Avatar: The Last Airbender and all associated characters are owned by Paramount Global. Godzilla and all associated characters are owned by Toho Studios. Please support the official release.
In honor of Kenpachiro Satsuma, suit actor for Godzilla in the Hesei series who passed away yesterday.
Outside of Yu Dao
Fire Lord Zuko felt the rays of the setting sun fill his body with strength and the winds of the skies blowing through his hair. Down below, the land descended into a gentle shoreline covered by a battalion of light tanks and artillery. Beyond the beach were the gentle dark waters of the ocean, concealing all that dwelled within.
The setting sun cast its light upon this ocean, the shining glare dancing upon the surface. Now the stage was set, and his destiny would soon be upon him.
Funny. Zuko thought fate would've been kind to him once he had defeated his crazy sister and ascended the throne, thus ending the war. Yet he'd faced setback after setback on the road to peace. Now the only thing that could bring an end to things was one more display of violence. The irony wasn't lost on him.
He kept the mask of regality on, but inwardly he was trembling. Wasn't he supposed to be different? To be better than his father? Then why did he just brush off his friends and muster a whole army here today?
It was because of that monster, he told himself. If everyone just stopped being so difficult, he wouldn't have had to do this. But his hand had been forced once more. First with Azula. Now Godzilla. Fine. Did they intend to push him to this? They were going to see he wouldn't let his throne and destiny slip away from him.
"Sujo," he asked the guard standing behind him on the bow of his ship. "You think this battle will bring about peace in this land?"
The royal guard turned and looked at the rest of the forward airships beside Zuko's flagship, waiting for the scouts to appear. "With you at the helm, I can't doubt it. We just need to see this through, Fire Lord."
"Good. Hope you're looking forward to returning home a hero." Zuko let himself smile a bit. It wouldn't be fitting for the new era if every one of his soldiers couldn't share in the glory.
His smile fell back into the stern mask as the scout ships came into view out of the glare of the shining sea. Everyone held their breath, to keep the simmering flames at the ready. As the airships approached, the Fire Lord let himself gaze down to the dark waters below, ready for any sort of disturbance on the surface.
He wasn't disappointed. A gigantic swell disgorged itself from the surface, charging straight for the shore at surprising speed. As it traveled, a row of what looked to be massive spines sliced through the waters. Zuko had to do a double take, making sure an island wasn't rising from the sea to collide with the mainland.
"Everyone hold their fire until it lands!" He ordered, hearing as his words were carried down the ship by his crew. No doubt they reached the comms man where they would be relayed to the rest of the advance group through radio. To ensure the message got across, firebenders at each side of the airship signaled to their counterparts on the other ships beside them. They, in turn, would signal the others both aside and below. In no time, everyone knew the Fire Lord's had commanded them to hold their ground and wait for it to get into range.
Something that became rather difficult to do when the spines rose from the sea, unveiling a massive form that almost blocked out the setting sun. Godzilla snarled, its tail thrashing behind it as it marched to shore.
Zuko held his face, even as he could feel his men begin to sweat a bit and their fires waver. Truth be to Agni, he was just as intimidated. It was massive. No words could've done it justice. The only thing he could find comparable was if the manifestation of La was encased in layers of scarred, charcoal scales and muscle.
Yet it was no La. It was of flesh and bone. That meant it could be killed. Zuko breathed deeply, feeling the gift of the dragons flow through his veins. He took down Azula. Put her in her place. If he could do that, then this monster would be put down as well.
He held his breath, watching as the monster stomped its way onto shore. Each step created craters in the sand with an impact as loud as an exploding bomb. It came to a halt, lifting its saurian head to glare directly at the Fire Lord standing at the end of the bow. Those reptilian eyes sized him up, waiting for Zuko to make the first move.
The young monarch wouldn't disappoint him. From his mouth, Zuko shouted and let out a massive burst of fire burst from his mouth. It was a technique that Iroh taught him. Dragon Breath. Said to be taught by Ran and Shaw themselves. A pure sign of how far he had come.
Zuko snorted the last of his breath through his nose, his eyes glaring right back at the monster.
Godzilla just stood there for a moment. Its face was unreadable for the briefest of moments. Then it twisted into an image of unbridled fury before a great roar erupted from its maw.
In the distance, Azula, Kori, Maina, and Team Avatar stood with the rest of the generals at the scene. The princess's heart nearly leaped into her throat seeing the great beast rise from the sea, staring her brother down.
"That's Godzilla?!" Kori exclaimed. "He's…a lot bigger than I imagined."
"Yeah. We thought the same thing when we first saw him," Sokka mused.
Then Zuko breathed a massive burst of fire from his mouth, eliciting a wave of awe and admiration from the generals and the troops defending the camp. She could almost feel Iroh beam with pride, seeing the same technique he used against her so grandly performed by his favored child.
"Oh no…"
Maina on the other hand seemed to be filled with dread. Enough to catch Azula's attention. "Maina. What's going on?"
The priestess turned with a practically drained face. "I know that technique. You can only learn that from dragons. And the only way to do that is…"
"...kill them…"
Azula looked in the distance with both fury and fear. Fury for learning that somehow, a dragon had survived the hunts. And Zuko…he slaughtered it just so he could gain its power to overcome her. She couldn't believe it. For his talk of honor, to think he'd sink so low to do something that unspeakably horrible. How much is your grudge worth, brother? she snarled silently.
Her fury though was replaced with fear at what she knew was coming. Something that was confirmed as Godzilla roared with undiluted rage. Even far away, she could feel its impact. What's more, this roar was deeper and fuller than any she had heard before.
Now everything made sense to her. Whether consciously or not, Zuko just declared he was a slayer of dragons.
To the last of their kind.
…her brother had just made himself a dead man walking.
Zuko broke his composure and had to cover his ears from the sheer force of the roar. His guards had even less grit and crouched in some vain attempt to block it out. Any fire that his soldiers had conjured was blown into the winds from their loss of focus, silenced by the sheer fury the monster had brought to bear.
And what a fury it was. The noise was indescribable and overpowering. It was a rage that seemed to drag itself out of the primordial abyss to show the entire world what the meaning of anger was. Anger was something Zuko understood deeply. He'd known it all his life. How all-consuming it was, twisting the soul into something it wasn't. If somebody were to ask him, the roar was both horrifying and distressingly familiar.
The roar seemed to last forever before it finally petered out. Replaced by earth-shattering stomps booming from Godzilla's enraged charge.
It certainly moved faster than what a beast of its size seemed capable of, but its charge was something Zuko counted on. "NOW!" he ordered, though it wasn't necessary as his men fired away. The forward cannons on his ships thundered to life, throwing bombs into the air. They were joined from below by the booming report of his artillery. A brilliant storm of explosive might all come crashing into the charging beast.
Godzilla, though, merely snarled as the projectiles exploded harmlessly against its hide. They only seemed to make it angrier, prompting it to charge faster towards the lines. Which was the whole point. As the missile launchers fell silent, they pulled back to let their tank counterparts behind them unleash their payload into the charging beast. The light tanks in turn would pull back once they fired, allowing their tanks to cover their retreat now that they have reloaded. All the while, the airships from above covered their retreat with cannon fire.
A line would fire, then retreat so the next line could cover them. They in turn would cover the ones in front once they reloaded. Given the light composition of their build, they were able to outpace the monster while still keeping in range. Zuko kept his composure, but inwardly he smiled. The plan was working, drawing Godzilla further onto land and to the edge of the ash field. He could see the bulk of his forces coming up on them, the trap about to close.
Of course, the risk of his forces being overrun increased the angrier the giant became. And it was indeed becoming angrier and angrier. Godzilla snarled, quickening its pace. The Fire Lord's eyes widened as he realized that his forward lines were suddenly in serious danger of that thing crushing its way right through him.
He wouldn't allow it. "Bring us close to its face to give it something to chase!" he ordered.
Sujo seemed to pause for a minute. "But my lord. That would bring us-"
"I'm not going to let men needlessly die on my watch. Do you understand?"
Zuko's steely voice snapped his bodyguard to action, spurring him to bark the orders to the rest of the ship. Before long, the airship lost altitude and began a countercharge right at the raging Godzilla.
Not a moment too soon either. Its gargantuan head seemed right in front of Zuko as those maws opened up, about to bear down on a retreating tank.
The Fire Lord thrust out his fist and unleashed a fire bomb right into the open maw of the beast. It wasn't anything like Ozai could've unleashed during Sozin's Comet, but it certainly got the job done. His bomb exploded right in the mouth of Godzilla, causing it to lean back up and flinch from the impact.
So it had a weak point after all. "Aim for the eyes and mouth and pull us back!" Zuko ordered, bending another fire bomb into the monster's open mouth. The cannons on his airship fired away at its head, and for once, the assault seemed to work. Godzilla slowed down its pace, growling at the defiant airship. Let's give you something a little faster to chase, Zuko taunted internally.
Back the airship pulled, but not too far away to lose Godzilla's interest. Soon they found themselves hovering over the ash fields where the main attack was to take place. It was working. Everything was falling into place!
Naturally, Godzilla decided that, at that moment, it didn't want to get blasted in the face by fire anymore. It lunged forward through the smoke, its mouth wide open to devour Zuko. He felt his skin crawl as its hot breath washed over him.
A crescendo of renewed fire smashed into the monster's face from below, lines of heavy tanks and artillery pieces unloading into Godzilla's eyes and mouth.
Godzilla bellowed with fury but was stopped entirely by all the fire directed at its face. With its head lowered trying to take down this airship, it left itself vulnerable to the full fury of a Fire Nation assault. The air reverberated as salvo after salvo slammed into the great dragon's head.
Zuko's airship decided not to take any more chances as it ascended from the assault to join the gathering airships up above.
But before it could do so, Godzilla lunged through the smoke, attempting to devour the Fire Lord one last time. Zuko just let forth another fire bomb into the monster's maw, causing it to flinch for just a second.
That second was all they needed before the ships above unleashed their payload of bombs, all dropping onto Godzilla's head and into his gaping jaws.
For the first time, the monster cried out in surprise, and was forced down from the assault. Zuko's ship took a position with the others as it too opened the bomb doors and unleashed its payload on Godzilla. With their fellow airships and comrades below, it was a thunderous display of pure might.
Zuko let himself smirk, confidence filling his heart. The plan worked. He knew that anger was could be power, but could also be a weakness that blinded one to danger. His sister had been consumed by it, and he had overcame it. Now he would do so again. Sure this beast was tough, but it was predictable.
And now it was being consumed in a hailstorm of fire and smoke.
It almost seemed to last forever, that assault. Eventually, though, Godzilla slowed to a halt, lowering its head and leaning down. The assault petered out, noticing its sluggish movements. A single question rippled through the assembled forces. Was it enough? They had brought more ammo to spare, but…had they inflicted a mortal wound?
"Bring us down close," Zuko ordered. Filled with bravado due to the display, the crew obliged. It seemed sensible enough. Somebody had to go down there and make sure it was hurt. And it didn't seem to be moving as much, so they could easily pull back up out of reach. If it were truly at death's door, Zuko had one last fire bomb to put it down.
They descended into the smoke, getting closer to its head. Zuko could feel it in his bones. The end was near. One last effort, and he'd have done it. He would've proved it to everyone. His destiny was the throne. The crown deserved to be on his head, and he'd done something no one else had done. Brought low a monster that threatened his people. This would be a story they would tell for generations.
…Too late, he saw the tail rising through the smoke.
And the blue light climbing up the spines from the tip of the tail.
It was an all too familiar blue, causing dread to creep up Zuko's spine. That dread only intensified as the light continued to travel up the jagged spines, and as the monster rose. Godzilla snorted in contempt, blowing the ash off his face. He then opened his maw and took a breath, sucking the ash and air in.
His maw opened, giving Zuko a good look into the deep throat, and the blue light traveling up it. The airship tried to pull back, but it was too late.
All this happened in a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity to Zuko. Enough for the realization to sink in that he just doomed them all.
And then, in a split second…the whole world went blue.
A great, thunderous burst of flame erupted from Godzilla's maw and smashed into the balloon of the airship. The fire caused the compressed air to explode, incinerating anyone who was standing anywhere nearby.
Zuko just stood there, taking it in. He felt the airship tilt down to the earth…
And he saw the great clawed hand rise from the smoke.
In an instant, he felt a shove behind him, and he was pushed into the air. The Fire Lord felt himself plummet, causing instinct to kick in as he desperately brought fire to his hands and feet in an attempt to slow himself down.
What little focus he had shattered when Godzilla clawed off the bow of the ship and smashed its other hand into the vessel. Another explosion occurred as it ruptured the fuel line, the impact of the force smashing into Zuko and cutting off his fire.
The last thing he saw before he hit the ground and blacked out was his flagship in flames. Admittedly, Zuko should've counted himself lucky. He managed to slow his descent to a point where he was certainly bruised and banged up, but still alive. Being clad in the armor of the Fire Lord certainly helped.
That's not what the rest of the army saw. They saw the flagship of the Fire Lord, Chosen of Agni Herself, be consumed by an azure inferno. They didn't see Zuko fall. Only what little of the ship that crashed into the earth could be seen.
And amidst the fiery wreckage, stood a mad god with its spines glowing blue once more.
Nobody said a word as they watched the airship go down. Who could? It all happened so fast that it took a moment to register what had happened.
Azula fell to her knees, seeing her brother being batted aside. This was something that…she'd be the first to admit, had wanted to see for a long time. Finally. After lording over her for so long, after shoving her into that asylum, after causing her so much pain, finally, he had that self-righteous attitude blow up in his face. Good. If he was still alive, he could watch as he saw everything taken from him. Just like he did to her, he'd see how it felt to lose everything. Let HIM know what it's like to be on the wrong side of fate.
…yet…she couldn't believe it. Her brother…just like that? She hadn't expected much, but still, she figured if anyone could go down swinging…
All around, she felt the same story play on everyone's faces. Iroh fell to his knees, barely keeping his tears in. She felt like shooting some snide remark about how he got another son killed but…she just didn't have the energy. Sweet Agni, what this was going to do to Mai when she found out. And the Avatar and his friends…she couldn't bear to look them in the eye.
That was one thing she felt. The other was astonishment at what she had seen. She heard the stories but...blue fire.
Godzilla breathed blue fire. Just like her. And the sheer power. She almost felt the need to look up into the sky to see if Sozin's Comet had made some miraculous return. What's more, she felt that fire. In some ways, it felt so familiar. Maybe the power behind it made it easier to read even from a distance.
The pain and anger that fueled it she knew deep in her bones.
…then she realized that the dorsal spines did not dim. For its rampage was not done.
In the distance, the army pulled back, their morale broken seeing their Fire Lord being swatted aside like a toy. Godzilla didn't care. He opened his maw and let out another burst of fire, swinging his head to bring the flames around in an arc, completely melting down everything they touched. Tanks, launchers. Screaming soldiers. As his fire breath passed, it left a wall of intense flame behind. Those vehicles that weren't able to pull out in time were suddenly cut off from their escape route.
Fortunately for them, but unfortunately for the airships above, the monster's attention changed targets. Godzilla's glare fell on them as he let forth another burst of fire. It streaked through the sky, blasting through a good portion of the airships and setting them ablaze. The crew didn't even have time to scream before a fiery inferno consumed them. What few airships were left began to rapidly pull back.
Azula could feel the fire change and become more focused and more precise. It wasn't quite as precise as, but it amazed her how the dragon could shift its fire to such a degree.
Beyond the flames, she could see the escaping tanks and launchers heading for the hills, wanting to be anywhere except in this nightmare. Godzilla just snorted, breathing deep and flexing his claws. On his back, the blue light reached an apex before he let forth one more stream of blue fire.
This concentrated blast carved its way through the flames and impacted the earth, pulverizing whatever it struck.
Then in the blink of an eye, the fires exploded, consuming everything that was within the blast radius.
It was so bright that everyone had to cove their eyes. Whoever was left standing was forced to their knees by the sheer kinetic force of the explosion. Even from this distance, everyone felt its weight.
Nervously, Azula lowered her hands.
The ash fields were the scene of an apocalypse. Wrecks of Fire Nation machinery were everywhere. Fires raged over the battlefield, the ashes being brought back to life. In the middle of it all was a huge mushroom cloud, reaching the heavens above.
Godzilla observed the ascending monument to his power and roared in fury. The blue light in his dorsal spines was gone, but his anger remained. It was as if he were declaring war against the heavens themselves.
For now, he had to settle for the survivors. Tanks, launchers, and men scrambled for whatever cover they could. His teeth barred, the monster lunged forward and charged into the chaos, crushing anyone in his path with foot and tail. Azula could only watch the shattering of the image of the indomitable Fire Nation. Brave warriors destined to rule the world, now reduced to ants to be crushed.
…she couldn't take it anymore.
Azula rushed forward, scrambling down the hillside and ignoring Maina's and Kori's pleas to stop. All her focus was on the burning remains of the airship. She made every effort to keep her eyes on that wreckage. Not the corpses or charred vehicles she rushed by. The air was filled with smoke and ash, forcing her to hold her breath when she plunged through especially bad patches.
In the distance, she saw the huge ghostly image of the kaiju rampaging and destroying his way through the remnants. Despite the heat, she felt herself go cold when she realized that Yu Dao would be next. There was no way a rage that burned this fiercely would be smothered by the ruins of an army.
The only thing she could do was push forward through a cloud of smoke and emerge in front of what remained of the burning airship. A small crater had formed around it where it impacted, the rim funneling the worst of the choking fumes up into the air.
Laying there unconscious,a short distance from the crater was Zuko, amidst a cloud of smoke and ash.
But closer to her was the glimmering shine of the crown.
The Princess felt her heart seize up. This was what she had been waiting for. Zuko had humiliated himself in front of his generals and the world. There would be a fallout from this. No doubt his enemies would be salivating to carve out pieces of his empire. The Fire Nation was…it was doomed.
…but not with her in charge.
Azula reached out for the crown. She could fix things. She'd draw a line in the sand. Build up the armed forces. Make another bid for the colonies so they would have a beachhead to restart-
She hesitated.
Finally, she saw the carnage around her. The bodies. The wreckage. She wondered how many voices were filling the air with their screams. It wasn't like she could hear them from the hill overlooking the fields. Was this a scene that was common during the war?
How many soldiers screamed for their lives? How many men returned crippled only to be discarded like her? How many had their lives and selves shattered by the true horror of war?
…she lowered her hand and turned towards Zuko. Away from the crown. She didn't know why, but her stomach churned at the idea of wearing it at the moment. Perhaps the odds were too high with the Avatar against her. Maybe what they needed was a leader that wasn't insane.
Maybe…she wasn't worthy of wearing it.
Yet. Maybe she could let Zuko wear it and humiliate himself more so that when she could make a play, her country would welcome her back with open arms. That's what she told herself at least.
First things first was dragging Zuko away from the choking air next to the airship. She held her breath and heaved, only to realize he was too heavy to drag. Bending down, Azula unhooked and discarded his Fire Lord armor and robes, leaving his simple tunic and robes underneath. That cape of his was so ragged that it practically burned away in the wind when she undid it.
Now that her brother wasn't buried under layer upon layer of armor and robes, Azula picked up his arms and dragged him back. Her back was still strained, but at least she could move him. Honestly, she hoped he'd appreciate the thing she was doing for him.
Once she had managed to get him out of the cloud of ash, Azula let out a gasp, her lungs breathing in clean air. She fell back from the effort, landing on her elbows on the charred ground. Her breath hacked and wheezed, trying to get itself clear of obstruction.
It wasn't long before her struggle for air roused her brother from his comatose state. Wearily he raised his head and coughed a little himself. Zuko looked up in astonishment at Azula, and the two siblings just sat there and stared. Neither knew what to say.
Suddenly Azula's eyes fell upon the crown which was about a foot away from her hand.
Oh no.
"Zuko! Wait it's not what you-"
She got cut off by a fist to the face and a kick to the gut. Instinct kicked in as she rolled with the blows, lashing out with her foot and knocking Zuko off his feet. Weakly she pulled herself up, feeling the agony of being out of shape and the smoke inhalation sapping her strength. Zuko on the other hand, while a bit bloodied from his fall, took a firebending stance in perfect poise.
"I don't believe it. Of all the things you've done to me, this is right on top of the list!"
"I WAS TRYING TO SAVE YOU-
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!"
Zuko lashed out with his fist and summoned a massive fireball to hurl at her. Azula hurriedly batted it aside and snap-fired a weak burst of blue fire from her palm right at her brother's feet. The Fire Lord just leaped forward and swung both of his arms in an arc, sending two blades of fire that ripped Azula's apart and sent her crashing into the ash.
He snarled as he brought forth more fire, the rage inside of his heart taking hold of his mind. So much so that it forgot something important.
That something turned from its rampage to look behind it at the dueling siblings.
Godzilla first sensed the usage of blue fire, something so rare that its mere appearance gave him pause. Enough to turn away from his rampage and gaze at what normally would've been a menial duel between two humans.
He recognized the girl's azure flame even through the smoke and ash. It couldn't possibly be hidden. And he could sense she was desperately trying to fend off an attacker. Her flame was weaker than usual, but he certainly admired an attempt at resistance.
What gave him pause was the other fire.
He knew that style. The Dancing Dragon. The one used by the Fire Lord.
The kin slayer.
Godzilla wheeled around, a growl leaving his maw before charging back the way he came and right at the duel. Luck had saved this spawn of the Fire Nation for just a few more minutes.
He'd ensure that all this murderous princeling had left on this earth was a few minutes.
Azula let out a desperate burst of fire before getting swept off her feet and sent crashing to the ground. Her arms and legs cried out in agony, and her lungs were desperately trying to keep the ash from her mouth. Try as she might, she wasn't in form and this Agni forsaken smoke wasn't helping any.
Still, she woozily got to her knees. "Look, I get you're upset, but you have to believe-"
"NO!"
She felt a rough hand grab her ankle and slam her back to the ground. Hard, which caused the taste of iron to flood her mouth.
"FROM THE DAY YOU WERE BORN, YOU PUT ME THROUGH SO MUCH!"
Before she could even respond, Zuko grabbed her by the collar and practically dragged her to the edge of the crater. She was too dazed from the impact and surprised to put up much resistance.
By the time her vision came back, she saw the glaring eyes of her brother trying to roast her alive with the power of the very sun itself.
"WHY, AZULA?! WHY DOES OUR RELATIONSHIP HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS?!"
Azula would've responded…if she hadn't noticed the flames licking at her feet. She then made the mistake of looking down and seeing the burning wreckage of the airship below.
Zuko was dangling her over a pile of burning wreckage.
"I…"
"What? No taunts now?! Well, guess what? Your little gambit failed. I'm still alive. And you know what?"
His free hand curled into a fist and brought forth fire dangerously close to her face.
"I'm going to do what I should've done back during Sozin's Comet."
Her eyes went wide. He…he was really going to do it.
And that face, so twisted with rage…
"...I'm…I'm so sorry Father…"
…her words caused Zuko's face to soften and his fist to unclench. The fire burning behind his eyes dimmed, causing him to see what he was doing.
"Azula…I…"
He was interrupted by the sounds of a massive foot smashing into what remained of the airship, knocking Zuko off his feet from the tremors and dropping Azula straight to the ground.
Both siblings looked up, hearing the growling of the titan high above. Godzilla leaned dangerously down, never taking his attention off the Fire Lord. Zuko felt himself go pale. Azula just lay there, looking into the blazing eyes of hatred.
Without thinking, Zuko let forth a fire bomb from his arm to smash uselessly into Godzilla's snout. Azula proceeded to grimace and cover her ears, practically seeing what was coming next.
Whatever composure the monster had was lost with that futile fireball. Godzilla roared with fury at the young monarch before bringing his fist down. Zuko quickly got out of the way of the incoming hand, but not without tumbling to the earth from the very impact. Instinct forced him back up to his feet in a roll, forcing him to gaze into those enraged eyes. All pretense of bravery was finally set aside for self-preservation, causing him to sprint away from the titan to get some breathing room.
Godzilla snarled as he stomped past Azula in pursuit. The Princess dove for cover, getting behind a tank as the massive tail dragged along the ground and kicking up a cloud of cinders. She began to hyperventilate, hoping beyond hope that she wouldn't hear those steps turn around.
Zuko on the other hand wasn't so lucky. He turned back to fire off a series of flame bursts, all of which were about as useful as one could've expected when taking on a giant monster one-on-one. Godzilla roared as he brought his foot down, causing the earth to crack under his stomp and practically causing a mini-earthquake that forced the Fire Lord from his feet. His fury refusing to let up, he swung his hand and dragged his claws through the earth.
Panic strained Zuko's legs as he got himself up and ran for his life. He didn't turn back. The awful sound of massive talons scraping the earth coming ever closer was enough to keep him moving just ahead of death. When he heard the claws being lifted, he ground to a halt and got back into a firebending position. If he was going to die, he was going to go out swinging.
He almost never got the chance when he saw the massive tail being lifted from the ash and hanging precariously over his head.
Zuko dove to the side, just barely avoiding being crushed by the several metric ton appendage. Before he could even entertain getting himself up though, the tail swept his direction and kicked up a huge wave of cinders and dirt. He didn't even need to get hit, the wave just flung him through the air.
Godzilla had turned by the time the Fire Lord landed in an unceremonious heap. The kaiju loomed over the downed monarch, snarling in sheer hatred.
Suddenly, Zuko pushed himself up from the dirt and raced right towards the titan. If there was one thing that Uncle taught him, it was never to go down without a fight.
And he wouldn't. Not when he slammed fireball after fireball into the foot of the beast. He poured everything he had. Passion. His drive. Knowing that to sit on the throne and to wear the crown was his destiny. Fury that this thing would stand in his way.
He was taught by the masters of Firebending. He was destined to bring about a new age for the Fire Nation. Nothing had stopped him so far. And he wasn't going to let this abomination decide when and where he was going to die.
…Still, his flames began to peter out when he saw that all his assault was lashing aimlessly against the dark hide.
Zuko snarled, yelling as he threw flame after flame, yet each result was the same. He got even more desperate when he felt his fire begin to peter out. No. This couldn't be right! He was better than this! He'd changed! Why was his fire dying?!
His ragged breathing told him the answer. Exhaustion and fatigue finally forced him to stumble back. He tried desperately to regain his focus, but the lack of any damage caused his vision to blur and his breath to catch. It didn't help that the air wasn't exactly getting better in all of the inferno.
The Fire Lord looked up. Godzilla had been staring at him throughout his assault, not even moving.
Something snapped as Zuko roared, a brilliant burst of fire coming from his mouth.
Godzilla just roared back, the very air his bellow forced out extinguishing the paltry fire and slamming Zuko into the ground.
For a moment…Zuko just lay there. He urged his muscles to drag himself up, but…he just couldn't do it.
It was then he began to notice himself. His royal robes were completely covered in soot and ash. The armor and cape that identified him as Fire Lord was gone. The crown? Gone. He looked and felt as though he were back in the Earth Kingdom begging for food.
And he just noticed all the carnage around him. The burning wrecks and bodies…
They'd followed him.
His plan.
He looked on the ridge where he knew his Uncle, his generals, and his friends were watching. Somewhere, he knew his sister was watching. Not that he could do much given the bridge he had just razed to the ground. Zuko…just let out a sigh of defeat, knowing he had let everyone down.
All that honor he wanted so badly was gone. This was his humiliation.
Zuko just stared lifelessly as Godzilla reared back up, the blue light dancing upon his dorsal spines and his maw beginning to spew fire once more. At this point, death would've been a mercy.
Just as Godzilla was about to fire, a gigantic boulder the size of a mountain peak slammed into his face with a loud crack.
The boulder shattered into a thousand pieces upon smashing against the great beast. For the first time since landing, Godzilla stumbled to the side from the force that was literally hurled at him. He shook his head and forced the fire down to face the interloper who wanted the upstart monarch to live just a bit longer.
Said interloper slammed into his chest, bringing with him the four elements and all the power of the Avatar State had to bear. Comparatively, Aang was still tiny compared to the kaiju. Yet his eyes glowed with an ancient power passed down from generation to generation, and the elements swirled around him at his command. He forced the massive reptile back through the sheer power he had at his disposal, the elements pushing Godzilla away from Zuko step by step.
Naturally moving a twenty thousand ton monster was not an easy feat. Godzilla managed to regain his stability after just a few steps, but the intent was clear. Aang rose in the air to meetthose raging eyes face to face. His glider hung over his shoulder, not needed as the air lifted him higher and higher. Godzilla hinged his dislocated jaw back into place, a bloody tooth falling from his mouth.
Yet for a moment…he hesitated. Monster and Avatar just stared at one another, neither giving an inch. Down below, Zuko took the chance and scrambled as far away as he could. He had his shot. Now it was time for the savior of the world to try.
"Godzilla," Aang spoke with the voice of his past lives. "You have just slaughtered thousands and now threaten the people of Yu Dao. Stand down and return to the sea, or I'll have no choice but to put you down."
Up on the ridge, Sokka was cheering and hollering at the sight of his friend tapping into the power that ended the war.
"WOOOOO! GO AANG! SHOW THAT LIZARD YOU MEAN BUSINESS!"
Nobody wanted to stop him. Honestly after all the carnage, they needed some kind of stress relief.
"What do you think, Maina? Think the Avatar State will be enough to get him to stand down?" Katara asked. The priestess seemed to know more about Godzilla than anyone here. Certainly knew the danger far before any of them did. Now if it were up to Katara, she had no doubts. Time and again, Aang had come through for the world. She'd seen him calm down rampaging spirits and use his power to humble entire armies. Surely that would be enough.
"...I don't think so," Maina nervously said. "The legends said once Godzilla gets worked up…"
The kaiju took the words out of her mouth, his glower easily visible from a distance. He turned to face the Avatar at his full height and slammed his tail on the ground. A great roar erupted from his maw as his claws flexed out, issuing the challenge.
"...it's nearly impossible to take him down."
"So be it."
Aang rocketed through the air towards the kaiju, his natural element propelling him at breakneck speed. Godzilla lashed out his claws, but the airbender saw it coming a mile away. He dodged nimbly to the side and slashed at the outreached arm with a blade of air. The sharpened air did little aside from kicking up a layer of ash that settled on Godzilla's limb, but it certainly got his attention.
The great tail swung around to crush the irritant. Speed and maneuverability were second nature to the monk, letting him easily fly over the incoming mass of flesh. Having cleared the monster's reach, Aang landed on the earth and thrust his fists into the air. In front, he forced another massive boulder from the ground before punching it toward the giant.
Godzilla just slammed his tail into the projectile, not falling for that a second time. Roaring with fury, he stampeded forward with intent to crush the Avatar beneath his bulk. Aang, though, just stamped the ground and created great spears of jagged stone to get in the kaiju's way. The titan just charged right through them unimpeded.
His rage was so great that he failed to see what Aang's goal was. Adopting a looser stance, Aang summoned up the groundwater flowing deep beneath their feet through one of the cracks created by his earthbending. A tendril of water lashed onto Godzilla's shoulder, causing the kaiju to snarl in annoyance. The Avatar then used the momentary distraction to rocket back up into the earth and glide along the water that he further focused on the shoulder. Flexing his fingers, he froze the water, encasing the area in ice.
He then drew upon the final element. Taking a deep breath, Aang breathed a burst of fire from his mouth and bathed the ice in fire. The rapid exposure to sheer cold immediately followed by sheer heat caused the patch to practically explode with the mixture of elements. Godzilla snarled with pain, reaching over to cover the affected area to prevent any more damage from being done.
Aang strafed the beast, his eyes already on the thrashing tail for another dodge. So much so that he didn't see Godzilla jerk to the side before the mountain of charcoal hide and flesh was impossible to ignore. Stopping in mid-air, the monk created a cushion of air before him and pushed himself off it, rocketing away.
Right into the path of the incoming tail.
His eyes widened as he called upon the earth below, summoning a suit of rock and stone to encase him just as the tail made contact. He covered his body with his arms to absorb the worst, but even then Godzilla's massive appendage smashed his protection apart.
The Avatar saw stars from the force. It was…immeasurable. And he knew it was about to get worse as he saw a blue light beginning to hum to life…
Shaking his head clear, he bent air around his body and controlled his trajectory, flying high into the air. And not a moment before Godzilla unleashed his fiery breath in pursuit. Higher and higher Aang climbed, looking back to make sure the burst of blue flame was right behind him. At the last possible moment, Aang quickly changed direction groundward and slammed himself back onto the earth.
The impact was more than just avoiding the inferno. He forced the earth to come apart and create a massive crack that swallowed Godzilla's foot. Again, he called forth the deep ground waters to submerge the leg, and again he froze the water. The foot was effectively frozen in ice, immobilizing the giant. Godzilla fired out the remainder of his fire breath into the air before he began struggling to free himself.
It would not take long, but Aang would not pass up the opportunity he created for himself. Surrounding himself in a furious, swirling shield of the four elements, Aang charged through the air and slammed into Godzilla's chest. The power of the Avatar was unleashed upon impact, bathing the monster in near hurricane-speed winds, blazing streams of fire, great boulders, and the swirling waters of a tempest.
This time though, Godzilla braced himself and took the attack full force. Aang felt a bead of sweat as he pushed more and more, hoping to take as much energy out of the beast as possible. So focused was he that the great clawed hand came out of nowhere. His shield of elements protected him from the blow, but he still found himself being thrown to the ground.
Aang cried out as he hit the earth. He felt the air being knocked out of his lungs and his poise shattered. The rest of his senses, though, went into high alert when he heard Godzilla pry his foot free from the trap and raise it precariously over his head.
His sense of duty was overwhelmed by the need to survive. Reaching out to the earth beneath him, he tunneled himself deep below and brought together the rocks above him to create a massive shield. By all accounts, it should've been impenetrable. Such a defense from the Avatar State should've been enough to stop any assault.
Godzilla stomped on the earth and nearly shattered through the shield in a single blow.
The Avatar paused with fear at being buried under who knew how many tons of earth. He could feel the impact nearly crush his barrier and bring his defense crashing down on top of him. One more stomp and…
On the surface, Godzilla lifted his foot one more time…
Azula dragged herself across the ruined battlefield. She saw the shattered earth, the chunks of ice, and the burning fires. A wind had swept up, carrying embers and soot through the air. Admittedly the air quality had improved marginally. Which meant she could catch her breath for once.
She didn't know where Zuko was, and right now she didn't care. Azula just watched the titans clash. The Princess had heard stories of the power of the Avatar. Everyone had after the Siege of the North. Seeing it unfold was another experience. Watching him hurl the elements around like they were toys. It made her feel…small. Very small. And people wondered why she shot the so-called "Savior of the World" in the back when he was fully capable and willing to do this sort of damage.
For all practical purposes, the Avatar was an equal to the kaiju. Two forces of nature vying for supremacy.
Ultimately though it was the larger one that took the advantage. She watched as Godzilla pummeled the Avatar into the earth, crushing the rocky shield under his full weight. Seeing such a display was both gratifying and terrifying. Gratifying to see the Avatar get a taste of his own medicine. Terrifying in that she wouldn't wish for even her worst enemy to be thrown in the path of such a beast.
Azula felt the carnage surround her. If the Avatar died…this wasn't going to stop. The monster's rage would consume Yu Dao, and her nation would send army after army against it. Didn't matter who led them, the result would be the same. And every time, Godzilla's rage would increase, before it consumed all in his path.
Before her, she was looking at the doom of the Fire Nation. A nightmare of their own making. What the Avatar had failed to do, Godzilla would finish.
…and she couldn't let that happen.
Her purpose clear, she brought her mind into an almost surreal state of peace. She tore apart the positive and negative energies in herself before bringing lightning to her fingertips. Her body fell into the motions, letting the lightning discharge and snake through the air, striking the dorsal spines just as Godzilla was about to bring his foot down on the stricken Avatar.
As before, the impact was small against such a mountain. In his enraged state though, Godzilla did pause for a moment, bringing his foot down away from the battered shield. He turned and glared at Azula.
Tired and bruised, she ran forward and fired a blue burst of flame at the monster's foot. Seeing the fire shared between the two being used against him was the final straw. Godzilla bellowed in rage, smashing his fist onto the ground with all intent to crush the Princess. She dodged to the side, going prone as the cloud of ash washed over her.
Adrenaline forced her back up on her feet and raced her along the ruined earth. Azula leaped in the air and let out a jet of blue fire behind her, grabbing onto one of the kaiju's hand as it was being raised back into the air. She clambered onto the scaly knuckle, pulling herself up to her feet. Godzilla raised his hand to glare at the impudent teen who dared to challenge him.
Azula just glared back, thrusting her fist out and letting out a stream of flame right at the beast.
Godzilla snorted, raising his other hand to crush the Princess.
In the process, once more his attention was diverted. A crack from the earth was all the warning he got before Aang threw another huge boulder at the side of his head. Godzilla roared with surprise, forgetting the girl entirely to deal with the Avatar flying past him. He snapped his jaws in thin air, giving Azula enough time to clamber up the huge arm.
It was an effort climbing a thrashing colossus. Azula latched onto any scale or hold she could get, sometimes rocketing herself higher up. Naturally, Godzilla didn't ignore her for long, reaching over to crush her yet again under his hand. And again, Aang swooped by the monster's leg and slashed at it with flame and air. Godzilla cried out with surprise as he stumbled, before turning back towards the Avatar with fire in both his eyes and jaws. He let forth a burst of blue flame in pursuit, which scorched everything in its path in his mad pursuit of his quarry.
Azula straightened herself out as she jetted the last of the distance to the top of Godzilla's shoulder. As he craned his neck trying to incinerate the Avatar, she ran across the now-horizontal neck.
She stopped right as Godzilla turned to look at her, giving her an opening to stop and split her energies once more. Azula jabbed her fingertips and fired a lightning bolt right into Godzilla's eye. This elicited a shriek of pain as the kaiju reached over and covered his now wounded face.
This gave Azula the time she needed to boost herself the last of the distance and stopping right on top of his snout. Looking around, she saw to her surprise that there were several wounds and burnt patches from Zuko's aerial assault. They didn't look deep, but they were at least openings she could exploit.
The Princess grabbed on for dear life and started pouring as much fire as she could into one of the larger wounds. More and more she poured, doing her best to fry it open and torch the flesh. To her surprise though, it proved to be more difficult than merely trying to cut through tons of flesh and skin. It almost seemed as if the wounds were repairing themselves, the burns being replaced with scar tissue.
That just caused her to increase her assault, hoping to cause as much pain as possible.
And in that, she succeeded. Godzilla roared in madness as he thrashed around, trying to throw off the painful hitchhiker. As he did, he fired fire breath after fire breath, incinerating everything around him in a blaze Azula could scarcely begin to describe. It didn't seem like he was even aiming at anything anymore. This looked like he wanted to just burn the whole world.
A feeling she recognized all too easily.
The streams of fire breath only ended when, on either side of the beast, huge formations of earth that could best be described as mountains slammed together. Godzilla found himself effectively encased in a stony prison. Looking around madly, he spotted the perpetrator high above in the sky.
On his back, the spines began to glow brightly once more…
Hovering from above, Aang bent the elements around him before firing a huge wave of all the elements heading straight for the imprisoned kaiju. This combined assault, this huge demonstration of what the Avatar was capable of, was the same attack he used in his battle with Ozai. Before, he'd managed to cut it off before it took the Fire Lord's life. This time though…he was going to need all the force he could muster.
Godzilla on the other hand would not sit idle. Taking a deep breath, the monster roared before unleashing his powered-up fiery breath, meeting Aang's assault right in the air.
Upon impact, the kaiju's breath detonated, creating a huge explosion of light. Everyone felt the impact. Azula clung desperately for dear life, trying to avoid being flung off and plummeting to her doom. High above, Aang covered his eyes and felt himself be knocked from the air. Godzilla snarled as he took the attack full on, being bathed in the energy.
For a moment, amidst the chaos…all was still.
High above, Aang plummeted. His thoughts were of Katara and his friends, no doubt looking on in horror at what must've been his doom. He felt the power of the Avatar State fade, the glow from his eyes and arrow dimming.
Looking down though…Aang felt he wouldn't need it.
Reaching around, he grabbed his glider and snapped it open, allowing the wind to gently bring him lower to the earth.
Down below, Godzilla smashed his way through the mountains surrounding him, stumbling out from the confines. The light from his spines faded as he paused, his chest heaving in and out from exhaustion. Azula clambered to a notch right in front of his eye, her energy utterly spent.
Aang glided to land in front of the other eye, taking a moment to catch his breath as well. All three combatants just sat there, trying to compose themselves.
It was then that the Avatar exhaled before looking behind him into Godzilla's eye.
"You were waiting for me all that time. Weren't you?"
Godzilla just stared back at him, glaring at the boy with that familiar intensity. Yet he did not lash out. He only growled in response.
"Yeah. That's what I thought." Aang sighed as he looked down at his feet, the realization settling in. "Everyone was counting on me to stop the Fire Nation. And…you were waiting for me because you knew something like this would happen. Didn't you?"
Again, he got a growl in response. Though at least the monster wasn't trying to kill him. That was a start.
With that in mind, he looked out at the carnage surrounding them. The devastation was vast. It seemed inconceivable that any creature was capable of so much destruction. Even still, it was all too familiar. "I understand you. And I understand why you're upset. Believe me, I…I hated the Fire Nation for what they did. They killed my people when we didn't even have an army and I…wanted to make them pay for what they did. I know people say that La was the one in control but honestly…deep down I wanted them to suffer."
It pained him to say that, but it was the truth. Something that didn't escape Azula as she listened in. The Avatar…regretted what he did in the North? And he said his people didn't have an army? It was one thing for Maina to say such a thing believing in some lie, but it was another for somebody who was there during the Comet's first passing to turn her world upside down.
No. It couldn't be right. Her great-grandfather wouldn't lie about that.
My daughter. Lies run deep in our family. This wouldn't be the first time, her mother told her. Azula wanted to argue back but given what she had seen and learned, she just couldn't find the words.
Aang continued. "I wanted to end Ozai's life so. Badly. But…I couldn't. Because you can't end a war with even one more death. We need to draw the line somewhere.
"...I'm guessing you get that too? Don't you?" Godzilla snarled in response, glaring out around them at the ruined army.
"Trust me. I get it. The Fire Nation needs to change and they have a long way to go. But we can't do that if we go around killing every last one of them," Aang declared. He turned around and gazed right into Godzilla's eye. "I've seen good in them. All of them. Zuko. Iroh. Azula. They can change for the better. I have to believe in that if we truly want to bring peace. I understand you can't forgive them for what they did. I'm not asking you to. What I'm asking is that you give them a chance to learn. Trying to kill them won't do that. And if you do kill them, you'll deny them redemption. Do you really want that?"
Azula blinked as she heard the Avatar's words. He…believed she could change?
Godzilla on the other hand just stared silently. Aang didn't waver in his gaze. "Trust me, I know your anger. But I can't let you kill any more people. Cause it won't make things better for you or anyone else. And if you still don't believe me…then I won't let you take any more lives. Not today."
With that, Aang just sat there, waiting for the monster's response.
…his response came in the spines glowing blue.
Reflexively, both Aang and Azula leaped off the monster's face. The latter realized that unlike the former, she couldn't bend air. Her stomach almost plummeted seeing the drop beneath her.
The panic subsided though when she felt Aang grab her robes as he swooped over on his glider. "Nice catch, Avatar," she snarked exhaustedly.
"We need to stop meeting like this," Aang jokily replied.
He went quiet though as Godzilla reared his head back and fired a focused fire breath straight into the skies above. A roar of pure rage erupted from his maw, fueling his fury into the breath and pouring everything he had into the heavens above.
Azula could almost feel the chains on her arms and legs, seeing him rage in such a way. In some strange way, she felt a kinship with the monster. After all, she understood what it meant to have everything taken from you.
Beneath them, she saw the Avatar's bison fly up to them, letting Aang gently land both of them on his back. "Good boy Appa," he exhaustedly said, patting his old friend's head. Naturally, his other animal friend landed on his shoulder and began frantically licking his face and making sure he was okay. Aang chuckled, letting himself let the tension and energy out.
Azula just watched from Appa's back as Godzilla fired his blue inferno into the heavens, raging and roaring. Watched as the fire petered out and Godzilla's roars continued to echo upon the winds. Heard as each bellow became weaker and more exhausted, gradually replaced by the kaiju gasping for air and taking heavier and heavier breaths.
Eventually, he stopped roaring entirely, before he lowered his head and looked with tired eyes over the battlefield. For a moment…Azula felt like she truly understood him. That this was the true Godzilla, buried beneath all the rage and fury.
After gazing out over the ashfields for what seemed like an eternity…Godzilla slowly turned back towards the sea.
Zuko kneeled among the ashes, watching as his friends and Iroh approached. The first thing he did was hug his Uncle, desperately clinging to him with tears in his eyes, and saying he was sorry over and over.
The Dragon of the West embraced him back, ruffling his hair, telling him that he was just as much to blame. For he almost lost another son today.
Aang and the rest of Team Avatar stood by, letting the two have this moment. Nobody could say a thing. While Sokka had told them a few of the battalions had managed to escape, the carnage wrought by Godzilla was immeasurable. It seemed like a miracle that the young monarch was still alive.
What seemed less like a miracle was Zuko's generals approaching. All of them eyed the sobbing young man with disappointment. Katara just got between them and the Fire Lord with a stern "He's had enough for one day". None of them really wanted to challenge the master waterbender on those grounds.
Managing to collect himself for a moment, Zuko waved Sokka over. "I need you to send a message to the Earth King and the rest of the Tribunal leaders," he said. "I'm going to hold a summit…discussing the return of the colonies." The Water Tribe boy solemnly nodded, knowing that what happened here was going to have serious repercussions for the rest of the world.
For now, though, Aang knelt by Zuko's side and wrapped his arm around the monarch's shoulders. There would be a time and place for the consequences to play out. No one wanted to face them right now amidst the carnage.
Down by the coast, Azula, Maina, and Kori had slipped away from the rest to watch Godzilla trudge towards the sea. His head was held low, and his breathing was heavy. Seeing the titan in such a state was…something else.
"I never imagined he was real," Kori whispered, barely keeping herself together from the sheer level of death she had witnessed.
Maina gently held the noble's shoulder to calm her down. Then she knelt to the earth, inviting both of the other girls to join her in a prayer. Distraught, Kori knelt beside her, letting the words from Infant Island wash over them both. If nothing else, they could give the departed some comfort.
Azula, on the other hand, stood. She wasn't sure if she could give comfort to anyone. It had been…too much for her. She wrapped her arms around herself to keep her steady. The same question kept echoing through her head. One she was too afraid to speak.
Was…she like Godzilla? Capable of nothing but destruction? The beast's rage was too familiar, and if that were the case…who was she to deserve anyone's sympathy? After all, she only knew how to hurt people. How was that so different?
After all, they were both monsters.
She felt a gentle hand hold her shoulder. "Sometimes, beings like Godzilla show a window into our soul. That doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing. Sometimes we need to see the truth if we're to change."
Azula didn't know exactly what Maina meant though. How can one change their very nature? One can't change who they were simply by being told they were horrible. All the Princess knew was that what happened today would've happened during Sozin's Comet if her plan had succeeded. The thought made her sick.
All three girls were shaken out of their musings when Godzilla turned to look at them. Azula in particular. Girl and Kaiju looked at one another, wondering what the other was thinking. If nothing else, she did feel something knowing that there was another like her out there.
Seeing him turn towards the sea, beginning to wade in the shallows before making his way to the open ocean, she knew she had to chase him. For good or ill, her destiny would be tied to his. Whether that offered salvation or damnation though…that was yet to be decided.
On a distant hillside, overlooking the destruction and watching Godzilla wade to sea, a rather pale man in peasant's clothes saw everything.
And he was disappointed. He was hoping the Fire Lord and the Avatar would be slain, but he supposed some things did pan out well. The Fire Nation's army was gutted, and he knew there would be a reckoning everywhere. He could sense that Godzilla's awakening was only the beginning.
He knew the General was stirring from his slumber thanks to the Fire Nation's depredations, and that in turn would awaken the Guardian Beast. Deep below, he sensed the Lord of the Earth was stirring, something the Goddess couldn't ignore. Through it all, the Storm King would no doubt take advantage of this, hoping to rebuild his kingdom.
A mirthless chuckle from his lips carried on the wind. So much chaos was on the horizon. Something that made his deep blue eyes sparkle with anticipation. Too long he had waited for this. Too long he had watched the signs. And if there was any hope for them all, the world first needed to burn.
Ozai did get one thing right, he admitted. Sometimes you needed to build a new empire on the ruins of the old.
His though…his would last.
A/N: …well that ended about as well as you'd expect.
Once again I'd like to give a big thanks to Selpharia for beta reading.
I…admittedly have had issues with Zuko's character for a while. Mainly that I felt his arc wasn't done yet. In this regard, I sort of wanted to deconstruct the "the Last Agni Kai" being the finale for his character and him "becoming a man" like Iroh said despite doing the same thing his father did to get the throne. It backfired because he tried to apply the same logic with Azula to a gigantic monster who gets more dangerous the more he's enraged.
And how angry he was. Godzilla has had issues with those that killed his own family such as in Godzilla vs Destroyah, the Anime Trilogy, and the 98 film (one of the few things that film got right). Particularly in the Kiryu duology where humanity resurrected one of his own as an anti-Godzilla weapon and sent him in a frenzy. Now we know Zuko didn't kill either of Ran or Shaw, but Godzilla sure doesn't know that. So he's not exactly going to be merciful to those who killed his kin.
Now his atomic breath (or fire breath here) is his most famous ability, and I wanted to give it the gravitas and respect it deserves. I also wanted to get a bit more creative since his breath is a very derived form of firebending. We have the more traditional flame spewing breath, the more focused blast with the airships, and the explosive kind not too dissimilar to combustion bending. All three are actually forms of his atomic breath he's used throughout the years (his breath started out fiery in the beginning before it became more focused in later installments, while his most powerful form was used in Minus One).
Thing is, despite the Fire Nation being the bad guys for the show, I didn't want to make this seem like a triumph when they got wrecked. We're talking thousands of people dying after all, and I didn't want to sugercoat that. The apocalyptic feel in the aftermath I actually got some inspiration from the original Godzilla film, Godzilla Returns once he destroys the Super-X, and 2000 with his assault on Nemuro.
Now for Zuko's assault on Azula…this was taken from The Search where his treatment of her was abysmal. Like I understand he doesn't like her, but he DID say those lines word for word and he DID dangle her over a cliff. Though whereas in that comic he was supposed to be sympathetic, I wanted to take the protagonist rug from underneath him and how horrible he behaved. Especially since…well, let's just say that scene and his behavior really did unnerve me.
Plus I felt that his rivalry with Azula (in which he blames everything on her and not his abusive father) wasn't really addressed in the show. Here I wanted to give some indirect consequences for pursuing that grudge to unhealthy lengths since he puts himself back into Godzilla's warpath.
Of course Aang's going to bail him out. Once the shock's been shaken off, there's no way he's going to let more people die. Even if he has to dip into the Avatar State to stand a chance. Then we have Azula ironically save him since she's feeling the character development disease settling in.
Now for Aang talking Godzilla down, it has been demonstrated time and again that nonviolent works the best in dealing with Godzilla. Mothra larvae were able to painlessly subdue him by wrapping him in silk in Mothra vs Godzilla and Godzilla: Tokyo SOS, and he HAS been known to stop rampages, even temporarily such as in Godzilla vs Biollante where they used telepathy or in Godzilla: Final Wars where Minilla convinced him to let go of his grudge against mankind. I also figured it would be more fitting for the themes I wanted to explore if Aang could calm him down. Wouldn't be the first time he'd been able to calm a raging monster whether in canon or in the comics.
Anyways, thank you all so much for the support you've shown the fic. I…didn't expect it to blow up so much to be frank. I'm going to slow down a little since we've come out of the introductory arc, but rest assured I will be getting back to work when I'm able to. Thanks again for reading. Make sure to leave a comment to leave your thoughts. Favorite and follow if you want to see more. And as always, I'll see you next time where we start to slow things down a bit. Happy Holidays, and have a great day!