Disclaimer – all original Avatar: The Last Airbender characters in this fanfic (excluding my OCs) are the property of Bryana Konietzko and Michaela Dante DiMartino.
Chapter 38. The Dance of The Dazed Phoenix.
Fire Nation Capital, Hari Bulkan, Fire Nation Royal Palace, Royal Training Chamber.
Huo never thought he'd be fighting a member of the royal family, and honestly, the mere prospect excited him. He wanted to see how strong the prince was and how he measured up. "Let's have a great and honorable fight," said the boy.
Lu Ten arched an eyebrow but smirked. "Just so you know, I don't plan on pulling any punches," he warned. "Even though you're five years younger, I'll treat you like a worthy opponent."
"I couldn't ask for more," Huo replied and smiled as well. "And I'm not going to hold back either."
"Then we understand each other," Lu Ten nodded and turned around, heading back to his father, who finished his tense conversation with Prince Ozai. The younger brother turned around and began to walk towards Huo.
"Boy, come here!" Ozai ordered.
Complying, Huo ran up to the prince, who put his hand on his back and guided him to the corner to give them some privacy. Zuko was only curious about what his father wanted from Huo, but Azula followed them with her dark gold eyes and frowned, not liking that her father was giving the boy so much attention.
Ozai looked over his shoulder at Lu Ten and looked back at Huo. "I think you already know that you're going to face the son of my brother," he stated with a sinister smirk, and Huo confirmed with a nod. "While I want you to demonstrate your abilities, I also want you to win this duel and defeat Lu Ten. You can say it's my 'personal request.' Do you understand?"
Huo didn't really understand why his victory was suddenly so important to the prince, but he guessed it had something to do with Lu Ten's father. Although curious, he decided not to ask questions, at least for now. "I don't plan on losing," Huo assured.
"Good, your future hinges upon this fight," Ozai stated ominously.
Now Huo really was curious. This duel was turning into something really important. When Ozai walked away and joined the generals, Weng approached Huo and crouched before him. The boy noticed the man was excited.
"Okay, what's going on here?" Huo asked silently, giving Weng a suspicious glare. "I got a feeling that this duel is not a simple demonstration of my abilities. The outcome seems to be pretty crucial."
"Because it is," Weng confirmed with an equally silent tone. "He didn't tell me, but I'm pretty sure Prince Ozai wants you to defeat Lu Ten and, at the same time, humiliate his older brother. He wasn't too surprised when he told him about Lu Ten being your opponent so he probably expected it. Either way, you need to do your best and win this duel whatever it takes. Disappointing the royal family is never a good thing."
Huo squinted his orange-colored eyes. He didn't believe Weng, but there was no time or place to argue. "Any tips?" he asked.
"While I never saw his skills personally, many people said that the son of the Dragon of the West is very talented," Weng replied. "I don't need to tell you that he will be a much harder opponent than Genjei."
Huo looked at Lu Ten and his father. The Crown Prince was giving his son advice, and this wouldn't be easy, but Huo was anxious to get started.
Suddenly, the doors to the training chamber were opened by two Imperial Firebenders. An elderly man entered the room, and everyone, even Prince Ozai, and Crown Prince Iroh took a knee. One didn't need to be a genius to realize the Fire Lord himself had arrived.
Huo quickly followed suit and took a glance at the man, immediately noticing the golden headpiece shaped like a Fire Nation insignia with five prongs. As befitted a man his age, the Fire Lord had gray, almost white, long hair tied into a top knot, a long thin goatee, and a mustache grown exclusively from the corners of the upper lip, creating two long tendrils that hung down past the mouth and chin.
Fire Lord Azulon wore a black detachable triangular cloud shoulder collar with a gold brim and a gold-colored flame-shaped pattern at the bottom. His red-black elaborate robes, braided with gold patterns, were held by a gold sash.
"Rise," he ordered, and everyone in the room stood back up.
The Fire Lord noticed Weng and Huo in the corner of his golden eye. He turned his head towards them and looked at the boy, who remained silent just like Weng. Azulon arched his gray eyebrow, not impressed by what he saw. He then started to walk forward and stopped right next to Ozai.
"For your sake, I hope this is not a waste of my time," the Fire Lord said and continued to walk toward the center of the chamber. "Let's get this over with."
"Go," Weng whispered to Huo, who complied and walked forward with Weng following him. The boy approached the generals, and they actually made a path, allowing him to approach and enter the elevated circle. Huo could feel the piercing gazes from all directions as everyone present surrounded the circle.
Huo felt like an actor on stage who was about to perform a play. Inhaling and exhaling through his nose, he focused on Lu Ten, who joined him shortly after.
"You'll stop when I tell you to stop," Fire Lord Azulon explained, crossing his arms over his chest. "You may begin."
Both firebenders took their fighting stances and slowly moved, circling around each other. Complete silence filled the chamber, and Huo could hear his own heartbeat.
Lu Ten made the first move, throwing a quick basic punch with his left fist and sending an orange flame toward Huo. The young boy moved to the side, avoiding the attack, and immediately conjured a blue flame from his open palm. Lu Ten focused and hit the flame with his right fist, extinguishing it.
With a swift kick, Huo conjured a diagonal arc of blue flame. In response, Lu Ten swung his left arm diagonally upward, creating an orange arc of his own. The two attacks collided, creating a blue-orange X, and canceled each other out.
It was obvious to every experienced firebender in the room that Huo and Lu Ten were testing each other, wanting to avoid making a mistake and creating an opening. "Just like I thought, I won't overpower him," Huo made a mental note. "Plus, I also have a hunch that he's not going all out. At least not yet. Alright then."
Huo stepped forward and created a whirling disk of blue-colored flame, sending it flying toward Lu Ten. The prince took a step to the side and extended his arms toward it. Taking control of the flame disk, which changed color from blue to orange, he spun and hurled it back at Huo.
The young boy quickly conjured a fire whip from his hand, and as Lu Ten hurled the disc back at him, Huo swung and swatted it away. Huo attempted to hit Lu Ten with the fire whip with a second swing, but the prince dodged and countered with a vertical lash of fire that cut Huo's blue fire whip.
Lu Ten immediately followed with another attack, conjuring a flame from his foot with a quick roundhouse kick. Huo stepped to the side and responded with a blue flame from his right hand and foot.
"Awesome," Zuko whispered in awe.
"Pfff," Azula crossed her arms over her chest and commented. "It's nothing special. I can do that, too."
Weng observed the whole duel from the start but also glanced occasionally at the other spectators, wanting to see their reactions. The generals and both princes watched both boys with clear interest. Azulon, however, had a stoic expression the entire time, and Weng had no idea what was on his mind. The nobleman only hoped that Huo's victory would satisfy the Fire Lord and resumed watching the duel.
With each attack, the two firebenders moved closer and closer to each other until they finally met at the center of the circle. Huo attacked with a fire jab, but Lu Ten leaned his head to the side and responded in kind, forcing the younger boy to duck and counter with an upward slash with a fire knife.
The young prince jumped back, avoiding the slash, and was ready to throw a punch. Huo quickly did the same thing. They both simultaneously conjured flames from their fists, and the attacks collided, creating an explosion that pushed them away from each other. When the smoke dispersed, both of them were unscathed.
Lu Ten exhaled, rolling his shoulders, and looked at his father, who smirked and nodded. The young prince nodded as well and looked back at Huo. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, focusing his energy. When he opened his eyes, he exhaled and fired a large and fast fireball at Huo, whose eyes widened. The boy immediately jumped to the side, barely avoiding the attack.
Huo knew that the time for testing the waters was over, and the real fight had started. Lu Ten launched a powerful stream of fire at Huo, who squatted and propelled himself with flames from his feet into the air. The boy threw a quick punch and a kick in mid-air, sending two blue flames at Lu Ten, who extinguished them with two solid punches.
When Huo landed, Lu Ten sent an orange flame arc with a vertical kick. Huo lunged to the side and leaned back his head. He then thrust it forward and fired a combustion beam from his forehead.
Lu Ten immediately created a shield of fire to stop the attack, which resulted in a large explosion. The floor cracked, and the training chamber shook. The shockwave pushed Lu Ten back to the edge of the circle, but thanks to his shield, the prince remained unharmed.
Despite the smoke obscuring his vision, Lu Ten noticed Huo's silhouette and recognized the circular movement of his arms. Immediately, he propelled himself forward with firebending at the same time as a crackling sound reached his ears.
Lightning sparks danced around Huo's fingers, and he was about to unleash the attack, but as he extended his arm and pointed with his index and middle finger, Lu Ten smacked his arm upwards at the last second. The lightning bolt hit the ceiling in the far corner of the chamber, damaging it and causing a few broken chunks to fall on the training dummies.
Huo took a few steps back and quickly attacked with a fire jab, but Lu Ten conjured a fire jab himself. His orange flame pierced Huo's blue one, and even though the younger boy instinctively managed to block the flame, the impact hurled him backward. He immediately got back to his feet and took a fighting stance.
The boy exhaled and began to think. Nothing worked. Lu Ten had excellent form and solid basics. Huo couldn't surprise him with normal firebending. Not to mention, the prince was older and stronger.
Huo still had the heat redirection, but the technique alone wouldn't do much without being combined with specific forms. He knew many advanced forms that would help him, and he was really tempted to use them, but he knew it would raise too many questions. Not to mention, Wei'Rai told him that he would take him back to the Spirit World if he discovered that he used firebending, which was only used by the Fire Keepers.
Still, Huo decided to risk it and inhaled, opening his arms and hands. He then exhaled, completely relaxed his whole body, and began to slowly wobble from side to side with a wide smile and seemingly unfocused eyes. It looked as if the boy had drunk some alcohol by mistake and was now tipsy.
Lu Ten arched his eyebrow and began to carefully observe Huo. It was something he had never seen before, and considering how talented Huo was, it was hard to imagine that this was some stupid prank.
"What is he doing?" Zuko asked, confused. "What form or technique is that?"
"It's not a form, he lost his marbles," Azula commented and snickered.
Huo wobbled forward, getting closer to Lu Ten, who looked confused but was ready to act. Suddenly, Huo stumbled and extended his arm, conjuring a stream of blue-colored fire toward Lu Ten.
The prince dodged to the side and immediately conjured a flame with a roundhouse kick at Huo, who dodged, leaning too far to the left, and was about to fall on his side. However, he extended his arm towards the ground and released a stream of blue-colored fire, which pushed him back into an upright position.
Lu Ten lunged toward Huo and conjured a large stream of flame from both fists. In response, Huo leaned forward, extending both his hands towards the orange flame and slightly lifted his right leg, moving it backward. The moment the flame reached Huo, the floor behind him began to turn red from the intense heat. The boy was absorbing the heat with his hands and releasing it through his foot.
Weng heard whispers and noticed that the generals were perplexed. Even Fire Lord Azulon himself widened his eyes. The nobleman had no idea what Huo was doing or if the technique he used was rare, but he was doing something right if the Fire Lord reacted in such a way.
Lu Ten ceased conjuring the fire stream and only looked confused at Huo, who resumed his wobbling stance. The prince could see the heat haze emanating from the glowing red floor behind the boy. His whole attack was just turned into heat.
Huo crouched and did a backflip, boosting his jump with fire jets from his feet. The moment his feet landed on the red-hot floor, a small area under them became cool. At the same time, Huo threw a punch toward Lu Ten but didn't create any flames. The prince arched his eyebrow but suddenly got hit in the face with extreme heat.
"Aaah!" he instinctively blinked and rubbed his face. It felt like he just got hit with a fire jab. "What the?!"
Huo began to swing his arms and kick without conjuring a single flame. The cool area under him began to broaden with each move. This time, Lu Ten noticed a heat haze coming his way and jumped to the side.
"He's throwing heat at me?!" Lu Ten asked out loud, shock evident in his voice. The prince took a deep breath and regained his composure.
He dashed toward him, not planning to give the boy time to do other strange techniques. If he could do the same thing with all his attacks, Lu Ten would tire himself out using too much power. The prince needed to get up close and personal and defeat him with small, precise attacks. Huo smiled widely and opened his arms. When Lu Ten got close, Huo propelled himself forward so that their faces almost collided and took a deep breath.
Lu Ten's eyes widened, and he lunged to Huo's left side, avoiding a blue-colored flame from the boy's mouth. He immediately conjured a flame with a roundhouse kick, but Huo ducked and rolled toward Lu Ten, stopping literally under the prince's feet in a seated position with his back turned to him. He shot two flames from his hands at the ground, pushing himself upright, and hit Lu Ten's jaw with his head.
"Mmff!" Lu Ten grabbed his jaw with his left hand and shot an orange flame at the boy with his right fist. Still facing the prince with his back, Huo quickly ducked, avoiding the flame. He then kicked back his legs, conjuring a flame from both his feet.
"That form is so cool!" Zuko said excitedly with a wide smile.
"No, it's stupid!" Azula disagreed and looked at her father, who stroked his goatee. "Right, dad?"
"It's definitely a strange and goofy form, which I would never personally use, but I have to admit it's very effective," Ozai pointed out, much to Azula's frustration. She looked back at Huo in jealousy. As much as she hated to admit it, Huo was a much better firebender than she anticipated. She made the right call, not challenging him to an Agni Kai.
Huo bobbed and waved in all directions, attacking from strange angles and in unique ways. He constantly changed the momentum of his attacks, used feints, and pretended to lack focus. Even when Lu Ten attacked while Huo was facing him with his back, the boy still evaded and countered with remarkable precision as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
Lu Ten was getting more irritated with each passing second since he couldn't land a single hit. Even though he was more powerful, Huo was making him look like a fool. He didn't know how to counter or fight against this ridiculous form.
Iroh watched the duel intensely. He had no idea what Huo was doing, but surely it wasn't something he came up with just now. No one could predict that the boy would have such a secret weapon. That form was really effective, but there was something else. Iroh had no idea how Huo was able to tell when Lu Ten was about to firebend. One could say he only reacted quickly enough, but even when Lu Ten tried to feint by simply punching without bending, Huo never fell for it.
When Lu Ten conjured a stream of fire, Huo dashed forward and slid underneath it. While sliding, he began to move his arms in a circular motion, ready to hit Lu Ten with lightning from a seated position. Just like before, Lu Ten waited until Huo pointed his fingers at him so he could smack his arm away and counter. However, when Huo was about to shoot, he pointed his right arm upward, shooting the lightning at the ceiling above them.
Lu Ten looked up, not wanting to be hit by some larger chunk of the ceiling, and the moment he did that, Huo conjured a fire knife from his left hand and sliced the prince's forearm. "Ghh!" Lu Ten gritted his teeth in pain and looked at his forearm. The material was burned, and so was the skin.
Huo used that chance and lunged forward, releasing his strongest fire blast from both his hands and right leg. Lu Ten blocked the blast at the last second, but the impact knocked him over.
Before he could get up, Huo was already beside him and extended his fist to Lu Ten's face but didn't firebend. Both of them breathed hard from exhaustion.
"That's enough!" Azulon's voice reached their ears, and they both looked at the Fire Lord, who entered the circle, looking at the ceiling. "You have done enough damage to the royal training chamber!"
While Lu Ten returned to his feet, Azulon approached Huo, who was covered in sweat and dust from the ceiling. Prince Ozai also entered the circle and joined them. "Are you convinced he's suitable?" asked the prince.
"Suitable for what?" Huo pondered what they were talking about, shifting his gaze from Ozai to Azulon.
"Yes," Azulon answered. "He is a rare find. You may proceed with your arrangements, Prince Ozai."
The Fire Lord turned on his heel and headed towards the door. Since the duel was over, the generals also began to leave, talking to each other about the two young firebenders. Prince Ozai smiled gleefully and looked at Iroh, who entered the circle and approached Lu Ten.
"I believe it must be hard for you, brother," Ozai smirked maliciously. "It's not every day you learn that your son is weak, but I did say that Huo is more than a match for Lu Ten."
Iroh looked at Ozai, and instead of arguing, he chuckled. "Oh, Ozai, I believe you watched the wrong duel." The Crown Prince placed a hand on Lu Ten's shoulder. "My son proved to everyone that he's more than a good firebender. Huo showed us techniques and form even the oldest of generals never saw before. If Huo fought his original opponent, he wouldn't even need to use it and would won even faster. Lu Ten lost, true, but losing against such a prodigy after an intense duel doesn't make him weak. He gave his best and I couldn't ask for more."
"A loss is a loss, Iroh," Ozai replied with a frown, not pleased that his older brother wasn't humiliated. "And no amount of excuses will change that."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, brother," Iroh replied and looked at Huo. "I must admit that I underestimated you, boy. You have a bright future ahead of you and you can be sure that we'll see each other more often from now on."
"Thank you," Huo nodded and looked at Lu Ten. "That was a great duel," he said, bowing his head.
"Likewise," Lu Ten replied in kind.
"Come on, let's take care of that," Iroh said, gesturing to Lu Ten's forearm.
When the two left, Ozai turned his head to look at Weng. "Mister Weng, a word please," he gestured to the side, and the nobleman complied.
While the two men began to talk, Zuko ran up to Huo. "That was awesome!" he stated excitedly. "What kind of a form was that?!"
"I call it, the Dance of the Dazzed Phoenix," Huo answered.
"That's just the stupidest name," Azula stated, approaching the two boys. "You looked like a clown with those goofy moves."
Huo looked at the princess and smirked. "You know, that form would actually suit you better than me," he replied, making Azula narrow her eyes.
The princess actually got an idea of how to put Huo in his place and make him pay for the disrespect. She only needed to talk with her father when they returned home.
Once Weng and Ozai finished their conversation, the nobleman called Huo over. "It's time for us, Huo," Weng stated, and the boy could see that the man was trembling, and his eyes gleamed for some reason. "We have to get you cleaned up."
"Couldn't agree more," Huo nodded, brushing some dust from his arms, and looked at Prince Ozai. "It was a pleasure to demonstrate my skills once again, my lord," he said, bowing his head. "I hope you're satisfied."
"I am, my boy," Ozai smirked and squinted his eyes. "Like I already told your father, you meet my expectations and then some. When I said your future hinged on that fight, I truly meant it, but your father will explain everything at your leisure."
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