Book 2 Chapter 3 Return to Omashu
Amity's intro
Water. Earth. Fire. Air.
Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed her most, she vanished. A hundred years passed, and me, Willow and Gus discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Luz. And although her airbending skills are great, she has a lot to learn before she's ready to save anyone.
But I believe Luz can save the world
The episode opens to a bright, blue sky, the sun shining. The camera zooms out quickly to reveal a red Fire Nation flag waving in the wind. Cuts to shot of the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu having been captured by the Fire Nation. A bold red flag bearing the Fire Nation insignia is proudly hung, gray plumes of smoke fill the air surrounding the fallen city.
(Viewing the city, her back to the camera, in a somewhat shocked tone.) "I can't believe it. I know the War has spread far," (Turning toward the camera sadly.) "but Omashu always seemed … untouchable." Luz said
"Up until now it was." (Crosses her arms over her chest.) "Now Ba Sing Se is the only great Earth Kingdom stronghold left." Eda said
(Cuts to shot of the entire group standing on the cliffside overlooking the city.) "This is horrible," (Approaches Luz, cuts to a side-view of the two standing next to each other.) "but we have to move on." Amity said
"No, I'm going in to find Wrath." Luz said
"Luz, stop. We don't even know if my dad is still …" Willow started
(Angrily.) "What? If he's still what?" Luz asked
(Unsurely.) "A-around." Willow said
"We know you had your heart set on Wrath, but there are other people who can teach you earthbending." Gus said
"I'm not much of the teaching type" Willow said
"This isn't about finding a teacher. This is about finding my friend." Luz said
Scene changes to below Omashu's gate where Luz is attempting to open the entrance to a secret tunnel.
"A secret passage? Why didn't we just use this last time?" Willow asked
Luz opens the tunnel, revealing it to be filled with sewage.
"Ugh!" Willow said
"Did that answer your question?" Luz asked
"Eww!" Willow said
The group proceeds through the tunnel to the inside of Omashu. Luz conjures an air ball with her staff to clear the path with Amity sticking close to her while Gus and Eda use waterbending to maneuver the sewage carefully around them. Willow, on the other hand, is continually soaked in the foul substance.
"That wasn't as bad as I thought." Amity said
Willow emerges covered in slime. Eda spots water nearby and splashes Willow with it using waterbending to wash off the sewage followed by Luz who uses airbending to dry her off while she screams which reveals that three pentapi have attached themselves to her skin.
(In a panicking tone while trying to yank the pentapi off.) "Ahh! They won't let go! Help!" Willow yelled
(Quickly tackles Willow into a wall in order to silence her, in a somewhat cheerful tone.) "Shh! Stop making so much noise. It's just a purple pentapus." Luz said
Willow looks at the pentapi in fear. Luz removes the first pentapus by lightly rubbing its head as Willow watches. Willow rubs the spot where the creature was attached, and does the same procedure to get the second one off. Several guards suddenly approach them as Luz takes the third one off.
"Hey! What are you citizens doing out past curfew?" the first guard asked
"Sorry. We were just on our way home." Amity said
The group turn and walk away, Willow bringing up the rear. The guard notices the red welts on the back of Willow's neck.
(Notices the spots where the pentapus was attached to Willow.) "Wait, what's the matter with her?" the first guard asked
"Uh, she has pentapox, sir." (As he approaches.) "Umm, it's highly contagious." Eda said
(Exaggerating.) "Oh, it's so awful. I'm dying." Willow said
"And deadly." Eda said
"Hey, I think I heard of pentapox! Didn't your cousin Chang die of it?" the second guard asked
"We'd better go wash our hands, and burn our clothes." the first guard said
The guards run away in fear.
"Thank you, sewer friends." Luz said
Scene switches to on board Kikimora's ship. She is consulting her assistants, Li and Lo.
"When tracking the commander and general, traveling with the royal procession may no longer be an option." Li said
"May no longer be wise." Lo said
"If you hope to keep the element of surprise." Lo and Li said
"You're right. The Royal Procession is dead weight. If I want to catch my prey, I must be agile, nimble. I need a small, elite team. It's time to visit some old friends." Kikimora said
Scene switches to Omashu by twilight, where Luz, Amity, Gus, Willow and Eda with King on her shoulder are sneaking around. They hide behind some metal bars used for construction as a patrol passes.
"Let's find Wrath and get out of here." Amity said
"Where would they be keeping him?" Gus asked
"Somewhere he can't earthbend. Somewhere made of metal." Willow said
The foursome goes on. The picture switches to a close-up of a young woman with black hair and an emotionless expression named Lai. Behind her walk two Fire Nation guards.
"There really is no fathoming the depths of my hatred for this place." Lai said
Cut to a wider shot to show Lai walking next to an older woman carrying a baby. They are being escorted by Fire Nation guards.
"Lai, your father was appointed governor. We're like royalty here. Be happy and enjoy it." Lai's Mother said
The picture widens as the camera zooms up to show some rocks, ready to be pushed down one of Omashu's mail delivery chutes which ends near where Lai's party is walking. You can clearly see the light of the torches from up above.
"The targets are approaching." a resistance fighter said
Close-up of a bearded man wearing an Earth Kingdom military uniform.
"Take them out." the leader said
Cut back to Lai's party walking down below.
(In a dull tone.) "I thought my life was boring in the Fire Nation, but this place is unbearably bleak. Nothing ever happens." Lai said
Cut to the resistance fighter at the beginning of the chute, who pushes the rocks down the chute with earthbending. Luz and her friends walk by and they see the rocks crumbling down at high speed. Luz looks in distress at Lai's party. She raises her staff and pulverizes the rock with a blast of air as it passes. Lai's party is alerted by the sound and looks up to see what caused it. Close-up of Lai who squints her eyes to make out who is standing above her before the picture shows Luz again. Cut back to the party.
(Pointing at Luz.) The resistance!" Lai's mother shouted
Close-up of Lai, who is seen for the first time with a faint smile on her face. She spreads her arms at Luz, causing tiny arrows to fly toward her. Luz quickly jumps up, avoiding the arrows which bury themselves in the stack of construction material Luz lands on. Luz, Amity, Gus, Willow, Eda and King run away as two of the Fire Nation guards are climbing up ladders to get to them.
Eda quickly turns around and uses the water from her pouch to form a water whip and send the two guards flying off into the deep. As you see them falling, we see Lai reaching the top. While she is running toward Eda, she stretches out her right hand, shooting off some more arrows. Eda raises a shield of ice to protect herself as the arrows embed themselves in it. Lai keeps charging Eda, who runs away. Lai jumps over the icy wall in hot pursuit of Eda. Luz awaits Eda and lets her pass as she awaits the arrival of Lai. With a spinning sweep of wind, she causes some of the construction scaffolding to collapse. Lai sees the scaffolding collapse and directs a throwing star right at Luz. She twirls her staff in front of her and catches the flying star with it. Lai stands on one side of the collapsed scaffolding and has a clear shot on Luz, Amity, Gus, Willow, Eda and King. As she throws more arrows at them, the ground beneath the team opens up, making them disappear and rapidly closes again. Lai looks at the place where her targets disappeared, letting out a deep sigh. She turns around and walks away.
Cut to a tunnel scene. The image shows the rectangle where the group fell through. Green sewage waste drips from the ceiling. The camera moves down, revealing a group of people who are looking at the group. Luz, Gus and Willow are rubbing their heads, while Amity and Eda just sit there a bit disorientated. Cut to a shot of the leader, flanked by two other men.
The picture switches to an upside down shot of some grass. When the view pans up, we see mountains, circus tents and some people working in the background. Kikimora, also upside down, walks in.
"Ky Mee, could that possibly be you?" Kikimora asked
The camera moves to show a close-up of a girl, Ky Mee, standing on her index fingers. She smiles when she sees Kikimora.
"Kikimora!" Ky Mee said
Ky Mee flips from her stance and spins around in a graceful twirl to bow down before Kikimora. She runs forward to embrace Kikimora.
"It is so good to see you!" Ky Mee said
"Please, don't let me interrupt your …" (Raises an eyebrow in wonder.) "whatever it is you were doing." Kikimora said
Ky Mee, still smiling, does a backflip and ends up lying on her chest with one leg stretched out over her head and the other straight up to the sky.
(Glances around.) "Tell me, what is the daughter of a nobleman doing here?" (Looks back at Ky Mee.) "Certainly our parents didn't send us to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls to end up in …" (Looks to her side.) "places like this." Kikimora said
Kikimora looks as three men are trying to move a platypus bear. The Bear groans and moves up to reveal that it has laid an egg. Kikimora looks at this in disgust and turns her attention back to Ky Mee, grinning once more.
"I have a proposition for you." Kikimora said
Cut to Ky Mee who is still lying on the ground, watching the same Platypus bear as Kikimora, but she looks happy to see what has happened. When Kikimora addresses her, she diverts her attention away from the bear and looks at Kikimora in a wondering gaze.
"I'm hunting a traitor." (While looking casually at her nails.) "You remember our old fuddy-duddy general, don't you?" Kikimora asked
(Resting on her chest and elbows, but now with both of her feet resting on her head.) "Oh yeah. He was so funny." Ky Mee said
"I would be honored if you would join me on my mission." Kikimora said
"Oh ... I ... uh ... would love to." (She stands up in a fluid elegant movement.) "But the truth is, I'm really happy here." (Smiling sincerely.) "I mean, my aura has never been pinker!" Ky Mee said
(Raising up her hand in a "stop" motion to Ky Mee.) "I'll take your word for it. Well, I wouldn't want you to give up the life you love just to please me." Kikimora said
(Bows in respect.) "Thank you, Kikimora." Ky Mee said (Continues stretching.)
(While walking away.) "Of course, before I leave, I'm going to catch your show." Kikimora said
Ky Mee accidentally breaks her stance, as she gasps in panic. She continues her stretch once more and the expression of panic changes to one of worry.
(Hesitantly.) "Uh ... yeah ... sure ... uh ... of course …" Ky Mee said
Cut back to Omashu, where a lot of people have gathered in some sort of underground cave. At the other side of the room, Luz, Amity, Gus, Willow and Eda enter the large space through a tunnel, they are talking to three other men.
"So, is King Wrath with you guys? Is he leading the resistance?" Luz asked
Cut to a close-up of the leader who angrily balls his fist as he answers Luz's question.
"Of course not! The day of the invasion, we readied ourselves for battle. We were prepared to defend our city ... to fight for our lives and for our freedom. But before we even had a chance, King Wrath surrendered." the leader said
The camera moves slowly toward Luz, who is clearly disconcerted by the news. Amity gives Luz a look of concern.
"The day of the invasion, I asked King Wrath what he wanted to do." (Cut to his close-up.) "He looked me in the eye and said …" the leader said
A flashback shows the day Omashu was under attack. King Wrath and the leader stand atop one of the city's walls, looking down while fireballs decorate the sky.
"I'm going to do ... nothing!" Wrath said (He starts to laugh and snort like the mad lunatic he is.)
The flashback fades away to make room for another close-up of the leader.
"It doesn't matter now." (Cut to Luz who sadly lowers her eyes as the resistance leader continues.) "Fighting the Fire Nation is the only path to freedom." (Switch to a close-up of the leader again.) "And freedom is worth dying for." the leader said
As the leader ends his speech, a smile plays on his face. Luz sadly leans on her staff. She raises her eyes as she addresses the leader.
"Actually there's another path to freedom. You could leave Omashu. You're directing all your energy to fight the Fire Nation." (The camera pans to the right, showing several Earth Kingdom soldiers.) "But you're outnumbered. You can't win. Now's the time to retreat, so you can live to fight another day." Luz said
"You don't understand. They've taken our home, and we have to fight them at any cost!" the leader said (He makes some powerful hand gestures to make his point more clear.)
(In a soft tone.) "I don't know, Yung, living to fight another day is starting to sound pretty good to me." a resistance fighter said
(He takes a step forward and points toward himself. He addresses Yung with a decisive tone.) "Yeah, I'm with the kid!" another resistance fighter said
Yung looks at all the people who have taken refuge underground and now are living in the sewer tunnels while they whisper among themselves. He looks back at Luz.
"Fine. But there's thousands of citizens that need to leave. How're we going to get them all out?" Yung asked
Switch to Willow whose hand is on her chin as she is cooking up a plan. She points at Yung as she exclaims her idea.
"Suckers!" Willow said
Gus raises one eyebrow and just stares at Willow. The rest of the group follows his example. King chirps questionably. Willow blinks, shifting her eyes right and left, smiling broadly.
"You're all about to come down with a nasty case of pentapox." Willow said
Cut to a shot of a bucket of water filled with pentapi. A hand reaches in and takes one out. The civilian, whose face is already covered with the marks of removed pentapi, places it on his exposed left arm. Its jellylike body moves up and down a bit. After a few seconds, someone else removes the pentapus by gently rubbing its head. We see several shots of people placing and removing pentapi from their face, shoulders and arms.
Switch to a top view of the people as Willow walks over to them to address them. While she speaks, the camera pans out, showing a close-up of all the inhabitants of Omashu covered with the suction spots of the pentapi.
"The marks make ya look sick, but you gotta act sick too. Ya gotta sell it!" Willow said
An old man hobbles into view, leaning heavily on his cane. He clutches his back while moaning in pain.
(Grabs the guy who is standing next to her and points at the old man.) "Now that's what I'm talkin' about." Willow said
The man turns around, smiling. He taps his wooden leg with his cane.
"Years of practice." the old man said
"Okay everyone! Into sick formation." Willow said
Gus, Willow, Eda and the other civilians start walking toward the gates of Omashu. Just as Amity wants to join them, she notices that Luz is walking off in the other direction.
"Luz, what are you doing? Aren't you coming with us?" Amity asked
(She turns around.) "No. I'm not leaving until I find Wrath." Luz said
King jumps on Luz's shoulders, tugging Luz's lips. She grabs King by his neck and places him back on the ground.
"Sorry King, I'll feed you later." Luz said
Luz uses airbending to propel her into the air. She whizzes away, jumping from one rooftop to the other.
Switch to some Fire Nation soldiers with spears who are guarding the gates of Omashu. A moaning crowd of 'sick' people walks toward them from every direction. They move like zombies, swaying back and forth. One of them even falls down. The guards back away as the sick crowd reaches them. Willow theatrically grabs her face and moans painfully, before stretching out her hands toward the frightened guards.
"Plague! Plague!" a soldier said
The guards on the ground start to retreat into the citadel behind them, away from the sick, while another guard rings the gong to alert everyone of the problem at hand.
Switch to the governor of Omashu and his family, including Lai, who is eating a bowl of fire flakes, watching on one of the balconies, looking out over the city.
"What is going on down there?" the Governor asked
"I saw some citizens yesterday who were sick with pentapox. It must have spread!" a guard said
"Pentapox!" (He pulls his beard.) "Hmm, I'm pretty sure I've heard of that." the Governor said
"Oh, this is terrible." Lai's mother said
"What should we do?" a guard asked
"Drive them out of the city" (He points toward the gates.) "... but don't touch them! We have to rid the city of this disease!" the Governor said
The guard bows in respect before leaving to spread the governor's orders. Lai calmly offers her dad the bowl of fire flakes.
"Fire flakes, Dad?" Lai asked
(Gasping.) "How awful!" Lai's mother said
The governor's family is shown from behind. As his wife hugs her husband, the little baby beside her, Lai's brother Tom-Tom toddles away from the group.
Switch to Luz running through the streets of the city. She nimbly climbs a house and balances on the railing, before landing on a flat rooftop. She spots a giant, white creature below, sadly pushing forth a turnstile. Luz jumps down to discover that the creature is Blopsie, King Wrath's pet goat gorilla.
"Blopsie!" Luz said
As Luz calls his name, Blopsie turns around and happily tries to reach his friend. His chains hold him back, so he sadly ceases his attempts. Luz jumps over him and uses the water from his drinking bowl to freeze the lock on his chains. With one swing of her staff, Luz destroys the lock, freeing Flopsie. The happy animal hugs and licks Luz's face.
"Come on, Blopsie." (She climbs on top of Blopsie.) "You gotta help me find Wrath. Yip Yip!" (Blopsie does not move a muscle.) "Oh ... I guess that doesn't work with you. Let's go!" Luz said
Blopsie races off at great speed. Meanwhile King is soaring through the city. He lands on a balcony and peeks through a window. We see a cluttered room with dressing panels at the back. A teddy bear is thrown repeatedly in the air by someone behind the panels. King spots a full scale of berries and starts to drool. He quickly enters the chamber through the window and starts to stuff his face. He rapidly spits out the seeds. Some of them land behind the panels. Cut to Tom-Tom who is playing with the stuffed animal behind the panels. He notices the seeds and crawls away, following their path. The trail of seeds leads right back to King, who is still sitting on the table, his tail dangling over the edge. Tom-Tom sits up in wonder as he examines the tail before pulling it. Cut to a surprised King who is pulled down to the ground in mid bite. He pulls a giggling Tom-Tom along as he tries to get away from his grasp. King pulls free and jumps out of the window onto the railing. As he looks back, he sees that the baby stumbles toward him with his arms spread out wide. King backs away, leaping off the railing and flying away.
The baby is too late to grab King, so he tumbles off the railing. While he is sliding down the roof, he cannot stop giggling. He lands in a box of berries sliding down one of Omashu's chutes. King lands on the same box and starts to stuff his face again. His eyes open wide as Tom-Tom emerges behind him. The baby grabs King's tail and bites it. The demon dog jumps in the air and frantically flaps his wings in an attempt to get away once more. As the slope becomes steeper, King is able to lift himself as well as Tom-Tom who is still clinging on to his tail. The demon dog cannot bear the weight and they start to descend. Tom-Tom is being dragged over the ground as they crash-land. Tom-Tom rolls over the ground and lands on top of King, pinning him to the ground, and causing him to screech and shake around desperately.
The moaning crowd passes them by, diverting Tom-Tom's attention away from King. King escapes into the crowd. The baby pushes himself to his feet and staggers after the crowd, out of the gates.
Cut to the Fire Nation circus at night. Upon entering, performers in two Chinese dragon's costumes are dancing. As they move out of the frame, the circus master, Shuzumu, stands before the circus' main ring, addressing the crowd.
"We're deeply honored to have the Fire Lord's admiral at our humble circus." Shuzumu said
Switch to a shot from the back, revealing Kikimora sitting in a high box seat with two guards at her side.
"Uh ... tell us if there is anything we can do to make the show more enjoyable." Shuzumu said
Cut to a close-up of Kikimora.
"I will." Kikimora said
Cut to a shot of the circus ring. The camera moves up, revealing a net spanned under an acrobat who is balancing on a rope, high up in the air on one hand. The camera zooms in. The acrobat is Ky Mee, who is wearing very colorful clothing.
Switch to a shot of Kikimora and Shuzumu, who are both looking up, fascinated by Ky Mee's performance.
"Incredible. Do you think she'll fall?" Kikimora asked
"Of course not." Shuzumu said
"Then wouldn't it make it more interesting if you removed the net?" Kikimora asked
Kikimora looks directly at Shuzumu. Close-up of the concerned look upon his face.
(Concerned.) "Uh ... the thing is ... the performers …" Shuzumu tried to explain
"You're right, you're right. That's been done." (After a short pause, she continues with a tone of dark pleasure.) "I know. Set the net on fire." Kikimora said
(Worried.) "Of course, Princess." Shuzumu said
With a worried look upon his face, Shuzumu leaves the box to set the net of fire. Ky Mee looks down in concern at the consuming flames beneath her. She continues with her act.
Cut back to the box seat, where Shuzumu is balling his fist and clenching his teeth, hoping that Ky Mee will not fall off.
(Ecstatic.) "Brilliant, just brilliant!" (She looks down at Shuzumu and asks happily.) "Ooh, what kind of dangerous animals do you have?" Kikimora asked
Shuzumu looks up, hopeful that he can change the subject to the animals and save Ky Mee from her burning peril.
"Well, our circus boasts the most exotic assortment-" Shuzumu didn't finish
"Release them all!" Kikimora commanded
Shuzumu looks utterly shocked by Kikimora's command. Close-up again of Ky Mee's worried face, as she is still balancing on one hand above the flames. Cut to an outside-view of the circus. As the camera pans up, several animal noises fill the night.
Switch to an overview shot of a campsite in the surrounding mountains of Omashu. People are sitting around several campfires. Cut to Luz and Blopsie who are walking into the camp. Amity, Gus, Willow and Eda move to greet a sad looking Luz.
(Sadly.) "We looked everywhere. No Wrath." Luz said
Amity hugs her. Blopsie moans sadly, so Willow turns around and hugs Blopsie's face.
The arrival of Yung interrupts their hugs.
"We've got a problem. We just did a head count." Yung said
(Worried, turns back to Yung.) "Oh no. Did someone get left behind?" Amity asked
"No, we have an extra." Yung said
Yung points to something to the left. Katara gazes in that direction and sees King staggering forward with the Tom-Tom clamped around his neck. Team Avatar and Yung just stare for a second at the poor animal and the baby.
Cut to the governor's house in Omashu. The governor's wife is sobbing on the balcony. Her daughter Lai slowly reaches into her robe and pulls out a handkerchief and gives it to her mother with a bored expression on her face. The governor rests his hands on the railing of the balcony as he stares out over his city. His sobbing wife, apathetic daughter and two guards stand behind him. Zoom toward the governor as he speaks.
"So, the resistance has kidnapped my son. Everything is so clever, so tricky. Just like their King Wrath." the Governor said
He balls his right hand into a fist. One of the guards behind him steps forward.
"What do you want to do, sir?" a guard asked
The camera pans out, showing a panoramic view of the city.
The view fades to a bouquet of black flowers that are being placed on a desk. As the camera moves back, Kikimora and Ky Mee are revealed in Ky Mee's dressing room. Kikimora is standing behind Ky Mee, who is sitting at the desk and looking through a mirror.
"What an exquisite performance. I can't wait to see how you'll top yourself tomorrow." Kikimora said
Cut closer to Ky Mee. Kikimora and Ky Mee's face are visible in Ky Mee's mirror.
(Smiling at Kikimora's reflection in the mirror.) "I'm sorry Kikimora, but unfortunately there won't be a show tomorrow." Ky Mee said
"Really?" Kikimora asked
(Hangs up her tiara.) "The universe has given me strong hints that it's time for a career change." (She gets up and turns around to face Kikimora.) "I want to join you on your mission." Ky Mee said
Zoom to a satisfied looking Kikimora.
Switch back to an overview shot of the campsite in the valley. The gang, the baby, Blopsie and three resistance fighters are sitting at one of the many campfires. The baby is still trying to catch King. The demon dog leaps out of the way and the baby tumbles down, right next to Willow's club. He picks it up and starts to suck on it. The camera moves back as Willow snatches the club out of the baby's hands.
"No! Bad Fire Nation baby!" Willow said
The child starts to cry. Amity looks from the baby to Willow and whacks her across the face before placing her hands on her hips in a motherly fashion.
(Annoyed.) "Oh ... all right." Willow said
Willow gives her club back to the baby who immediately stops crying and starts to play with it. Amity hugs him from behind.
(Baby voice.) "Oooh, you're so cute." (She kisses him on the cheek, while an annoyed Willow looks to the other side, resting her head on her hand.) "Mmmmm …" Amity said
Cut to Yung sitting on the other side of the fire.
"Sure he's cute now, but when he's older, he'll join the Fire Nation army." (Switch to Amity who is happily playing with the baby under the annoyed gaze of Willow.) "You won't think he's so cute then. He'll be a killer." Yung said
Amity picks the baby up and shows him to Yung.
"Does that look like the face of a killer to you?" Amity asked
Cut to a close-up of Yung whose face remains totally indifferent at the sight of the cute baby.
Switch to a picture of an arriving messenger hawk. The animal shrieks and lands on a nearby rock.
"A messenger hawk!" Yung said
Close-up of the canister on the hawk's back. It has the Fire Nation insignia on it. Luz unrolls the scroll, close-up of the message.
"It's from the Fire Nation governor. He thinks we kidnapped his son." (Switch to another view. Luz is shown standing at the other side of the campfire, reading the message.) "So ... he wants to make a trade. His son" (Zoom to Luz's surprised face while she continues dramatically, her eyes widening.) "for King Wrath." Luz said
Switch to a panoramic view by day of the mountains surrounding Omashu. Luz holds the baby in her arms while she stares at Omashu. She walks down the hill she was standing on toward Amity, Gus, Willow and Eda, who are waiting next to Appa.
"You realize we're probably walking right into a trap." Willow said
"Ya think?" Gus asked (gets elbowed in the arm by Willow holding it in pain)
"I don't think so. I'm sure the governor wants his son back as much as we want Wrath." (Smiling at the sleeping baby she holds against her chest.) "It's a new day. I have a good feeling about this." Luz said
Cut to inside the city of Omashu. A royal palanquin is being carried up the stairs toward the house of the governor. The silhouette of Kikimora can be seen through the veils. At the base of the next stairs, the lonely figure of Lai awaits the arrival of the palanquin. Kikimora gets out and she and Ky Mee walk over to Lai. They halt before her. Lai puts her hands together and bows slightly toward Kikimora.
"Please tell me you're here to kill me." Lai said
A close-up of Lai. She looks up at Kikimora and a slight smile appears on her otherwise emotionless features. Both girls start to laugh.
(Placing her hands on Lai's shoulders.) "It's great to see you, Lai." Kikimora said
Ky Mee rushes forward to give Lai a big hug. Lai uncomfortably pats her back a little with her left hand.
"I thought you ran off and joined the circus? You said it was your calling." Lai said
(Releases Lai.) "Well, Kikimora called a little louder." Ky Mee said
"I have a mission and I need you both." Kikimora said (Kikimora places a hand on both her friends' shoulders.)
"Count me in. Anything to get me out of this place." Lai said (She looks annoyed at the palace.)
Cut to a large red flag with the black Fire Nation mark on it. The camera pans down and shows Kikimora sitting on the throne of Omashu, flanked by two Fire Nation guards. The governor and his wife are in front of her, as well as Lai and Ky Mee.
"I apologize." (Switch to a closer shot of the governor squatting down on a pillow.) "You've come to Omashu at a difficult time. At noon we're making a trade with the resistance to get Tom-Tom back." the Governor said
"Yes, I'm so sorry to hear about your son, but really," (She crosses her legs and clasps her hands.) "What did you expect by just letting all the citizens leave?" (She stands up, addressing the governor in a harsher tone.) "The fire lord has trusted you with this city and you're making a mess of things!" Kikimora said (She emphasizes her words with a hand gesture.)
The governor and his wife prostrate themselves before her.
"Forgive me, admiral." the Governor said
Kikimora walks between the four bowing people in front of her, looking down upon the governor.
"You stay here." (Lai and Ky Mee get up behind her.) "Lai will handle the hostage trade so you don't have a chance to mess it up." (Cut to a shot of the still smoking city of Omashu, followed by some shots of Fire Nation construction sites.) "And there is no more "Omashu". I'm renaming it in honor of the fire lord, the city of New Belos." Kikimora said
The camera stops on a large statue of Belos, still in its scaffolds. The camera pans down. A long overview shot reveals Luz, Amity, Gus, Willow and Eda standing on a large wooden scaffold. They look serious as a party of three girls approaches, with Lai leading the way.
A crane is shown, lowering a metal cage. A close-up of the cage reveals that it is used to contain King Wrath. Only his head is left uncovered.
(Chuckling.) "Hi, everybody!" Wrath said
Luz smiles as she sees her friend. The cage touches the ground behind Kikimora and the rest.
"You brought my brother?" Lai asked
"He's here. We're ready to trade." Luz said
(To Lai.) "I'm sorry, but a thought just occurred to me. Do you mind?" Kikimora asked
Wrath follows the conversation, shifting his eyes from one speaker to the other.
(Turning to Kikimora.) "Of course not, Admiral Kikimora." Lai said
"We're trading a two year old for a king." (Looks up at Wrath.) "A powerful, earthbending king?" Kikimora asked
(Nods.) "Mmm hmmm!" Wrath said
"It just doesn't seem like a fair trade, does it?" Kikimora asked
Close-up of Lai's gray eyes as she ponders over the idea. She looks at her brother who yawns and happily rests his head against Eda's shoulder.
"You're right." (Kikimora smiles slyly while Lai walks forward.) "The deal's off." Lai said
Lai holds up her hand, gesturing to the guards to pull Wrath back up. As the chains reel in from above, the King is suspended in the air once again.
(Clearly amused by all this.) "Whoa! See you all later!" Wrath said
Wrath chuckles and snorts as he is lifted from the scenery. Luz and Willow watched him go.
"Wrath!" Luz yelled
"Dad!" Willow yelled
She sprints forward with her glider at the ready, increasing her speed with airbending. Kikimora tries to stop her by blocking her path with a mighty stream of blue flames. Luz dodges these by leaping high up into the air. Kikimora is completely shocked by this incredible jump. Luz briefly touches the scaffolding around the statue and pushes herself off, opening her glider in mid air. While opening her glider, she loses her hat, leaving her arrow tattoo exposed. She holds onto the hat with her teeth.
(Surprised.) "The Avatar!" Kikimora said
Luz circles up toward Wrath's coffin. Cut back to Kikimora who smiles smugly.
"My lucky day." Kikimora said
She runs over to a pulley and blasts through the rope that serves as a break. The winch begins to spin rapidly. Kikimora grabs hold of the rope and is pulled up rapidly toward the top of the construction scaffolding.
Luz lands on the top of Wrath's metal cage.
(Surprised.) "Luz, is that you? Where did you come from?" Wrath asked
"Hang on! We're gonna get you out of here." Luz said
She takes a deep breath and starts to blow a cold wind on the chain that is lifting Wrath up. The chain slowly starts to freeze.
On the ground, Lai and Ky Mee charge Amity, Gus, Willow and Eda. Lai readies her stiletto's while Amity takes on a defensive position.
"We've got to get the baby out of here!" Amity said
(Blows on the bison whistle before looking at the others with a big smile.) "Way ahead of ya!" Eda said (Tom-Tom reaches for the whistle and starts to play with it.)
"You guys go on ahead!" Willow said (Takes off her shoes and kicks a handle off it's place and grabbed a chain to be pulled up towards Luz and Wrath)
"Where is she going!?" Gus asked in panic
"Ask her when she gets back! Come on!" Amity said
Cut to an overview shot of Amity, Gus and Eda running to the edge of the big platform. Before they can reach it, Ky Mee's fist emerges from one of the holes in the floor and punches Eda's foot, causing her to fall over and slide toward the edge. She protectively clutches the baby in her arms, preparing for the worst, but they stop just in time.
Switch back to Amity and Gus, who sees Ky Mee jumping out of the hole in the floor and setting course for Eda. Gus bends water from his pouch to attack her, but notices something behind her. Cut to a close-up of Lai, who throws four knives at Gus. Amity reacts quickly by using her fire whip to blast up several wooden planks. A close-up of Gus shows that the wooden board is just in time to prevent the knives from piercing his face. The knives embed themselves in the wood. Amity uses her fire whip again to shoot the wooden boards to Lai. Gus turns around in one fluent motion toward Ky Mee who has almost reached Eda and the baby by now. The water whip grabs Ky Mee by the ankle, pulling her to the ground. This gives Eda the time she needs to get up and head for a nearby ladder. She slides down and starts her descend off the scaffolding.
Switch to Luz and Wrath, who are still being raised in the air. Luz is still trying to freeze the chain with her breath.
"Luz, stop your blowing for a minute." Wrath said
A close-up shows that she finally succeeds in freezing the chain, when an explosion occurs on top of the scaffolding. Kikimora is propelled in the air and shoots a plume of blue fire toward Luz with a powerful kick. Luz is startled by her sudden appearance and swift attack. She deflects the flame with a strong air current of her own with Willow flying through the smoke and towards her and Wrath.
"Now hold on just a" (The swing of Willow's kick breaks the frozen chain and they freefall down.) "duahhh!!!" Wrath exclaimed
Willow turns over Wrath's coffin, so he would crash to the ground head first. As they are about to crash upon one of Omashu's chutes, Luz creates an air ball under them to break their fall. They rapidly slide down the chute they landed in.
Cut to Kikimora who was following the spectacle from atop the scaffolding. She frowns and sprints to a nearby chute, pursuing the Avatar, the Earthbending Princess and the King down the chute in a box of her own.
Switch to a laughing Luz and a frightened Willow standing on Wrath's coffin.
"It's just like old times, isn't it, Wrath?" Luz asked
"I've only done this once when I was little!" Willow yelled
(Looking serious.) "Luz, I need to talk to you!" Wrath said
"It's good to see you too!" Luz said
While Luz is still smiling, Willow notices the fast approach of something in a chute on their left. She turns to see what it is, just as Willow shoots several fire missiles toward them. Willow earthbends a part of the chute to deflect them which caught Luz's attention. Both chutes come together and Kikimora is now behind them. Luz directs a gust of air at her, but she parts it with her hands clasped together in front of her. She retaliates with several fire blasts. Luz and Willow ducks underneath them and starts to peddle with Luz's staff and Willow's earthbending, increasing their speed. They enter a portion of the chute that has wooden arches over it at short intervals. Luz cuts these through with an air blade, making them collapse upon the track. Kikimora is caught in the dust cloud, knocked up by the falling debris. When her box emerges again, it seems to be empty. Luz and Willow do not see Kikimora anymore and sigh in relief, but their sigh quickly turns into a scream as Kikimora emerges again from the box, sending another beam of fire toward them. Luz and Willow drop flat on their stomachs to avoid it. Cut back to the large wooden platform where Lai is still fighting Amity and Gus. Lai dodges Amity's fire whips and Gus' water whips and answers her attacks by shooting stiletto's out of the launcher attached to her leg. Gus easily defends himself and Amity by freezing the water to create an ice wall. Lai uses this time to charge Amity and Gus head on. The duo defends themselves by capturing Lai's right arm in a stream of water and freezing it. Lai tries to break the ice, but fails. Ky Mee climbs on the platform behind Amity and Gus. She bounces toward the two and hits Gus with several quick jabs on his arms. Gus is surprised by this attack and loses control over his water stream that splashes on the ground. He tries to raise the water again, but it only moves a little.
(Taunting.) "How are you gonna fight without your bending?" Ky Mee asked
Lai pulls out a sai from her robe and takes aim at a shocked Gus. Just as she is about to throw the weapon, Willow's boomerang knocks it out of her hand. Ky Mee and Lai spin around to see Eda flying in on Appa.
(Catching the boomerang.) "seems Willow managed that!" Eda said
Eda and Appa land between Amity, Gus and their attackers. As Appa lands, he slams his tail hard on the ground, sending Lai and Ky Mee flying off the scaffolding.
Amity, Gus and Eda are flying down the chutes of Omashu atop Appa's head. Amity looks and points to her left.
"There's Luz and Willow!" Amity said
(Gazing in the direction Amity pointed.) "We can catch them!" Gus said
With a growl, Appa changes course toward Luz.
Cut to Kikimora who is still on the offensive, directing multiple beams of fire at Luz and Willow. Luz spins her staff around in defense while they are still rocketing down the chute. Appa pulls up next to them.
"Hang on, Wrath! Our ride's here!" Luz said
"About time!" Willow said
Appa swerves to avoid another blue fire blast. As he pulls closer again, Luz lifts up the coffin by hitting the side of the chute making Willow hold on tight. Amity and Eda try to grab hold of the coffin as it passes overhead, but they cannot reach it. Wrath screams as he, Luz and Willow fall down. Luz moves the coffin to a more horizontal position in midair. Their fall is broken by another chute as they land crosswise on it, breaking right through. They land on another chute and start to slide down once again with Kikimora on their trail.
Switch to Kikimora who creates a whirling disk of flames and sends it down the chute. It rapidly gains on Luz, Willow and Wrath. Wrath peeks at the upcoming fire disk and clenches his teeth in effort. A pillar of earth rises in the middle of the chute, protecting them from the disk. Kikimora gasps for air as she notices that her path is blocked. She jumps up in the nick of time and slides down the chute on foot, while her box slams to pieces against the rock. She eventually halts in the middle of the chute, looking displeased at Luz, Willow and Wrath who continue their descent.
Cut to Luz, Willow and Wrath who are nearing the end of the chute.
(Shocked.) "You could earthbend? All along?" Luz asked
(Shocked as well.) "But how?" Willow asked
"Well, they didn't cover my face." Wrath said
Wrath strains himself again in effort and raises another earth pillar to stop their descent down the chute. The coffin hits it and ends up standing straight atop the rock, while Luz and Willow land in front of it, looking up at Wrath.
(Slightly annoyed and angry.) "I don't understand. Why didn't you free yourself? Why did you surrender when Omashu was invaded? What's the matter with you, dad?" Willow asked
(Calmly.) "Listen to me, kids. There are options in fighting, called jing. It's a choice of how you direct your energy." Wrath said
(Cut to a close-up of an annoyed Luz, counting along on her fingers as she sums up the different jings.) "I know! There's positive jing when you're attacking, and negative jing when you're retreating." Luz said
(Happily smiling.) "... and neutral jing when you do nothing!" Wrath said
(She looks shocked at her three raised fingers.) "There are three jings?" Luz asked
"Well, technically there are eighty-five, but let's just focus on the third. Neutral jing is the key to earthbending. It involves listening and waiting for the right moment to strike." Wrath said
(Starting to understand.) "That's why you surrendered, isn't it?" Luz asked
"Yes, and it's why I can't leave now." Wrath said
Luz sadly turns around.
(Disappointed.) "I guess I need to find someone else to teach me earthbending." Luz said
"Your not involving me into this" Willow said
"Luz, your teacher will be someone who has mastered neutral jing. You need to find someone who waits and listens before striking." Wrath said
King lands on Luz's shoulders.
(Happily.) "Hey, King!" Luz said
"King's mastered a few jings himself!" Wrath said
King screeches loudly at Wrath.
"Goodbye kids. I'll see you when the time is right." Wrath said
King Wrath lets his coffin tumble backward and begins his ascent of the chute. He laughs and snorts like a mad man while he uses his earthbending to drive him back to the top of the chute, leaving Luz, Willow and King behind.
Cut to the royal palanquin being carried out the city, flanked by Lai and Ky Mee.
"So, we're tracking down the commander and her lieutenant, huh?" Lai asked
(Turning to Lai.) "It'll be interesting seeing Lilith again," (Teasing.) "won't it, Lai?" Ky Mee asked
Lai looks away as a smile plays upon her face.
"It's not just Lilith and Kaldo anymore." (Cut closer to Kikimora who continues in a serious tone.) "We have a third target now." Kikimora said
Scene fades to Luz that night, peeking down over the gutter of the governor's house. The governor holds his wife while they are looking over the city with a sad expression on their face. Luz silently lands behind them and drops off Tom-Tom. Luz takes off again while the child toddles toward his parents. As they hear the cooing of the child, they turn around, gasping with surprise and excitement.
"Tom-Tom!" Lai's mother said
The governor and his wife joyfully take the baby up into their arms under the watchful eye of Luz who is sitting on the roof. She smiles at the happy scene of the reunited family before she takes off.
Fades to credits.