Zuko

It shouldn't surprise me that Ozai orders me to be in the first batch of people to fight, he wants me out of his sight as soon as possible and I do not doubt that some of the benders here have orders to either cripple or kill me...perhaps i'm just being paranoid.

As I enter the pit I feel the eyes of the others upon me some look at me with scornful eyes, others with disinterest, and a very small group of them look at me with genuine anger. Soon enough battle lines start to be drawn with many teaming up to survive until the end.

It isn't exactly illegal as Ozai didn't say anything about rules, but I doubt anyone of them would wish to team up with me. This is a bending competition and no matter what I do i'm sure Ozai will try to use this opportunity to discredit me if I win, it will be solely because the others cannot harm me with fire and if I lose then I prove my incompetence, if I win using my bending then it would seem like I had an unfair advantage but if I don't use it Ozai could disqualify me for not adhering to what the competition is.

My back is literally and metaphorically against the wall…what would General Zod do in this situation…probably kill every one here and that isn't an option at all. Maybe i shouldn't take notes on what to do from a maniac like him, what would Iroh do in this situation, the face of my uncle raising a cup of tea in my mind doesn't help either.

"Begin!" Ozai screams out to the cheering public and soon I'm forced to think on my feet as streams of fire come at me, blocking was useless as the fire would do nothing against me but perhaps it was time for a show.

Raising a wall of fire to shield me from the incoming attacks is the first part of my plan, the second is using the fire in the air to retaliate and the third is launching myself to the center of the arena.

My sudden arrival at the forefront of the battle is heralded by as much fire as I can command, becoming a walking ball of fire is easy enough when you don't have to worry about burning yourself to death. The shockwave I make as I crash into the ground sends some of the competitors into the waiting hands of the more cautious ones where they soon are forced to submit and make to climb out of the pit in shame.

There are ohs and awes coming from the stands at the show of force, some of them probably disappointed as I have no doubt there was some betting going on behind the scenes to make this more interesting to the richest among them, rich people loved spending their money and right now most of the richest people in the Fire Nation were here.

"If you value the way you look I recommend you surrender now, for your sakes of course" I didn't expect anyone to take what I said seriously but it had the intended effect of making them angry, the control they had over their fire was very reduced in such a state of mind and with a bit of power of my own I start siphoning the heat from my surroundings.

Their eyes widen as the flames in their hands refuse to grow and some even disappear completely and to that, I could only say one thing "I heard that older men have trouble with getting things started, I guess it's true"

"You disrespect-" the man that was talking was unable to finish his sentence as someone behind him used the opportunity to kick him with a fire-empowered kick to the balls, the men around collectively flinch at the action and I have to admit to flinching too.

Then the attacker realizes his mistake when he's suddenly ganged upon by those around him, leaving him a wreck on the floor unable to continue, the poor idiot now has to drag his body into a safe place in the middle of the fighting, there was a silver lining to the whole thing though.

The sudden attack has revealed to me the way to a victory that not even Ozai could contest, as long as I used firebending to propel myself as I fight with my fists then I'm technically using firebending and if I don't get hit then he can't accuse me of overly using my 'blessing' to win and if at the end I let someone hit me with fire to show the court proof of mmy 'blessing' then all the better for me.

Flames burst on my talons propelling me forward into a group that is trying to work together, the four-man team is blindsided by my arrival, with a quick move I drop to the ground and kick their legs in a revolving motion, and as they fall I propel myself upwards with twin pillars of fire coming from my hands.

Once I'm upright I only need to put my feet on their throats to get them to surrender and once more I'm off to another part of the field as staying in a single place was an invitation to get surrounded.

Sadly for me after dispatching another group of four the rest of the participants realized that I have yet to take a single solid hit and very few of them can move with the kind of speed I have since it's rather tiring for a firebender to use propulsion constantly not that I have that problem since Zuko never had stamina problems and the added boost from my constant training and the sunbaths have helped me increase the amount of chi I have at my disposal.

The remaining twenty men seemed determined to make sure that I'm not one of the twelve left standing at the end and if the cheers coming from the top are any indication the people are enjoying this too much, I'm still their prince dammit!

"End of the line prince Zuko, I would say there is no shame in defeat but we both know that's not true. If you don't want to get hurt, I suggest you surrender"

I can't help but laugh at the words and it's not a quiet laugh, it's deep and booming coming from the gut and it quickly pierces the sounds of the people above us and in their curiosity, they quiet down to hear what I have to say, the sudden quit fills the air with something I can't quite describe but I'm sure the scene will be very memorable.

"You just saw me demolish at least ten benders by my lonesome while running around the field throwing out fire like it was going out of style and now, you're asking me to surrender, you should quit the army and become an entertainer"

The laughs coming from above come back with force, some people deliberately pointing at the poor man's direction as they laugh, and the men that were behind him in a supporting position slowly started getting some distance for fear of being related to the man in any way, optics were important too and right now the man was a joke and the only way for him to get some semblance of respect back into his person was to defeat me.

With a battle cry he starts throwing out punches with fire at the end, some kicks too but in the end, such basic moves are barely worth dodging and I just end up overpowering them as I advance on the man, in truth the guy wasn't a bad fighter or firebender but there was an invisible ceiling that separated good benders from legendary ones, some passed over it with skill others with sheer power and sometimes people were lucky enough to just get a good teacher. I had the three categories filled and it showed in the quality of my moves, the power of my fire, and the advantages I had from being chosen by the company.

I strode through his last desperate attempt at stopping me with nary a glance at my surroundings and once my face was close to his I just headbutted him leaving him unconscious, I had enough grave to grab him and throw him at one of the walls so they could pick him up without danger. Turning back the rest of the fighters had decided that fighting me was the same as choosing to surrender and now were fighting amongst themselves, so I just watched until there were only twelve of us left.

Ozai looks as if he swallowed a lemon but ever the showman, he changes his attitude and stands up with his hands raised signaling the spectators to be quiet, there was no way for him to spin this negatively, and perhaps for the first time since I got here, I wanted to hear what he had to say.

"I'm glad to announce the first round is over!" cheers quickly break the silence but just as fast as they came they disappear letting Ozai continue "We will have a brief intermission before the next round of fighting starts and I hope that just like the men down there they don't disappoint us"

"There is no doubt that the best of the group was prince Zuko but I'm sure that it was not surprising that someone of my blood would excel and more than that you my friends have seen the way he shrugs fire confirming the rumors you've all heard. My son has been blessed by the sun and on this night, I revoke prince Zuko's exile" a wave of applause starts, and the people quickly show their fickle nature as they start cheering for me and Ozai at the same time, politics are a dirty business no matter the universe you're in.

"Regardless of this, he confided in me before the fighting started that he had been given a mission and he would not rest easy until he accomplished but where before he would be alone, now we will accompany him in spirit, and his hunt continues with my full support"

The cheering continues growing ever louder but I have to bite my tongue to keep myself from screaming, the old bastard has blindsided me with this announcement and while it will help me gather new allies it still forces me to be out of the main action. It also paints me as the aggressor if I take any actions against my father and what an image it would give.

Ungrateful sons are not well viewed by any society, Ozai may be forcing peace on the surface, but I would bet my left arm that he's planning my death even as he looks upon me from above.
Iroh's gaze finds my own but he shakes his head as I move to speak and I comply, he knows better than me what could happen, and even if this complicates our plans it also moves them further along, now I have proper cause to get a squad of ships of my own and while it would be great to change into a bigger ship the upgrades it has are far too useful as it's the ability to enter places where a bigger ship couldn't.

Fuck! i thought he was too prideful to do something like this

"Let's continue the celebration!" the people go back to the party and slowly abandon the fighting pit, some remain as they observe the winners and I give a nod of respect to each one of the men that managed to get into the next round and then leave.

I wasn't tired, but it was better if I had a little rest before something else happened.


Author note: so my sleep deprived brain thought that i had posted this yesterday as i usually do but it seems like i didn't...that's on me. anyway here it is and i hope you have a great day