Imprisoned

Makoto and the gang were in the middle of the forest. He, Aang, and Katara were waiting for Sokka to come back with dinner. To kill some time, Makoto was showing Aang and Katara his Pokedex, and now they were looking at the data Makoto got from the Great Tusk he caught in Omashu.

"Great Tusk, the Paradox Pokemon, a Ground/Fighting-Type. Sightings of this Pokemon have occurred in recent years. The name Great Tusk was taken from a creature listed in a certain book." the Rotom Phone explained.

Katara raised an eyebrow. "Listed in a certain book?"

"I think my Rotom Phone was talking about this." Makoto dug through his bag until he pulled out a red book.

"What book is that?" Aang asked the Pokemon Trainer.

"It's called the Scarlet Book." Makoto answered. He opened the book and flipped through a couple of pages. "It's a record of an expedition that the author named Heath went on in an area known in my dimension called the Great Crater of Paldea."

"That's where you and your friends found the Dimension Diamonds, right?" Aang asked.

Makoto nodded. "That's the place. This book actually came in handy for me and my friends back home. It told us about these mystical herbs that helped Koraidon get his battle form back and also helped my friend's Mabosstiff return to good health when he was in a very bad state."

"You told us about that when we were heading to the Southern Air Temple." Katara remembered what Makoto told them. "They're called Herba Mystica, right?"

"Right. My friend Arven was able to make some really good sandwiches using those herbs." Makoto smiled when he remembered the sandwiches made with the Herba Mystica. "I can still even taste them. Arven's a real good cook, I have no doubt you guys would love the stuff he makes, I know I do."

Aang rubbed his stomach a little. "Speaking of food, I hope Sokka gets back here with dinner soon." Momo chattered in agreement.

Katara noticed something sticking out of Makoto's bag. "You working on something, Makoto?"

"Oh, this?" Makoto pulled out the piece of paper that was sticking out of his bag. "Ever since Sokka and I talked about my Synchro Forms before we reached Omashu, I thought I'd make a list of the names for my forms. So far, I've only performed them with Golduck and Meowscarada. I'd like to wait until I can do them with the other four before I can decide on the names." Makoto handed Katara the paper so she and Aang could take a look at the names for Makoto's Synchro Forms.

"The Aqua Form and the Magician Form." Aang read. He grinned at the Pokemon Trainer. "Good names for the forms. But why did you call Meowscarada's form the Magician Form?"

Makoto grinned back. "That's an easy one. It's because Meowscarada is known as the Magician Pokemon."

Before they could talk about it some more, they saw that Sokka was coming back holding a a bag. "Great, you're back! What's for dinner?" Aang asked.

Sokka sat down and dug through the bag. "We've got a few options. First, round nuts, and some oval shaped nuts, and some rock shaped nuts...that might just be rocks." Sokka tossed a nut that looked like a rock over his shoulder. It landed in front of Momo. "Dig in!"

Makoto, Aang, and Katara looked at each other before they turned back to Sokka. "Seriously, what else you got?" the Waterbender asked her brother.

Momo picked up the nut Sokka tossed. He tried to crack it by banging it against a boulder...but a rumble was heard, making his fur stand.

The others were startled by the rumble as well. "Hey, what was that?" Makoto asked. Momo looked at the nut he was holding, blinking. He dropped it on the boulder...just as another rumble was made, making him jump.

"It's coming from over there!" Aang pointed in the direction he heard the rumble. He, Katara, and Makoto quickly got up and ran off to find out what was causing the rumbling.

"Shouldn't we run AWAY from huge booms, not TOWARDS them?!" Sokka asked. Momo flew after them.

They peaked from behind a tree to find out what was going on. They saw that the rumbling was caused by a young man practicing his Earthbending moves. Makoto smiled a little. "Oh, it's just an Earthbender in the middle of training."

"Let's go meet him." Aang suggested.

"He looks dangerous, so we'd better approach cautiously." Sokka warned, but...

"Hello there, I'm Katara!" the Waterbender was already away from the tree to wave at the Earthbender. "What's your name?"

The young Earthbender was surprised when he turned to look at her. He dropped the rocks he was training with and ran off. As he did, he moved some rocks behind him to block the path, preventing anyone from following him.

"Nice to meet you!" Aang called back.

"I just wanted to say hi." Katara said.

"Maybe he was just startled." Makoto shrugged. "I mean, we DID interrupt his training. Some people tend to get pretty startled or annoyed whenever someone disturbs them while they're in the middle of their training. I know, I've had my training interrupted at least once or twice."

"Hey, that guy's gotta be running somewhere. Maybe we're near a village, and I bet the village has a market." Aang happily told them.

"Which means no nuts for dinner!" Katara said with joy.

"Awesome!" Makoto cheered. "Come on, guys! Let's go get some food! If I can get enough, I can make us some good sandwiches!" He and the two Benders ran off to where the Earthbender was heading.

"Hey, I worked hard to find those nuts!" Sokka complained, only for Momo to fly over him. "Yeah, I hated them too." Sokka slouched in defeat and followed the others.

A couple of minutes later, they were in a village, getting food from the market.

"Great hat. I'll trade you some nuts for it." Aang offered. Makoto turned just as Aang put on his new hat.

Katara spotted the Earthbender they saw earlier. He went inside one of the shops. "Hey wait!" She ran off after him.

Inside, the Earthbender walked towards a woman who was arranging stuff in the shop. "Hi, Mom."

"Where have you been, Haru? You're late!" the woman scolded. "Get started on your chores."

Just as Haru began his chores, Katara walked into the shop. "Hey, you're that kid! Why did you run away before?"

Haru had to think of something. "Uh, you must have me confused with some other kid."

Makoto, Aang, and Sokka entered the shop as well. "No she doesn't, we remember that it was you. We saw you practicing your Earthbending." the Pokemon Trainer said.

Both Haru and his mother were surprised. The latter quickly closed the windows. "They saw you doing what?!"

"They're crazy Mom, I mean look at how they're dressed!" Haru pointed at the four travelers who looked down at their clothes.

"You know how dangerous that is!" Haru's mother warned him. "You know what would happen if they caught you Earthbending!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, followed by a voice. "Open up!"

Sokka looked out the window to see who it was. "Fire Nation! Act natural!"

Just as Haru's mother opened the door, the Fire Nation soldier walked in. Once inside, he saw Makoto and Katara eating from a berry basket, Sokka and Haru inspecting an item, and Aang leaning against a barrel full of water...only for the top to slip, splashing him a little.

"What do you want? I've already paid you this week." Haru's mother told the soldier.

"The tax just doubled. Wouldn't want an accident, would we?" the soldier formed a fireball in his hand, making the others back away from him. "Fire is sometimes hard to control." Left with no other choice, Haru's mother placed a small chest on the table, opened it up to reveal only a few coins. She took some out and gave them to the soldier. "You can keep the copper ones." He tossed the copper coins to the ground before he walked out of the shop.

"Nice guy." Sokka sarcastically said.

Makoto turned to Haru's mother, who was picking up the copper coins off the floor. "Excuse me, Ma'am? How long has the Fire Nation been here?"

"Five years." She answered. "Fire Lord Ozai uses our town's coal mines to fuel his ships."

Haru was clearly upset about what the Fire Nation was doing. "They're thugs. They steal from us, and everyone here is too much of a coward to do anything about it!"

"Quiet, Haru! Don't talk like that." Haru's mother ordered.

"But Haru's an Earthbender, he can help!" Katara reasoned.

"Earthbending is forbidden." Haru's mother argued. "It's caused nothing but misery for the village, he must never use his abilities!"

"How can you say that? Haru has a gift!" Katara mentioned. "Asking him not to Earthbend is like asking me not to Waterbend. It's a part of who we are!"

"You don't understand." Haru's mother said.

"I understand that Haru can help you fight back." Katara pointed out. "What can the Fire Nation do to you that they haven't done already?"

"They could take Haru away!" Haru's mother answered. "Like they took his father." Haru looked away after she said that. Katara looked at him with wide eyes.

Later that day, Haru took them to the barn and opened the doors. "My mom said you can sleep here tonight, but you should leave in the morning."

"Thanks. I'll make sure Appa doesn't eat all your hay." Aang told the Earthbender. They looked at the bison...who had a mouth full of hay.

Katara and Haru left the others to walk and talk. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't know about your father." Katara apologized to him.

"That's okay." Haru said. "It's funny, the way you were talking back in the store, it reminded me of him."

"Thanks." Katara said.

"My father was very courageous." Haru continued. "When the Fire Nation invaded, he and the other Earthbenders were outnumbered ten to one, but they fought back anyway."

"He sounds like a great man." Katara said.

The two of them stopped and sat on top of a hill. "After the attack, they rounded up my father and every other Earthbender and took them away. We haven't seen them since." Haru said.

It became clear for Katara now. "That's why you hide your Earthbending."

"Yeah." Haru picked up a couple of rocks and twirled them around with his Earthbending. "The problem is that the only way I can feel close to my father now is when I practice my Bending." He crushed the rocks until they were just dust. "He taught me everything I know."

Katara placed a hand on her necklace. "See this necklace? My mother gave it to me."

"It's beautiful." Haru complimented.

"I lost my mother in a Fire Nation raid." Katara said in sadness. "This necklace is all I have left of her."

Haru gave her a sympathetic look. "It's not enough, is it?"

"No." Katara answered.

The two of them continued their walk, when suddenly they heard a loud noise. "Help!" Followed by the cry from an elderly man.

Haru knew where that came from. "The mines!" He and Katara ran over to the coal mines.

They made it and saw that an old man was stuck in a pile of rubble. "Help me!" They rushed over to help. Haru used his body to prevent some more dirt and rocks from falling while Katara tried to free the old man.

"It's not working!" Katara said, still trying to free the old man. "We have to get help!"

"There's no time, pull harder!" Haru said.

Katara turned to the Earthbender. "Haru, there's a way you can help."

Knowing what Katara was talking about, Haru looked uncertain. "I can't!"

"Please, there's no one around to see you! It's the only way!" Katara urged him.

At first, Haru hesitated, but he realized that Katara was right. So, he let go, and moved away a little and got into his Earthbending stance, which made the little rocks stop in the air. Finally, with a thrust of his fist, all of the earth was pushed back into the mines, freeing the old man.

"Haru, you did it!" Katara cheered. The two of them were quick to help the old man up so they can take him back to the village.

Later that night, the travelers were getting ready to get some sleep. Momo was resting on Appa's back while Makoto let his Pokemon out and the trainer himself was using Koraidon as a pillow.

"It was so brave of Haru to use his Earthbending to help that old man." Katara said.

"You must have really inspired him." Aang told her.

"I guess so." Katara said.

Makoto nodded. "I know so."

"Everyone should get some sleep, we're leaving at dawn." Sokka instructed them.

Makoto quickly turned to him. "Wait, dawn? Sokka, can't we sleep in for once, even for a little bit?"

"Absolutely not!" Sokka answered. "This village is crawling with Fire Nation troops. If they discover you're here, Aang, we'll be eating fireballs for breakfast! Goodnight."

"I'd rather eat fireballs than nuts." Katara teased.

"Goodnight!" Sokka turned over to get some sleep. The other three had a good laugh about it before Katara blew a out the lantern so they could get some sleep as well.

However, as they were sleeping, a group of Fire Nation soldiers were heading over to Haru's place. One of them knocked on the door, when Haru answered he gasped.

With the soldiers...was the old man he save earlier. "That's him! That's the Earthbender!" the old man pointed at Haru. One of the soldiers approached Haru, grabbed him by the shoulders and took him away.

While they were taking the young Earthbender away, they left the old man behind. As he watched them take Haru away, no one even noticed that a figure in a dark purple hood watched the whole scene unfold while sitting on the roof of one of the houses. The figure's eyes narrowed a little from under the hood.

The next morning, Katara walked outside to a water pump to get some water for the trip. Rather than using the pump, she used her Bending to put the water in the jar. Once she was done filling it up, she picked it up. Before she walked away, she noticed Haru's mother looking out over the farm. When she turned to the Waterbender, she shed a tear.

Katara's eyes widened and she dropped the jar of water which broke after it hit the ground.

Inside, Aang, Sokka, and Makoto were packing up to leave. The Pokemon Trainer went on ahead and returned his Pokemon. Katara suddenly came through the door. "They took him! They took Haru away!"

Aang and Makoto quickly turned to her. "What!?"

"The old man turned him in to the Fire Nation!" Katara explained. "It's all my fault, I forced him into Earthbending!"

Sokka placed an arm around his sister's shoulders and took her hand. "Slow down, Katara. When did this happen?"

"Haru's mother said they came for him at midnight." Katara answered.

Sokka dropped her hand. "Then it's too late to track him, he's long gone."

"We don't need to track him." Katara looked determined. "The Fire Nation's going to take me right to him."

Makoto raised a confused eyebrow. "Why would the Fire Nation do that?"

"Because they're going to arrest me for Earthbending." Katara answered. That made the three boys look at each other in confusion as well as a little concern.

After she explained the plan, Katara and the others went to one of the mines. The Water Tribe siblings were pushing a boulder so it was covering one of the vents.

"I thought you were crazy at first, Katara, but this might work." Sokka told his sister. "There are ventilation shafts throughout these mines, and all Aang has to do is send an air current from that vent to the one right here. The boulder levitates and ta-da, fake Earthbending."

They turned to Aang who was sitting in front of another vent while playing with a butterfly, using his Airbending. "Aang, did you get all that?" Katara asked the monk.

"Sure, sure, I got it." Aang replied, not even looking away from the butterfly.

Makoto, who was hiding behind the same rock as the Avatar, raised an eyebrow. "You do remember your cue, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, just relax. You're taking all the fun out of this." Aang answered.

"By this, do you mean intentionally getting captured by an army of ruthless Firebenders?" Sokka asked.

"Exactly, that's fun stuff!" Aang answered.

Makoto looked over the boulder he and Aang were hiding behind and saw that a group of Firebenders were heading their way. "Here they come, guys! Get ready!" He quietly told them before he ducked to hide again. Sokka and Katara got ready to put the fake Earthbending plan into motion.

As the soldiers got close enough, Katara and Sokka began to walk casually until they 'bumped' into each other. "Get out of my way, pipsqueak!" Sokka said with a fake grumpy voice.

"How dare you call me a pipsqueak, you giant eared cretin?" Katara countered.

The Firebenders watched the scene unfold, not sure what to do. "What did you call me!?" Sokka asked.

"A giant eared cretin! Look at those things, do herds of animals use them for shade?" Katara placed her hands on her ears and fanned her fingers to make them look like big ears.

"You better back off!" Sokka 'warned'. He leaned a little closer to whisper something. "Seriously, back off."

"I will not back off! I bet elephants come together to make fun of how big your ears are!" Katara said.

"That's it!" Sokka 'snapped'. "You're going down!"

"I'll show you who's boss...Earthbending-style!" Katara made a pose...but nothing happened. She turned her eyes to where Aang and Makoto were hiding and repeated herself in anger. "I said...EARTHBENDING-STYLE!"

Makoto nudged the Airbender with his elbow to snap him out of his daydream. Aang quickly shot some air down the vent to lift the boulder for the Firebenders to see. Momo was seen behind the boulder, licking himself.

One of the soldiers pointed at Momo. "That lemur! He's Earthbending!" Hearing one of the soldiers, Momo looked at them and blinked in confusion. From behind his hiding spot, Makoto silently groaned and facepalmed himself. How could a soldier from the Fire Nation be that stupid?

"No, you idiot! It's the girl!" Sokka gestured to Katara.

Now the soldier who pointed at Momo was embarrassed. "Oh right, of course."

While the boulder dropped back to the ground, Sokka placed his hands on Katara's arms. "I'll hold her!" He told the soldiers. "You have twelve hours to find Haru. We'll be right behind you." He whispered to her.

As the soldiers took her away, Katara looked back at her brother and her friends. They watched her go...until Sokka tugged at his ears before he turned to the lemur on Aang's shoulder. "Momo, you have some big ears!"

Later, Katara, who was now in a prisoner outfit, was being taken away by a wagon a long with other prisoners. Aang, Sokka, and Makoto were hidden in the crowd and silently watched as Katara was taken inside a Fire Nation ship. However, no one ever noticed that the figure in the dark purple hood slipped through and got in the ship just before it left the dock.

Aang, Sokka, and Makoto followed after the ship with Appa hiding in the clouds. As they were flying, Aang had a worried look on his face. "She'll be fine, Aang. Katara knows what she's doing." Sokka assured the Avatar.

Even Makoto looked worried. "I hope so. I also hope there isn't a Paradox Pokemon in that ship."

"Relax Makoto, I kinda have my doubts that the Fire Nation would have one of those Paradox Pokemon with them." Sokka shrugged a little. "I mean, why would the Fire Nation need something like that anyway?"

"You already forgot that King Bumi fought alongside a Great Tusk when we were in Omashu, didn't you?" Makoto deadpanned.

Sokka blinked in realization. "Oh, right."

Meanwhile, Katara was now standing alongside the other new prisoners, lined up to meet the warden.

The warden came and spoke to the prisoners. "Earthbenders, it is my pleasure to welcome you aboard my modest shipyard. I prefer to think of you not as prisoners, but as honored guests, and I hope you come to think of me as your humble and caring host. You will succeed here if you simply abide-" The sound of an old Earthbender coughing interrupted him.

The warden shot a blast of fire by the Earthbender's feet, making him back up. "What kind of guest dishonors his host by interrupting him!?" He turned to the guards next to him. "Take him below! One week in solitude will improve his manners." The guards took the Earthbender who coughed away.

Having that taken care of, the warden calmly turned back to the other prisoners. "Simply treat me with the courtesy I give you and we'll get along famously." He got closer to Katara's face and smirked while the Waterbender just glared at him. "You will notice, Earthbenders, that this rig is made entirely of metal. You are miles away from any rock or earth, so if you have any illusions about employing that brutish savagery that passes as Bending among your people, forget them. It is impossible. Good day."

With that said, the warden walked away while the prisoners were being led away. The hooded figure that was able to slip into the ship watched while hiding in a good shadowy spot.

Katara was taken to an open area with the other prisoners. She walked and looked around, which caught someone's attention. "Katara?"

She turned and smiled when she saw Haru standing up, surprised to see her. "Haru!" She ran up to him to give him a hug.

"What are you doing here?" Haru asked after the hug.

"It's my fault you were captured." Katara explained. "I came to rescue you."

"So you got yourself arrested?" Haru asked.

"It was the only way to find you." Katara answered.

Haru folded his arms and smiled. "You got guts, Katara. I'll give you that. Come on, there's someone I want you to meet." He led Katara over to a group of prisoners, stopping at the last one of the group. "Katara, this is my father, Tyro. Dad, this is Katara."

Katara bowed to Tyro. "It's an honor to meet you."

Tyro smiled while offering the Waterbender a bowl of food. "Have some dinner, Katara." She accepted the bowl, looked what was inside and made a face. "It's not as bad as it looks." Tyro assured her. Katara took a spoonful and ate it, then gagged right away. "It's still pretty bad though." Tyro admitted with a smile.

One of the prisoners walked over to Tyro. "Tyro, the prisoners are complaining that there aren't enough blankets to go around."

"I'll talk to the guards." Tyro told him. "In the meantime, make sure the elderly are taken care of. The rest of us will simply have to hope for warmer weather."

"If you don't mind me asking, what's your escape plan?" Katara asked Tyro.

Tyro raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You know, the plan to get everyone off this rig?" Katara continued to ask. "What is it? Mutiny? Sabotage?"

"The plan? The plan is to survive and wait out this war." Tyro answered the Waterbender. "And hope that one day, some of us can get back home and forget this ever happened."

Katara looked like she was in disbelief. "How can you say that? You sound like you've already given up!"

"Katara, I admire your courage and I envy your youth, but people's lives are at stake here. The warden is a ruthless man, and he won't stand for any rebellion. I'm sorry, but we're powerless." Tyro said.

"We'll see about that." Katara stood up with determination. She got up on a stand, grabbed a spoon and a trash lid, and banged them together to get the attention of the other prisoners. "Earthbenders! You don't know me, but I know of you! Every child of my Water Tribe village was rocked to sleep with stories of the brave Earth Kingdom and the courageous Earthbenders who guard its boarders!" As she continued her speech, the warden watched from one of the catwalks above. Even the hooded figure watched from a different hiding spot.

Still, Katara continued her speech. "Some of you may think that the Fire Nation has made you powerless! Yes, they may have taken away your ability to Bend, but they can't take away your courage and it is your courage they should truly fear! Because it runs deeper than any mine you've been forced to dig, any oceans that keeps you far from home! It is the strength of your heart that makes you who you are, hearts that will remain unbroken when all rock and stone had eroded away! The time to fight back is now! I can tell you that the Avatar has returned, and a very helpful person from another dimension has arrived to lend us a hand! So remember your courage as Earthbenders! Let us fight for our freedom!"

After the speech, the prisoners just turned away from her to talk amongst themselves, leaving Katara crushed. The warden smiled at the scene before he walked away. The hooded figure had a surprised looked hidden behind behind his hood, but he gave off a grin. "Helpful person from another dimension, eh? I have a couple of hunches on who that person could be." He pulled something out of his pocket and looked down at it. "Still, I'm sure that girl won't mind if I help shake things up around here." The person was holding a red Poke Ball known as a Cherish Ball.

Later that night, the prisoners have went to sleep while the light from the watchtower circled the rig. Still, someone was stealthy enough to avoid the light. Two figures actually, and they were Aang and Meowscarada. The two of them spotted Katara and approached her.

Katara woke up and looked up to see the Avatar and the Magician Pokemon. Before she could make a sound, Aang silently shushed her. They both took her to the edge of the rig where Sokka, Makoto, and Momo were waiting on Appa.

"Your twelve hours are up, where's Haru? We've gotta get outta here." Sokka held an arm out to Katara. Aang jumped off to get on Appa while Makoto returned Meowscarada.

"I can't." Katara told her brother.

"We don't have much time, there are guards everywhere." Sokka urged. "Get on."

Makoto tilted his head a little. "Katara, what's wrong?"

"I'm not leaving." Katara said, shocking the three boys. "I'm not giving up on these people."

Everyone got off Appa and hid at the side of the rig. "What do you mean you're not leaving?" Sokka asked his sister.

"We can't abandon these people, there has to be a way to help them!" Katara urged.

"Maybe she's right." Aang agreed.

Makoto even nodded. "I may not have been in this dimension as long as you guys, but I've seen enough to know that a lot of people are struggling throughout this war. And now that the Paradox Pokemon are thrown into the mix , that just makes things worse. I'll stay and help since it's pretty much my fault for unknowingly bringing the Paradox Pokemon here with me."

The Avatar turned to Sokka. "What do you say, Sokka?"

"I say you three are crazy!" Sokka answered. The four of them ducked to avoid the light that passed their way. "Last chance, we need to leave now!" Sokka warned Katara.

"No!" Katara replied.

Sokka shook his head. "I hate when you get like this." The light passed them again. "We better hide." He advised. Sokka, Katara, and Makoto left to hide somewhere else. Aang stayed behind and whispered something to Appa. Momo jumped onto Aang's head while Appa flew away.

Two guards noticed Appa flying away and went off to tell the warden. "Tell me exactly what you saw." the warden said.

"Well, Sir, it looked like a flying bison." one guard informed.

"What?" the warden asked.

"It was a giant flying buffalo, Sir, with an empty saddle." the other guard answered.

"Which was it, a buffalo or a bison?" the warden asked.

The guards looked at each other just before the first guard gave a reply. "Uh, not sure what the difference is, but that's not really the point , is it Sir?"

The warden turned to him in anger. "I'll decide what the point is, fool!" He threw the first guard over the railing and down to the water below. "You! Wake up the captain, search the entire rig!" he instructed the other guard.

"Sir..." the guard started.

"What!?" the warden asked.

"That WAS the captain you just threw overboard." the guard replied.

"Then wake up someone I HAVEN'T thrown overboard and search the rig!" The warden narrowed his eyes. "There's something going on here and I don't like it!"

Aang, Momo, Makoto, Katara, and Sokka were now hidden between crates to come up with a plan.

"We don't have much time, what are we gonna do?" Sokka asked.

"I wish I knew how to make a hurricane." Aang said. The others looked at him. "The warden would run away and we could steal his keys." the Avatar explained.

"Wouldn't he just take his keys with him?" Makoto asked with a raised eyebrow.

Aang shrugged. "I'm just tossing ideas around."

"I tried talking the Earthbenders into fighting back, but it didn't work." Katara said. "If there was just a way to help them help themselves."

"For that, they'd need some kind of earth, something they can Bend." Sokka said.

"But this entire place is made of metal." Katara placed her hand on part of the rig.

Makoto looked up. "No, it isn't. Look over there." He pointed at what he was looking at. The others looked to see a smoke cloud. "That smoke cloud means that they're burning coal. AKA: Earth."

Meanwhile, the hooded figure was hiding in another pile of crates. Not only was he surprised to see Makoto, but he also smiled at where the Pokemon Trainer was going with the burning coal. "I see, so that's who the girl was talking about before. This will be more fun than I thought..."

The sun was beginning to rise and Sokka, Katara, and Makoto were ready to carry on with the plan. The Pokemon Trainer even had Armarouge out just in case.

"It's almost dawn. We're running out of time. You sure this is gonna work?" Katara asked her brother.

"It should. These vents reminded me of our little trick back at the village." Sokka answered. "We're gonna do the same thing, but on a much bigger scale. There's a huge supply of coal at the base of this island, and the whole system, is ventilated. Aang closed off all the vents except one. When he does his Airbending, the coal only has one place to go, right back here."

"There's the intruders!" a guard yelled. Sokka, Katara, Makoto, and Armarouge were surrounded by some of the guards. The Fire Warrior Pokemon got in front of his trainer to protect him.

"Stay back!" Sokka pulled out his boomerang. "I'm warning you!"

"Katara, stop!" Tyro called out. Katara looked to see the worried looks on Tyro and Haru.

The warden stepped in front of the guards. "Listen to him well, child. You're one mistake away from dying where you stand."

The guards began to close in, until some air began to push out of the vent, along with some dust and pebbles. Finally, a whole bunch of coal came spewing out of the grate, shocking the warden and the guards. The coal landed back down in a massive pile between the Earthbenders and the Firebenders.

Makoto smiled while looking at the top of the pile. "Nice work, Aang!" the Avatar landed on top of the pile, covered in ash before he gave a cough.

Katara went up to the pile and held out a lump of coal. "Here's your chance, Earthbenders! Take it! Your fate is in your own hands!" Haru began to move, but Tyro stopped him from going any further. The other Earthbenders even backed away a little.

Seeing that made Katara slowly lower her hand. The warden started to laugh. "Foolish girl! You thought a few inspirational words and some coal would change these people? Look at these blank, hopeless faces." the Earthbenders looked away in shame. "Their spirits were broken a long time ago. Oh? But you still believed in them? How sweet. They're a waste of your energy, little girl. You failed."

Makoto glared at the warden before he stepped forward to stand next to Armarouge. "Well, you've still got us to deal with!" Armarouge nodded in agreement. "Arma!" Katara looked back to give the Pokemon Trainer a small smile.

The warden, however, narrowed his eyes a little at Makoto. "Is that so? Guess I'll make quick work of you, boy." He only took a step when a lump of coal hit him in the back of the head. The warden quickly turned around in anger. He saw Haru glaring at him while twirling some coal in his hand with his Earthbending. The warden fired at Haru who braced himself. A wall of coal protected Haru from the fire. The wall was caused by Tyro, he used his Earthbending to protect his son.

"Show no mercy!" the warden yelled. He and the guards launched more fire, but Tyro, Haru, and three nearby Earthbenders made the coal wall bigger to block it.

"For the Earth Kingdom, attack!" Tyro slams his hand to the ground, throwing the coal wall at the guards, some of them were able to deflect some of the coal.

Now the other Earthbenders joined in the fight against the Firebenders with the coal playing a major part for the Earthbenders.

While the fight was going, Makoto, Armarouge, Aang, Sokka, and Katara got in some hits as well. Some Fire Nation guards came at them with spears, but they came to a stop with Armarouge's Psychic who tossed the spears away.

Makoto and Armarouge ran over to the door. Haru and Tyro were covering them. "Armarouge, blast the door away with Armor Cannon!" Makoto called out. Armarouge nodded and was about to use his strongest move, when...

"I've got a better idea! Use Bone Rush!" Suddenly, another Pokemon came out of nowhere, surprising Makoto, Armarouge, Haru, and Tyro. The Pokemon made two glowing bones and bashed them against the door, over and over again until one last swing broke the door, sending it flying.

Makoto blinked in shock. "Is that...a yellow Lucario!?" The Pokemon, a Shiny Lucario silently turned to the Pokemon Trainer and his Fire/Psychic-Type. That's when something landed next to Lucario...the same hooded figure that was hiding around the rig the entire time. Now, Makoto was shocked even more. "Huh!? Who are you?"

"Rather than asking me who I am, you should be thanking me and Lucario for opening the way for your Earthbending friends." The mysterious figure pointed a a thumb at the open doorway. "You're welcome either way."

Tyro decided to worry about the figure later. Right now, escaping and fighting against the Firebenders was more important. "Get to the ship! We'll hold them off!"

"Do not let them escape!" the warden ordered. The guards tried to stop the prisoners from escaping.

Suddenly, Armarouge held them in place with Psychic. While that happened, Aang made an air cannon. "Guys, throw me some coal!"

"In the meantime..." the figure tossed some coal into the air. "Lucario, smack the coal at the guards with Bullet Punch!"

Makoto, Katara, and Sokka loaded the air cannon with coal while Lucario jumped up and threw very fast punches that launched coal at the warden and the guards being held in place by Armarouge's Psychic. The Fire Warrior Pokemon let them go after the coal was done, letting the warden and the guards drop.

The coal around the warden and the guards suddenly came together underneath them, creating a platform that carried them over to the water. The platform was made by Tyro and some of the other Earthbenders. "No! Please, I can't swim!" the warden begged.

"Don't worry, I hear cowards float." Tyro lowered his hands, making the platform fall apart while dropping the warden and the guards down into the water.

Makoto and Armarouge smiled and gave each other a high-five. "We did it! You and your Shiny Lucario were a big..." As he turned to thank the mysterious Pokemon Trainer, he blinked to see that the figure and his Lucario were no longer with them. "...help?"

Aang walked over to the confused Pokemon Trainer and noticed his look. "Are you okay, Makoto?"

"I'm fine, but who was that mysterious guy that just helped us out?" Makoto asked. Armarouge shrugged and shook his head, having no idea himself.

Sokka came and made a guess. "Hey, maybe that was one of your friends that we're trying to find. I mean he did have a Pokemon with him."

Makoto frowned and shook his head. "I wish that was one of my friends, but none of them has a Lucario on their teams." He looked up at the sky with a serious look. "Somehow, I feel like this situation I'm in is getting more serious, more dangerous...and more confusing."

Soon, the Earthbenders and Katara were on the Fire Navy ships and sailing towards their home village. Aang, Sokka, and Momo rode on Appa while Makoto rode on Koraidon.

Haru and Tyro walked over to Katara. "I want to thank you for saving me, for saving us." the former thanked her.

Katara looked modest. "All it took was a little coal."

"It wasn't the coal Katara, it was you." Haru said, making Katara blush.

Tyro placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for helping me find my courage, Katara of the Water Tribe. My family and everyone here owes you much."

"So, I guess you're going home now?" Katara asked.

"Yes, to take back my village." Tyro raised his voice so the other Earthbenders could hear him. "To take back all of our villages! The Fire Nation will regret the day they set foot on our land!" the other Earthbenders cheered at what Tyro declared.

Haru turned back to Katara. "Come with us."

"I can't. Your mission is to take back your home, ours is to get Aang to the North Pole and find Makoto's missing friends." Katara looked over at the two mentioned boys.

"That's them, right? The Avatar and the person from another dimension?" Haru looked at the two as well. Aang was playing with a lump of coal along with Momo while Makoto gently ran a hand through Koraidon's head, pleasing the Paradox Pokemon. "Katara, thank you for bringing my father back to me. I never thought I'd see him again. I only wish there was a way..."

"I know." Katara placed a hand on her neck, but there was just one little problem... "My mother's necklace, it's gone!"

Turns out the necklace was left behind on the rig, it came off during the fight. The necklace was picked up off the ground by a Firebender, but not just any Firebender, but Prince Zuko himself! He recognized the Water Tribe necklace and looked out at the sunset.

Meanwhile, the hooded figure from before was hiding somewhere in the rig. He thought back to Makoto. "So it looks like I'm not the only Pokemon Trainer that got sent here to the Elemental Nations. If he's here, then the others should be around somewhere." Making sure that he was alone, the figure removed his hood...and revealed himself to be Hunter. "Now finding the Dimension Diamonds doesn't sound as difficult as I thought." Hunter looked back to see that Zuko was leaving with Katara's necklace. "I'll be sure to keep an eye on those Fire Nation soldiers as well as Makoto and his new friends along the way."

Ta-da! Another Celestial Squad chapter edited! Like before, the hooded figure was none other than the mysterious fellow from the prologue of the series: Hunter! As mentioned before, he will be on his own quest throughout the Elemental Nations, but he's going to be keeping a sharp eye on Makoto, his Elemental Nations friends, and also the Fire Nation while trying to search for the Dimension Diamonds! In the next edited chapter, Aang and the others will still finally meet up with Arven in the same way as before the editing! Until then, see ya later!