Chapter 17
"I know you feel like you're way too far behind to compete, but seriously, you can still make plenty of difference," Zuko said, sitting on the terrace of his rented cottage together with Aang, the two of them poring over the Pai Sho board. "It would really help if you could take something from Piandao tomorrow, so how about we focus on that part of the prep now."
"He's going to be really motivated tomorrow," Aang replied, sucking breath in through his teeth. Piandao had lost his game of the fourth round against Zhao earlier, and the group of friends were rather upset about that because Zhao had now taken the tournament lead.
"Well, you seem to be slightly more motivated yourself," Zuko said. "When you're not playing On Ji, anyway."
"I wasn't going to play her hard, surely you can understand that," Aang sighed. His game in the fourth round had been against his new girlfriend, and they'd agreed on a draw after the tenth move before rushing back to the hotel to further explore their blossoming relationship.
"Sure, whatever," Zuko shrugged. "I heard Ty Lee saying something earlier about how your aura is different now, brighter. It's one of those Ty Lee things, you know?"
"I guess I do feel way more energetic, that's true," Aang admitted. He really regretted not having pushed the divorce paperwork through sooner. He'd tied himself to something with no future without even realizing that it was actually having this detrimental effect on him. And it wasn't that Aang blamed Mai for it, this situation was borne entirely of his own indecision. Also, the divorce had done wonders for his new relationship and he was certainly enjoying the benefits of On Ji's far warmer and more affectionate attitude towards him.
"That's great," Zuko said, sounding a little impatient. "Now, if we could just get back to the prep-"
"In a moment," Aang said quickly. "Since we were talking about On Ji-"
"We were talking about On Ji?" Zuko blinked.
"I think we were?" now it was Aang's turn to be confused. "Or maybe I was just thinking about her. Again. But the point is that I wanted to ask if it would be alright if she joined us for prep."
"Uh," Zuko managed, scratching his head. He seemed to have been completely unprepared for this question. "I don't know? Honestly, I'm not sure. What's next, making her a part of our arrangement and helping her win the world title?"
"Oh, could we do that?" Aang asked eagerly. "That sounds great! On Ji would be really happy about that."
"No, of course we can't do that!" Zuko snapped, looking angry. "Are you mad? In what world do you imagine Toph agreeing to change the arrangement?"
"You're right," Aang sighed. "I guess Toph wouldn't be alright with that. But surely, we can at least include On Ji in our prep, right?"
"And help a rival improve by leaps and bounds? She's already catching up fast," Zuko shook his head. "I don't think Toph would be on board with that either. I'm not sure I am happy with it, myself. Why should I help create another serious competitor?"
"On Ji is going to be a part of the group now, Zuko," Aang pointed out, feeling both annoyed and disappointed.
"Sure, but Yue has been a part of the group from the very beginning," Zuko retorted. "And yet, we haven't included her in our arrangements."
"I guess that's true," Aang admitted. "But Yue's circumstances are different. She's not back for the long haul, at least I don't think so. She's just in for this one cycle, unlike the rest of us."
"Fair enough, but I'm still not willing to change anything about the way we prep without Toph signing off on it," Zuko insisted stubbornly.
"So, you're saying that On Ji can't join us for prep?" Aang asked. Zuko shook his head. "Well, in that case, I'll probably prep together with On Ji starting from tomorrow."
"Wait, you're going to stand me up?" Zuko blinked, giving Aang a disbelieving stare. "In the middle of the tournament?"
"Well, I don't want to," Aang sighed. "I just feel like you're being very unreasonable. If On Ji joined us for prep, we would all benefit from it."
"Clever," Zuko said, shaking his head. "Alright, fine, your girlfriend is in. At least for this tournament. But when Toph hears about this, she'll probably blow her lid. And let me make it clear, she's never going to agree with changing the terms of our agreement. You know Toph better than I do, Aang. If you start pushing for too much for your new squeeze, Toph will go nuclear on your ass."
"A fair warning," Aang admitted. "I'll speak with Toph once we're back in Ba Sing Se. I'm sure she'll be reasonable."
"Good game," Yue smiled, shaking On Ji's hand after the conclusion of their match of the fifth round. "Thank you."
"Well played, indeed," On Ji smiled, looking happy with the draw, even if it had taken them seventy-three long and hard-fought moves to get there. "I'll see you later at the beach?"
"Probably not tonight, On Ji," Yue replied as they turned to leave. "I have Piandao tomorrow and prepping for that will take the whole evening. But you can bet I'll be hitting the beach tomorrow afternoon."
"Of course, and good luck with Piandao tomorrow," On Ji wished earnestly before parting from Yue and walking over to Aang, waiting on her. Yue's contest with On Ji was the longest game of the round, the other matches finishing long before they had called for truce. Aang had scored an easy win against a local master, while Zuko had won against Zhao and taken over the tournament lead. Piandao had failed to win for the third time in a row, drawing with Jeong-Jeong. This meant only one thing. Piandao would be extra motivated tomorrow and Yue needed to prepare accordingly.
Yue was definitely not happy to have exhausted so much energy on this draw with On Ji, but she had to admit that Aang's new girlfriend was playing better and better. Yue had never experienced any issues defeating On Ji, but this time had been very different. Certainly, On Ji was playing on her home soil and she felt like fish in the water in the summer heat of Ember Island, but she also appeared way better prepared. Of course, Yue had heard the scoop that On Ji was now preparing for her matches together with Aang and Zuko. Ty Lee had immediately told Azula about On Ji showing up at their cottage together with Aang. On Ji was obviously receiving some solid advice on how to play Yue.
When Yue had first heard about On Ji now being involved in this little circle of Zuko, Aang, and presumably Toph, she had felt extremely annoyed. On one hand, Yue supposed that she had no reason to react this way, because she already had the best coaches in the world in Azula and Katara, and she wouldn't join the others for prep even if they asked her. It was not something that Yue needed.
However, the triumvirate of Aang, Zuko and Toph were known for something else, and that was certain friendly arrangements when it came to their head-to-head games. Aang, Zuko and Toph hardly ever truly pushed one another. Most of the time they went for quick draws, or other prearranged results depending on the tournament situation. It allowed them to conserve energy and focus on their main rivals, while Yue was forced to play everyone hard. Was On Ji now going to be included in these arrangements as well? On Ji and Aang had already gone for a quick draw in the previous round, but would Zuko and Toph be in on it as well? Zhao's return to competition had already introduced an unexpected and dangerous rival, and now the others were helping to turn On Ji into another threat. Yue was not at all pleased with this situation.
It took about an hour after the match had ended for Yue to calm down and for her mood to improve. After catching up with Katara and Azula, they had stopped at one of the chippies on the marina. Gobbling down greasy fish and chips while swinging her legs over the edge of the pier was exactly what Yue needed to restore her expended energy stores and put her back in a good frame of mind. A sneaky gull had stolen some of Katara's chips while she wasn't looking, and the three of them had shared a hearty laugh about it.
"I have some news that might cheer you up even more, love," Azula spoke once they were all done with their greasy treats. "I got the latest gossip from Ty Lee. I think we might be able to spin this On Ji situation to our advantage."
"Or at least limit the disadvantage," Katara said. Apparently, Azula had shared the news with her already.
"Okay, spill it," Yue said impatiently.
"Apparently, Zuko was on the phone with Toph in Ba Sing Se earlier," Azula explained. "Toph is livid that they would include On Ji without consulting her first."
"I thought she would be mad about that," Yue nodded. "I don't like our friends arguing, but since they are shutting me out like that, I think it's fair to be a little vindictive."
"Indeed, and also, Toph is never going to agree with some kind of arrangement where On Ji might get the world title before her," Katara said. "I don't think Zuko would agree with that either."
"There is no way that's happening," Azula shook her head. "I know my brother. Deep down, he doesn't believe that On Ji is good enough to become a world champion, and he's not going to work his ass off to help Aang's girlfriend achieve a dream she doesn't really deserve. If Aang thinks that he can get Zuko and Toph onboard with this idea, he's out of his tiny little mind. I'm absolutely sure that Zuko will refuse to fix his games with On Ji. He wins against On Ji nine times out of ten. Why would he now start to go for draws against her? Just because she's Aang's girlfriend? Zuko would consider that unworthy of him."
"Toph would feel exactly the same," Katara said confidently.
"Right, so actually this isn't as bad as it could have been," Yue said. "Sure, On Ji will get better just by prepping with them, but I can still handle her. And looking at it from another angle, I can see that Aang has planted some seeds of discord by pushing On Ji into their group."
"Exactly, now you're seeing the potential fallout," Azula grinned. "You're thinking my way now."
"But we need to remember that we're still talking about our friends. I don't want you to start spinning some kind of scheme, Azula," Katara said, looking a little worried.
"I don't feel like I even need to spin any schemes right now," Azula replied with a shrug. "Aang has poisoned the chalice. I think what we should do now is to let them drink their fill. Meanwhile, we can just grab some popcorn and watch the drama unfold."
"That sounds kind of horrible, but I'm also not a big of fan of everything they're doing, so… I think I'm fine with this. I mean, we're choosing not to get involved. We can't be blamed for that," Yue said. "Alright, we'll do as you say, Azula. Let's see if their arrangement survives the storm named On Ji."
"I've been thinking about Azula's upcoming birthday," Ty Lee said thoughtfully, lounging on her folding chair which was strategically positioned on the terrace of their cottage in order to catch the rays of the morning sun.
"The one for which Azula said she already has big plans with her wives and warned us not to throw her any surprise parties?" Jin asked. She was spread out in her own folding chair, both of them nude as they were trying to get rid of any remaining unwanted tan lines.
"Sure, but Azula always says that," Ty Lee scoffed dismissively. "We're not going to listen to that buzzkill, are we? I think we should throw Azula a surprise party, anyway."
"And you have an idea, don't you?" Jin smiled.
"Of course, I always have ideas," Ty Lee nodded proudly. "So, I heard from Yue and Katara that one of their gifts is to watch this horror movie with Azula, something that she's been trying to get them to do for like a year."
"Which one is that?" Jin asked.
"The Evil Dead," Ty Lee replied. "It's supposed to be really good, and very scary. And Azula has been dying to see it for so long."
"Okay, so she'll get to see her movie, good for her," Jin said. "What does it have to do with her birthday party?"
"Well, I noticed that one of the local stores had a lot of stuff like scary masks based on that movie," Ty Lee explained. "My idea is basically to convince Yue and Katara to take Azula back to our cottage, and then we could surprise her by jumping out while wearing scary Evil Dead masks. And afterwards we could have a really cool horror movie themed party. The kids would love it."
"The kids are about to turn seven, Ty," Jin sighed. "They're going to have nightmares from something like that."
"Oh, come on, you know that's not true," Ty Lee snorted. "They're fascinated by morbid shit like that. It's going to be educational for them. Also, Azula is a massive horror buff, and she's made us all appreciate horror movies. If we can manage to scare her, she's going to love that. And she'd be really impressed, too."
"Well, I guess that's true," Jin was forced to eventually admit.
"I think it's a cool idea, but I fear you're not taking one thing into the account," Sokka spoke as he stepped out on the terrace and immediately froze. "Oh shit, I forgot you're naked," he gasped, quickly turning around.
"And I forgot you're even at the cottage!" Jin laughed. "I was sure you left!"
"I literally told you twenty minutes ago that I'm not going to watch Zuko's game today because he's playing Aang and they're settling for a quick draw," Sokka sighed.
"Well, I forgot all about that too. You can't blame me for wanting to forget everything Pai Sho related because it's so boring," Ty Lee chuckled. "Also, Jin and I have the memory of goldfishes, so there. Anyway, why are you freaking out about us being naked? We've been living together long enough for you to pretty much see all there is to see."
"Maybe so, but it's still rude to stare," Sokka said defensively.
"Well, then look, don't stare," Ty Lee laughed.
"Anyway, Sokka, you were going to tell us about something that we're forgetting regarding Azula's birthday," Jin said, trying to get the conversation back on track.
"All I wanted was to remind you that Azula doesn't exactly mess around," Sokka said. "If we scare her too good, she's liable to grab the nearest knife and stab us all, thinking that she's protecting Yue and Katara."
"Hmm, good point," Jin admitted. "We have to remove all the knives from the cottage. And anything else that could be used as a weapon. Ty, do you know if Azula carries a gun or any other weapon on her?"
"I don't think she does, not even after the shooting," Ty Lee replied. "I mean, if it was up to her, she'd probably have several guns, I'm sure of it. But with Yue and Katara being staunchly against firearms, Azula would never pack heat, she's too whipped to go against her wives."
"Okay, in that case, I think we should be safe," Jin said.
"Does that mean we're doing it?" Ty Lee asked excitedly. "You both agree that my plan is flawless and excellent?"
"Well, I don't know about all those adjectives," Sokka laughed. "But sure, why not? I don't see how this zany idea could possibly go wrong."
The tournament situation prior to the ninth round of play remained incredibly tense. Zuko was struggling to remember another tournament in which seven contestants could still reasonably hope to win the event with only three rounds left to play. Still, Zuko enjoyed this kind of psychological pressure. It was the best preparation for the world championship finals that he could have hoped for. If he could prove himself under these conditions, then the confidence boost it gave him would be invaluable.
Much to the annoyance of Zuko and his friends, Zhao was leading the tournament with 6,5 points, but he was facing a challenging final stretch of the tournament so Zuko was full of hopes of overtaking the slimy former lackey of his father. Zuko was snapping at Zhao's heels with 6 points to his name, same as a resurgent Jeong-Jeong, playing some of his best Pai Sho back on Fire Nation soil. Then came Yue, On Ji and Piandao with 5,5 points, followed by Aang a further half a point behind. Aang was probably too far back to win now, but considering that he had started the tournament with two losses, Aang had recovered very well.
Zuko remained confident about his chances of winning the tournament, even if his own final stretch was rather challenging. He still had to face Haru and On Ji, but his greatest test would come in the ninth round in the shape of Yue Taqqiq, his good friend and unexpected rival. As they exchanged the usual pre-game pleasantries before sitting down to play, Zuko made sure to carefully study Yue's facial expressions and body language for any helpful hints. Last night at the beach, he'd almost overdone it, scrutinizing Yue a little too closely and ending up getting told off by Sokka for staring too blatantly. Zuko had simply become too used to seeing Yue as a friend and Pai Sho rival, and for a moment he had forgotten that she was also a stunningly beautiful woman in a sexy bikini.
Still, Zuko had formed certain conclusions about Yue's physical and mental state. Yue had played more moves than anyone in this tournament, and half of her games had gone past the sixtieth move. Zuko had noticed that she'd been a little sloppy and uncoordinated while playing volleyball. All of this suggested that physically, Yue was feeling tired. As for Yue's mental state, Azula's thirty first birthday was coming up tomorrow. She and Katara had spoken a lot about all the things they had planned for the tournament off day, and to Zuko, this implied that Yue was feeling distracted by the upcoming birthday celebrations. When combined, these observations suggested that this was almost the ideal moment to face off against Yue, because to Zuko she looked especially vulnerable just now.
In order to take advantage of Yue's exhaustion, Zuko had prepared to play very aggressively from the start. Back in Omashu, Yue had proved to the world of Pai Sho that she had an offensive game that could rival anyone. But here on Ember Island, Yue had adopted far more balanced tactics, relying more on her defensive skills. It was tempting to speculate that Yue was trying to simplify her game because she just wasn't as sharp due to the heat. Whatever it was, Zuko felt that his normal tactics should prove good enough to on this occasion steamroll Yue.
So, Zuko was taken by a surprise when after choosing an aggressive opening, Yue's response was to go for a very active counterplay of her own. This was not supposed to happen, so Zuko's attack stalled for a few moves before he reconsidered his tactics. Of course, Yue was too talented not to take advantage of Zuko's stalling. Very soon, despite Zuko's intentions to be the aggressor, Yue had wrestled the initiative from him and was starting to push his offensive line of tiles back. This was forcing Zuko to play more defensively, which was not his usual style of play.
Still, Zuko would never be considered a credible pretender to one day win the world championship if his defensive game wasn't up to snuff. Sure, his plans to blitz Yue and force her into a quick surrender had been tossed out of the window. Zuko was perfectly capable of readjusting his plans on the fly. His best bet now was to dig in and make Yue work hard for every inch of the Pai Sho board, and with any luck, her exhaustion would lead her into committing a mistake sooner or later.
And while that seemed like a sound tactic to Zuko, by the time they arrived at the fortieth move and had an extra hour added to their timing clocks, Zuko still could not detect any signs of exhaustion from Yue. As Yue was pondering her next move, a slightly frustrated Zuko rose to stretch his legs that had started to go to sleep from sitting down in a motionless position. Most of the other games had already finished, and the only ones still playing were Piandao and On Ji. Aang, Jeong-Jeong and Zhao all had easy opponents in this round, and they had already scored victories before departing.
Zuko spent a moment by the table where On Ji was battling against Piandao. He'd been forced to spend a couple of hours helping to prep On Ji for this game, and Zuko still wasn't feeling very happy about that. But at least On Ji was making sure that the preparations were not being wasted. She had a promising position and there was at least a draw in it for her. It wasn't really that Zuko was annoyed with On Ji herself, she was likable enough. On Ji was very easy going and would make for a good fit in their group of friends once she stopped worrying about Mai being a threat to her relationship with Aang.
Zuko was more annoyed with Aang. Of all the potential girlfriends, he just had to pick one that was actually good at Pai Sho, and with more practice, could become a legitimate threat further down the road. With Yue and Zhao returning, with the younger generation emerging from the juniors, creating another rival was just so frustrating to Zuko and he couldn't help but side with Toph on this issue. On Ji was benefitting from their practice sessions way more than he or Toph would benefit from her input. At the same time, cutting On Ji out of their group would mean losing Aang. This was quickly becoming a messy quagmire.
Still, this wasn't something that Zuko could afford to think about right now, not unless he wanted to suffer a crashing defeat at Yue's hands. He returned to sit down at their table and began to explore his options. For the next ten or so moves, Zuko tried to stick with his plan, which was to simply stall Yue as best as he could, while hoping that eventually her fatigue would tell. Annoyingly, however, Yue did not let up her offense, nor was she showing any actual exhaustion. Zuko soon realized that unless he did something, Yue would eventually slowly squeeze the life out of him.
It seemed that trying to play for the win in this situation was futile, so Zuko switched to a new tactic that he hoped would at least guarantee him a draw. He began to push more and more actively for tile exchanges to simplify the situation on the board. Zuko was a little surprised that Yue went along with most of these exchanges, and as the seventieth move approached, the situation on the board had evened out somewhat. Yue still had the advantage and perhaps she could press for the win, but it could take her as much as thirty more tough moves and success wasn't guaranteed. Zuko felt like he had done enough where a peace offer from him wouldn't feel cheeky or even downright tactless.
"Draw?" he asked Yue, having made another defensive move.
"Agreed," Yue nodded. They shook hands and rose to depart together, with the crowd giving them respectful applause. Nobody could criticize them for the effort, at least. They had outlasted even On Ji and Piandao, who had agreed on a draw good twenty minutes earlier. Zhao was now leading the tournament with 7,5 points, half a point ahead of Jeong-Jeong and a full point ahead of Zuko. Yue, Aang, On Ji and Piandao were now further back on 6 points, and as good as out of contention for the tournament win.
Before leaving the hall, Zuko watched Yue walk up to the table of prepared refreshments and grab a couple of bottles of sparkling water. She immediately opened one of the bottles and began drinking with large gulps, almost downing the entire bottle in one go. "I really needed that," she smiled at him, a little apologetically. "I'll admit, I was this close to passing out towards the end."
Zuko felt like he'd been punched in the gut. "So, you were that exhausted!" he exclaimed, mentally kicking himself. His plan had been perfect, he simply should have stuck with it longer. "How did you manage to keep it together?"
"Did I?" Yue asked. Zuko nodded quickly. Before saying anything else, Yue finished the first bottle of sparkling water and then opened the other bottle. "I don't know, I guess I just tapped into my last reserves of strength," she admitted. "Thank goodness tomorrow is the off-day. Although with Azula's birthday, it's bound to be at least a little busy."
"Well, you managed to fool me," Zuko admitted reluctantly.
"I know you were trying to wear me out," Yue smiled. "Maybe that also motivated me to fight harder."
"Well, it was very impressive," Zuko nodded. He couldn't deny it, Yue was a fighter. Suddenly, some of the disparaging remarks he'd made towards her in the past began to make him feel very guilty. "Listen, Yue… I know I didn't react well when you announced your comeback, but I just wanted to say that you absolutely deserve to be here."
"Oh," Yue blushed, looking surprised. "Why thank you, Zuko!"
"Of course, I still hope that you won't win the world championship because I want that title for myself," Zuko added hastily. "But what I'm trying to say is that you would also make a worthy champion."
"Of course," Yue nodded, grinning. "I feel exactly the same way about you."
"Jet, this really needs to stop," Kori Morishita managed to say, still panting hard as she lay in his arms back in the dingy Yu Dao apartment.
"What needs to stop?" Jet asked, sounding rather breathless himself.
"Taking a shower after sex only to end up having more and more sex afterwards," Kori laughed weakly.
"Oh," Jet grinned, leaning in to kiss her shoulder, sticky from perspiration. "Yes, I can't believe I've found my match when it comes to horniness."
"I blame oppressive and controlling parents who didn't believe in sex before marriage," Kori said.
"I want to thank your oppressive and controlling parents," Jet said. "Unfortunately, that's no longer possible, but you know what I mean." Kori's mother had lived for only a year and a half following the end of the war before dying suddenly. Kori's refusal to discuss it made Jet suspect suicide, which was a disturbingly common cause of death in the years following the brutal fight for Yu Dao.
"Well, we're in the same boat on that one," Kori replied.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring down the mood," Jet said quietly.
"Feel free to bring down the mood as much as you want," Kori shrugged. "I don't think I have anything left for another round anyway."
"I hear you on that," Jet grinned. Being able to keep up with Kori had made him feel better about some of his lingering health issues. They were certainly bothering him a lot less than back in Ba Sing Se. "So, when you said that this needs to stop, I confess, my first thought went somewhere else. After all, with the elections approaching-"
"Oh, don't worry, I already appeased my campaign manager by ditching my dozens of other lovers," Kori grinned. "I reckon I can get away with keeping you around, though."
"Flattering," Jet chuckled. "Dozens of lovers, huh?"
"Well, that's what some of my detractors seem to believe, anyway," Kori snorted. "Would you feel hugely surprised if I told you that the truth is nowhere near it? I'm not saying that I've never had an extramarital affair, because obviously my being here disproves that," she grinned, tracing a finger along his chest. "But the rumors of my promiscuity are greatly exaggerated. You've been my only distraction for many months now."
"Oh," Jet managed. Their discussions rarely became heavy because this was supposed to be all about fun. Jet wasn't even sure what he believed about Kori. He knew that she obviously wasn't as bad as her opponents painted her to be, but he hadn't expected this.
"It's okay," Kori replied. "You can have your endless hookups. I really don't mind. I would never ask you to change."
"Actually, it's been almost two months since I've hooked up with anyone else," Jet confessed.
"Seriously," Kori looked almost shocked. "Are we-" she began, but then stopped, hesitating and almost appearing afraid. "No, that's impossible," Kori said, suddenly starting to pull away.
"What is impossible?" Jet asked, grasping Kori's hand and pulling her back towards him. "What are you talking about?"
"I can't be actually falling for you, dumbass," Kori exclaimed, suddenly looking close to panic. "This is bad. This is really bad."
"I can see how that would be very inconvenient for you," Jet said, just about managing to push his hurt feelings aside to acknowledge that in this situation he really stood nothing to lose, while Kori stood to lose everything she'd worked for. "Do you want to end this?" Jet asked.
"I would end this in a heartbeat if I had a damned ounce of sense," Kori sighed. "But I don't, so-"
"So, same time, same place next Monday?" Jet gave her a crooked grin.
"Yep," Kori nodded, laughing softly. "Same time, same place, you cheeky bastard."