You guys are insane. This story makes up 40% of my monthly view count. That's no joke. I know this story is unique and A:tLA is going through a resurgence, but wow! I'm honored!
Here's a totally normal duel scene that will totally not diverge from canon in any way shape or form.
The Vestri Court was the in the north-western corner of the academy. Like most of the courtyards, it was shaped in a triangle. The north-west border of the courtyard was a section of the large wall that encompassed the Academy. On either end of that wall was a tower. Directly to the north was a gold-capped tower. Lying almost to the west was a red-capped tower. From each tower stretched covered hallways that served as connectors from the outer towers to the central tower. Aang found the design practical, but sorely lacking in artistic flavor compared to the Air Nomad temples.
Following Guiche to the center of the courtyard, Aang took a moment to observe the throng of students who were starting to make a ring around them. The monk had assumed that they would be fighting in an official dueling ring, but he supposed open air would serve just as well. Earth, air, and fire were perfectly viable options in this environment.
Aang took a few readying breaths as he surveyed his opponent. Guiche's eyes were brimming with anger and indignance. However, his gaze lacked the stern resolve of a trained fighter. Try as he might, Aang found that he couldn't take the flamboyant noble boy seriously. Absolutely nothing about Guiche showed any competence in bending—magic, as they called it—or combat in general. The blond looked like he was in good shape, but looking fit and being athletic were two entirely different things.
"Are you ready to begin?" Guiche asked Aang with a smug grin.
"I suppose," Aang said with a small frown. "But what are the rules for the duel? How will we be dueling?"
"A mage uses the magic gifted to us by the Founder," Guiche replied haughtily. "A commoner such as yourself can use that stick you have."
Well, that was insulting. Sure, his glider looked like an ordinary stick when it wasn't in use, but there was no need for mockery. "So, it's a magic duel?" Aang asked, deciding to ignore the barb.
"If you wish to call it that," Guiche said dismissively.
Aang nodded. A bending duel meant he was perfectly in his element. "And how is the winner is decided?" he asked.
"Why, when the other person surrenders, of course," Guiche replied. "There's no need for anyone to get seriously hurt, after all."
That wasn't as clear as Aang would have liked. He could only guess that this was more of an informal duel, hence the casual setting and loose rules. It wasn't ideal, but if a duel would satisfy Guiche's sense of honor, it would be enough.
"Okay, I'm ready," said Aang. He held his staff in both hands, keeping the front end low in front of him as he waited for Guiche to make the first move.
Guiche's grin grew greatly. The opportunity to bring down an uppity commoner was exactly the catharsis he needed after his public embarrassment.
"Behold," the blond declared, holding his rose-wand high in the air. "The power of a mage!"
Guiche flung his rose-wand forward, sending a single stray petal fluttering to the ground. Aang watched curiously as the petal lightly landed on the grass. His eyes exploded outwards when the ground underneath the petal became enveloped in a flash of light. A glowing armored form slowly rose from the earth. The light dimmed to reveal a feminine armored golem standing where the petal once was. In its hand, it wielded a spear made from the same grey metal as its body. A pair of fluffy white wing ornaments adorned each side of its helmet. Hanging from its waist like a skirt was a similarly colored breezy fabric that fell past the golem's knees.
"That's amazing!" Aang said in genuine awe.
Toph's metalbending was impressive, but Guiche's golem creation was fast and flashy. The monk came to the realization that he had underestimated his opponent. Metalbending to such a degree required a steep amount of training, even with natural talent. Aang still wasn't sure why Guiche had used the petal, or why everything was glowing, but he chalked it up to theatric techniques. He'd been dead for a while. If bending could be renamed into magic, then it wasn't unthinkable that certain techniques had developed to make bending more theatrical.
Still, how had Guiche managed to make white cloth-like material out of literal dirt? Aang decided to shelve that mystery for another time.
"I'm glad you see it my way," said Guiche with an appreciative nod. "Unfortunately for you, now my Valkyrie will have to put you in your place."
"We'll see about that," said Aang. His grip on his staff tightened. He pushed his senses into the elements. He could feel the movement of the wind and the vibrations in the earth. Water vapor hung in the air and warmth spread through his body. He was ready for this fight. Aang detested combat because he didn't like hurting others. But if Guiche wanted to fight using his golem as a proxy, that meant Aang didn't have to worry about accidental injuries.
Before the two could launch their opening attacks, a shrill voice called out, "Stop!"
Aang and Guiche turned to see Louise breaking through the circle of students, panting heavily as sweat dripped from her brow. "You two cannot duel!" she declared. "It is against the school rules!"
"Why Louise, the rules only pertain to nobility," said Guiche haughtily. "Any commoner foolish enough to face a noble is perfectly fine."
"Aang is not a commoner!" Louise shouted indignantly.
"That is true," Guiche said with sickening smugness. "He's a familiar; that makes him even less than a commoner. Especially since he's the familiar of a Zero like you."
"Enough," said Aang sternly, righting his staff and stamping it against the ground. At the sound his voice, everyone quieted and turned to him. There was no way to explain it, but his order had carried a certain weight that could not be denied. The monk's eyes were hardened beyond his years as he looked at the two students. "Is this duel against the rules?" he asked. "If so, I must decline."
"Scared?" Guiche challenged. His voice gave the slightest bit of tremble, intimidated slightly by Aang's suddenly authoritative demeanor.
"Of getting in trouble? Of course," Aang admitted easily. "Why? Do you think you're above the law?"
Guiche scoffed, putting on a brave face that fooled no one. "I follow the law to the letter," he said defensively. "And there is nothing in the rules that state that a mage cannot duel a familiar."
Looking into Guiche's eyes and seeing no dishonesty, Aang turned to Louise. "Is this true?" he asked.
"Well… yes," Louise admitted. "But you still don't have to duel him. A maid came and explained the whole thing to me. There's no reason for you to accept his challenge!"
"Yes, there is," said Aang wearily. "The duel is about Guiche's honor, and I cannot turn down an honor bound challenge."
"I'm impressed that a peasant boy such as yourself can understand the concept of honor," said Guiche, regaining his naturally cocky expression. "We nobles are tasked with a heavy burden: to rule the masses who lack our blessing. A noble's honor is essentially to setting standards. It is truly a heavy burden to bear, but bear it we must."
"You're a two-timing playboy; you have no standards!" Louise exploded. "You're always flirting with a new girl every week. You've dated almost half the girls in our class and the seniors in a little over a year! And it was you cheating on your girlfriend with a freshman that caused this whole mess!"
The surroundings chuckled as Louise ripped into Guiche's façade. The blond made a pained grimace as he once again found himself as a laughingstock. Summoning up his charismatic smile, he made his comeback.
"All the roses in this garden are beautiful sights," Guiche said dramatically. "It would be a crime if I didn't pay each of them their fair share of attention. Don't be jealous, Louise, those frown lines will give you wrinkles."
Aang sighed. He had met flirtatious nobles before in his adult life. They tended to be arrogant, but charming in their own ways. Guiche had the looks of a pretty-boy, but his personality so far had shown little if any redeeming qualities. It was a wonder he managed to attract any sort of positive attention from anyone who listened to him.
Louise shook her head at Guiche's display. "Aang, forget about this duel and come here," she ordered.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Aang said with a shake of his head.
"I can't let you get hurt," Louise insisted.
"Protective of your little pet, how cute," Guiche teased.
"Shut it, Gramont!" Louise snapped. The venom in her voice cause Guiche to jump back. He tried to smooth it out by striking a pose, as if he was simply readjusting his stance. It fooled no one.
At this point, Aang chose to ignore Guiche's childish antics. "Don't worry, Louise," said Aang. "I'll keep it simple; I remember what you told me earlier."
"But you shouldn't fight him," Louise insisted. "The rules—"
"Are only for nobles, as I've already said," Guiche interrupted. "As much as you may adore your familiar, you can't honestly expect me to believe someone in such a ridiculous get up could be a proud member of nobility."
Aang shrugged. He might have once been the Avatar and a major political figure, but here he was a child being taken care of by a noble teenaged girl. At best, he was the semi-official ward of a noble. That was a legally grey area that he couldn't comment on.
Louise bit the bottom of her lip as she looked between Aang and Guiche. Her familiar gave her a reassuring smile and nod. Finally, Louise sighed. "Fine," she said. "But do not harm him." She glared at Guiche as she said this.
Guiche shrugged. "I'll try my best, but things happen."
"Don't worry," Aang assured Louise. "I'm not called Twinkletoes for nothing."
"Twinkletoes?" Guiche scoffed. "My runic name is Guiche the Bronze, a much more proper name."
Aang had to nod in agreement to that. The Bronze was a title that emphasized his skill with metalbending. Toph's nickname was a teasing way of saying Aang was light on his feet. In terms of the respect the names carried, there was only one obvious winner. "That's what an old friend of mine called me," Aang replied. "Even if my nickname isn't fancy or cool sounding, it's still precious to me."
Louise looked at Aang with pity as she witnessed the nostalgic smile on his face. To her, an old friend of Aang's could only mean someone who had passed away. The fact that Aang could smile under those memories was a testament to his emotional strength. It was, to say the least, an inspiring sight.
Guiche dismissed Aang's words with a flick of his silky blond hair. "Now, if there are no other interruptions…" He looked to Louise, who shook her head and stepped back to the edge of the crowd. "In that case, let us begin." Raising his wand hand up, he cried, "Valkyrie, attack!"
The Valkyrie ran towards Aang with a speed and grace that defied its hasty creation.
"Earth to earth should be simple enough," Aang said to himself as he put himself into an earth bending stance. Fists clenched, one around his staff. Elbows tucked in, ready to summon power. Legs spread and knees bent, to aid in stability. The stance change caught many of the watching students of guard, and some started to laugh at how ridiculous the boy looked.
Louise forced herself to watch as Aang slowly raised his foot and slammed it down onto the grass. At first, she assumed that it was a move of intimidation or preparation. Then, to the surprise of her and everyone watching, the ground beneath the Valkyrie collapsed, trapping the golem from the waist down in a hole.
The courtyard was silent as everyone struggled to process what had just occurred. Aang, noticing the sudden hush, looked around, worried that he had made a serious faux pas. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked.
"H-how?" Guiche sputtered in surprise. "That should be impossible!"
"Trapping someone in a hole?" Aang asked. "It's not impossible, it's pretty simple. In fact, it was one of the first things I learned. Well, I actually learned how to get someone out of a hole, but it's almost the same thing."
Aang's words failed to mollify his opponent. "You're a commoner!" Guiche shouted. "How do you know magic?"
"I learned?" Aang answered questioningly, not understanding the problem.
"You shouldn't be able to use earth magic!"
"You mean it wasn't an earth duel?"
Seeing that Aang's responses were giving more questions than answers—literally—Guiche turned to Louise. "How did your familiar do that?" he asked. "Is this some sort of trick?"
"It's no trick," Louise said with certainty. "My familiar may appear to be a commoner, but he is a mage."
"A noble dressed like that?" Guiche questioned, using his hand to indicate Aang's unusual attire.
"He's from far away," Louise said defensively. "And he's technically… not a noble?" She looked to Aang questioningly, who shrugged. "Yet," she amended.
"Yet?" Aang echoed.
"Yet?" Guiche asked.
"Yet," Louise affirmed. "That is all you need to know. Aang's personal affairs are none of your concern."
Aang wasn't sure what Louise meant by that, but at least that misunderstanding had been cleared up, hopefully. "So, shall we continue?" he asked Guiche.
"I'm not so sure we should," said Guiche hesitantly.
Aang looked at him with confusion. "I thought a noble dueling a familiar wasn't against the rules?" he said questioningly.
"It isn't," Guiche insisted. "But I didn't expect to be fighting a mage."
"And what's wrong with that? You were eager to fight me before you knew I had bend—magic." Aang caught the slip of the tongue just in time. "What's changed? What happened to your honor?"
Guiche looked at Aang with a newfound sense of wonder. "You are right," he said, resolution filling his voice. "Mage you may be, but it would be wrong to end it here before a clear victor has been decided. Very well, boy, we shall resume our duel. But since you are obviously capable of defending yourself, I must give you a harder challenge."
"You're going to fight me yourself?" Aang asked warily.
Guiche looked affronted by the suggestion. "Founder, no!" he replied, raising his wand once again. "My Valkyries shall provide the entertainment!"
Once more he flung his rose-wand forward, sending a scattering of petals falling to the ground. This left Aang wondering if Guiche replaced his rose whenever it started running out of petals. Six more illuminated golems rose from the earth, each identical to the currently trapped original.
"I hope you can handle six at once!" Guiche thrust his rose high and cried, "Now, my Valkyries, attack!"
Louise's heart leapt into her throat as she watched the half-dozen armored constructs swarm charge towards Aang. Guiche's golems were disproportionally powerful for a dot class mage. From their year, only Tabitha or the blasted Kirche could best him in magical combat. Louise was worried about Aang getting hurt, but then she saw the look in his eye. There was alertness and caution in his eyes observed the enemies bearing down on him. But there was something more. A spark. Something she had seen a glimpse of, but it had never shown quite as bright now as it did before. It was as if something in him had been released.
A smile broke across Aang's face as he raised his staff with both hands. "Here I come!" he shouted as he struck down with his staff.
The instant the staff met the earth, the ground gave a shudder. Students trembled as the courtyard rumbled. The shaking was felt even by an old man sitting at the top of the central tower. A sharp crack extended from where Aang's staff rested on the ground. With exponential speed and ferocity, the crack extended outward. The ground ripped itself apart from underneath the feet of all seven Valkyries, sending them falling into a newly made chasm.
As Aang raised his staff up, the only sound that could be heard was that from the earth closing in on itself, swallowing the incapacitate golems. The cracks and crunches that followed were loud enough to be heard on the other side of the academy. With the sounds of bones being flattened underneath a falling building, the echoes resonated and died as the ground closed back up. With the grassy ground restored, only a little worse for the wear, Aang readied his staff and called to Guiche, "I can handle that much. Now, let's really get into it!"
It took a moment for Guiche to respond. His jaw was currently sitting on the ground as he stared at Aang in astonishment. "Y-you are a-a p-powerful mage," he finally managed to stutter out. His legs quivered as he struggled to remain upright.
"You're not too bad yourself," Aang said cheekily. "Come on, send out your next trick. I'm ready!"
Guiche took a deep breath to steady himself before revealing the next card up his sleeve.
"I forfeit."
"You what?" Aang exclaimed.
Guiche slipped his wand into his robe. "This duel has shown me enough," he said with finality. "You clearly have mastery over earth magic. I should not have assumed you to be a commoner based on your attire. You have bested me at my own element. I will take my defeat with grace."
"He was glowing and floating during the rune branding process!" Louise exclaimed in exasperation. "That didn't make you think that he might have some magical ability?"
"You create explosions on a regular basis, and that's not magic," Guiche pointed out. "Besides, he was producing wind back then, when he's clearly an earth mage. How was I supposed to put the two together?"
"Actually, air is my primary element, and earth is my weakest by a long shot," Aang admitted.
Guiche stared at him.
The crowd stared at him.
Louise facepalmed.
"Oh…" Aang said sheepishly. "I wasn't supposed to say that, was I?"
In the Headmaster's tower office, Old Osmond and Professor Colbert had observed the duel via a magic mirror mounted on the wall by Osmond's desk. While several times Colbert had attempted to leave to intervene on Aang's behalf, Osmond had convinced him to stay. After all, Louise seemed certain that her familiar was powerful mage, and Guiche de Gramont was only above average in his class. In the end, both of their expectations had been blown out of the water.
"Miss Valliere certainly summoned a mage," Colbert stated. "To have that much power and control, he must be a line class earth mage, at the very least. And if earth truly is his weakest element—"
"Then Valliere's claim of him being a square class mage holds much merit," Osmond completed his subordinates thought. "By Brimir's beard, did you see the way the boy was flying on that stick of his? Transmutation for wings and those flying maneuvers is a combination worthy of a triangle class mage."
"He has a talent," Colbert agreed. "And training too."
"Why, I reckon he could give Miss Orleans or Miss Zerbst a run for their money in a proper magic duel!"
"Are suggesting we allow dueling in the academy?"
Osmond coughed, clearing his throat. "Of course not," he declared. "Dueling was banned for good reason. Too many hot-blooded youths dueling for no reason and maiming each other, or worse." His voice grew grave at the end, and a dark look crossed his face. Then, in a moment, it was lifted. "I'm just saying that if they were to, theoretically, duel at some point, he would most likely hold his own."
"And that's not even including his runes," Colbert added with a nod of agreement.
"Yes, you did say that his runes were of the Gandalfr, the Left Hand of God, correct?"
"A perfect match," Colbert confirmed. "If Miss Valliere's familiar is a talent mage and has the ability to master any weapon, then that would make him the most powerful person in the country. No, in the entire continent."
"That is assuming he is as good a mage as we presume and his runes have the power the legends foretold," Osmond reminded him. "For now, we'll just keep a watchful eye on him. And try to figure out where the boy's from before we have to deal with a foreign army knocking on our doors."
"Shouldn't we encourage the students to keep quiet about Miss Valliere's familiar until we know more about him?" Colbert asked.
"They're children, they would gossip regardless," said Osmond dismissively. "Telling them to not gossip would just make it worse. And with the show he put on just now? I don't doubt that everyone will know what he can do by lunchtime. At any rate, at least the Void Day celebration will be entertaining. It should provide a nice distraction from trying to puzzle out this mysterious familiar."
"Didn't you say the princess was coming that day?" Colbert asked.
"Yes. And?"
"Doesn't that mean that the princess and all her retainers will learn about Miss Valliere's familiar?"
"…Founder's foot fungus."
Did you think this would go as canon where Aang would get into a furious duel with Guiche? If so...
Seriously? Aang 2OP pls nerf
Now that Aang has blown his cover, ripple effects will finally start taking place. He's definitely going to be the talk of the Academy, and he hasn't even touched a weapon yet! (And no, his staff does not count as a weapon, it's a glider).
Reposting from my Pokemon story, poll results are closed! And a new poll is up! Here are the results from the previous poll:
Danny Fenton (Danny Phantom) - 32
Toph Beifong (Avatar: the Last Airbender) - 30
Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia) - 29
Jake Long (Jake Long: American Dragon) - 28
Ben Tennyson (Ben 10) - 27
Yagi Toshinori/All Might (My Hero Academia) - 27
Zuko (Avatar: the Last Airbender) - 27
Samurai Jack (Samurai Jack) - 23
Beast Boy (Teen Titans) - 19
Natsuki Subaru (Re:Zero) - 14
Jaune Arc (RWBY) - 14
Korra (Legend of Korra) - 12
Brock (Pokemon) - 12
Sokka (Avatar: the Last Airbender) - 12
Toma Kamijo (A Certain Magical Index) - 11
Nagisa Shiota (Assassination Classroom) - 11
Mikoto Misaka (A Certain Scientific Railgun) - 10
Damian Wayne (Batman) - 10
Dick Grayson (Batman) - 8
Yuuki Yuuna (Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero) - 7
Other/Extra - 7
OP OC - 4
Write something besides this series - 3
Jun Sakurada (Rozen Maiden) - 0
First of all, thank you to everyone who voted! Some people also made their own suggestions, which I have saved in a doc in case I want to use them in another poll!
Second of all, why did Jun-kun fall below my literal joke suggestions? Don't go breakin my heart.
Third of all, Sokka was added almost a quarter of the way into the voting, so I'm assuming he'd be at least 4 votes higher. (cause math)
Fourth of all, votes fluctuated a lot. I took screenshots on my phone to keep track of voting, and the changes have been crazy. The top six has mostly been the same, but Samurai Jack and Zuko fell out to make room for Jake and Toph. Toph was originally fighting with Beast Boy, and then suddenly jumped all the way to the top of the charts. But then again, it happened right after I announced the poll on my Aang story, so I should have seen that coming. Still, seeing Toph kick Zuko to the wayside was something I didn't expect. Ben used to be dominating the poll, then Izuku and All Might were holding the top two spots for a long while. Now, as you can see, Danny and Toph have gone Plus Ultra above them.
Keeping up with the results this week has been crazy!
So, now there is a new poll. I am posting 4 people who I have the best chance of getting first chapters ready for by the end of the month. The four finalists are:
Toph Beifong (2nd place)
Jake Long (4th place)
Ben Tennyson (5th place)
Uncle Iroh (? place)
Um... so, I know Zuko and All Might were popular at one point, and I had a crazy idea to fuse them together and write Iroh. Zuko is rather too angsty or too busy to be Lousie's pet, and All Might would rather muscle through all foes or be a half competent teacher. So... Iroh both has the time and ability to teach, so he ended up taking their place.
For Danny and Deku I was struggling to make a plot work, and I still need to squeeze in time to watch enough Samurai Jack... so yeah, nothing for them yet.
Whoever wins the poll will have their first chapter uploaded on the last day of the month. That's a Tuesday, unlike my normal Sunday uploads, because I'll need as much time as possible between closing the poll on the 27th and finishing whatever story in time. I can't guarantee that the story will become a regular. It may end up being like the Kirito story where I just write an extensive second chapter to finish the story. Or like my Tobias story where I update sporadically. IDK. Inspiration isn't a fixed resource.
I have votes coming from here, Spacebattles, and other sources, so here's who's in the lead:
Currently, Iroh has the overall lead. Ben is second place. Toph is right behind him in third. Jake... is lagging behind in fourth.
I know that there will probably be bias towards other Avatar characters from you guys, but so be it. Just so you know, since I don't want to consistently crossover the same universes, I'll have to space out the stories. If Iroh or Toph get accepted, I'll eventually switch to alternating their story in this story's timeslot.
Liked the fight? Wanted it to be longer? Found a typo? Want to predict what will happen next? Put a review! I try to reply to questions in reviews as often as I can. And remember, reviews are food for a writer's soul!