"So... here it is, then," Azula said, looking at the Arena with a determined frown.
"Literally, it's a Ring of Ash," Sokka pointed out, gulping as he looked at the fighting area with mild confusion.
It was nothing like the Gladiator Arenas he had seen so far. Instead of being a fighting ring with stands surrounding it, the stands had been built in a line at one side of the circle of ash where the gladiators collided. Said circle was only defined by the coloring of the sand that comprised the ring: no fences or balustrades limited the Arena. That dark sand couldn't be actual sand, Sokka guessed: it could only be ash, genuine ash. How did earthbenders fight here? Did they use the earth outside of the ring's perimeter, perhaps? Or were they capable of bending ashes?
The Arena stood in the outskirts of the city. The rows of stands were large and quite tall, allowing for hundreds of people to take their seats on them, despite how limited they were compared to the stands at other Arenas the Blue Wolf had fought in before.
"There are lots of fighters, huh?" Sokka asked, his eyes nestling now on the group of people within the ring. There was quite a crowd of gladiators at the event, and they were widely different amongst themselves. Some looked lanky and scared, others were burly and daunting. Yet every single one of them was an opponent today. All of them were gladiators Sokka would have to defeat, or try to.
"You needn't fret. Most of them aren't stronger than you, if the ranking is truthful," said Azula. "From what Shoji told us before, it's an event for gladiators between the ranks of two hundred and four hundred. You should have no problem facing off against most fighters there."
"I hope so," said Sokka, gulping. "I'll say I'm relieved, though. Here I was wondering how the hell were so many gladiators supposed to run out of an Arena through stand-by rooms and then into a vestibule before heading out into the city… it's good to know that's not going to happen. Good thinking to hold this event in an open area."
"One can only guess the heads of the business know what they're doing," said Azula, shrugging. "You couldn't have a Scavenger Hunt in a limited space, else chances were only ten gladiators would make it past the initial chaos that would ensue if…"
"Ah, you're here for the Hunt?" someone asked, interrupting Azula. Both Sokka and Azula turned to find a man wearing the uniform of the Arena's staff, smiling at them. Upon gazing at the hairpiece on Azula's head, though, the man's kindness was replaced by nervousness. "O-oh… P-Princess Azula?! It is none other than you, is it? Oh, my, this is such an honor…"
"I'm sure it is," Azula said, her head held high. Sokka couldn't help but chuckle slightly at her proud demeanor. How she enjoyed it when people paid her the respect she commanded… "You work here, I take it?"
"Yes, I'm one of the event's organizers!" the staff member exclaimed, smiling. "I'm here to explain the rules so that you can take part in the Hunt successfully."
"Ah, very well," Azula asked, raising her eyebrows "Explain, then."
"Uh… first off, I'll warn your gladiator against destroying city property," the man said. "Any damage in the houses, factories and public property will have to be repaired, and the one who will pay for those repairs will be none other than the sponsor of the gladiator responsible for the damage."
"Heard that, did you?" Azula asked, giving Sokka a significant look.
"Yeah, yeah… you don't need to say it again," Sokka said, smiling weakly. "I've cost you enough money as it is, isn't it?"
"Indeed," said Azula, crossing her arms over her chest. "Anything else?"
"Fighting other gladiators is allowed, of course," the man continued. "Please try to keep the violence to a minimum, though… we don't want casualties in this event. It happened a few years ago and we don't want to repeat that."
"You needn't worry about that with me," said Sokka, his hands on his hips. He sure wasn't here to kill anyone, not after refusing to do so for such a long time.
"The event shall begin in about ten minutes… there will be a signal fired into the sky when it's time to start. You are welcome to scan the entire city in order to seek the ten items you must find, even roofs of houses… just remember you'll have to pay for everything you break, as I already said. Find as many objects as you can, but as soon as you step inside the Ring of Ash again, your run in the hunt is over. You can't set off into the city again once you've crossed the line of ash, not even if you hear there are still more items to be found."
"Uh…" said Sokka, grimacing. "That doesn't sound like fun. So, you're saying there's no way to secure the objects you've earned so far? You can't come back here and bring them to safety and set out afterwards to find others?"
"No," said the staff member, smiling sympathetically. "If you find any items you're welcome to protect them by entering the ring, but if you want more, you have to take the risk of having other gladiators attempting to take the objects you've already earned. The fights for the items are usually quite fierce, so I warn you that it might not be too wise to stick around the city if you find one or two of them. You might want to head back and secure your victories, even if they're small."
"Got it," said Sokka, grimacing and gulping. "So, stealing other people's objects is allowed, then?"
"Many gladiators seek out the objects simply by stealing," said the man. "They're better at beating people up than at finding items scattered through such a large city…"
"Makes sense, but it sure is worrisome," said Sokka, becoming rather nervous after this conversation. Had it been a good idea at all to join this event…?
"And what do the objects look like?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. "You ought to show us a sample or describe them…"
"Ah, here," said the man, pulling out something from his pocket. "This is what you have to look for."
The item was a flat metallic plate, not bigger than the hand of the man holding it. It was golden and shaped as a flame, all the same as most things in the Fire Nation.
"It's not actual gold, so stealing it won't do much good for gladiators who think about doing so," said the staff member, smiling as he looked at how Sokka's eyes were fixed upon the object. "Ten of these little flames are concealed in public locations throughout the city. None of them are inside buildings, so don't barge into them to find them, for it will be a waste of time to do that. So, you'll have to look for the items, or wait for someone who will, if that suits you better."
"Very well, then," said Azula, sighing. "Is that all?"
"Well, there's a prize in cash for the sponsors with the most successful gladiators…" said the man, tapping his chin, "And… I think that's it."
Sokka's eyes were still on the flame, an idea forming in his mind. Perhaps he was being too paranoid, but having a back-up plan had never hurt anyone before, had it? If anything, Azula always told him to plan things beforehand! Doing so right now wasn't something she should be opposed to… yet he guessed she wouldn't be against his planning, but against the idea itself.
"Your gladiator shall go into the ring with the others," the staff member said, pointing at the group of gladiators. "And the Princess will have a seat in the first row, given that she's the Fire Lord's daughter, of course."
"Alright. Let's get this over…" Azula started, nodding and looking at the stands, but before she could say anything else, Sokka's hand darted out and grasped her by the wrist.
"Wait," Sokka said, and Azula looked down at the contact, frowning noticeably.
The staff member seemed aghast to see someone touching the Princess in this manner… and not just anyone, a slave! Did he know no shame, didn't he appreciate his life?! How dared he…?
"What?" Azula asked, lifting her eyes towards his face now.
"I, uh… need a word," Sokka said, glancing at the staff member warily. "In private. So…"
And with that, he dragged her behind the stands. The staff member continued watching until they disappeared from view, in utter shock. How had that guy kept from getting scorched to cinders after doing that…?
"I've got an idea," Sokka said, looking at Azula with serious eyes.
"An idea?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. "What sort of an idea? An idea that I would want to hear about, or an idea that would make me want to break your neck…?"
"I think both, to be honest…" said Sokka, gulping. "It should help us secure at least two hundred points, if anything. You know that with those crazy guys in that ring, and with Toph, on top of it all, my chances to win this thing are pretty slim. But there might be something we can do… something so that I can secure at least two hundred points."
"Sure… two hundred points in the bag, or so you say," said Azula, frowning. "How?"
By the time he was done telling her how, her reaction was just as he had feared it would be.
"What the…?! No! Absolutely not! Of course not! What's wrong with you?! Are you insane?!" Azula asked, looking at him in utter disbelief.
"Please, Azula! Be reasonable…!"
"What you're requesting for is NOT within reason!" the Princess exclaimed. "That's one of the worst ideas you've ever had, Sokka! Y-you can't just… no!"
"Well, then, fine, if Toph catches me and steals my stuff then I'll be done for and you'll be the actual responsible for it because you didn't let me go through with this!" Sokka declared, crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eyes.
"Don't be so stubborn, you… Ugh, Sokka, no! You can't just…!"
"I think my filthy peasant fingers can touch that without you making such a ruckus, Your Royal Highness," Sokka said, rolling his eyes.
"Don't you… Don't talk like that, idiot," Azula said, rubbing her temples with her fingers "How do you even plan on doing this? How could you possibly…? Do you really think this can work? How could it even work?! It's not like people won't be able to tell…!"
"That things aren't what they seem? In the middle of a commotion, most people are willing to believe anything just to get out of the mess they're in," said Sokka. "If this hunt is half as crazy as it promises to be, I'm sure these gladiators will fall for this trap without giving it any thought. So come on, just go with it, will you?"
"Sokka, you… ugh, this is beyond ridiculous," Azula said, shaking her head. "You can't ask this of me. Nobody can ask this of me!"
"Just think about what we're here for, what the whole purpose of us participating in this event is! It will be worth it, won't it?!" Sokka asked, almost pleading by now. "I can't beat that girl with just my bare fists…"
"Those weapons you've got there are for fighting, I thought you were aware of that," Azula said, sarcastically. "Or did you bring them just for the sake of pretending to be a strong gladiator…?"
"Weapons or no, you know the Bandit will beat me to a pulp if she gets a chance!" said Sokka. "And I don't want to give her the chance to beat me up, and I definitely don't want to let her win with a perfect score either. This is the only way to mislead her, distract her, confuse her! So please, Azula…"
She glared at him accusingly for a moment, still wondering how he had dared even ask this of her. Yet… yet his arguments made some sense. And if anything, after the things he had done recently, Sokka had regained the trust she had once placed on him… but trusting him with this matter was beyond anything she had done, even before the incident with Kyoshi's Heir and that other woman Azula wished she could erase from her memory. Still… she had been able to trust him with protecting her nation, her city and even herself only a couple of weeks ago, and he hadn't failed her. So maybe… maybe…
"Ugh… be careful. BEYOND careful," Azula grunted, glaring at him. "Only hell knows why I'm complying, because I sure don't…"
"Yes, thank you! You won't regret this, Azula, I promise!" Sokka said, at which she glared at him.
"I'm already regretting it," she grunted.
As their exchange took place, more gladiators and sponsors arrived at the Ring of Ash. The staff members informed them of the rules, and they headed towards the stands and the ring as soon as the explanations had been conveyed. By the time Azula and Sokka had finished talking and left the area behind the stands, Iroh and Toph arrived into the Arena. Iroh waved happily at Azula, who simply scowled at him and moved on.
"Do your best, Sokka," she muttered. "Your very best. And if you can't win, at least make sure not to lose embarrassingly, can you?"
"I'll try," he said, smiling.
"And don't lose it," Azula said, glaring at him. "If you dare lose it, you'll find out firsthand just how cruel I can be…"
"Yep, I… I'll be careful. Very careful," Sokka said, gulping. If she hadn't showed him her cruel side yet, in all the time they'd known each other, then he definitely didn't want to meet it anytime soon.
"You'd better be," Azula grunted, before turning towards the stands.
Sokka should have imagined her behavior towards him would be quite cold after his request, but he was positive she would be thankful for his strange idea when this event was over with, so long as everything went as planned. He moved towards the ring, frowning and hoping to look at least slightly intimidating while approaching the other gladiators.
There had to be sixty of them so far, at the very least. It wasn't too promising a perspective, fighting against so many strong gladiators over the possession of those gold metal flames… he even recognized some of them, such as The Eastern Wayfarer and The Hallowed Rock. The sight of the latter made Sokka flinch as he recalled how his encounter with him had gone in Ozai Arena… naturally, he walked towards the exact opposite direction, hoping to avoid that particular gladiator as much as possible.
Yet when he found a good spot to stand, where he didn't feel daunted by the other fighters nearby, he found himself with more unwanted company.
"Hello there, Dog!" Toph said, standing right next to him and crossing her arms over her chest. "I trust you had a good night's sleep?"
"Is it any of your business how I slept?" Sokka grunted, glaring at her even when she wouldn't notice his scowl.
"Well, if you didn't sleep well, you'll be even less of a challenge today…" the Blind Bandit said, shrugging. "Though even if you did, you won't be that big a deal, will you?"
Sokka rolled his eyes and shook his head while the girl beside him snickered.
"By the way, that's a cool armor," Toph said. "It's not the same you had before, is it?"
"Obviously not," Sokka grunted. "You tore that one to pieces, remember?"
"Ooooh, that's right…" said Toph, tapping her chin with her finger as she smirked. Oh, if only he could erase that smug look on her face…
Azula looked through the front row of seats, wondering where to take her seat until she found empty spots in the center, at either side of a chubby man. Even from behind, she recognized him as Fire Fountain City's Mayor. It had been quite a while since she had last seen him…
"May I take this seat?" Azula asked, approaching him. "I was told I should sit in the front row, given my status…"
The man frowned and looked at her for a moment, apparently failing to recognize her at first. But afterwards he smiled and greeted her with a booming laugh.
"Why, if it isn't the Princess! My, oh, my, you were but a child when I last saw you!" the man exclaimed happily. "I hadn't been told you would be participating! Now I see why there were other reserved seats aside from mine! Is your lord father coming as well?"
"Not her lord father," said another voice behind Azula, making her scowl. "Her old uncle."
"Oh, General Iroh! How long has it been since I last saw you?" the Mayor asked, beaming. "Have a seat, both of you! I had heard you had joined the Gladiator League, but I had no idea you were strong enough to partake in an event such as this one!"
"We are, we are," said Iroh, smiling as he took his seat at the Mayor's left while Azula took his right. "Our gladiators happen to be rather talented. Mine is called the Blind Bandit. Hers is the Blue Wolf. And they're right there, see?"
Iroh pointed at a pair of gladiators who stood slightly far from the rest of the group. Azula wasn't surprised to find Sokka brooding while the girl beside him smirked proudly.
"Oh, the small girl and the dark fellow?" asked the Mayor. "That's quite an odd choice for a gladiator… for both of you."
"Hopefully you'll come to see some sense to it once the event begins," said Azula.
"Ah, yes," said the Mayor, beaming. "It's the first Hunt for both of you, am I right? We hold them every year in Fire Fountain City. They're always fun, despite the casualties from time to time…"
"Casualties?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow. "The staff member who explained the event to us spoke of casualties as something that doesn't happen often…"
"Well, we try to keep the trouble to a minimum," said the Mayor, sighing now. "But some of the gladiators go overboard…"
"What do you mean by that?" asked Iroh.
"Well, you see… there are always certain kinds of gladiators in the Hunts," said the Mayor. "Depending on the strategies they go for, they fit into one category or the other, or so I've noticed. I've developed these theories on the different gladiators in this hunt… would you like to hear about them?"
"Why, of course!" said Iroh, happily.
"For starters, there are the searchers. They're those who look for the objects, and usually succeed at finding them. Yet there are also the snatchers, those who steal the objects from the searchers."
"Do the snatchers often win?" Iroh asked "If they steal the items from those who fetch them…"
"No, they don't," said the Mayor. "For there are plenty of other kinds of gladiators too. There are the strikers, the gladiators who wait close to the finish line in hopes to obstruct those who are carrying items for the sake of robbing them in the last moment."
"Is that allowed?" Azula asked, frowning.
"Everything is allowed, more or less," said the Mayor, shrugging. "There are others, of course. The bigger troublemakers, I'd say. As soon as the event begins, the strongest gladiators either shoot out right away into the city… or they just turn on each other to take out the competition."
"As soon as it begins?" Azula asked. "You mean…?"
"The Ring becomes a huge mess of fire, earth and whatnot," said the Mayor, grimacing. "It's not a pretty sight… and about half the competitors get taken out in this stage of the event, if I'm to be truthful."
"What the…? Half of them?!" Azula asked, shocked.
"That sounds bad," said Iroh, albeit he didn't seem too worried. Clearly, he trusted Toph would be able to overcome any hurdles without the slightest inconvenience.
"And amongst these strong ones, there are always some who aren't in the competition for the sake of earning points," said the Mayor, sighing. "Some are breakers, as I like to call them, and their purpose is to injure the gladiators they'll be facing in future matches, in hopes to force them to forfeit or to weaken them so that they can have an easy win later on…"
"That's rather filthy," said Iroh, frowning. "Such cruel way to seek victory…"
Azula couldn't help but smirk at Iroh's displeasure. She didn't think she had anything to fear from these breakers, since Sokka had no pending challenges… but chances were the Blind Bandit did. And if those breakers didn't go after her, the fighters who held a grudge against her over their lost battles against her were sure to target her. It was only natural Iroh would be uncomfortable by the idea… she knew she would be, if she had the suspicion that the other fighters would chase after Sokka.
Yet there was something that set the Blind Bandit apart from the Blue Wolf and most the gladiators in that ring, something that she would make sure to use to her advantage in this event…
"What are you doing?" Sokka asked, as Toph sunk her feet into the ashes all the way to her ankles.
"Ah, there it is. Actual earth, right beneath my feet," said Toph, smiling. "I don't think bending ashes would work too well for me… but there's nothing to worry about. The earth is right here!"
"Oh, joy," said Sokka, rolling his eyes. "Are you a plant or something? Can't live without soil?"
"Gladiators, assemble in the Ring!" a man with a megaphone exclaimed, and all the gladiators that weren't within the fighting area just yet headed towards it: the event was about to begin.
"You know, Sokka…" Toph said, digging her feet into the earth and smiling at the sensation of the dirt between her toes. "I'm no plant, but I think you know already just how useful earth is to me. Rocks, earth, all of it… with my earthbending, I can see anything so long as I have solid ground underneath my feet."
"Yeah, you already told me that before, no need to brag about it now," said Sokka, rolling his eyes.
"I'm not bragging, I'm just… explaining," said Toph, smiling.
"Explaining what?" Sokka asked.
"Explaining why you have absolutely no chance of winning this thing."
Sokka's eyes widened and he looked at Toph accusingly. The megaphone man was giving a speech of some sort, repeating the rules Sokka had already heard, just in case the gladiators would forget them, and also disclosing other ones that the staff member had neglected…
"All gladiators must leave the Ring of Ash and head into the city, so long as they're capable of moving!" the man said. "As soon as they step inside the ash again, the gladiators will have finished their run on the Scavenger Hunt!"
"Care to tell me why you're so full of yourself this time around, Bandit?" Sokka asked. "It's not just me you're up against, you know…"
"It doesn't matter who I'm up against," Toph snickered. "I can see anything through my earthbending, Sokka. I just told you so, didn't I?"
"And…?"
"What do you think I was doing yesterday, while I was with Iroh near that fire-spitting statue?"
"You said you were off to get tea," Sokka muttered, frowning. "You said… wait…"
She had been able to find a teashop in a matter of seconds, Sokka recalled. Her toes dug into the ground, and with that alone, she sensed everything in the city…
"We went to get tea alright," said Toph. "But that wasn't our only purpose there."
"You were scanning the city," Sokka muttered, gritting his teeth. "Using your earthbending, you were…!"
"That's a smart dog," said Toph, smirking. "The objects weren't placed yesterday, see… but they are there today. And I can sense everything that's changed in the city between today and yesterday through my earthbending."
"… There will be staff members stationed in strategic positions in the city, to keep tabs on the gladiators who wreck city property…" the man kept talking, but Sokka hardly heard him. His fists were so tight he thought he would rip his palms open with his nails. It wasn't fair. How could she be a step ahead on every opportunity, even when he tried to plan ahead?! There had to be a way to beat her, somehow, she couldn't be as invulnerable as she pretended to be…
"This is, as you must have figured by now, the way I'm getting those metal plates," Toph said, smirking. "Because I can already sense where all of them are. And I'm off to get them all, as soon as that megaphone moron lets us."
Oh, perhaps… but she was only one person, Sokka thought. And there were ten objects. She couldn't split in ten, from what he knew! So long as he and others reached some of the metallic flames before Toph did, she wouldn't be able to beat them all, even when she expected to do so. Heck, perhaps the burly guy at Toph's other side would smack her head with his hammer and she'd be knocked out cold! It was too soon for her to claim victory just yet. And he would do anything he had to do to keep her from winning this time.
"On your marks, gladiators!" exclaimed the megaphone man, and Sokka frowned. He lifted a hand towards his sword, just in case the nearby gladiators got violent as soon as they were allowed to take off. "Set… GO!"
It happened so fast Sokka hardly noticed what was going on. The first thing he took notice of was that Toph had stomped on the ground and a huge pillar of earth had shot out below her, sending her flying straight into the city. The second thing he noticed, a split second afterwards, was that he was in the very center of the chaotic situation that had unfolded as soon as the megaphone man had said that last word.
Azula winced when chucks of earth, jets of fire and weapons began flying back and forth within the mass of gladiators… because right now it was no more than a mass of people. It was impossible for her to recognize Sokka anymore. Where was he? Was he still alive? Was he conscious? Hell knew what was happening within the turmoil the Ring of Ash had become.
"Well, there she went," said Iroh, beaming as he watched Toph fly across the air.
"So, that's yours?" said the Mayor. "Impressive… there are usually a few fighters who manage to get away, but they're not plenty… mine is still in that tangle of bodies."
"Calling it a tangle of bodies is an understatement," Azula muttered, her eyes darting back and forth desperately as she tried to find her gladiator within that pandemonium.
"No need to fret, Princess," said the Mayor, smiling. "The better gladiators always escape these brawls within a matter of… WATCH OUT!"
The three of them had to duck when a chuck of earth flew straight at them. It would have smashed the Mayor on the head if he hadn't climbed atop Iroh to avoid it. Azula shielded herself from the rock, glaring at the battling gladiators angrily. Sokka had to get out of there… where was the fool?! She could see other gladiators had managed to escape the chaos, on foot and not launched through the air like Toph, yet they had escaped nonetheless. But she couldn't find Sokka… where was he? He was better than most these wild fools, Azula was sure of that…
"Ah, there goes mine!" exclaimed the Mayor, beaming upon sighting a woman who was running to the edge of the Arena. "Blazing Strike, that's her name! And blazes, she runs fast! Go, girl, go!"
Azula gritted her teeth, despairing. If Sokka didn't make it out any time soon, all those who had escaped would seize the items before he did…
She had to hold back the urge to yelp of relief when she saw a man in a dark armor, crawling out of the group of warring gladiators. Despite the crazy situation that had unfurled within that crowd, Sokka seemed relatively uninjured… though most his hair had fallen out of his wolf's tail. Azula hated herself for thinking he actually looked quite good with his hair like that.
"Ah, the Blue Wolf made it too," said Iroh, pushing the Mayor off his lap. "Good, good! Then all three of us have a chance to win, don't we?"
"Indeed," said Azula, taking a deep breath and releasing it as she watched Sokka run into the city. He had to achieve something, anything… his crazy plan had better work.
Sokka dashed out of the Ring of Ash, relieved to get away from the hell that was unfolding within the Arena. He didn't have any serious injuries, albeit his chest hurt quite a bit as it heaved against his breastplate while he ran.
He had resorted to pretending he had been knocked out when the brawl had begun. Several other gladiators had stomped all over him in the midst of the fight, and Sokka had thought he could take it until one had decided to stand atop him while bending fire against his enemies. Upon that, Sokka had pushed himself up, knocking the other fighter off balance and he had run off as fast as his legs allowed him, dodging fighters, weapons, fire and earth as he made his way out of the chaos.
By chance, he had managed to come out in the right direction. The pandemonium had taken its toll on him, even when he was in a good state, relatively. But that part of the struggle was over now: he had gotten out of that mess and it was time to focus on finding the items.
As he ran through the buildings, he tried to think of where would he hide those metallic golden flames if it was up to him… where was the best place to conceal them, so that gladiators wouldn't find them easily?
An idea came to him suddenly. Those metal flames had reminded him of the Royal Family's hairpieces… where better to disguise them than in the Fire Lord's head?
He ran downtown through empty streets, straight towards the center of the city, where the black statue of Ozai continued to eject fire through his mouth and hands. Sokka ran past a few other gladiators, who seemed to be searching for objects frantically, but thankfully nobody was hostile towards him. The more savage gladiators had lagged behind in the Ring of Ash: the real problems would arise once they finally left the Arena to chase after whoever had obtained objects by then.
Sokka reached the statue, finding no obstacles in his way. The center of the town was deserted as well, which meant nobody would watch him as he did the last thing he could have ever imagined himself doing.
Sokka gulped and glared at the immense statue. If he failed to find anything atop it, his hatred for the Fire Lord would only be rekindled…
"Okay, okay…" he said, stretching his arms and pulling himself up to Ozai's feet. "Damn, if only it was a statue of your daughter instead… though that would be awkward for a whole different reason, to be honest."
The metal was rather slippery, to Sokka's irritation. He could help himself climb using Space Sword, but then Azula would have to pay repairs for the holes he left on the statue and she'd be furious… so he had to use his hands and feet, there was nothing else to it.
He felt like a century had passed when he finally reached the Fire Lord's pants. Sokka moved away from the statue's groin, revolted by the idea of facing it even when this was just a statue… yet as he tried to avoid it he found his hand on the Fire Lord's right buttock anyways. He felt the blood drain from his face and he forced himself to keep climbing, trying not to think of how well-acquainted he was getting with Azula's father…
Nevertheless, he had to move to the front of the statue, no matter how much it disgusted him, or else risk getting burned by the fire expelled by Ozai's hand. And Sokka climbed over the Fire Lord's statues belt, grimacing as he thought nothing in his life had ever prepared him for this…
"What's that wacko doing?" asked a gladiator, who had just passed by the center of the city, watching Sokka as he climbed the statue. Another had stopped as well, an eyebrow raised while enjoying the show.
"No idea, man," the other one replied. "But I think that should be illegal, you know? Climbing the Fire Lord's statue…"
"You think there's an item up there?" asked the new arrival.
"Probably not. It's just gonna be fun to watch that dude scream in frustration once he gets to the top and finds nothing, you know?"
The other gladiator snickered and crossed his arms, and the pair stood in place, watching the Blue Wolf climbing over the Fire Lord's statue.
Sokka sweated as he moved over Ozai's abs, struggling to keep in place now that he was so high and in such great risk of falling. His fingers hurt as he tried to hold on to the metal… if he fell now he'd make the biggest fool of himself, surely… and hell knew if he would survive the fall. The ground below was comprised by solid rocks…
Hence, he simply couldn't fall. He had to make it to the top, for his very life was at stake here. He gulped and stretched his hand up, probing Ozai's chest… ugh. This was just sick.
He managed to push himself up when his hand found the statue's collarbone. Sokka was careful not to hoist himself completely, or else he would risk getting burned by the fire coming out of Ozai's mouth. He moved over to Ozai's shoulder and panted heavily, trying to regain his breath after that exhausting climb. But after a moment he recalled just what the purpose of this crazy maneuver had been, and he looked at Ozai's hairpiece, fearing he might not find what he had come to look for…
… But there it was! Just as he had predicted! Sokka couldn't help but laugh in joy as he stretched out a hand towards the flame-shaped golden plate, relieved to discover his guess had been spot on.
"Yes! Yes! Haha! Thank you, Ozai!" Sokka shouted, only noticing afterwards that those were three words he had never expected to say in the same sentence.
"He got it?! HE'S GOT ONE!" shouted one of the men who had been watching him, and it wasn't until then that Sokka realized he wasn't alone in the town square.
"Uh-oh," Sokka said, gulping and gripping the flame tighter.
One of his spectators had bared his teeth and he struck the ground with his large feet… and as soon as he did, Sokka felt he was falling over. The man had been an earthbender and, from the looks of it, he had just bent the earth under the statue to bring Sokka down…
But his movement only served to knock over the statue, and the foolish earthbender only realized it when it was too late.
"What did you do, you idiot?!" the other gladiator screamed, as the statue tilted sideways.
Sokka grimaced and held on tightly to Ozai's neck as the statue broke off its pedestal. Sokka had a split second to realize the fire pouring out of Ozai had vanished when the statue began to fall over, yet he was too busy trying to survive this to think about what it might mean. He climbed up to the statue's face and, once they were a few feet from hitting the ground, Sokka leapt with a loud yell.
The statue collapsed on a street, yet it tore down a few buildings on its way to the ground. Sokka's jump managed to land him a few feet away from where the statue had fallen, and he instantly bolted up to his feet and ran as fast as he could, trying to get away from the two gladiators who had wanted to take the item he had found. Yet the two fighters didn't follow him, for they were still in the square, staring in horror at what only could be the worst catastrophe in the history of Fire Fountain City.
The statue's fire was powered through a natural gas reserve and an inner mechanism in the ground that allowed the Fire Lord's figure to release fire. Yet now it had been torn off, the statue's site had literally become a fire fountain.
And the two gladiators could only look at it in horror.
"Shit," said the earthbender, gulping. His sponsor would kill him for this.
Sokka had gone into hiding in a deserted alley, in case those two gladiators decided to come chasing after him. He looked outside of it quickly, making sure nobody was nearby, and he set off again, his gold flame held tightly in his hand. One down… nine to go. Well, even if Toph had gotten hold of all the others by now, at the very least he had one. And with one, he would still keep her from breaking any records.
Still, despite it had taken him a long time to climb up the statue, he doubted the Hunt was over yet. As he ran through the streets he saw a few more gladiators than before, which led him to guess the brawl had ended. How many had passed out in the Ring of Ash? And how many of the savage gladiators were out here right now? Chances were they'd come after him, as soon as they realized he already had one of the items.
Yet he still had hopes. He would look for more of them, he was sure he'd happen upon one or two more flames in no time, it was just a matter of running into other people who had already found objects, or figuring out where other metal plates might be hidden…
As soon as those thoughts went through his head, though, he happened upon a new brawl. Sokka stopped on his tracks, looking at the mass of fighting gladiators with a grimace. The fight was rather fierce, again with fire, earth and blood flying all over the place… blood? Someone in there was hurt already? Sokka gulped and guessed he'd do best to get away immediately…
But that was when a golden flame happened to fly out of the brawl. Sokka's eyes widened as he watched it soar, almost in slow motion. If he jumped over there he could grasp it and he'd have two…!
And that was when she showed up.
Toph slammed into ground with such power the streets cracked. She stomped again, her arms moving with her, and Sokka watched in horror as the earth underneath the gladiators bolted upwards and flung the entire brawl into the air.
The flame hit the ground briefly, for Toph moved it towards her immediately, making use of her earthbending. Sokka still couldn't give credit to his eyes as he watched her, and Toph shot out into the air again after picking up her latest finding. Sokka's eyebrow twitched when she flew by him and he caught sight of three more golden flames dangling on her belt. So, she already had four, then. Why she was off again instead of trying to steal the item he had, Sokka had no idea, but he frowned with determination and ran in the opposite direction Toph had gone in. If he was lucky, he would find another item nearby… he refused to let her take the advantage fully.
Azula hadn't thought about how stressful this event would be until she found herself doing nothing but waiting in the stands until the gladiators returned. Well, until those who had succeeded at taking off returned, rather.
When the brawl ended, the survivors had ran off into the city to find more people to beat up… leaving behind at least twenty unconscious gladiators who were dragged outside of the ring by staff members, who gave them medical attention immediately. She had heard no reports of any casualties in the city, but she saw the staff members behaving quite uneasily while talking about a statue.
"Does this usually take so long?" Iroh asked, sighing. "I should have brought some tea with me…"
"Normally, few gladiators return early," said the Mayor. "But they're either quitters or they only hold one item. At least, that's how it used to be. It's a little late for that right now, though. It's been about half an hour… we ought to see someone soon."
It took a couple of minutes more until the first returning gladiator showed up. The people in the stands seemed surprised to see him, especially one who jumped to his feet and screamed:
"That's my gladiator! Oh, yes! Go, Rangaloosh!" he screamed excitedly as the fighter ran up to the Ring of Ash.
"He seems to hold two items," Azula said, squinting and looking at the gladiator attentively. "One in each hand."
"Well, good for him," said the Mayor. "I just hope my Strike got herself more than…"
The Mayor was interrupted when a wall of earth rose right in front of Rangaloosh at such speed that the entire crowd fell silent with a gasp. The excited sponsor stopped jumping and looked at what had happened in utter shock.
"M-my Rangaloosh?" he said, grimacing.
The wall was lowered again, and when it was, its creator revealed herself. Toph stood by the writhing Rangaloosh, who had ran into the wall and almost knocked himself unconscious with the blow. The Blind Bandit leaned down and took the two items he was holding.
"And that makes six," she declared, proud. "Thank you very much for your cooperation!"
Rangaloosh didn't even seem to realize what had happened. Toph simply flew off into the city again, powered by her earthbending. And by the stands, Azula looked at the fallen gladiator in horror, the Mayor was speechless, and Iroh just scratched his head and smiled.
"Well, I suppose I should have said she is rather ruthless…"
"T-that was your…? T-that was your gladiator…?" the Mayor muttered, in utter disbelief.
"Much more than what meets the eye, isn't she?" Iroh said, laughing proudly as Rangaloosh's sponsor squealed in despair behind them.
Had she said something about six, though? Azula grimaced. If that girl had gotten hold of six items, then she had secured the victory by now. There were only four more flames left, and who knew if Sokka was in possession of any of them. That fool had better find a way to get second place, at the very least, if first was really beyond his reach…
Sokka had only begun wondering if he ought to turn on his heels and just head back to the Ring of Ash when he turned a corner to find someone else in the same street he had just entered. To Sokka's relief, it was a gladiator holding a scimitar, making him a non-bender… but to Sokka's surprise, he was gripping a golden flame tightly in one hand.
His opponent spotted Sokka's flame as well, and his eyes blazed in greed. He snarled at Sokka and attacked, and the Blue Wolf had no qualms doing the same. Sokka released his sword from its scabbard and parried his opponent's blade several times before taking the offensive. He put as much strength as he could to a slice, and with it, he cut effectively through the scimitar. The opposite gladiator stared at the remains of his sword in horror before Sokka knocked him out cold with his hilt.
"Sorry about that, pal," said Sokka, panting. It was the first time he had beaten a gladiator so easily, but from what he could see, this guy had already received a fair share of blows. Chances were he had been involved in one of those scuffles over the golden flames and he had managed to come out as the victor, but he had spent too much strength to get out of that fight to resist against Sokka properly.
Sokka leaned down and scooped up the metallic flame, smiling proudly when he did. So now he had two… well, that was good news. He had secured four hundred points so far. Now it was just a matter of keeping Toph off his trail and hope that others would have gotten hold of a few more golden flames, so that the earthbender wouldn't earn too many points…
He had two choices now, and he had a feeling that time would run out for him quite soon. There wasn't supposed to be a time limit for the Hunt, but after about one hour running through the city, Sokka feared he would be taunting destiny if he decided to chase for another flame. For all he knew, Toph had gotten hold of all eight remaining pieces…
He sheathed his sword and slid the second item he had obtained into the neck of his armor, cringing when the edges pressed against his chest. He clutched the other one tightly in his hand and started off towards the Ring of Ash, hoping Azula would be content… surely she wouldn't be genuinely happy, and he probably wasn't going to get his messenger hawk, but she was bound to understand why Sokka had decided to return to the Arena at this point in time. He couldn't risk losing his collected objects, not when he had secured four hundred points so far. It was this or nothing.
Sokka got lost a few times within the city: he was having quite a hard time guiding himself through the streets without Ozai's statue. At long last he figured out his bearings and ran off towards where the Arena must have stood…
And that was when he heard an angry roar behind him.
"GET HIM!"
Sokka grimaced and kept running, but it seemed he had walked himself into an ambush. A group of gladiators jumped out of alleys into the street he had been running through, all of them taking up aggressive stances. Sokka halted, wary of the people ahead, yet he heard the footsteps of those behind him. Curse it. They were coming for him from all sides… just what he had been trying to avoid.
The first ones to reach him were those behind him, and Sokka resorted to pulling Space Sword out and whirling, not caring for what he might cut with it. Indeed, he cut someone, but he had no time to assess the damage he had delivered, for he was attacked again by the gladiators who had blocked his way through the streets.
Sokka yelled, bit, kicked and swung his sword around, despite receiving blocks of earth straight to the face and feeling his right arm getting scorched by someone's firebending. He dropped to the ground defensively, clutching the item to his chest since he knew that was what these gladiators were after. They pulled his hair, scratched his face and kicked him a few times as they tried to knock him out so they could fight over the object he was carrying, but Sokka wouldn't let this end so fast.
As soon as he saw a gap between the bodies of his assailants, Sokka knew he had to dart out through that direction. No matter which way he came out through, he just had to make his way and run for it.
And that he did, by leaping up and sticking the pointiest edge of his item into the stomach of one of his aggressors. The gladiator who got wounded stumbled back, clutching his wound, perhaps in hopes to grasp the object Sokka had stabbed him with, but Sokka pulled it out and ran while making use of the small window of time he had earned himself. It took a moment for the gladiators he left behind to realize what had happened, and not long afterwards they were chasing him through the streets anew.
Sokka panted and gasped, the injuries he had sustained promising to take their toll on him. Yet his pursuers promised also to make everything worse if he dared stop… so he didn't.
He glanced down at the golden object in his hand and grimaced when he caught sight of the red liquid staining it. Damn, she was going to kill him…
By some twist of fate, though, he was on his way to the Arena again. Maybe he wasn't doing so badly… maybe he could reach the Ring of Ash and shake off his pursuers in the process. He gritted his teeth and kept running, pushing himself to go faster even when his legs didn't want to answer.
At some point, someone showed up right next to him. Sokka glanced sideways, wary, but he realized the woman next to him was carrying her own two golden flames. She looked at him as well, perhaps fearing he might try to steal hers.
"You only got one?!" she asked, upon only seeing one item in his hand.
"You feeling like giving me one of yours out of pity?!" Sokka yelled back. "Because I sure wouldn't mind!"
The woman would have rolled her eyes at his response, but she was relieved to find he wouldn't try to steal hers. Still, she decided to exert some caution. She was being chased by a group of gladiators as well, and she sure hoped she could make it to the Ring of Ash before they caught up with her, or before the guy next to her decided to steal what she had fought so hard to obtain…
Azula was beginning to wonder if she ought to head into the city to find Sokka's unconscious body, or whatever was left of it, just when the pair of gladiators took the street that led towards the Ring of Ash. Her eyes widened when she recognized Sokka running right beside the woman the Mayor had identified as his gladiator.
"She's there! She's…! Oh, yes!" the man exclaimed happily, clapping.
"Go, Sokka… go," Azula said, looking at him in expectation when he was scarcely a few feet from the ashes that lined the Arena, a crowd of gladiators chasing him. "Get into that damn ring, just…"
But it just couldn't be so easy, could it?
The earth right in front of Sokka and the Blazing Strike suddenly blasted out, creating a crack in the ground that threatened to knock both gladiators to the ground. Their pursuers stopped, wary of what had just happened, but Sokka and the Blazing Strike couldn't falter. They struggled to keep their footing and to continue running just as the perpetrator of the sudden explosion revealed herself.
Sokka wasn't even surprised to find Toph covered in dirt, rising from a tunnel underground. She surely had been waiting for them, probably knowing she would haul four flames in one go…
Sokka tried to dodge her, but she brought forth a pillar of earth that struck Sokka in the stomach, stopping him effectively. In the meantime, though, the Blazing Strike was threatening to get away. Toph had to bend the earth under the woman in order to make her trip and fall over. She was rather persistent, though. She sought to crawl towards the ring, which was only one feet ahead of her now…
But Toph brought forth another pillar, smacking her opponent's stomach and sending her flying up into the air. The two flames she had been holding dropped to the ground with a clinking sound, and Toph picked them up as quickly as she could… and she turned around to face Sokka again, who hadn't let go of the pieces in his hand and had managed to get around the pillar she had just struck him with.
Toph moved towards him and snarled, raising a rock to the level of his knees and making Sokka trip. Sokka grimaced as he saw the ash coming straight at him… but it was ash. It was ash! As soon as he touched it, his run on the hunt would be over!
Yet Toph's hand gripped his before Sokka hit the ground. And with a brusque movement, she took his items for herself as Sokka embarrassingly fell face-first into the ring.
Toph stepped into the arena, smirking down at Sokka.
"And that's ten out of ten," she declared, as staff members came rushing at them.
Two staff members tended to Sokka while others ran towards the Blazing Strike. Another one headed towards Toph, looking at her in utter shock after she declared to having seized all ten objects.
The Mayor looked as though he were on the verge of tears as he looked at his gladiator, and Azula simply sighed in disappointment. So much for keeping that brat from getting all two thousand points… well, she knew Sokka had tried, that much was clear. But it seemed he truly wasn't strong enough to deal with her just yet.
"You… you have all ten objects, you said?" the staff member asked Toph, and she placed her collection of golden flames in his hands.
"Yep, got that right" said Toph, smirking "I heard no one had done that before. Brand new record, isn't it?"
"Well… it was a good event," Iroh said, smiling and earning himself a glare from his niece. Ugh, if she could just erase that stupid grin off his face…
Toph waved at him and Iroh chuckled at the gesture while the staff member checked the collection of items Toph had given him… and soon enough he was frowning as he looked it over one more time.
"Uh, excuse me… Blind Bandit?" he asked.
"Yeah, that's me. Going to write my name down someplace to give me my record or something?" Toph asked.
"I… uh, maybe I would, but… you haven't obtained the record, I'm sorry to say," the man said, gulping.
"What?!" Toph exclaimed, looking at the man in mild indignation. "What do you mean by that?!"
"Well… there aren't ten objects here," the staff member said, growing nervous. "You… you only have eight."
"How could I possibly have eight?!" Toph exclaimed, taking them from the man. "I got two from that girl, and this moron had two of these things as well, he…!"
It was only then that Toph realized that what she had taken from Sokka was a single object. And it was slightly heavier than the rest of the metal plates… which was why she had mistaken it for two when she had sensed it with her earthbending.
She frowned, trying to make sense out of this mishap… what the hell had happened here? She had distinctly sensed Sokka had picked up the item on the statue, and she had also sensed him stealing an item from another gladiator… so he had to have two! How come was she holding this strange thing now, a thing that didn't feel quite the same as the others…? Oh, for crying out loud, how hadn't she realized this was a very different object from the ones she had picked up before? Lost in her arrogance and pride, and hoping to stomp all over Sokka's, she had mistaken this for her absolute victory… and it wasn't.
A low chuckle came from Sokka, who was pushing himself up with the help of the Arena's staff members. Toph looked at him in slight outrage, and Sokka tried to wipe the ash off his face with his forearm, although it seemed he had only soiled himself further.
"Fell square for it, didn't you?" Sokka smirked, unbuckling his armor, to everyone's surprise.
Azula's eyes glistened with pride and she found herself smiling uncontrollably when Sokka's armor fell to the ground… to reveal that, disguised within his breastplate, had been the two items he had obtained during the hunt.
He had done it. He had kept Toph from taking the record, he had earned four hundred points and kept her from earning all two thousand!
"You must be wondering how I did it, I wager?" Sokka asked Toph, handing the two golden flames to the nearby staff members. "I was concealing the Princess's hairpiece inside my breastplate at the start of the Hunt. You'd never sensed my new armor before, so, if you stopped to analyze it, you would think that strange metallic thing on my chest was just part of the outfit. So… when I got my first gold flame, I hid in an alley and took off the breastplate quickly, replaced the hairpiece with the flame and used the hairpiece as a decoy. It was quite lucky that it was about as heavy as two pieces, that way you wouldn't notice the difference if I secured two of the flames. You'd think I was holding both flames in one hand unless you actually stole the hairpiece and detailed it carefully… and from what I can see, it seems I was right to assume you wouldn't. You fell for it, Toph."
"Yeah, maybe… but I still won," she said, spitefully.
"You broke no records today, though. And you're not the only one who earned points in this event. And now… would you be so kind to return my sponsor's hairpiece?" Sokka asked, extending a hand towards her. "I'm pretty sure she'll want it back"
Toph gripped the bloody hairpiece for a moment, only understanding now what it really was… well, she had never touched it before, she couldn't have recognized it, and Sokka had known so. The witty jerk had noticed the hairpiece was about the same size as the golden flames they had been chasing after, and he had set up a trap knowing Toph would have a hard time telling the difference between the hairpiece and the flame-shaped metal plates if she was too busy thinking of defeating him. How had he come up with such a plan, she had no idea…
Azula couldn't stop laughing now. Iroh was staring at Sokka with his mouth hanging open, while the Mayor had stopped crying, looking at the situation with interest.
"Oh, my…" he said, only realizing now why he'd had such a hard time recognizing Azula as Ozai's daughter: she wasn't wearing her hairpiece because her gladiator had been holding it. "Your two gladiators are really something."
"And here I thought she was a bandit in name alone," Azula said, smirking. "You've gotten yourself quite a thief of a gladiator, uncle, stealing my hairpiece like that…"
Sokka took back Azula's hairpiece and sought to clean it with the fabric of his shirt. Thankfully, the blood didn't seem to have stained it… still, he was certain Azula would be anything but happy about knowing he had stabbed a gladiator with it. He looked towards the stands and found, to his relief, that his sponsor seemed to be beaming with pride. He nodded in her direction, giving her a smile of his own.
There was a prize for the winners of the event, a prize that was awarded while Sokka received medical treatment right outside the Ring. The burn on his arm was being taken care of when Azula showed up, a small bag of money in her hand.
"Second place had its own reward, apparently," she said, showing him the bag. "So did third, but since nobody else managed to secure any points, that award went to waste."
"Heh," said Sokka, smirking and flinching when the medic rubbed an ointment on his damaged skin.
"You look… terrible," Azula muttered, looking at him in worry.
"Well, the Hunt was anything but easy," Sokka said, smiling weakly. "Got myself covered in bruises, I have a few scrapes here and there… I've got a burn in an arm, and I'm pretty damn lucky I didn't get more burns than that. And I figure my hair is a disaster."
"Your face is a mask of ash too," said Azula, smiling. "But alas… all the trouble was worth it in the end. For a moment there I really thought your plan hadn't worked…"
"I honestly started doubting it would for a while," Sokka admitted. "I feared she'd notice the hairpiece was heavier than the actual items, but I think she was too busy getting every other object to pay close attention to me. Which worked to our advantage in the end."
"It was quite a smart move to disguise the hairpiece and the actual objects as part of your armor," Azula said, approvingly. "It really seems like your witty last-minute plans are far more reliable than I took them for."
"Only when they work," Sokka said, chuckling. "Still… we didn't win. We didn't lose pathetically, but we still didn't win."
"No need to fret," said Azula, smiling. "We may have gotten second place only… but this is a start. Considering how badly she beat you back when you first faced off against her, this event shows you've improved greatly."
"Why… good to know you see it that way," said Sokka, smiling. "Here I thought you'd be mad I didn't take all ten objects."
"Maybe that was too much to hope for," Azula admitted. "But hopefully one day you'll be capable of more than this. Either by becoming stronger or by coming up with wittier plans, I believe you'll be able to stand evenly with the Bandit one day. If you could pull this off, I'm sure you'll do even better the next time you fight her."
Sokka smiled and nodded, relieved to hear Azula seemed pleased. She was placing a lot of hopes on him, and to know he hadn't disappointed her as of late was reassuring… he just hoped he could keep this up. He didn't want to displease her ever again.
He cringed as he reached out for something he had set down right beside him, and he extended it towards Azula, who looked at his offering in disgust.
"Here. Thanks for letting me borrow it" said Sokka, smiling and giving back her hairpiece.
"You honestly don't think I'm going to put it on after that, do you?" Azula asked, grimacing. "I think I saw blood on it when the Bandit took it from you…"
"Oh, yeah… I kind of had to stab someone with it," said Sokka, smiling uncomfortably and scratching his head.
"Y-you…? Did you kill someone with my hairpiece?!" Azula asked, scandalized.
"No, no, I… I don't think he's dead," said Sokka, grimacing. "It didn't go so deep, I think."
"But still… ugh, Sokka," Azula said, inching away from the hairpiece. "You don't expect me to put on a hairpiece that bore the sweat of your chest and the blood of an unknown gladiator, do you?"
"Uh… now that you mention it, you might not want to," Sokka realized, smiling weakly. "You need to disinfect it from all the disgusting germs and filth, of course."
"Indeed," Azula said, folding her arms over her chest. "So you can hold onto it… until we get home. By then I'll find a way to cleanse it, and then I'll take it back."
"Gotcha," Sokka said, nodding. "So… what're you going to do with the money? Invest it? Use it to make up for the money you've spent on me? Or maybe to restore your dad's statue…?"
"I've actually managed to make back lots of the money you… wait, what?" Azula looked at Sokka with a frown, and Sokka gulped. "What happened to my father's statue?"
"Well… I'll have you know it wasn't my fault!" Sokka squealed. "I didn't do it, it was that crazy earthbender who was hunting after me when I found that gold flame on your dad's hairpiece…!"
"Wait a second… you climbed my father's statue?!" Azula asked, shocked.
"It's not like I wanted to do it, but I figured that was where they'd hidden one of the items and I was right!" Sokka responded.
"And then… an earthbender knocked it down?" she asked, her gaze going to the ground. She definitely didn't want to be near her father when he was told about what had happened to his glorious statue.
"He was a big brute," said Sokka, shaking his head as the medic finished bandaging his wounds. "I think his sponsor will have to pay for it, though."
"Either he'll pay for it or he'll be executed," Azula said, grimacing. "Both him and his gladiator, likely. Knocking down the statue of the Fire Lord is considered treason…"
"Well, in any case, unless they're unable to pay up, there's no need to spend your money on that," said Sokka, smiling weakly as he stood up.
It was only then that Azula realized he had been shirtless while getting patched up. Adding that to the way his hair was falling over his face made her heart race a little faster than it should. Curse that slave for being so handsome without even realizing it…
"So?" he asked, putting on his shirt with some difficulty. "What're you going to do with the money, then?"
"Well…" said Azula, looking away while Sokka picked up his armor and weapons again. "I never really thanked you for what you did about the White Lotus…"
"Again with that? Azula…"
"I happen to have this money," Azula continued, silencing him effectively. "And you made quite a ridiculous request yesterday, but given that you didn't lose pathetically against the Bandit, and that you're surprisingly still able to stand on your own two feet after facing her, then perhaps I ought to get you what you want…"
Sokka's eyes lit up and he looked at her as though he were a child who was finally getting the toy he wanted most.
"Y-you… you'll do it, Azula?! Really?! You'll get one for me?!"
"Just promise you're not getting me a turtle in exchange, if you will," Azula said, smirking and making him blush as she walked away towards the city.
"I… I wasn't thinking about that when I asked for it! I just want a hawk because sending messages sounds like fun!" Sokka exclaimed.
"That had better be the case," said Azula, smiling. "Well, so long as you promise not to use him to send me prank messages, you can have one… but you'll have to learn how to handle a hawk by yourself, got it?"
"Sure thing!" said Sokka, proudly. "I'll train him up real good!"
"I think the one who'll be in need of training will be you and not the bird…" Azula said, smiling with malice.
"Hey!" Sokka squealed, as Azula chuckled.
It wasn't the best-case scenario, but they both knew it could have gone much worse than it had. Even if they had only earned four hundred points, and Toph had gotten even further away from them than before, this was a start, as Azula had said it was. If they kept going at this rate, the day would come when Sokka would manage to fight on even grounds with Toph and defeat her… at least, Azula hoped so. She looked at Sokka, who was still trying to wipe clean his face with his arm and failing at it, and she smiled. He may never become stronger than that girl, but his wits had proven themselves all over again. And he didn't need brute strength so long as he could come up with a good plan to defeat her.
And as they walked side by side into the city, Azula found herself remembering why she had thought Sokka would be the perfect gladiator for her. It had been quite an unconventional way to prove himself, but he had accomplished the unthinkable today through his brain prowess alone: he had proved to everyone that a non-bender could be more capable a fighter than countless other gladiators. And by working together, they had proved they were one of the best combinations of gladiator and sponsor ever seen in the Gladiator League.