The King of Omashu
While he was following after Aang, Makoto was listening to what Sokka was trying to tell him. When the tribe warrior finished, the Pokemon Trainer raised an eyebrow. "The Waterbending Form?"
Sokka shrugged. "It makes sense to me. You know, since Golduck fights with water. You used water when you turned into that form." At the moment, Sokka and Makoto were having a discussion on what to name the Synchro Form Makoto used with Golduck.
"Uh, I don't know, Sokka." Makoto was unsure of the form name. "Waterbending Form seems kinda more...this dimension than any kind of Water-Type Pokemon move."
"Well, what would you call it?" Sokka asked, clearly annoyed.
Makoto began to think about it. After some pondering, he thought of something. "Okay, how about this? Instead of Waterbending Form, we go for something a little shorter like...Aqua Form?"
Now it was Sokka's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Aqua Form?"
"Like you said, I used water like a Water-Type Pokemon, or in this case a Waterbender or the Avatar. And while I was trying to come up with a name for that Synchro Form, I thought back to some Water-Type moves used by Golduck or any of my friends' Water-Type Pokemon, moves like Aqua Jet, Aqua Step, Aqua Cutter. So, that's where I got the idea to call it the Aqua Form." Makoto explained his reason.
Sokka blinked, realizing that it does make some sense. "That's actually not a bad reason." Finally, he shrugged and accepted the Pokemon Trainer's name idea for the Synchro Form. "Alright then, Aqua Form it is."
After some walking, Aang stopped and smiled. The others stopped as well. Makoto stood next to the Airbender to see what was in front of them better, and he was in awe at what he was looking at. "Whoa! What's that?"
"The Earth Kingdom City of Omashu!" Aang answered. They were now looking at a walled city resting atop of a huge rocky promontory. "I used to always come here to visit my friend, Bumi."
"Wow!" Katara was astonished by the city of Omashu. "We don't have cities like this in the South Pole."
"They have buildings here that don't melt." Sokka said in awe.
Makoto smiled a little as he kept looking at Omashu. "It kinda reminds me of Artazon."
"Well, let's go slowpokes! The REAL fun's inside the city!" Aang jumped, eager to visit the Earth Kingdom City again.
Katara stopped him to remind him of a little something. "Wait, Aang! It could be dangerous if people find out you're the Avatar."
"You need a disguise." Sokka suggested.
"So, what am I supposed to do? Grow a mustache?" Aang asked.
Makoto looked at Aang before he looked back at Appa, mainly at the white fur on the bison. While looking at the flying bison's fur, and also remembering how long Aang was trapped in the iceberg, Makoto grinned as an idea came to him. "I know just the disguise for Aang!"
It wasn't long until Aang was in his disguise: a fake mustache and a big white wig...both made out of Appa's fur. Aang scratched underneath the wig. "Ugh, it's so itchy! How do you live in this stuff?" He asked the sky bison who just replied with a grunt.
"Great work, Makoto!" Sokka complimented. "Now Aang looks just like my grandfather."
"Technically Aang IS a hundred and twelve years old." Katara pointed out.
Makoto nodded. "And that's how I got the idea for his disguise."
Aang picked up his staff and began to use it like a cane to play along with his disguise. "Now let's get to skippin', young whippersnappers! The big city awaits." He said, using a fake elderly voice. He once again took the lead for Omashu.
Now the four of them were walking down the access road to the city.
"You guys are gonna love Omashu." Aang happily told them. "The people here are the friendliest in the world."
"Rotten cabbage!" They stopped when they heard an angry voice yell. They looked ahead to see some of the guards on duty talking to what seems to be a cabbage merchant. "What kind of slum do you think this is!?" One of the guards crushed the cabbage in his hand before using some Earthbending to launch the cart off the bridge down the mountain.
"Noo! My cabbages!" the merchant cried.
Aang, Makoto, Katara, and Sokka looked down just as the car crashed somewhere down below. They now looked back at the gate to the city, nervously. "Just keep smiling." Aang kept smiling as he kept going. The other three looked uneasy, but they still followed their disguised friend.
The guard who just pretty much destroyed the cabbage cart saw them coming, stepped forward, and aimed a boulder above Aang's head. "State your business!"
Aang rushed forward, a little too fast for a man that's a hundred and twelve years old. Pointing an accusing finger at the guard, Aang began to speak with his old man voice. "My business is MY business, young man, and NONE of yours!" The guard was so startled, he dropped the boulder in front of Makoto, Katara, and Sokka. The three of them jumped in surprise. Still, Aang kept going with the guard. "I've got half a mind to bend you over my knee and paddle your backside!" Katara shook her head in disbelief, Sokka had an odd look on his face, and Makoto was covering his mouth with both of his hands, trying his best not to laugh at the scene that was unfolding.
"Settle down, old timer." The guard finally got to speak. "Just tell me who you are."
"Name's Bonzu Pippinpaddleopsicopolis...the Third." Aang introduced himself. "And these are my grandkids."
Katara stepped forward to introduce herself. "Hi. June Pippinpaddleopsicopolis. Nice to meet you."
Makoto stepped forward next to her. "And my name's Kion Pippinpaddleopsicopolis. Sorry about our grandfather, we've been travelling for a while."
The guard looked at both Katara and Makoto. "You two seem like responsible young ones. See that your grandfather stays out of trouble. Enjoy Omashu!"
They began to walk by, but when Sokka trailed, the guard stopped him. "Wait a minute!" The others stopped and turned around, thinking that they might've been caught before they could enter the city...but that wasn't why the guard stopped Sokka. "You're a strong young boy. Show some respect for the elderly and carry your grandfather's bag!" Yep, that's why the guard stopped him.
"Good idea!" Aang tossed his bag to Sokka. Just after that, the stone gates opened to reveal the city. Aang smiled at the sight while Makoto, Katara, and Sokka looked on in awe. The four of them walked in while the gates began to close behind them, just before the gates completely closed...Momo's ears popped out of Aang's wig, surprising and also confusing the guard that let them in.
Now inside the city, the four of them looked over at the many houses, and also the chutes with crates and other packages sliding down on them.
Makoto looked down at the chutes. "What's that?" He asked the Avatar since he's been here before.
"This is the Omashu delivery system." Aang began to explain. "Miles and miles of tubes and chutes. Earthbending brings the packages up and gravity brings them down." They saw that some Earthbenders were using their abilities to bring packages up like Aang said, proving his point.
"Great, so they get their mail on time." Sokka said. He wasn't really interested in the mail delivery system.
"They DO get their mail on time, but my friend Bumi found a better use for these chutes." Aang had a wicked smile on his face as he thought back to the other use his friend had.
Flashback:
Aang was standing next to another boy, one that had a headband on. The boy also had a missing tooth and a sorta insane look on his face.
"Look around you, what do you see?" the boy, Bumi, asked his Airbending friend.
"Um...the mail system?" Aang guessed.
Bumi walked over and leaned a little closer to Aang. "Instead of seeing what they want you to see, you've gotta open your brain to the possibilities."
"A package sending system?" Aang guessed. He still didn't know where his friend was going with this.
"The world's greatest super slide!" Bumi happily gestured to the chute in front of them.
Aang smiled at his friend. "Bumi, you're a mad genius!" At that, Bumi laughed and snorted.
The two of them happily cheered as they slid down one of the chutes.
Flashback ends:
Now, Aang was ready to go down the slide after such a long time in the ice. He was in the front of the crate, Makoto was behind him, followed by Katara, and finally Sokka was in the back.
"One ride, then we're off to the North Pole, and also off to find Makoto's friends and the Dimension Diamonds along the way. Airbender's honor." Aang told them.
Katara looked down at what Aang's friend described a super slide nervously. "This sounded like fun at first, but now that I'm here, I'm starting to have second THOUGHTS!" Just before Katara could finish the sentence, Aang pushed them down the chute.
Throughout the ride, Aang and even Makoto were cheering and laughing while Katara and Sokka had strange looks on their faces. "This is almost as much fun as dashing through Paldea on Koraidon!" Makoto happily mentioned. He kept a hand on his hat to keep from flying off during the ride.
The four of them kept on sliding down, even as they slid next to another chute that had a crate of sharp spears riding down it. Soon, the chutes joined together and now the spears were behind them, getting closer. Sokka had to duck his head, and Katara had to learn forward. Makoto looked back at the spears and gulped. "Uh, Aang!?"
"I'm on it!" Aang shifted the crate until it fell off the chute.
At Omashu's combat training school, an instructor was giving instructions to the soldiers in front of him. "Men, you'll be going off to combat soon. It's important that you be prepared for anything." Just after he said that, the gang bounced into view, shocking the students and even the instructor. If you could pause time, you could see that Aang grabbed the front of the crate and tried to pull it up, his foot in Makoto's face, the Pokemon Trainer's hat and glasses were now on Katara, and Sokka panicked in the back. Anyway, the crate they were in hit a couple of more crates until they were sliding down one of the chutes again.
"Aang, do something! Use your Airbending!" Katara yelled.
Aang smiled. "Yeah, good idea! That'll make us go even faster!"
Makoto's eyes widened. "No, Aang! Reverse that, slow down!" He was able to get his hat and glasses back on after Katara gave them back to him...just before Aang waved his arms to create a force of wind that made them go faster. As they were sliding down, they looked to see a crate of supplies in the way, making them realize they were heading towards one of the off-load points, so they screamed in fear. An Earthbender moved it out of the way, making them sigh in relief. It didn't last long, because the same Earthbender raised another crate in their path, making them scream again.
They collided with the crate, sending them off their own crate and into the air. Thinking fast, Aang used his Airbending to turn their crate over so he and the other three could get back inside. Just as they did, they began to slide down some of the roofs of the houses.
In a house, a citizen was whistling while paining a large vase...until the gang bust through a window, smashed the vase before they broke through the other window. "Sorry!" Aang yelled to the citizen.
They slid through another house and back out. After they got out of the house, Aang had Momo and a random cat fighting all around his head. It ended with Momo pushing the cat off. Before the lemur could celebrate, they crashed through the wall of a balcony. They screamed as they began to fall down.
The cabbage merchant from earlier was admiring one of his cabbages, until he heard a noise from up above. Confused at first, he looked up to see what it was...only to gasp when the gang came crashing down, destroying his cabbage cart. "My cabbages!" the merchant now glared at the four kids piled on top of each other in a daze. "You're gonna pay for this!"
The four of them were now surrounded by Earthbending soldiers. "Two cabbages please." Aang sheepishly said. His disguise was now pretty much gone.
Seeing the soldiers made Makoto gulp a bit. "We're dead."
The guards took the four of them to the king of Omashu. The king was an old man who had on a green robe that covered most of his body, he even had some insane look on his face. He looked down at the four in front of him...mainly Aang.
"Your majesty, these juveniles were arrested for vandalism, traveling under false pretenses and malicious destruction of cabbages." one of the guards explained.
"Off with their heads! One for each head of cabbage!" the cabbage merchant was there as well, and boy was he upset about what happened to his cabbages.
The guard held a hand in front of the merchant. "Silence! Only the king can pass down judgement!" He turned to the king. "What is your judgement, sire?"
The king squinted while looking at the four of them. Sokka looked nervous, Katara gave a hopeful smile, Makoto smiled sheepishly and scratched his cheek, and when the king kept an eye on Aang, the Airbender just looked away and whistled.
Finally, the king made his judgement. "Throw them..." The four of them gasped in anticipation. "...a feast!" That was pretty unexpected because the guard made a surprised noise while the cabbage merchant facepalmed himself.
Even Aang, Makoto, Sokka, and Katara couldn't believe what the king said. After a couple of seconds, the sound of a rumbling stomach could be heard. They looked and saw that it was from a blushing Makoto. "I guess the ride made me hungry." the Pokemon Trainer chuckled sheepishly.
Before long, the four of them were now sitting at a table filled with food. Momo had no trouble enjoying himself.
The king was standing behind Aang's chair, chuckling a little. "The people in my city have gotten fat from too many feasts, so I hope you like your chicken with no skin." He offered the Airbender a chicken leg.
"Thanks, but I don't eat meat." Aang said.
The king turned to Sokka. "What about you? I bet you like meat." He pretty much shoved the chicken leg into Sokka's mouth and walked back to his seat. Rather than getting upset, Sokka happily ate the meat.
"Is it just me, or is this guy's crown a little crooked?" Katara whispered to Makoto.
Makoto slowly nodded his head. "More like a lot crooked. I haven't been this surprised and confused at the same time since before my Gym Battle against Iono in Levincia."
The king took his seat at the other end of the table before he spoke to Aang again. "So, tell me young bald one. Where are you from?"
Aang thought about it for a moment. "Um...I'm from Kangaroo Island."
"Oh, Kangaroo Island, eh? I hear that place is really hoppin'!" the king joked.
There was a good amount of silence after the joke until Sokka broke it by laughing. He stopped when he saw Aang, Katara, and Makoto just looking at him. Sokka shrugged. "What? It was pretty funny."
The king yawned. "Well, all these good jokes are making me tired, guess it's time to hit the hay." Suddenly, he threw another chicken leg from his robe right at Aang. Acting on instinct, Aang caught the chicken by catching it in a sphere of air, making the guards gasp in shock. "There's an Airbender in our presence, and not just any Airbender, the Avatar!" the king announced. Aang quickly put his arms down while the meat fell on his plate.
The king quickly turned his attention to Makoto. "There's more! We have a rather unique guest here with us! A person that hasn't been seen before in the Earth Kingdom...or in any other part of the Elemental Nations! The boy in white came here from a completely different dimension...a boy I prefer to call the Dimension Hopper!" Hearing the king say that made Makoto gasp in complete shock. The king turned to Aang once again. "Now, what do you have to say for your grandson and yourself, Mr. Pippinpaddleopsicopolis?"
Aang stood up from his seat. "Okay, you caught me. I'm the Avatar, doing my Avatar thing, keeping the world safe." He looked under the table. "Everything checks out, no Firebenders here." He wrapped his arms around his friends. All of them were getting up and slowly backing up to the exit. "So, good work everyone. Love each other, respect all life and don't run with your spears. Now gotta find a way to return the Dimension Hopper back home, we'll see you next time!" However, the guards blocked the exit by crossing their spears.
"You can't keep us here!" Katara told the king. "Let us leave!"
"Lettuce leaf?" the king picked up a piece of lettuce and ate it.
"We're in serious trouble." Sokka whispered to the other three. "This guy is nuts!"
"But how did he guess I was from another dimension?" Makoto whispered back. "Also...Dimension Hopper? Really?"
"Tomorrow, the Avatar and the Dimension Hopper will face three deadly challenges." The king told them, seriously. "But for now, the guards will show you to your chamber."
"My liege, do you mean the good chamber or the bad chamber?" the guard next to the king asked.
"The newly refurbished chamber." the king answered.
Now the guard was kinda confused. "Wait, which one are we talking about?"
Even the king didn't know how to describe it. "The one that used to be the bad chamber, until the recent refurbishing that is. Of course, we've been calling it the new chamber, but we really should number them. Um...Take them to the refurbished chamber that was once bad!" The king finally settled on that. He watched as the guards took the four of them away...as well as have some more lettuce.
The four of them were pushed into the chamber by a guard who opened and closed the way with Earthbending. They looked to see that the chamber they were in looked pretty nice with some comfy looking beds.
"This is a prison cell? But it's so nice." Katara said.
"He did say it was newly refurbished." Aang pointed out.
"Nice or not, we're prisoners." Sokka told them.
"I still can't believe that king found out that I'm from another dimension." Makoto slumped on one of the beds. "And if he knows, there could be others out there who know that I'm not really from here."
Aang looked nervous. "I wonder what these challenges are gonna be."
"We're not sticking around to find out." Katara told the Airbender. "There's gotta be a way out of here."
Makoto looked around the room. "There aren't any windows we can sneak out of, and there aren't any doors either unless you're an Earthbender. So, how are we supposed to get out of here?"
Aang noticed something on the wall. "The air vent!"
They looked at the air vent he was looking at. Only problem is that it's too small for them. "If you think we're gonna fit through there, you're crazier than that king!" Sokka told Aang.
"We can't, but Momo can." Aang pointed at the lemur who was licking an apple while laying on one of the beds. He also had a big gut filled with food from the feast. Aang still approached his pet lemur. "Momo, I need you to find Appa and bust us outta here." Before Momo knew it, he was being pushed into the vent, and even he had a hard time getting through, even with Aang trying to push him in. "Go on boy, get Appa!"
Sokka was relaxing on a bed himself. "Eh, how was Appa supposed to save us anyway?"
"Appa's a ten ton flying bison. I'm sure he could figure something out." Aang explained. Momo was trying to free himself from the vent...but had no luck doing so. Yep, the poor lemur was stuck.
Makoto pulled out one of his Poke Balls. "Maybe I can get either Tinkaton or Koraidon to bust us out of here." He sighed a little while putting the ball away. "Only problem is if I did do that, we'd have every guard in the city surrounding us."
Katara climbed onto a bed. "Well, no point arguing about it now. Get some rest, Makoto. You and Aang will need it for tomorrow." Aang claimed the last bed and now the four of them went to sleep to prepare for tomorrow.
Aang and Makoto were still sound asleep, when the room shook. One of the guards opened the door, and that woke the boys up.
They looked and saw that the other two beds were empty. "Sokka? Katara?" Aang asked.
Makoto turned to the guard who came in. "What happened to our friends?"
"The king will free them if you both complete your challenges." the guard told them.
"And if we fail?" Aang asked.
"He didn't say." the guard held out his hands. "Your staff and orbs please." They gave the guard Aang's staff and Makoto's Poke Balls.
The two of them were back in the throne room when the king entered. "First, Avatar and Dimension Hopper...What do you two think of my new outfit? I want your honest opinion." He was wearing a different robe, one that was blue, purple, and light green. Both Aang and Makoto hesitated with their reply. "I'm waiting." the king told them.
"I...guess it's fine?" Aang answered uneasily.
"Yeah, it just screams...you?" Makoto carefully added.
The king smiled at both of them. "Excellent! You both passed the first test!"
"Really?" Aang and Makoto both asked.
"Well, not one of the deadly tests." the king sheepishly told them. "The real challenges are much more challenging."
Both boys were angry at that. In fact, Aang used his Airbending to sprint up to the king in no time. "We don't have time for your crazy games!"
Makoto caught up, just as upset as his Avatar friend. "He's right! We're leaving now, so give us back our friends!"
"Oh, I thought you two might refuse, so I will give your friends some special souvenirs." The king told them. The wall next to them opened up to reveal Sokka and Katara being held by guards who slipped some crystals on their fingers.
Makoto's eyes widened when he saw the crystals on their fingers shrink a little. "What are those?" Sokka and Katara struggled to remove the rings, but they couldn't.
"Those delightful rings are made of pure genemite, also known as creeping crystal. It's a crystal that grows remarkably fast." The king explained. "By nightfall, your friends will be completely covered in it. Terrible fate, really. I can stop it, but only if you two cooperate."
Sokka yelped when the crystal on his finger started to grow. "It's already creeping!"
Aang looked at the king. "We'll do what you want."
Makoto nodded. "So, what's the first challenge?"
The king grinned. "You'll each do two challenges. The Avatar will take the first one, the Dimension Hopper will go for the second one, and the last one you both will do together."
For the first challenge, Aang was standing on a ledge in a cave full of stalagmites and stalactites. A large waterfall was also in the middle of the cave. The king, the guards, Makoto, Katara, and Sokka were standing on a balcony of the cave. The king laughed a little before looking back to see some more of the crystal grew on Katara and Sokka. Makoto noticed as well and bit his lower lip a little at the sight.
"It seems I've lost my lunchbox key and I'm hungry!" The king called to Aang. He turned to Makoto with a question. "Tell me, boy, can you see my key from here?"
Makoto narrowed his eyes and looked around for the key. He smiled when he finally found it. "There it is! Right there...hanging from a chain...in the middle...of the waterfall...oh boy." Makoto gulped after realizing where the key was located.
The king turned to the Avatar. "Well, you heard the Dimension Hopper! Would you mind fetching it for me?"
In determination, Aang used his Airbending skills to jump from stalagmite to stalagmite. He charged right into the waterfall, held on to the ladder and began to climb up it to get the key.
"Ooh, climbing the ladder." the king said sarcastically. "No one's thought of that before."
Aang lost his grip on the ladder because of the force of the water coming down. He was shot out of the waterfall. He got hold of two different stalagmites before a third one could get him in the 'manly' parts, making him sigh in relief. He looked up at his friends, making him determined once again. Aang shot up to the stalactites on the ceiling, concentrated, and then dove down with a spin towards the key...but was shot right back out of the waterfall, making him crash into a stalagmite.
"That's right, keep diving head in! I'm sure it'll work eventually!" the king called to Aang.
"Come on, Aang! You can do it!" Makoto cheered. "Use your skills and the area around you to your advantage!"
Makoto's words suddenly gave Aang an idea. First he breaks off the pointy part of the stalagmite he was clinging to. Next he aims it at the waterfall before throwing it. After that, he made a wind blade that ran passed the stalagmite and sliced through the waterfall and broke the chain, giving the stalagmite free space to catch the chain and the key before it could fall. The stalagmite hit the top of the doorway, dangling the key above the king's head.
Makoto happily cheered. "Yeah! Way to go, Aang!"
"There, enjoy your lunch!" Aang told the king. "Makoto and I want our friends back now!"
"Not yet. I need the Dimension Hopper to help me with another matter." the king told the Avatar.
Makoto raised an eyebrow. "I guess this is my challenge. What do I have to do?"
The king turned to the Pokemon Trainer. "I've heard that you're good with some unusual creatures, so this one should be no problem for you. It seems I've lost my pet Flopsy."
They went to another area. Makoto jumped into the stadium like area. Once there, he saw a rabbit with long ears sitting on a rock.
"I found him!" Makoto called up to the king.
Aang blinked. "That was easy."
Next to the Avatar, the king held out his hands. "Bring him to me! Daddy wants a kiss from Flopsy!"
Makoto carefully began to approach the rabbit. "Okay, come here, Flopsy." What he didn't know was that a big beast came down from behind him.
Aang saw the beast coming and gasped. "Makoto, look out, behind you!"
Just after the warning, the beast landed next to Makoto. Turning around, the Pokemon Trainer smiled nervously as he looked at the beast. The rabbit got off the rock and Makoto saw the rabbit leave. "No! Wait!" He yelped and was able to roll out of the way just before the beast crushed the rock with his hands. Getting up to his feet, Makoto panted a little while looking at the beast. "What kind of creature is that anyway?"
The rabbit ran off in front of him. "Hey! Flopsy, wait!" Makoto gave chase and tried to catch the rabbit. "Flopsy, come back!" The monster chased after Makoto.
Aang bit his nails, worried for his friend from another dimension since he doesn't have his Pokemon there to help him. "Makoto, just keep running until you catch Flopsy!" Next to him, the king gave off a maniacal cackle.
The rabbit made a sharp turn. Makoto turned after it. "Flopsy, please stop!" The beast turned after the Pokemon Trainer. Makoto looked back at the beast chasing him and gulped before he turned his attention back to his target.
The rabbit ran into a small rabbit hole. Makoto dived into the dirt and put his arm through the hole to try and get the rabbit out. As he was struggling, a thought came to him. "Hey, wait a second..." He stood up and looked back at the monster coming his way.
Aang gasped when he saw that his friend was just standing there while the monster was getting closer and closer. "Makoto, what are you doing!? Run as fast as you can! He's coming!"
Makoto didn't move, he just looked at the approaching beast. "Flopsy?" Just after he asked that...the beast stopped in front of him and wagged his little tail. Makoto screamed a little when the beast picked him up into his arms to give him a friendly lick. Makoto smiled happily, looks like he guessed correctly. "Flopsy!" He happily rubbed Flopsy on the head.
While Aang sighed in GREAT relief, the king whistled for his pet. Flopsy dropped Makoto and climbed up until he was in front of his owner. "Aww, that's a good boy!" the king gave his pet a nice belly rub. "Yes, who has a soft belly?"
Aang was helping Makoto out of the arena. "How did you know that gorilla goat was Flopsy?" Aang asked his friend. "The entire time, I thought it was the rabbit."
Makoto shrugged. "As I was being chased, the beast kinda reminded me of the times when Koraidon would playfully chase me back home. So, I took a guess and waited to see if it was the same thing here." He smiled and placed a hand behind his head. "Lucky for me, I was right." But he looked both sheepish and embarrassed when he told his Avatar friend this. "Not gonna lie though, during the chase, I kinda peed myself a little bit."
Aang laughed a little. He and Makoto turned to the Water Tribe siblings. "Guys, are you okay?" Aang asked them.
"Other than the crystal slowly encasing my entire body, doing great." Now it looked like Katara was wearing a crystal dress. Some more of the crystal grew on Sokka's left side, making him lose his balance and also making him fall.
Aang and Makoto turned to the king who was still petting his pet. "Come on. We're both ready for the next challenge." Aang seriously said. Makoto silently nodded in agreement. The king laughed a little while looking at them. Seems like he's ready to give out the next challenge himself.
They were now in an Earthbending arena for battle.
"Your final test is a duel." the king told them both. "As a special treat, Avatar, you may choose your opponent."
Makoto raised an eyebrow. "What about me?"
"Don't worry, Dimension Hopper, I have a special opponent in mind just for you." the king told him. "But for now..." Two big foes came to stand next to the king. One was holding a big axe while the other still looked pretty scary. "Point and choose, Avatar."
"So, you're saying whoever I point to, that's the person I get to fight while Makoto fights his surprise opponent?" Aang asked.
"Choose wisely." the king advised.
Makoto turned to Aang who was thinking carefully. "Who are you going to pick?"
"I...choose...you!" Aang pointed a finger at the king.
The old man smirked. "Wrong choice!" Suddenly, the king stood up straight and removed his robe, revealing his muscular body. The boys stared at the king with wide eyes and hanging jaws. With just one stomp from the king, the ground split and some rock chunks knocked both Aang and Makoto down to the arena. The king jumped down in front of them, laughing while they both silently gasped.
"And now, to reveal your surprise opponent, Dimension Hopper!" the king snapped his fingers just before a cage came down behind him.
Aang looked at what was in the cage and blinked. "Wait! What is that!?"
"It's...It's..." Makoto's eyes slowly widened in complete and total shock. "It can't be!" What they saw banging against the cage wasn't just any kind of creature, but a Pokemon! Not just any Pokemon, but a Pokemon that Makoto faced more than once in the Paldea Region, a strong looking Pokemon that could be described as very dangerous! In the cage behind the king...was none other than the Paradox Pokemon known as Great Tusk!
Makoto quickly got up to his feet and pointed at the Pokemon in the cage. "Your majesty, how did that Pokemon get in that cage!? There shouldn't be any other Pokemon like that in this dimension!"
The king looked back at Great Tusk. "Oh, so that's what these creatures are called?" He turned back to answer Makoto's question. "This little fella just appeared in my kingdom some time ago. No one knows how it got here or what it really wanted. All that I know was that this Pokemon, as you called it, came here from another dimension just like you."
Now Makoto was even more confused than before. "T-Th-This can't be right! I know there wasn't any Paradox Pokemon with me when the Dimension Diamonds glowed and sent me here! How is a Great Tusk even here to begin with!?"
The king turned to Aang to explain something else. "You thought I was a frail old man, but I'm the most powerful Earthbender you'll ever see! I was even able to take that big guy down and placed him in this cage!" He pointed at the cage behind him.
Makoto blinked as he looked back and forth between the king and Great Tusk. "You...fought a Great Tusk...on your own?" the king and even Great Tusk smiled and nodded.
Aang got up and pointed at one of the fighters still up on the balcony. "Can I fight the guy with the axe instead?"
"There are no take backsies in my kingdom." the king told him. "You two might need these!" The guards tossed Aang's staff and Makoto's Poke Balls down to them. They were able to catch them...just as Great Tusk broke out of the cage!
"Uh-oh!" Makoto gulped after seeing that. The king began the fight by launching some big boulders at Aang. Great Tusk did the same by using a Rock-Type move known as Rock Slide, but it aimed them at Makoto. They both dodged the boulders.
"Typical Airbender tactic: Avoid and evade. I'd hope the Avatar would be less predictable!" The king noticed Makoto avoiding Great Tusk's rocks. "And you, Dimension Hopper, took your sweet time trying to think of a way to counter this Pokemon's moves. You'll have to think faster than that!" Great Tusk charged at Makoto with its tusks glowing.
Makoto jumped out of the way and pulled out one of his Poke Balls. "It's not my first time battling a Great Tusk, so I know what to use to counter! Meowscarada, come out!" the Magician Pokemon came out and bowed a little...until he blinked in shock when he saw Great Tusk. "We don't have a way out of this, Meowscarada! We have to fight another Great Tusk while Aang battles against the king!" Makoto told his first partner. Meowscarada nodded and got ready to fight.
The king threw more boulders at Aang who jumped up to dodge, even spinning his staff to stay in the air for a while. "Don't you and your friend have any surprises for me and the one called Great Tusk? Sooner or later, you'll have to strike back!" He launched another boulder up at Aang. It missed, but broke apart on the ceiling, making the debris come down at him. Aang was knocked back down to the ground, losing his grip on his staff.
Great Tusk charged at Makoto and Meowscarada using the move Megahorn. They both got out of the way. "Meowscarada, Flower Trick!" Makoto called out. Meowscarada snapped his fingers and let flowers drop down on Great Tusk from above, but to their surprise, it didn't seem like the attack did much. Makoto couldn't believe his eyes. "But that move did a lot of damage to a Great Tusk back in Paldea!"
Great Tusk suddenly turned to Makoto and charged right at him. Meowscarada gasped before he used his Power Gem to draw attention away from his human brother. It worked, Great Tusk turned to him and used Rock Slide on him. Meowscarada jumped up and ran around to avoid the rocks.
Aang gets back up just as the king walked in place with his hands behind his back. As Aang moved to get his staff, he was dodging the boulders that the king was sending his way until one of them hit him in the gut and sent him into the air. "Oh you and your friend will have to be a little more creative than that!" the king even turned to see Makoto on the sides while the Pokemon fought.
Great Tusk noticed the king looking at them. Looking each other in the eye, they both nodded and the Paradox Pokemon got ready for its next move. Meowscarada came down with his claws out. Great Tusk blocked the claws with one of its tusks before tossing the Magician Pokemon aside. Gasping, Makoto raced over and caught his Pokemon before he could hit a wall. Makoto groaned since he took the hit for his Pokemon. "Meow!?" Meowscarada was worried and checked on his trainer. Makoto smiled softly and placed a hand on the Grass/Dark-Type's shoulder. "I'm fine, don't worry about me. Let's just try and win this, Meowscarada." That got Meowscarada to nod and get back into the fight.
Aang was now seen riding one of his air scooters around the walls until he got to the king's right. The Avatar launched a big wave of wind at the king, but the Earthbender raised some Earth in front of him to block the attack. He looked over to Aang with a smile. "Did someone leave the windows open? It feels a little drafty in here." He dropped his smile. "Are you hoping I'll catch a cold?" The king kicked the stone to the ground, made some more Earth come up from underneath before launching it at Aang, knocking him away. The king punched the ground, sending a shock wave at Aang, and also Meowscarada and Makoto. The three of them were able to avoid it, with Meowscarada helping Makoto to do so. "Now how are you going to get me and Great Tusk from way over there?" the King challenged. Great Tusk trumpet in challenge as well.
Makoto narrowed his eyes. "Meowscarada, jump up and use Night Slash!" Meowscarada shot up and got his claws ready while Aang, getting his staff back, charged for the king.
While Great Tusk jumped up, the king softened the ground around Aang into quicksand, causing him to sink into it a little. Great Tusk was able to not only block Night Slash again, but also smack the Magician Pokemon hard with the move Brick Break, smacking him down and fast right into Makoto. The two of them were now on the ground...just as Great Tusk came charging their way after landing.
The king was moving two big boulders to get Aang from both the left and the right. The Airbender was struggling to escape when he noticed the two boulders coming his way. Makoto and Meowscarada painfully raised their heads to see Great Tusk glowing and charging at them, using the move Headlong Rush. Makoto growled a bit as he saw the Paradox Pokemon coming at them...until he saw a paw in front of him. He looked up to see Meowscarada looking him in the eye with a serious expression. Nodding and looking serious himself, Makoto took Meowscarada's paw. "We'll do this together!" Just after he said that, the Synchro Machine on his wrist began to glow again, catching their attention. "What, again?" Makoto asked. "Carada?" Meowscarada didn't see that coming. While that was going on, Aang quickly spun around before the boulders came.
For a few seconds, nothing happened. Suddenly, Aang shot up and swung his staff to blow the king away with some more air, making him crash against a wall. Great Tusk found itself being blown away as well, this time by a fierce wave of colored leaves. Confused, Great Tusk, Aang, and even the king looked to see who caused it. They were taken by surprise when they saw who did it. "Makoto!?" Aang breathed out.
It was true. The one who blew Great Tusk away was indeed Makoto! The Pokemon Trainer was standing alone, but they saw that his clothes turned the same shade of green as Meowscarada's fur. He was now wearing a leaf cape that looks a lot like Meowscarada's cape, flowers were sticking to the top of his hat to make it look like a flowery top hat. Makoto even had a mask like Meowscarada's over his eyes. Not only that, but Makoto was even holding a staff that looks like Meowscarada's pink flower at the top.
The king chuckled a little while looking at Makoto. "Now that's more like it!" Great Tusk didn't look happy, so it charged at Makoto with Headlong Rush again. The king makes another boulder come at Aang who jumped up to avoid it, making the king gasp before he destroyed the boulder.
Makoto saw Great Tusk coming, but instead of being scared, he grinned and jumped up. He spun in the air, which summoned a bunch of glowing gems around him. He simply tapped the glowing flower tip of his staff on one of the gems...which made beams fire out of all the other gems, dealing damage to Great Tusk. When the attack was over, Makoto landed back on the ground. He smiled down at the staff in his hands. "This is proof of our strong bond, Meowscarada. Thank you." He and Aang looked to see that Great Tusk was charging with Headlong Rush again while the king literally tore off an entire part of the gate above his head.
Aang gasped after seeing that. He quickly turned to his Pokemon Trainer friend. "Makoto, think you can help me with that new Synchro Form of yours?"
Makoto nodded. "I'll try my best!"
Nodding, Aang ran around fast in a big circle, creating a tornado as he did. Makoto looked at Great Tusk, the king, and finally the Tornado Aang was making. "Now to see what this new form can really do!" He jumped into the tornado, staying in the air. He used his flower staff to summon a lot of flower petals that were added to Aang's tornado. The king threw the massive boulder at them while Great Tusk got closer and closer, but the flowery tornado caught them both, causing great damage to Great Tusk since it was part Ground-Type while the mound was sent back at the king who was able to save himself by slicing it in half.
In the tornado, Great Tusk was seen grunting in pain from the many flower petals that were hurting it. As Makoto kept doing his part of the attack with Aang, a spark line came out of his Synchro Machine and made its way over to his Rotom Phone. As if that wasn't strange enough, just after the spark, Makoto could heard something from his Rotom Phone. "Hello?...Hello? I'm picking up...from within the..."
Blinking, Makoto looked down at both his Synchro Machine and his Rotom Phone. "Huh? What was that? What's going on with my Rotom Phone?" The tornado died down, leaving Makoto no choice but to question what happened to his two devices later. He landed on his feet and looked to see that Great Tusk was groaning, laying on its side, struggling to get back up. "These kind of Pokemon are too dangerous to be outside Area Zero." He pulled out an Ultra Ball and held it up. "If I'm gonna go back home to my dimension, I'll just have to take this Pokemon with me! GO!" He tossed the Ultra Ball at Great Tusk. It opened up and sucked the Ground/Fighting-Type Paradox Pokemon inside before closing up. It landed on the ground and shook a couple of times until it finally clicked. Sighing in relief, Makoto walked over and picked up the Ultra Ball. "I don't know how you got out of Area Zero, but I'm gonna make sure you get back there."
Meanwhile, Aang had the king pinned. He pointed his staff at him. The king had his hands up, and he smiled while turning his eyes up. At first, Aang was confused, but when a pebble bounced off his head, he looked up...and saw the big boulder the king was holding up with his Earthbending.
Makoto saw that, put the Ultra Ball in his bag, and ran over to help Aang. However, they both stopped when the king chuckled. "Well done, Avatar and Dimension Hopper. You two fight with much fire in your hearts." The king tossed the boulder away, not crushing anything or anyone before he fell backwards, leaving a human shaped hole on the ground. "Huh!?" Both Aang and Makoto looked down at the hole in disbelief.
The king appeared on the balcony next to Sokka and Katara. Aang used his staff like a helicopter while Makoto used his Synchro powers to use a wave of leaves and flower petals. The two of them got on the balcony to face the king again. "You've passed all of my tests." the king turned to Makoto. "Dimension Hopper, you surprised me with your new look thanks to your Pokemon, and you were even able to catch the Great Tusk in one of those fancy orbs of yours." He turned to Aang. "Now, Avatar, you must answer one question."
"That's not fair!" Aang protested. "You said you would release our friends if me and Makoto finished your tests!"
"Oh, but what's the point of tests if you don't learn anything?" the king asked.
"Oh, come on!" Both Sokka and Makoto groaned at the same time.
"Answer this one question, and I will set your friends free." Here comes the king's question for Aang. "What...is my name?" Makoto blinked and nearly dropped his staff, but he still kept a grip on it. Aang, on the other hand, didn't see that question coming. "From the looks of your friends, I'd say you only have a few minutes." The king walked away, leaving the four of them alone to find the answer.
"How am I supposed to know his name?" Aang asked them.
"Think back to the challenges." Makoto suggested. "It might be some sort of secret riddle."
Sokka thought about it. "I got it!"
"Yeah?" Aang looked at him.
"He's an Earthbender, right? Rocky!" Sokka's answer just gave him some awkward silence. "You know, because of all the rocks."
"We're gonna keep trying, but that is a good backup." Katara said.
"Okay, so back to the challenges." Aang thought back to the challenges. "I got a key from the waterfall, Makoto saved the king's pet, and the two of us had a duel."
"And what did you learn?" Katara asked.
Makoto answered that. "Well, they were completely different than what we expected."
"And?" Katara saw that another part of the crystal grew next to her cheek.
"Well, they weren't straightforward. To solve each test, both me and Makoto had to think differently than we normally would." Aang smiled as realization got him good. "I know his name!"
Now out of his newest Synchro Form, Makoto and Meowscarada both watched as Aang gave the king his answer. "I solved the question the same way both me and Makoto solved the challenges. As you said a long time ago, I had to open my brain to the possibilities." Aang said. That made the king laugh and snort.
"As he said a long time ago?" Makoto's eyes widened. "Wait! Aang, are you saying...?"
Aang nodded. "I sure am." He turned back to the king. "Bumi, you're a mad genius!" He ran up to the king, now he and Bumi were happily hugging each other.
"Oh, Aang. It's good to see you." King Bumi said. "You haven't changed a bit, literally."
Katara and Sokka walked over, almost completely covered in the crystals. "Uh, over here!" Katara called out. "Little help?" Sokka added.
King Bumi pulled a fist back and the crystals broke off, freeing the Water Tribe siblings. The king caught a piece in his hand. "Genemite is made of rock candy." Bumi took a bite of the crystal. "Delicious!"
Makoto shook his head a little. "You mean the crazy king who put us through those tests is actually your old friend, Bumi?" Behind them, Momo and Meowscarada had some rock candy that was scattered on the floor.
"Who are you calling old?" Bumi asked in annoyance. He shrugged. "Okay, I'm old."
"Why did you do all of this instead of just telling Aang who you were?" Sokka asked.
"First of all, it's pretty fun messing with people." King Bumi snorted a bit. He turned serious as he turned to Aang. "But I DO have a reason. Aang, you have a difficult task ahead. The world has changed in the hundred years you've been gone. It's the duty of the Avatar to restore balance to the world by defeating Fire Lord Ozai. You have much to learn. You must master the four elements and confront the Fire Lord, and when you do, I hope you will think like a mad genius." At that, Aang smiled and bowed at his old friend.
King Bumi turned his attention to Makoto next. "I also have a reason for testing you too, boy. As you've just seen in the duel, many of those creatures that you call Pokemon suddenly started to appear all around this dimension. But judging by how you reacted against Great Tusk, they aren't normal Pokemon, are they?"
Makoto looked down and slowly shook his head. "No, sir. Great Tusk happens to be one of the many Pokemon that have been brought from the ancient past in a time machine back in my dimension. They're called Paradox Pokemon. They may look similar to the Pokemon that humans live alongside with now, but they're pretty different and can be pretty dangerous." Makoto held out a Poke Ball. "In fact, I've been travelling around with a Paradox Pokemon this entire time." He opened the ball and let Koraidon out in front of King Bumi, who was amazed by the Paradox Pokemon.
Aang's eyes widened in realization. "So THAT'S what you meant when you told me Koraidon was an unusual Pokemon?" Sokka and Katara couldn't believe what they were hearing.
Makoto nodded and rubbed Koraidon's head. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys about this before."
"It's okay, Makoto." Katara assured him. "You didn't know how we'd react."
Sokka looked back at King Bumi. "Wait, are you saying that MORE of those Paradox Pokemon could be roaming around our dimension as we speak!?"
"It would appear so." King Bumi nodded. "It appears that when Makoto made it to the Elemental Nations, he unknowingly brought a bunch of Paradox Pokemon along with him." He turned back to the Pokemon Trainer. "Your task could quite possibly be as important as the Avatar's, Makoto. You must find these Paradox Pokemon and capture them in those orbs called Poke Balls, only then will you be able to take them back home with you. You must also master those transformations you've pulled off with your machine, like what you did with Meowscarada. Your Pokemon and your bond with them are the key to helping you find your way home, and hopefully you'll think like a mad genius as well." Makoto smiled and bowed to the king as well.
"And it looks like you two are in good hands. You'll need your friends to help defeat the Fire Lord and capture the Paradox Pokemon." King Bumi told Makoto and Aang. Both Koraidon and Meowscarada stood by Makoto while Momo climbed up Aang's shoulder. "And you'll need Momo, Meowscarada, and Koraidon too."
"Thank you for your wisdom." Aang thanked his old friend. "But before we leave, I have a challenge for you!"
What was Aang's challenge? It was a ride down their world's greatest super slide. Both Aang and Bumi laughed and cheered as they went down the chute. Of course, they did end up crashing into something. "My cabbages!" ...and that something happened to be the cabbage cart of the unluckiest cabbage merchant in the Elemental Nations.
And there, done with editing chapter #5! Let me say, I actually had a blast going through this one again. Like I said before, this is one of my favorite Avatar episodes. As you may remember from before the editing, the Paradox Pokemon are on the loose in the Elemental Nations and it's up to Makoto to stop them and return them to Area Zero! And the little spark exchange between Makoto's Synchro Machine and his Rotom Phone? I thought that would make more sense than what I had in mind before, not to mention it helps put the Rotom Phones to more use throughout the series. As for the voice coming from the phone...sorry, still not saying yet. You'll just have to wait as the series goes on. Anyway, thank you for reading the edited chapters and I'll see you again in chapter #6!