Brawl 1 Water: Chapter 7 The Aurelus Winter Solstice Part 1

As Aang and the others were flying in the clouds, doing their own things. Katara said, looking at the clouds. "Those clouds look so soft, don't they? Like you could just jump down and you'd land in a big, soft, cottony heap."

"Maybe you should give it a try." Sokka said and before Saida could say anything. Aang said as he grabbed his staff. "I'll do it." Aang then dived down into the clouds and disappeared. Soon he reappeared, soaking wet and he said to them. "Turns out, clouds are made of water."

"We knew that." Saida said as Aang used his Airbending to drive himself. Hoshi, who was holding onto Appa's reins, then said to everyone. "Hey guys you might want to see this?"

"What is it?" Miguel said as they all looked ahead. Ahead of them a part of the forst that they were flying over, was burned down. "It's like a scar." Sokka said as Hoshi landed in the middle of it. In the scar, there was just the burnt remains of trees. Saida then said looking around. "Listen. It's so quiet. There's no life anywhere."

"Aang, are you ok?" Katara said to Aang, but Sokka found some tracks and yelled. "Fire Nation! Those evil savages make me sick! They have no respect for nature!"

"Sokka shut up." Hoshi said as he hit Sokka on the back of the head. Sokka turned to Hoshi and said. "What was that for? Can't I be angry?"

"You can. But don't think all Fire Nation is the same as the soldiers that did this and you're making Aang feel even worse than he already is." Hoshi said pointing at Aang who was sitting on the ground. Phaedrus flew right into Aang's face and said to him. "Are you ok, partner?"

"No, I'm not. I just can't understand why anyone would do this? How could I let this happen?"

"Aang, you didn't let this happen. It has nothing to do with you." Katara said before Hoshi said. "Yeah. Don't think about what if, they won't change things."

"I can't. It's the Avatar's job to protect nature, but I don't know how to do my job." Aang said before Katara said. "That's why we're going to the North pole, to find you a teacher."

"Yeah. A Waterbening Teacher. But there's no one who can teach me how to be the Avatar." Aang said before Saida said. "Didn't the Airbender tell you who would teach you?"

"Monk Gyatsu said that Avatar Roku would help me."

"The Avatar before you? He died over a hundred years ago. How are you supposed to talk to him?" Sokka said before Aang said. "I don't know."

"Don't worry. We will figure it out together." Phaedrus said as Momo went on Aang's lap. A good distance away from Aang and the others, Zuko, Alex and Ryerazu were walking through the first, looking for Iroh. "Uncle, it's time to leave." Zuko yelled and Alex yelled. "Where are you Master Iroh."

"Over here." Iroh said as he was sitting down in a hot spring. They both walked up to him and Zuko said to Iroh. "Uncle? We need to move on. We're closing in on the Avatar's trail, and I don't want to lose him."

"You look tired, Prince Zuko. Why don't you and Alex join me in these hot springs and soak away your troubles?"

"My trouble cannot be soaked away."

"But your stress could be soaked away. And so can mine." Alex said, as he was going to join Iroh, but Zuko stopped Alex and said to them. "You are not joining him and it's time to go Uncle!"

"You should take your teacher's advice and relax a little. The temperature's just right. I heated it myself." Iroh said before he used his Firebending to heat up the water and create steam. Zuke brushed away the steam and said to his Uncle. "Enough. We need to leave now. Get out of the water!"

"Very well." Iroh said, getting out of the water. Zuko and Alex then covered their eyes and Zuko said to him. "On second thought, why don't you take another few minutes? But be back at the ship in half an hour, or I'm leaving without you." Iroh then set back down and enjoyed the hot spring as Zuko took Alex away. Back with Aang and the others. Aang was still sad, so Katara walked up to him and said. "Hey, Aang. Are you ready to be cheered up?"

"No." Aang said before Katara threw an acorn at Aang. It hit Aang's head and it hurt a little. He then turned to Katara and said. "Hey, how is that cheering me up?"

"Cheered me up." Sokka said after he was done laughing. Katara and the other then threw acorns at Sokka's head and each one hit him. "Yeah, I probably deserved that." Sokka said before Miguel said. "Yes you did."

"So what were you going to say Katara?" Saida said and Katara said to Aang. "These acorns are everywhere, Aang. That means the forest will grow back. Everyone one of these will be a tall oak tree someday, and all the birds and animals that lived here will come back." Katara then gave Aang the acorn. It cheered him up and he said to Katara. "Thanks, Katara."

"Guy, we have company." Hoshi said as they all turned to see an old man walking up to them. Sokka then said to him. "Hey, who are you?" The old man ignored Sokka, and said walking closer to Aang. "When I saw the Flying Bison, I thought it was impossible, but those eyes, those markings… Are you the Avatar child?" Aang nodded yes and the old man said to him. "My village desperately needs your help." They followed the old man to a village and arrived as the sun started to set. The village was small, but most of the buildings were destroyed and the rest were damaged. The old man took them to their city hall, which had a lot of people inside and said to the mayor of the village, a man in his late 30s. "This young person is the Avatar."

"So the rumors of your return are true. It is the greatest honor of a lifetime to be in your presence." The mayor said and Aang said to him. "Nice to meet you, too. So, is there something I can help you with?"

"I'm not sure." The mayor said before the old man said. Our village is in crisis. He's our only hope."

"Excuse me, but what is going on in this village?" Miguel said and the old man told them. "For the last few days at sunset, a spirit monster comes and attacks our village."

"What Spirit?" Saida said and the old man said. "Hei Bai, the Black and White Spirit."

"Why is it attacking you?" Sokka said and the mayor said to them as he walked to the door. "We do not know. But each of the last 3 nights, he has abducted one of our own. We are especially fearful because the Winter Solstice drews nere."

"What happens then?" Katara said and the old man said. "As the Solstice approaches, the natural world and the spirit world grow closer and closer, until the line between them is blurred completely."

"Hei Bai is already causing devastation and destruction. Once the Solstice is here, there is no telling what will happen." The mayor said and Aang said to him. "So what do you want me to do exactly?"

"Who better to resolve a crisis between our world and the spirit world than the Avatar himself? You are the great bridge between man and spirits." The old man said and Aang agreed with him. Hoshi pulled Aang away and said. "Pardon us, but we need to make a plan." After they were a good distance away from the townspeople, Katara said to Aang. "Aang, you seem a little unsure about all this."

"Yeah. That might be because I don't know anything at all about the Spirit World. It's not like there's someone to teach me this stuff."

"Ok, but are you still going to these people?" Phaedrus said to Aang, who said to her. "I have to try, don't I? Maybe whatever I have to do will just… Come to me."

"I think you can do it, Aang." Katara said before Sokka said. "Yeah. We're all gonna get eaten by a spirit monster."

"Sokka, if you are not going to be positive, go wait somewhere else. We need to make a plan." Hoshi said as they started to formulate a plan. Back with Iroh, he had fallen asleep, but woke up when he heard something moving close by. "Who's there?" Iroh said before he saw a little animale. Iroh then said to the animale. "A Meadow Vole. I should have known. You startled me, little one. Seems I dozed off and missed my nephew's deadline, but it was a very sweet nap." Then the Meadow Vole ran away as the ground started to rumble. Iroh was then pinned by three pointy rocks and out came Earth Kingdom soldiers, each one of them male. One of them grabbed Iroh clothes and said to their commander. "He's a Fire Nation soldier."

"He's no ordinary soldier. This is the Fire Lord's brother. The Dragon of the West, the once great General Iroh. But now, he's our prisoner." The commander said as they chained Iroh up and took him away. Back at the village, the Bakugan were guarding city hall, Phaedrus guarding the front, Centipod guarding from the back, Pyravian guarding from the left side and Eenoch guarding the right side. As the sun started to disappear, everyone was inside city hall, leaving only Aang outside. Aang walked to the city entrance and said, looking around. "Hello? Spirit? Can you hear me? This is the Avatar speaking. I'm here to try to help stuff."

"This isn't right. We can't sit here and cower while Aang waits for some monster to show up." Sokka said before Hoshi said to him. "Sokka, we don't know what we are facing. So we need to be on the defensive."

"He still shouldn't have to face this alone. The Bakugan should help Aang destroy it."

"Sokka, the best course of action when facing an unknown enemy, is not attacking with reckless abandonment, but building a strong defense with what we have. Also, we need to find out why he is attacking, so he doesn't attack this village. So we need the Avatar to talk to him, not destroy him." Hoshi said as day turned into night. "The sun is set. Where are you, Hei Bai? Well, spirit, uh, I hereby ask you to please leave this village in peace. Ok. Well, I guess that's settled, then." Aang said, thinking that would work, but it didn't. As Aang turned his back to the entrance, a giant black and white monster that walked on all fours and had an extra pair of arms entered the village. Phaedrus then yelled to Aang. "Aang! Behind you!"

"What? Oh…?" Aang said as he turned around and saw the monster. Aang then said to the monster. "You must be the Hei Bai spirit. My name is—" Hei Bai then roared and started to smash up the place. Aang tried to talk to Hei Bai, but Hei Bai didn't listen to him and was faster than him. In the city hall, the mayor said, looking at Aang. "The Avatar's methods are unusual."

"It doesn't seem too interested in what he's saying. Maybe we should go help him." Sokka said before Hoshi said. "No. Hei Bai is strong. If we go out there, then we will get taken. Besides, Aang's got this."

"Please, would you stop destroying things and listen? I'm just trying to do my job as spirit bridge." Aang said to Hei Bai, who was ignoring him and had his back facing Aang. Aang then yelled to Hei Bai. "Excuse me. Would you please turn around? I command you to turn around now!" Hei Bai turned around and then hit Aang. Phaedrus caught him and Sokka said. "That's it! He needs help." Sokka then ran outside. The others tried to stop him, but the people stopped them. "Hei Bai. Over here!" Sokka said as he tossed his boomerang at Hei Bai. It did hit Hei Bai, but it was nothing to Hei Bai. Aang jumped out of Phaedrus hands and said landing exit to Sokka. "Sokka! Go Back!"

"We'll fight him together, Aang." Sokka said before Hei Bai grabbed him with his left extra arm. The Bakugan then surrounded Hei Bai and Centipod said. "You're not going anywhere with our friend." Hei Bai then unleashed a very powerful light attack from his mouth at the Bakugan. Phaedrus barely dodged it, but the others weren't so lucky. (Phaedrus 300 / Centipod 0 / Pyravian 0 / Enoch 0) As the others returned back to ball form, Hei Bai ran into the forest. Aang and Phaedrus flew after Sokka and Hei Bai. "Sokka!" Katara said as she tried to run after them, but they were too fast, so she lost sight of them all. But she wasn't the only one with family troubles. Zuko was looking for Iroh and when he saw the remains of the hot springs, he started to get worried and said. "Uncle. Uncle, where are you?"

"Do you think he went to a Fire Nation port to meet up with us?" Alex said and Zuko said. "No. Something's not right here. That pile of rocks."

"Do landslides go uphill in this world?" Alex said before Zuko said. "No they don't. Those rocks didn't move naturally. My Uncle's been captured by Earthbenders."

"And it looks like they went this way." Alex said as he found the trail the Earthbender left. Alex rolled out Ryerazu and after Zuko and Alex got on him, they followed the trail the Earthbenders left. Back with Aang and Phaedrus, they were still chasing after Hei Bai and Sokka, who was screaming for help. "Sonic Roar!" Phaedrus said as she fired at Hei Bai, but Hei Bai phased right behind her. Hei Bai then grabbed her tail with his right arm and slammed her into the ground over and over again. (Phaedrus 100) Hei Bai let go of Phaedrus and started to run again. Phaedrus got up and they all reached the burned part of the forest. Aang had managed to reach Sokka and grab him, but it was too late. Hei Bai had disappeared and taken Sokka into the Spirit World. Aang and Phaedrus then crashed into something, but couldn't tell what it was because of how dark it was. (Phaedrus 0) "Sokka!" Aang said, waking up. Aang looked around and only saw Phaedrus. She then said to Aang. "I'm sorry Aang, but he's gone."

"I've failed." Aang said before he started his long walk back to the village. The only one who was having it worse than Aang was Iroh. The Earthbender were on their mounts and Iroh said to the commander. "Where are you taking me?"

"We're taking to face justice."

"Right. But where specifically?"

"A place you're quite familiar with actually. You once laid siege to it for 600 days, but it would not yield to you."

"Ah, the great city of Ba Sing Se."

"It was greater than you were, apparently."

"I acknowledge my defeat at Ba Sing Se. After 600 days away from home, my men were tired, and I was tired. And I'm still tired." Iroh said as he fell off the mount with his eyes closed. The Earthbenders thought he just fell asleep and put back on the mount, not knowing that Iroh had just left a clue for Zuko and Alex. Back at the village, Katara was seated at the entrance waiting for Hoshi and the others to come back with news about Aang, Phaedrus, and most importantly Sokka. "I'm sure they'll be back." The old man said as he walked up to Katara. Katara then said to him, still looking at the entrance. "I know."

"You should get some rest." The old man said, giving Katara a blanket. Katara said to the old man while holding onto Sokka boomerang. "Everything's gonna be ok."

"Your brother is in good hands. I would be shocked if the Avatar returned without him." The old man said as Aang and Phaedrus returned. Aang then said to Katara. "Katara? Katara, I lost him."

"The sun is rising. Perhaps he will return soon." The old man said and that surprised Aang and Phaedrus. "What? No. I'm right here." Aang said, waving his hand in front of the old man. That's when he noticed that he and Phaedrus were just blue ghosts. That could only mean one thing, they were starting to cross into the Spirit World. Back with Zuko and Alex were on the Earhtbenders trail. They stopped when they found a sandal on the trail. "Is that Master Iroh sandal?" Alex said as they both got off and Zuko grabbed the sandal. Zuko picked it up and said. "Yes, this is uncle Iroh."

"How can you tell?" Alex said and Zuko tossed him the sandal. Alex then caught the Iroh sense. "Man that stinks." Alex said, giving Zuko back the sandal. Zuko then got on Ryerazu and they went back onto the trail. Back at the village, Aang was freaking out and Phaedrus said to Aang. "Aang calm down."

"How can I calm down, we are stuck in the Spirit World."

"Technically, we are stuck in a crossroad."

"A crossroad?"

"The lines between the three worlds. But don't worry, we just need to find our bodys, then we can get out of this crossroad." Phaedrus said as Appa, who was carrying the others had just arrived back to the village. Aang said to Appa. "Appa. Hey, buddy. I'm right here."

"Aang, I don't think he can see us." Phaedrus said as Hoshi got off Appa and said as Saida pet his head. "Sorry, we couldn't find them." Hoshi then walked through Aang and freaked Aang out a little. Hoshi then said to Katara. "We'll give Appa some rest and then we will go back out there with Pyravian and Enoch help."

"I'm joining you." Katara said as they all walked into the village. Aang sighs in frustration and said. "What am I supposed to do? Avatar Roku, how can I talk to you?"

"Uh Aang, is that a spirit dragon?" Phaedrus said as a dragon that was like Phaedrus, but had wings appear and was going right at them. "Yes!" Aang said as he tried to fly away, but his Bending didn't work. Phaedrus then said to Aang. "Sorry Aang, but you can't Bend or Brawl if you are in a crossroad or use it to travel to the other two worlds."

"Now you tell me." Aang said as the dragon landed next to them. "You don't know where Sokka is, do you?" Aang said to the dragon. The dragon didn't respond, just touched their heads with its mustache. Aang and Phaedrus were worried until they both saw an image of Avatar Roku riding the same dragon. Aang then said to the dragon. "You're Avatar Roku's animale guide."

"Is that what Appa is to you?" Phaedrus said and Aang nodded yes to her. He then turned to the dragon and said. "I need to save my friend, and I don't know how. Is there some way for me to talk to Roku?" The dragon then got down and Phaedrus said. "I think he is going to take you to Roku."

"Ok." Aang said as they got on the dragon. "Let's hope this trip will be quick!" Phaedrus said to Aang as the dragon flew very, very fast. The path the dragon took them right over the Earthbender that had Iroh. But only Iroh saw the dragon and it surprised him. The commander then said to Iroh. "What's the problem?"

"Nothing. Actually, there is a bit of a problem. My old joints are feeling sore and achy, and these shackles are too loose."

"Too loose?"

"That's right the cuffs are loose, and they jangle around and bump my wrists. It would help me if you would tighten them."

"Very well. Corporal, tighten the prisoner's handcuffs." The commander said as they all stopped and let the corporal do what he was ordered to do. But before the corporal touched the cuffs, Iroh used his Firebending to heat it up. The corporal touched it and Iroh sandwich his hand and the cuff with the corporal's hand. The corporal screamed in pain as his hand was burnt, and got off the mount, jumped into the air and released a fireball from his feet. Scaring the mount and while the Earthbender were trying to calm them down. Iroh rolled down a hill and the commander saw Iroh leaving. Back with Aang and Phaedrus. The dragon was taking them to a crescent shaped island in the Fire Nation. Only one thing was on that island, and that was a very old temple. The dragon entered the temple and inside the temple was just stairs and a roof. The dragon then was heading right from the roof and went through it. Aang and Phaedrus were then in a room that had a statue of Avatar Roku surrounded by flames. Aang got off of the dragon and said as they got closer to the statue. "I don't understand. This is just a statue of Roku." The dragon then gave them an image of a comet. Aang then said to the dragon. "Is that what Roku wants to talk to me about? A comet?"

"Why does he want to talk to you about a comet?" Phaedrus said to Aang and Aang said to them. "I don't know, but when can I talk to him?" The dragon then lowered his head and a red light almost hit Roku's statue. Then the dragon gave them another image of what the light was and Aang said. "It's a calendar, and the light will reach Roku on the solstice. So that's when I'll be able to speak to Roku?" The dragon nodded yes and Phaedrus said to Aang. "Looks like you will finally meet Avatar Roku."

"But I can't wait that long. I need to save Sokka now!" Aang said and the dragon understood. He then took Aang and Phaedrus to the answer they needed to save Sokka and the other villagers. Back with Iroh, he was still rolling down the hill, but the commander Earthbend a small avalanche that trapped Iroh. The Earthbenders had then gotten their mounts under control and the commander plus two others went down to Iroh. One of them then said to the commander. "He is too dangerous, captain. We can't just carry him to the capital. We have to do something now."

"I agree. He must be dealt with immediately and severely." The commander said not realizing that this was all going towards Iroh's strategy. In the air, Hoshi was flying Appa with Katara looking in the stadle. Soon they ran into Saida, Pyravian, Miguel and Eenoch. Hoshi then said to them. "Any luck guys?"

"We got nothing." Saida said before Miguel said. "Same, but it's weird."

"What's weird?" Katara said before Miguel said. "I mean, we should see Phaedrus in the air. Bakugan are big after all."

"True, but we are out of time. It's almost sunset. We need to head back to the village and get ready for round two with Hei Bai. On the ground, Ryerazu was hiding from Hoshi and the others. "I wonder what the Avatar is doing?" Zuko said as he and Alex got off Ryerazu. Alex then said to Zuko. "Looks like he's searching for someone. That means they must have a base nearby."

"Then I'll go check it out, you two go find Iroh." Ryerazu said as he started to walk towards the direction Appa, Pyravian, and Eenoch were flying. Alex stopped him and said. "Are you sure this is about this?"

"Yes. You need the Avatar and your master needs you two. So I'll join you guy after I find their base." Ryerazu said as he left them and went in the direction of Appa and the others. Zuko then said to Alex. "Let's get moving."

"Ok." Alex said as they went back on the Earthbenders trail. Back with Aang and Phaedrus, the dragon had returned them to their bodies, which were meditating on top of a bear statue, by running into them. "That was fun, but why does this statue have a spiritual connotation?" Phaedrus said they got off the statue. Aang looked at it and saw small bears bowing around the statue. Aang got an idea and told Phaedrus as they flew back to the village. At the village, everyone was getting ready for Hei Bai when Aang and Phaedrus returned. "You're back!" Katara said as she ran towards them and gave them a hug. She then broke the hug and said. "Where's Sokka?"

"I'm not sure." Aang said before the others joined them. Back with Iroh, he was in a hole along with all of the Earthbenders. The commander said as Iroh's hand and feet were bound to a rock. "These dangerous hands and feet must be crushed." The commander then Earthbend two giant boulders and was going to crash Iroh's hand and feet, but before the boulders could do their job. Zuko and Alex kicked them out of the way and then destroyed the weak link of the chain with a chop kick, freeing Iroh. "Excellent form, my students."

"You taught us well." Alex said as they got ready for a fight. The commander then said to them. "Surrender yourselves. It's 7 against 3. You're clearly outnumbered."

"Un, that's true, but you are clearly outmatched." Iroh said as the Earthbenders attacked. Iroh used the remains of his chains to block the attacks. Zuko then fired fire from his hand and feet, defeating two of them. Alex did a tornado fire kick defeating another two. And Iroh used the chain to cause one of the Earthbender attacks back on two of them, leaving only the commander. But as the commander attacked Zuko and Alex, Ryerazu returned and kicked the commander into the wall. Alex then said to Ryerazu. "So anything new?"

"Yes. I found the village they are staying at."

"Then let's move." Zuko said before Ryerazu stopped him Zuko looked at Ryerazu and yelled. "What do you think you are doing?!"

"I am not taking you to the village, until Iroh puts some clothes on." Ryerazu said, pointing at Iroh. Zuko and Alex agreed and they started looking for the Iroh clothes the Earthbenders took. Back at the village, Aang convinces Hoshi to do the plan he and Phaedrus had. So the only Aang and Phaedrus, who was in her normal form, were out of city hall. When Hei Bai didn't appear. Aang thought he wasn't going to show up, but Hei Bai appear as he destroyed another building. Aang and Phaedrus stood their ground and Katara said, fear of losing him too. "Aang! What are you doing?! Run!"

"Katara, you're going to attract Hei Bai." Hoshi said and was right. Hei Bai then charged at city hall. Phaedrus stopped him and Aang jumped up to his head. When Aang touched it, he saw a panda bear and he was right. "Phaedrus let him go." Aang said and Phaedrus did let Hei Bai go. Hei Bai looked at Aang and Aang said to Hei Bai. "You're the spirit of this forest. Now I understand. You're upset and angry because your home was burned down. When I saw the forest had burned, I was sad and upset, but my friend gave me hope that the forest will grow back." Aang then showed Hei Bai an acorn. Hei Bai took and his anger was starting to leave him. Phaedrus then said to Hei Bai. "Hei Bai, now that your anger is gone. Can you please return all the people you have taken." Hei Bai didn't say anything, just turned back into a very big panda and walked out of the village. At the entrance, bamboo with mist clouds coming out appeared and then all of the people that Hei Bai captured walked out of the bamboo. As the people from city hall reunited with the people they loved, the mayor said to Aang. "Thank you, Avatar. If only there were a way to repay you for what you've done."

"Actually, we do need some supplies." Saida said and the mayor said. "It would be an honor to help you prepare for your journey." Saida then gave the mayor a list and they started to work on it. Sokka and Katara joined Aang and the others. Katara then said to Aang. "I'm so proud of you, Aang. You figured out what to do all on your own."

"Actually, I did have a little help. And there's something else." Aang said, remembering the comet. Miguel then said to Aang. "And what is that something?"

"I need to talk to Roku, and I think I found a way. To contact his spirit." Aang said and everyone was happy to hear that, even Sokka, who thought it was a little creepy. Saida then said to him. "So how are you going to do it?"

"There's a temple on a crescent-shaped island, and if I go there on the Solstice, I'll be able to speak with him."

"But the Solstice is tomorrow." Katara said before Hoshi said. "No problem if we leave now and don't stop."

"But there is one more thing." Phaedrus said before Aang said. "The island is in the Fire Nation."

"And that is a problem." Miguel said not knowing that it was going to be worse than what they were thinking.