable. Again, Katsu is like a wild animal, she sees something that triggers her instinctual rage and tries to kill it as a result.
Also, Katsu and Naoki going by different names now is largely to demonstrate that they are completely different people as a result of their circumstance. Katsu isn't Clare anymore, which is why she no longer responds to that name. Now, she is Katsu the emerald bomber.
I was feeling very ill when I wrote these chapters, so this fight is going to be somewhat shorter in word count than the battle with Silah. However, in many ways it is just as important. Azula and Zoe are now meeting and battling a fellow firebender, whose madness potentially mirrors Azula's own insanity at the end in canon.
It is firebender versus firebender, and it is also the inverse of the Silah fight. Whereas Silah was methodical and strategic in her stalking of Team Azula. Katsu is much more like a wild animal trying to brutally murder those that stand in her warpath.
That will be all for now though.
Stay tuned for next time.
For chapter one hundred four! Katsu the Combustion!