Sokka wished he had a shield when the array of sand struck him. He could only cover his face with his arm plates, shutting his eyes to keep the tiny grains from compromising his vision. He was completely vulnerable, there was absolutely nothing he could do to fight back while the sand stream was crashing against him. He knew just what the Rockman was about to do… he just knew it. He had turned sand into glass before, and he wouldn't have any reason not to do it now when it would likely award him the victory immediately.
So Sokka took a moment to fuel himself with determination to fling his club towards Haru before the earthbender could solidify the sand once more.
If Sokka had used his boomerang, his attack would have been predictable. But never before had it been heard that he would toss his club through the air to strike his opponent with it. Azula had been worrying about the fight becoming one-sided so soon, but upon Sokka's surprising move she stared at him in admiration and hope. Perhaps he wasn't as lost as she had thought at first…
The club struck the earthbender in the stomach, causing him to gasp for breath as he stumbled, losing his stance and thus the chance to thwart Sokka so early in the battle. The Blue Wolf shook the sand off himself, glaring at the breathless Rockman as he did. His move had delivered a good amount of damage… but would it be enough?
When Haru stuck his hand into the sand powerfully, Sokka knew it wouldn't be.
The grounds beneath him grew slippery as the sand became softer, shifting in itself to sink Sokka into the ring. The process was so fast that it didn't take over one minute for Sokka's feet to be buried in the sand. He jumped out of the unstable grounds as quickly as he could, but it wasn't quick enough. Haru followed him with his gaze and shifted his hand, and the grounds where Sokka landed became quicksand as well. Sokka tried to escape Haru's influence, but it was such a difficult feat that eventually it became impossible. He tried to hold on to one of the wooden structures, but Haru's powers sank both Sokka and the object into the unstable grounds.
Sokka tried to free himself, but when he began squirming he found himself waist-deep in the sand trap. He grimaced as he wondered how to free himself from this predicament, but no ideas came to mind, especially when the Rockman brought forth a huge glass formation and shattered it on Sokka's head.
Everything became hazy for the Water Tribe man after that blow. He hardly noticed that his opponent had lifted him from the ground, using the sand around Sokka to make him levitate, before throwing another rock of glass at him with enough force to blast Sokka out of the sand trap.
Sokka spun in the air after that last blow, landing in sand far away from Haru. He panted and lifted his head slowly, still trying to get a hold of himself. Thankfully he hadn't moved too fast, or else he might have ripped his skull apart with the spike that stood right above him. Haru had thrown him all the way to the edge of the ring.
Sokka gulped and crawled away, doing his best to avoid getting himself branded with a new scar provided by those spikes. Now that he saw them up close he realized their tips seemed reddened by the blood that had been spilled on them so many times…
Sokka turned towards Haru again, deciding not to focus in the spikes anymore. Any second of dawdling could cost him his life, especially when fighting against an earthbender as skilled as this one.
"You should be called the Glassman instead," Sokka stated, chattering in order to gain some time to recover after the blows he had sustained.
To his surprise, Haru laughed gently at his declaration.
"I've trained myself to use all sorts of earth derivates," said Haru. "If you think I'm good with glass, you should see me with rocks."
"I'd rather not, thank you very much," muttered Sokka, smiling sideways as he threw his boomerang at his enemy.
Haru saw the attack coming this time around, and he was quick to react to it. He created a wave of sand, which took Sokka by surprise again, and with it he stopped the boomerang in the middle of its progress. The entire Arena shook when he shifted a mountain of sand in Sokka's direction… and he wrecked more of the furniture in his attempt to overpower Sokka.
Haru cringed as other wooden structures snapped, and the well, which had been rebuilt after its latest destruction, almost sunk underneath the wave Haru had brought forth.
"That imbecile," whispered Tiao, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb.
Azula would have been bothered by the man's harshness on his gladiator when the Emerald Rockman was obviously winning, but she was too busy struggling to find Sokka amindst the sand to worry about whatever the sponsor by her side would say. Where was he? Had he sunk within the immense sand attack? Azula was impressed by this fighter, though. He wasn't as deadly as the Blind Bandit, but he handled his element quite powerfully in his own way.
Haru panted after so much effort, and he gazed about himself to find the Blue Wolf as well. Where had he gone…? Had he been buried? He sure hoped not. He had definitely gone overboard with this attack…
And just as he was trying to spot Sokka, a boomerang soared from behind the well and struck Haru on the back of the head this time around.
The Emerald Rockman stumbled and looked towards the well in astonishment. So he was alright? He had made it out of the sand wave? How?
Azula sighed with relief after spotting Sokka crouching behind the structure. He had managed to run towards it when the sand wave was still rising, and he had taken cover in the sole spot in the Arena that had been safe from the sand attack. As clever of him as always.
Haru cringed at the pain and, against his better judgment, he tore down the well despite knowing how many points it would cost him. Sokka stumbled and stared in astonishment, wondering how much destruction could that piece of furniture withstand…
He didn't have too much time to think about it, though. It seemed he was about to discover why Haru was deemed the Emerald Rockman.
The stones flew towards him so fast Sokka hardly had enough time to react. He sliced them in two, but that wasn't enough for their trajectory to shift. The two halves of the rock still flew towards him, one striking him in the leg and the other in the shoulder. And he didn't even have time to complain about the pain: more rocks were about to come crashing on him.
He had no idea what else to do but to run for his life, and doing so through unstable sand was definitely not a good idea. Another rock crashed against his elbow, sending stinging pain shooting through his arm. He cringed as he made his way through the sand, trying not to lose his footing, but he failed to do so when he tripped with something hard on the ground. He rolled down the uneven sand, clutching his aching elbow as he did. The single positive thing about what Haru had done was that the sand was quite soft, and thus falling on it wasn't as painful as it would have been in other circumstances.
The object he had tripped over came rolling down right after him, striking his shoulder again. Sokka yelped in pain, growing frustrated. Was he really going to lose this fight so easily?! Even his surroundings seemed to work against him…!
It wasn't until then that he realized what had hit him. If his club could have spoken, Sokka was sure it would have apologized for hurting him. But despite the wound it had given him, Sokka couldn't have been happier to see it. He would have hugged the weapon, but the situation was pressing enough as it was for him to waste time with kind gestures. He could hug it later.
Sokka picked up the club, and, despite the pain that endured in his elbow, he clutched Space Sword and he faced the rocks with both weapons at the ready. He used Space Sword to slice the first rock that came forth, and with his club he smashed it powerfully, sending both halves of the stone off-course this time.
Haru gaped at him in surprise. Now that was a trick he hadn't seen from another non-bender before.
Azula smiled approvingly at Sokka's performance. He had almost been overpowered just now, and he had sustained some troublesome injuries, but he had come through the strife, and there was still time to spare. If he was doing so well as of now, then he might gain the upper hand later on…
Sokka waited for the next rock for a moment before noticing it wasn't coming. His opponent was so shocked he hadn't reacted yet… and that was an opening. It might be the only one he would get.
Sokka ran towards Haru, his arms protesting as he clutched his weapons with even more strength. The Rockman turned towards him and dread crossed his face when he realized he had been wasting time pointlessly by standing in awe of what Sokka had done. Why did he have to be such an airhead?
He tried to defend himself with a shield of sand, but Sokka's attack with the club was so strong that he cracked through the defense in a single attempt. The club didn't reach Haru, who grimaced as he tried to get out of the weapon's reach, and after twisting around Sokka's blow he had broken his stance. Sokka smirked and slid Space Sword through the weakened sand that was collapsing to the ground now, and he hit Haru on his left flank with the blade.
Haru screamed and kicked the air, sending a column of sand straight at Sokka's face. The non-bender stumbled and fell down, shaking his head to throw off the dirt. His sword hand fell to the side, and it touched something with an edge in the ground. When Sokka glanced down towards it he grew convinced it was his lucky day. It could have just been a shard of sharp glass… but it was none other than his boomerang! First the club, and now the boomerang. All his weapons kept coming back to him, fortunately.
The Rockman staggered, having a hard time to walk after sustaining such a wound. He glared at Sokka briefly before returning to his strategy with the well's rocks. Sokka jumped out of the way, picking up his boomerang in the process, when one of the largest rocks plummeted on the very spot he had been on. Haru seemed upset by the sudden turn the battle had taken, and his anger seemed to fuel his fighting spirit. He wasn't out of control, his eyes were still focused as he aimed the stones straight towards Sokka, but he was determined to be as deadly as possible now. Sokka used his club to fend off the rocks, unable to use Space Sword while he was still holding his boomerang in his hand.
But his attempts to get rid of the rocks were no use. Haru seemed to juggle the stones, tossing them at Sokka expertly even after the swordsman had thrown them out of the way. He would take them in midair and send them Sokka's way again by controlling two rocks at once, one with each hand. Sokka struggled to get away from the boulders, growing weary of getting chased by them. He was too heavy for the unsteady sand underneath him, and his feet kept sinking into it as he did his best to get away. The efforts weighed on his knees, making him cringe at the difficulty he found in moving through the sand.
Haru suddenly stopped throwing rocks, and when he did Sokka's ascent through the unstable mountain of sand became far more difficult. It took him a moment to realize the earthbender had gone back to bending sand and left the rocks aside for the time being. And right now he was moving the sand Sokka was stepping on in order to make his climb steeper than it already was. Sokka struggled to figure out what to do in this predicament. He could stop walking and allow himself to fall back, but doing so probably would serve no purpose. Haru would drop the wall of sand he was building on him, and he would certainly be buried alive this time around. Continuing to climb might serve some use, at the very least he would likely fall on the surface of the sand, which was better than the other alternative he had thought of…
But another thought came to mind as the wall became larger and larger. Perhaps if he were able to break the earthbender's focus again…
Sokka glanced back and took his sword in the hand that held his club. He threw his boomerang powerfully at Haru, but from that distance the earthbender would obviously fight it back. Nevertheless, he would have to stop bending his mountain of sand for a short while to fend the weapon off…
And doing so made Haru uneasy. He tried to keep control of the sand he had been bending, knowing he couldn't stop now or else he would lose the edge he had gained over Sokka… but if he didn't let the wall go, he would be struck by the boomerang's attack, and he would lose control over the wall regardless. What was he supposed to do?
In an attempt to save himself, Haru kicked up an array of sand towards the boomerang, but the weapon spun too fast and he missed it by a few inches. The boomerang struck him in the shoulder again and flew away just as the sand formation began to collapse.
Sokka took off his helmet and jumped on top of it, in hopes it would help him to slide over the sand without sinking in it. His feet went to either side of the helmet, and he balanced himself as he went down to the ground again, pushed by another powerful wave of sand. The boomerang returned to his hand in that very moment, and Sokka struggled to keep balance as he attached to it the two bombs he had brought with him. Haru struggled to regain control of the sand that was coming down on him, and he would likely succeed at that if he had enough time to focus… which was something Sokka was definitely not going to provide him with.
He flung the boomerang at his enemy again, and once more Haru faced the same predicament. He cringed and flung his right hand towards it, trying to use sand to wave it off again, but as soon as he struck the weapon the two bombs released their smoke, blinding him and preventing him from focusing on his attempts to control the sand.
The new wave of sand came down to the ground, and Haru couldn't do anything but scream as it collapsed on him. Sokka grimaced at the sound and continued to surf until he lost balance and had to jump out of the helmet in order not to lose himself in the mess of sand. He picked his helmet up and ran away from the sand that was still shifting, but to Sokka's relief, it was almost done moving by now.
And Haru still remained hidden within the cloud of smoke.
Sokka gulped, unsure of what would happen when his enemy came out of it again. He picked up his boomerang before walking away from the mess of smoke and sand his opponent was trapped in.
Time ticked away, and the smoke didn't dissipate yet. Sokka's chest heaved as he grew anxious. Would the Rockman hop out of the cloud when he least expected it? Or perhaps he had dug his way out of it through the sand and he would attack him from below…? The thought made him jump back, but he reassured himself. The sand was so loose that he would have sensed any movements below him even when he wasn't an earthbender.
And so Sokka was left doing nothing but waiting. He crouched on the ground, ready to pounce away if it were necessary, and kept his eye on the smoke cloud in front of him.
Tiao gritted his teeth, a gratifying sight for Azula, but not more than the sight of Sokka winning this fight. There was always the chance things would take a turn for the worst… but for once she allowed herself to hope they wouldn't. He had outdone himself this time around.
But she was surprised, and not for the best, when the cloud disappeared and the Emerald Rockman was nowhere to be seen.
"Where…?" gasped Tiao, his eyebrows twitching as he stared down to the sand pit in disbelief.
There was no question, the earthbender had been buried under his own attack. But was that a good thing, or a bad thing? Azula wanted to imagine the best case scenario, but it wasn't easy to do so after having witnessed so many of Sokka's fights against earthbenders. Chances were the Rockman had built an underground haven and he was just waiting for the right moment to attack…
But if that were the case, why hadn't he done anything yet? Why was there no movement under the sand? Azula frowned and so did Sokka, as they stared intently at the spot where Haru had been standing before the wave crashed down on him.
Underneath the sand, Haru struggled to move. He had shut his mouth completely in order to prevent the grains from slipping into his mouth, which would have been chaotic. He was in quite a troublesome position, there was nothing he could do to move. And if he couldn't move, he couldn't bend. If he couldn't bend, then the battle was over with.
And who cared about the battle anyways? He had been buried alive! He was about to die because of his own carelessness, and his mind would choose to lecture him about another loss to add to his slump? He would be more than happy to face his sponsor's wrath upon his failure… if that meant getting out of this predicament alive.
He tried to stretch his right hand upwards, but doing so was hardly any use. He couldn't bend the sand around him. He had to find a way to bend the sand, that was all there was to it. He couldn't bend with his mind, regrettably, or else his sheer willpower would have gotten him out of his ordeal.
He stretched and extended his fingers repeatedly, and that seemed to work well enough. The sand right above him was loose, so he could try to reach out through it. He continued repeating the same process until he finally found it in him to bend with those fingers alone. As he did, the sand around his hand grew loose, and he moved his wrist in order to wave away the sand that was threatening to kill him. Slowly, his entire arm became mobile and he bended the sand around it so that he could reach his face and wipe away the sand, in order to cleanse his lungs with new air.
He spent longer than he should have in the process of regaining his breath, but he succeeded at it eventually. He continued bending the sand around him steadily, releasing his body from the tight trap and getting ready to lift himself from underground…
Sand flew everywhere when Haru finally erupted from the ground. Sokka shielded his eyes and the public screamed when the patches of sand soared towards them. Even Azula and Tiao had to brace themselves from the explosion before looking down at what was happening between their gladiators.
Haru's chest heaved as he stared at Sokka, his eyes mildly unfocused. Sokka gulped and looked back at his opponent, worried over what might happen next. The judges had been about to declare him the winner when Haru had been underground for as long as he had, but upon the movements in the sand they had decided to give him a chance. And Sokka deeply regretted that they had. Perhaps he could find another way around the earthbender now, but how? Haru was careless, but he was insanely skilled. If he had the sliver of a chance to strike Sokka down, he would take it, especially after what he'd just been through.
Nevertheless, it took longer than Sokka expected for Haru to return to his fighting stances. He panted for a while, horrified by what he had just been through, before lifting his arms and bringing forth the rocks from the well. His hands shook as he held them, and he had a hard time keeping a steady grip on them. He feared he would fail to use the boulders efficiently, he had spent too much strength on freeing himself from the sand trap. But he could win… he could beat the Blue Wolf. He wasn't even wearing his helmet anymore, so just a blow to the head ought to serve to knock him out quickly enough…
"The time is up!" shouted the megaphone man, startling both Sokka and Haru.
Time had run out far quicker than anyone had expected. The gladiator, the sponsors and the public hadn't expected it to end right now. Without a doubt, it was the most intense combat Sokka had fought in for quite a while. But had he won, or would the victory be awarded to his foe again? He gulped at the thought but stood strong where he was, trying to wait for the judges' decision patiently.
Haru's hands dropped, and so did the stones he had been holding. He gazed around himself, watching with a grimace as he realized he had torn down all the furniture in the Arena. And what he hadn't torn, he had buried under his avalanches of sand. This was why he liked working with real earth better, he was much better at controlling it…
He didn't even want to look up at the sponsor's balcony. He knew his sponsor would give him an earful over what he had done. Even if he were awarded the triumph, he would still fall back in the ranking after wreaking havoc in the sand ring as he had. He truly hoped the man wouldn't give him a beating, though. He was wounded enough as it was. He clutched the injury on the left side of his ribcage to find it was still bleeding, and after being coated with sand it was prone to getting infected. He needed medical attention right away.
"You alright there, Haru?" asked Sokka, staring at him with mild concern after watching him flinch at the pain.
"I'll be fine," he said, smiling reassuringly. "You're… you're much stronger than I thought."
"That was luck, that's all there was to it," said Sokka, waving a hand carelessly. "You are quite an impressive bender, I'll say."
"And a careless one as well," muttered Haru, dropping his gaze. "I should learn how to use my skills without destroying everything in the process…"
Sokka frowned at those words. Haru needed to learn something. He was a powerful earthbender, but he truly could use a little more control…
And Sokka needed to learn how to deal with earthbenders more effectively. No matter if he won or lost today, there were too many earthbenders out there who could beat him, and they had proven it over and again. And since this gladiator seemed such a nice man, and he was quite capable and powerful… then maybe, just maybe, he would be the solution to the problems he had been facing as of late!
"You could learn to do that," said Sokka, his eyes glistening in hope as he walked towards Haru. "Maybe if I help you, you could…"
"The judges have reached their decision," declared the megaphone man, interrupting the conversation between the two gladiators. As always, one of the judges took the bullhorn in order to declare the winner of the fight.
"After quite a chaotic combat," started the judge. "We have decided to award the victory to the Blue Wolf."
Sokka's eyes widened and he stared at the judges' balcony in shock at first before turning to the opposite direction, smiling enthusiastically at the Princess. Seeing that she was beaming as well as she sighed in relief made him feel quite proud of his accomplishment. There it was, the grin he wanted to keep on her face at all times…
The grids were raised again, and it took Sokka a moment to register that the Emerald Rockman was limping his way towards his exit.
"W-wait!" he exclaimed, hoping to stop him, but then deciding against it. Haru was badly injured. His proposal could wait until the earthbender had been tended to.
He walked back to his stand-by room, with hopes of get his medical check done as quickly as possible. He needed to talk to Haru, and he had to do it quickly. He had to catch up to him before his sponsor could take him home…
"Well, it would seem you made no profit from this fight after all. What a pity," said Azula, her previously peaceful smile turning into a smirk.
Tiao didn't bother replying. He dropped Azula's winnings on the table between them and stormed out of the room. Azula's amusement only grew at that. Sokka had done it, he had done it! He had beaten the earthbender, and with this they had sent a message to all those fools who dared challenge them thoughtlessly. Maybe Sokka had struggled to win… but he had proven he could triumph against earthbenders, and if they dared underestimate him they would pay dearly for it.
She made her way towards the waiting room in which Sokka was being treated, passing by the one where the Emerald Rockman was getting patched up by several physicians. She entered Sokka's room to find him wincing at the ice that was being rubbed on his wounds.
"Azula…" he said, giving her a pained smile as a greeting.
"You did it," she told him, beaming. "I was almost expecting you wouldn't, but you did!"
"So you didn't trust me to pull this off?" asked Sokka, an eyebrow twitching.
"After your stellar performances in the Arena lately, you truly can't blame me for doubting you," said Azula, shaking her head. "But nonetheless, you have proven yourself. You were still building your plans on the spot, but they paid off this time around. You'll need to try harder on the next opportunities, but this will do for the moment."
"Thanks…" said Sokka, cringing as they placed the ice on his face now.
"Wait… does ice bother you now?" asked Azula, amused. "You have been too long in the Fire Nation."
"I agree, it's been too long," gulped Sokka. "I'm getting too used to the weather and to your knack to make fun of every little thing that you can poke at me with…"
"Given your bitterness, I doubt you're really getting used to that," said Azula, smirking.
"He'll have to keep ice on his wounds until the swelling is gone," said the physician, looking at Azula. "He should be able to fight again in a week or two."
"Good. So be it," said Azula, nodding as the man walked out of the room. "Well, then, are you ready to go find out if you've risen in the ranking?"
"Ye-… No," said Sokka, shaking his head. "Azula, that guy… that guy is it."
"Who… the physician?" asked Azula, confused.
"No! The Emerald Rockman!" exclaimed Sokka. "He's the one we've been waiting for!"
Azula's puzzlement only seemed to grow larger upon those words. She allowed herself a nervous smile and looked at Sokka sideways.
"I assure you I was not waiting for him. But if this is the way you're swinging now, Sokka, I'll try not to judge…"
"That's not what I…! What the hell, Azula?!" Sokka exclaimed, grimacing. "No, no, no! I mean the earthbender that I should train with! The one that will help me develop techniques to defeat other eartbenders!"
Azula frowned now, in deep thought.
"Him? Why him?" she asked. "He may be strong, but he's too careless in comparison to the ones you usually fight with. He lacks discipline."
"Which is exactly what I thought! I can help him to be less reckless with his attacks, to develop his fighting style better," Sokka declared. "And he'll do the same for me! So it's a completely beneficial situation, we both will have something to gain from it!"
The frown in the Princess's face only deepened as she considered Sokka's idea.
"It sounds good, Sokka, I'll grant you that, but I doubt we'll be able to make it happen. Convincing that sponsor won't be an easy feat, in fact I don't think I'll be able to…"
"How about you give him back the winnings you earned from him and use them as leverage?" asked Sokka, with a goofy smile.
Azula shot him a venomous glare and Sokka just scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Even if I did that, I don't think he'll accept this deal," muttered Azula. "With what little I found out about him, it's going to take more than returning his money to convince a man like him."
"Did you tick him off in any way?" asked Sokka, raising an eyebrow.
"Just by having a gladiator strong enough to defeat his I've ticked him off," said Azula, sighing. "Even if he went with it, enacting this agreement would be awful. Just imagining having to deal with the man on a daily basis gives me a headache…"
"Well, it doesn't have to be every day," said Sokka, shrugging. "Maybe once every two days! Or three times a week? Whatever pleases you most!"
"I'd be pleased if you'd decided on a training partner that wasn't so hard to acquire," said Azula, sighing heavily. "Why must you always make everything ten times as difficult as it already is, Sokka?"
"Look who's talking," said Sokka, pouting. "You're the most difficult person I know!"
"I'm a difficult person, yes; you, on the other hand, complicate everything unnecessarily, and that's what I'm complaining about," grunted Azula. "Are you sure this Rockman will serve as your training partner? Absolutely certain of that?"
"Yeah, I am," said Sokka, still pouting. "He's a nice guy too, to make it even better! One of the most rational earthbenders I've met up to date, and he's not a vicious little thing like the Blind Bandit, so he's really the best choice we've got!"
Azula groaned and shook her head, wishing there was a better alternative ahead. But if they didn't try to get this gladiator to work with them, there were no guarantees they'd find another fighter suitable for what they had in mind. Chances were he would be the best choice for the role, and if they could convince him through suggesting a mutually beneficial arrangement, there was a chance he would comply. Tiao had proven to be an ambitious man… it was time to see just how ambitious he truly was.
"We'll try to recruit him, then," said Azula, though she didn't seem too enthusiastic about the perspective. "But chances are he'll refuse us and we'll still have to find another earthbender to sort out this problem."
"Nothing wrong with trying anyways, is there?" asked Sokka, smiling as he stood up.
"I hope not," said Azula, irritated by the thought of having to come face-to-face with Tiao once again.
They walked into the hallway, and Azula peeked into the room where she had seen Haru earlier… to find it vacant.
"He was in here…" said Azula, frowning. "Were they done healing him that quickly?"
"Probably not, but his sponsor could have stopped the healing session if he wanted to," said Sokka, walking off towards the staircase. "Come on, maybe they haven't left the building yet. We might still have a chance to catch them!"
Azula followed him promptly, and they almost ran down the stairs on their way to find Haru and Tiao. And they were truly fortunate to find them in front of Shoji's counter, Tiao speaking sternly to the boy while Haru stood a few feet away, still gripping his left flank with a grimace on his face. It seemed his sponsor had dragged him out of the room as soon as he had been bandaged, without giving him a moment to rest.
"Two more losses and he's out?" Tiao had just said when both Azula and Sokka approached. "This is ridiculous."
"Well, that's just the rules, sir…" muttered Shoji, lowering his face.
"That's a ridiculous way to excuse something ridiculous," grunted Tiao, glaring at the boy.
"There's no need to blame him for the way the system works, Tiao," said Azula, earning herself a large smile from Shoji. The boy's eyes had lit up as soon as he had realized she was there.
"Come to gloat again, have you, Princess?" grunted the man. "Regrettably, I have no time to waste on this nonsense. I have better places to be at than this foul…"
"We're in luck that you have no time for my gloating, because I didn't come to rub your loss in your face," said Azula. "Your gladiator has qualities that interest me. I sought a training partner for mine, and yours might just be the fighter I was looking for. Therefore, I expected the two of us could reach an agreement so that our gladiators could begin a joint training regime-…"
"What?" asked Tiao, staring at Azula in utter disbelief. "You want my Rockman to build up your pathetic excuse for a fighter…"
"Hey!" exclaimed Sokka, insulted. "I won!"
"So that your gladiator develops the skills to fight against earthbenders?" Tiao continued, ignoring Sokka completely. "You truly believe I would accept such ludicrous proposal?"
"Your fighter could gain important experience from this as well," muttered Azula, having expected this response. "Just as Sokka learns to fight earthbenders, the Rockman will learn to fight more carefully so he doesn't tear the entire Arena down as he almost did today."
Sokka didn't miss the way Haru's face fell. He surely was frustrated with himself enough already… hearing the Princess of the Fire Nation bring up his shortcomings so harshly seemed to make him wish he hadn't climbed out of his sand trap after all.
"What my gladiator does is my concern," grunted Tiao. "Maybe yours could help him, I will not deny that, but I have no time to waste in this pointless agreement. My answer is no."
"Oh, come on! Be reasonable here, will you?" exclaimed Sokka. "This will benefit everyone, and I'm sure Azula would be more than happy to pay you for-…!"
"You dare speak to a man of my standing?" asked Tiao, aghast. "You lowly slave… the Princess might be soft with you, but you're not getting the same treatment from me. Know your place, slave. Behave as one of your kind should."
"What?!" squealed Sokka, his voice creaking. "Can you believe this guy, Azula?!"
"Why… he's right, you know?" said Azula, making Sokka wince. "You never act like a slave, and I always let you get away with it."
"WHAT?! You don't mean that!" Sokka said, aghast.
"I apologize over my gladiator's inadequate behavior," said Azula, smiling a little as Sokka fumed next to her. "Nevertheless, as he said, if money is what you require, I would be willing to…"
"I do not want your money," grunted Tiao. "You are not buying my services, or the services of my slave! He belongs to me, and I don't care if the Fire Lord's daughter wants him, I will not sway so long as he belongs to me!"
Azula cringed and Sokka's irritation turned towards Tiao again. Haru had actually seemed interested in joining them for training when Azula had explained herself, but if he dared protest against his sponsor's decision he was bound to get a slap or something worse. Tiao clearly wasn't a gentleman, let alone towards slaves.
"Then would you stop being so twitchy if he wasn't your gladiator anymore?" asked a perky voice, surprising the two gladiators and their respective sponsors.
Azula shouldn't have been surprised to see that Ty Lee had lurked into a conversation uninvited, but she definitely hadn't expected her to appear out of nowhere right now. Sokka blinked a couple of times, eyeing the girl with distrust. What was she up to…?
"What…? W-who are you?" asked Tiao, frowning.
"Oh, I'm just a friend of the Princess's" said Ty Lee, smiling carelessly. "Now, Mr. Sponsor, I think there's a very nice way to settle this matter…"
"Ty Lee, do you even know what we're talking about?!" asked Azula, staring at her friend in disbelief.
"Sure I do! I was listening in all along!" replied Ty Lee happily.
"That's not a very courteous thing to do," grunted Tiao, glaring at the girl.
"Neither is treating the Princess, Sokka and your slave as you do," said Ty Lee, crossing her arms over her chest. "Who is the least courteous around here, huh?"
"I'm willing to say Sokka…" whispered Azula under her breath, so that neither Ty Lee nor Tiao would hear her. But someone else did, since he was standing too close to her to miss out on what she had just said.
"Hey!" Sokka exclaimed, angrily.
"Do not lecture me about etiquette, you foolish girl!" grunted Tiao. "This matter is of no concern of yours!"
"Truly, Ty Lee, it isn't…" said Azula, glancing at Ty Lee sideways.
"Maybe it wasn't, Azula, but now it is," said Ty Lee, turning towards Tiao with a determined look on her face. "I'm going to buy your gladiator."
Eyes snapped open and jaws dropped at Ty Lee's words. Nobody spoke for a moment as they tried to digest what the noble girl had just declared. Shoji was looking from Tiao to Ty Lee, eager to watch how this matter would play out.
"Y-you can't do such a thing, you… that should be illegal!" exclaimed Tiao.
"It actually isn't," said Shoji.
"Silence, boy!" shouted Tiao, and Shoji shrank in his seat. "He's not for sale! You can't buy him because I'm not willing to sell him!"
"That's just absurd" said Ty Lee, rolling her eyes "At this rate he'll lose his position in the ranking, and you're losing more money than any gladiator should ever have his sponsor lose. I've made more money than you these past few months and I'm only just betting on fights!"
"Y-you… how would you know that?!" squealed Tiao.
"Word spreads quickly enough through the gladiator business' fans, you know?" she said, smiling. "I heard you're about two or three fights away from him being forced to drop out for a year. Are you really going to risk that?"
"You little…" muttered Tiao, his fists balled as he glared at Ty Lee.
Sokka leaned in towards Azula, without taking his eyes off from the argument in front of them.
"What's going on here?" he whispered to her.
"How should I know?" replied Azula, completely shocked. "It's the first time I've seen Ty Lee like this…"
"Well, then, you don't have all day and neither do I," said Ty Lee, tapping the floor with her foot. "What will it be? Will you be reasonable and choose to make profit out of this, like a smart man would, or not?"
"I… I would only ever sell this boy for his true worth," grunted Tiao, smiling with malice. "And that would be five hundred thousand yuans, which I doubt a petty girl like yourself would…"
"Deal," declared Ty Lee, making Sokka and Azula jump right next to her.
"Deal?!" repeated Azula, aghast.
"W-what? I didn't even finish…!" said Tiao, just as shocked by the response.
"You said you'd sell him for that, I said I'd buy him. I'm willing to pay up, so what's the problem?" said Ty Lee. "With that much money you could go out to the slave market and buy a new gladiator for yourself, right?"
"But I…" started Tiao, grimacing.
In truth, this deal was too good to be true. He would earn money, far more than his gladiator had ever made for him. And he would be rid of the failure of a slave as well. It was so good that he truly had a hard time understanding why anyone would accept spending that much money on that earthbender. Nevertheless, he was the one profiting from this deal, wasn't he? If that girl was really so foolish… then he had to make the most of it.
"Well, if that's the way you want it, meet me here again tomorrow. Bring the money, and the useless slave will be yours."
"Will do," said Ty Lee smiling and stretching a hand towards the man. "It was a pleasure doing business with you."
Tiao seemed to have second thoughts about shaking her hand, but he did so nonetheless. He turned around and dragged his gladiator towards the exit, as the young earthbender stared in utter awe at the woman who had just settled a bargain to buy him. Why had she done that? Was she going to be a better master than Tiao was? She seemed like it, which was scary in its own way. And if she was friends with the Fire Lord's daughter, who knew just what sorts of ruthlessness hid underneath that seemingly harmless exterior.
"What just happened…?" asked Sokka, staring at Ty Lee's back as she waved good-bye to Haru.
"I… I have no idea," replied Azula.
"I got lost after the part where she said she'd buy him," confessed Sokka. "How is she going to put that much money together? Did she earn that much from her bets?"
"I wouldn't know, but if she's that willing to pay it, I assume it's because she did," said Azula, shrugging.
Being wrong had never irritated the Princess more.
"I just need a little loan for it, that's all!" whined Ty Lee, after revealing the truth to Azula.
Instead of heading to Sokka's place, as planned, Azula had decided to return to the Palace in order to give Ty Lee the answers she sought regarding Azula's trip to the Earth Kingdom. Little had she expected the girl to suddenly confess she didn't have the money to buy the slave, even when she had seemed so confident about it.
"A little…?! You're unbelievable, Ty Lee!" snapped Azula, walking through the room with a hand on her forehead.
Sokka had been gazing out of the window towards the garden, where Xin Long was currently enjoying his lunch, until Ty Lee's confession had come forth. Now he had chosen to turn around in order to stare at Ty Lee judgmentally.
"Why did you accept to pay that huge sum of money if you didn't have it?" asked Sokka, frowning. "You could have haggled to get something more reasonable…"
"And five hundred thousand, for crying out loud" whispered Azula. "That guy isn't even worth a hundred!"
"Hey! He'll be worth it, alright!" squeaked Ty Lee, pouting.
"What on earth is that supposed to mean?" asked Azula, staring at her friend warily. "You're not trying to say… Ty Lee, why exactly did you decide to buy him?"
"Well, I heard you guys needed to get that guy for some reason, and that jerk wouldn't budge, so I figured…"
"Do spare me the blatant lies," grunted Azula. "Tell me the truth, Ty Lee."
The girl looked at her shyly for a moment before staring dreamily into space.
"Did you get a good look at him? He's a total catch…"
Sokka smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand as Azula threw her hands in the air in despair. She walked around the room again as Ty Lee squirmed where she was, unusually bashful as she thought about the gladiator she had been swooning over as soon as she had lain her eyes on him.
"That mustache, and the beard…" she continued, giggling.
"Seriously, you got him just to make the man your sex slave?" asked Sokka, his eyebrow twitching.
"Hey! I wouldn't do that! No self-respecting woman would do that!" exclaimed Ty Lee.
"But you did!" Azula shouted.
"Well… maybe I did in a way, but I really didn't! I mean, he's good-looking and I'm pretty sure he'd rock my world in bed," she said, giggling again before getting serious. "But that's not the point! You guys needed him too, so all in all, I'm doing you a favor!"
"You're doing yourself a favor, Ty Lee, quit trying to sugarcoat this," grunted Azula.
"Well, fine, if you want to take it like that then do it!" said Ty Lee, pouting. "But even if my main concern were to make the most out of him, I still would be able to give you two what you want! If he's my gladiator, you'll have a better chance to use him for whatever it is you want him than if he remained the gladiator of that weirdo!"
"Yeah, that's about right…" muttered Azula, rolling her eyes.
"She does have a point, despite how impure her intentions may be," said Sokka, shrugging.
"Couldn't quite expect you to think otherwise," said Azula, glaring at him. "You know no shame, you're just as bad as her."
"Oh, is he, now?!" asked Ty Lee, her eyes gleaming at the prospect of gossip regarding the possible relationship between Azula and her gladiator. Little did it matter to her that Azula had just insulted her.
"Stop jumping to conclusions!" retorted Azula. "That's not what I meant! There's nothing going on with him and me!"
"Yeah, just gladiator and sponsor, nothing other than that," said Sokka, trying to sound convincing, but Ty Lee smiled at them.
"Oh, sure… just as you say I shouldn't lie, Azula, neither should the two of you," she said, giggling happily. "I can sense lies regarding this topic from a mile away!"
"If it were a lie, I'd be more than pleased to inform you otherwise," said Sokka, smiling and looking away towards the window again.
"What the…?! Sokka!" shouted Azula, her cheeks reddening at his unexpected admission.
"But it really isn't one," said Sokka, sighing. "So how about we go back to the main topic, huh?"
"Oh, but talking about you two is a lot more…!"
"Ty Lee," said Azula, with an angry and dangerous tone Ty Lee hadn't heard from her in a long time. The girl gulped and stared at her friend in mild fear. "Back to what we were discussing. Now."
"Okay, okay, sheesh…" said the girl, sighing and placing her hands on her waist. "Well, I think you guys need him, so I really don't see a problem with this…"
"The problem is, it would have seemed as if you were doing us a favor," said Azula. "When instead you're making me pay for you to get a new sex toy-…"
"That's not it! And if the matter of payment is what you're so worried about, just how much money do you think that guy would have coaxed out of you if you had managed to strike a deal with him? I may be asking for you to help me with half the money, but that's still nowhere near the price this guy would have put on his gladiator's services if he thought he could get away with it!"
"But you still didn't have to settle for five hundred thousand!" exclaimed Azula. "Spending this much money on a slave… when has anyone ever done such a thing?!"
"Huh, you're saying I'd have the priciest slave ever?" asked Ty Lee, thoughtful. "That sounds like a very nice catchphrase for his first fight under my sponsorship in the Superior League!"
It wasn't until that moment that Azula realized what it truly meant for Ty Lee to become the Emerald Rockman's sponsor: Ty Lee would become the second female sponsor in the League. No longer would Azula be the sole woman in the formerly all-male business. Azula had wished that other women might be inspired by her example so that they would decide to join the gladiator business... But months had gone by, and even though Mayor Morishita's daughter had said she wanted to become a sponsor, it didn't seem she had found the proper fighter for herself yet. Azula had been the only female sponsor until now, the only one to be undermined by the sexist regime that ruled over the gladiator establishment. But if Ty Lee joined, chances were that other women would feel encouraged to follow, and eventually she would stop fighting this particular war on her own. It was a nice prospect to look forward to... But the cost still seemed rather steep to her.
"Do you understand the responsibility that comes with sponsoring a gladiator?" asked Azula, with a deep frown. "Will you train him so you can keep him from dropping out of the ranking? He's only two losses away from being kicked out of the League. You have to get him into better shape."
"Why, sure!" said Ty Lee cheerfully. "The two of you train together, I can train my guy as well!"
"Yet our training doesn't include..."
"I know, I know, and what a shame that is," said Ty Lee, sighing. "I'm sure that would get you both in much better moods."
"Our moods have nothing to do with this, Ty Lee," grunted Azula. "Quit changing the subject!"
"Ow, fine, then..." said Ty Lee, pouting.
"How much money do you have?" asked Azula, already regretting her decision.
"About three hundred thousand," said Ty Lee, sighing at the thought of spending all her winnings in one go.
"How about you?" asked Azula, looking at Sokka. "Do you have any money to spare for this madness?"
"What, me?" said Sokka, surprised.
"You were the one who insisted on having this guy as your training partner," Azula reminded him.
Sokka sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand.
"I should be able to gather around forty or fifty thousand," he muttered.
"Then that will have to do as well," said Azula, sighing. "I'll cover the rest of it."
"Oh, yay!" said Ty Lee, jumping enthusiastically. "You're the best, Azula!"
"I can't believe I'm actually paying for you to get laid," Azula muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, you're paying for a lot more than that! You need him too, after all!"
"I'm certain you'll make a lot more use of him than we will."
"Most likely," said Ty Lee, with another silly giggle.
"You're going to owe me a huge favor after this, you heard me?" said Azula, frowning sternly. "Beyond huge, rather."
"Sounds good to me," said Ty Lee, cheerily. "I'll give you all the tips you'll need for when you and Sokka get physical!"
"Will you stop?!" Azula shouted, her face reddening again.
"I just thought that you wanted a big favor, and that's the biggest one I can think of..." said Ty Ler, shrugging.
"I'll be the one to decide how you'll repay me!" stated Azula. "And if you don't stop implying what you're implying, you'll have to sell yourself in order to pay off that gladiator!"
"Wow! Okay, okay, sheesh... You don't have to be so mean," said Ty Lee, shrinking at her friend's words.
"Are you sure about this, then?" asked Sokka, looking at Azula.
"I'm having second thoughts already, but in order to make you stronger..."
"No, I meant refusing her tips," said Sokka teasingly.
"The hell?!" Azula shouted, and Sokka laughed loudly, walking away to avoid Azula's wrath.
"I'm just kidding, just kidding!" he said, unable to stop laughing at the enraged look on the Princess's face.
Azula's mood didn't improve much over the next hours, although neither Sokka nor Ty Lee continued to tease her. The thought of spending that much money irritated her to no end, but she had no option other than to go with it. And thus, on the next day she had headed to the Arena along with Sokka, to give Ty Lee the money she required to seal her deal. Azula was sure she hadn't imagined the look of satisfaction in Tiao's face as the transaction finished, once he was heading for the doors.
Ty Lee beamed happily as she stared at Haru, who was looking back at her, still completely baffled by what had occurred. How had he landed such a lucky hit? There had to be a catch someplace: he wasn't the kind of guy who'd have fortune smiling upon him in any way. But it had smiled upon him this time, hadn't it?
"How's your wound?" asked Ty Lee, looking down at his torso. "Do you need any better healing? I can afford a good physician to look after you if you need…"
"N-no, I'm… I'm better now," said Haru, shyly. "You shouldn't spend more of your money on me."
"She shouldn't spend more money altogether, be it hers or anyone else's," grunted Azula, at which Haru jumped. Being near the Fire Nation Princess was a terrifying and amazing experience at the same time. "In any case, Ty Lee, you'll stick to your side of our bargain. We'll give these two a week to recover from their fight, and after that they will begin to train together. And you still owe me that big favor anyways."
"Yeah, yeah, no need to worry, I have everything under control!" said Ty Lee cheerfully, linking her arm with Haru's. The earthbender's face turned red upon the physical contact. "See you when I see you!"
Azula and Sokka only watched with worried looks on their faces as Ty Lee dragged Haru outside the Arena, the earthbender clutching his wound as he stumbled to keep up with her.
"Can this end well?" asked Sokka, looking at Azula.
Azula sighed and shrugged, not knowing how to answer that question. Ty Lee had a knack for making it through dire and potentially troublesome situations. Perhaps she would find the way to deal with the dangers of getting involved with a slave…?
"And there it is, my especial recipe of sea soup!" said Ty Lee cheerfully, setting the bowl in front of Haru.
The slave stared at the meal in awe, certain he had never eaten something as fancy as this in his life. He picked at the shrimp before taking a bite out of it, and the spicy taste made him gag for a moment before he gulped the food down, trying not to displease the girl before him. Who knew what she would be capable of if she were upset by something he did…
"Are you alright?" asked Ty Lee, staring at him worriedly as he coughed and drank water in quick gulps.
"I, uh… I'm just not used to these spices," he said, lowering his gaze. "It's a very good dish, my… uh… lady? Sponsor?"
"You can just call me Ty Lee," said the girl, giggling. "Everybody does!"
"Well, then… T-Ty Lee," said Haru, growing flustered.
"You're so cute it's ridiculous," Ty Lee whispered, squirming. "You can look at me, you know? There's nothing wrong with doing that!"
"B-but I'm just a slave…" said Haru, gulping. "Slaves aren't supposed to look at their masters…"
"Is that what Tiao told you?" asked Ty Lee, frowning. "Well, I know of a slave who talks back to his sponsor, makes fun of her, spends lots of time with her, goes with her on adventures and I'd say he's even falling in love with her… and it might even be mutual, you know?"
"T-that…" said Haru, frowning in confusion. "What?"
"Yeah, and I'm talking about none other than my dear friend Azula and the gladiator you fought against yesterday!" said Ty Lee, cheerfully. "If the Princess can be friends with her gladiator, why shouldn't the two of us be friends as well?"
"Because we're from different worlds," said Haru, frowning and raising his eyes at last. "You're nobility… I'm scum."
"What?" said Ty Lee, shocked. "You're not scum! You're a very good-looking guy! And you're a person, just as I am! You're a guy, I'm a girl, and that's the single thing that should set us apart!"
"But the Fire Nation policies state…"
"Oh, forget about that," said Ty Lee, waving a hand carelessly. "Who cares for those boring social standards? If anything, prohibition makes everything a lot more fun! So just go with it, Haru… will you?"
"Should I really?" asked Haru, gazing at her shyly. "Can we really be… equals?"
"Well, maybe not in public," said Ty Lee, shrugging. "People will be rude to you if you step over the line, they always are with Sokka. But behind closed doors, Haru… that's a very different story."
"Then… we will be equals," said Haru, smiling. "You won't… you won't hit me?"
"Wha-…" said Ty Lee, her eyes widening before she gave Haru a gentle smile. "Of course I won't."
"And you'll… you'll give me the same food you have?" asked Haru.
"So long as you want it," said Ty Lee, giggling. "You can tell me if you don't like it, I could get something else for you if that's the…"
"No, no! I… I like this," said Haru, smiling as he drank more of his soup. He had another fit of coughs before turning to beam at Ty Lee again. "This is the best thing that has happened to me since I became a slave."
"I'm glad that's the case," said Ty Lee. "And… it could get even better, you know?"
"What… better?" asked Haru, his eyes opening wide. "I don't think that's possible… after all I've gotten, there's still more?"
"Well… only if you're up to the task," said Ty Lee, winking at him suggestively.
Haru's face reddened deeply when he caught the meaning of what she was implying. Out of all the things he could have expected from a sponsor… this was the one he would have considered the least likely to happen.
"You two did what?!" Azula screamed, staring at Ty Lee in utter shock.
"Well, how was I supposed to help it?" said Ty Lee, giggling and squirming as she often did. "He's so cute! He's not just handsome, he's beyond cute!"
"But couldn't you even wait… I don't know, two weeks?! You hardly even know the guy!" shouted Azula.
"What, did you wait two weeks before getting started with Sokka?" said Ty Lee, staring at Azula blankly.
"TY LEE!" Azula yelled now, and her friend laughed so loudly she fell over.
The promised week had passed them by faster than expected, and Azula had brought Sokka over to Ty Lee's house on the appointed date. Her home stood in the middle area of the city, since she wasn't of the same high standing as Mai, and she had moved out from her family's villa into a place of her own. Life with her family had always bothered her to no end, and she had always sought her own independence, which was why she had started working for a circus as a teenager. That independence had remained partial until she had begun earning real money through her betting. Now, as a sponsor, she was certain to have a stable income, so long as her gladiator performed properly.
Azula and Ty Lee sat in the house's balcony, looking out into the garden where Sokka and Haru would begin their training. Ty Lee had never been too careful with her gardening, so she had no problem with having the two gladiators fighting on the back of her house.
"Are all noble ladies like that?" asked Haru, with a dumb smile on his face as Sokka stretched. "Do they really like slaves so much?"
"I think they find something really appealing about us," said Sokka, smirking. "They can't resist, mate. We have charm running in our blood."
"S-so… you and the Princess?" asked Haru, gulping.
"Oh, yeah," said Sokka, smiling proudly.
"The two of you have… done it? For real?"
"Twice now," said Sokka, proudly. "And I'm pretty sure she's got no qualms with my skills for kissing."
"Only with the kissing ones?" asked Haru, surprised. "Isn't she happy about the rest of it?"
"Wha-…? The rest of what?" said Sokka, blinking blankly.
"W-well, you know, the rest of the deed…" said Haru, blushing as he smiled shyly.
Sokka's mouth fell wide open.
"Y-you two banged?!" he asked, shocked. "Already?!"
"Not so loud!" said Haru, bashful. "No need for the entire world to know… but then, you and the Princess haven't…?"
"Of course not! She's the Princess! How could she ever let me…?"
"But you've kissed her," said Haru, surprised.
"Uh… t-that's another matter entirely," said Sokka, waving a hand carelessly. "That's not something you can't come back from."
"Ty Lee thinks otherwise," said Haru, rubbing his chin. "She's sure the two of you are falling in love."
Sokka's cheeks reddened and he could only shake his head, trying to laugh Haru's words off.
"In love? With me?" said Sokka. "She's got better things to do than waste her time with the likes of me, she's said so enough times by now."
"But what about you?" asked Haru, puzzled. "You don't feel anything towards her…?"
All traces of a smile faded from the Blue Wolf's face as he brought out his sword hastily.
"Well, we came here to fight, didn't we?! Let's get on with this so you can quit harassing me!"
"I was only asking a question!" said Haru, startled by Sokka's response.
"Get ready, Rockman!" shouted Sokka, running towards Haru, who brought forth a wall of earth to defend himself.
Sokka's refusal to acknowledge what Haru had said worked as a way to boost himself, and he climbed over the wall to continue giving chase to the earthbender. Both Azula and Ty Lee had been discussing Ty Lee's recklessness until the gladiators had started to fight. They both focused on the battle, impressed by how swift Sokka was and how clumsy but powerful Haru could prove to be. This was only the beginning of their training regime… but from the moment Azula saw them fight, she knew Sokka had been right to choose this gladiator: Haru had what it took to become the man who would help Sokka learn how to fight earthbenders.