Hello, People.
I don't know why, but I have a good feeling about this story, unlike some of my other stories, I feel like I'm having so much fun writing this one.
Thank you for the kind reviews, and Hopefully, I get to deliver a story that you'd be interested to continue reading.
Chapter 3 of The Bending Academy is here, folks.
Buckle up for the ride.
Master Jeong-Jeong's training was intense, Zuko's been training for the past seven days on the basics of Firebending, the only progress he's made until now was how to widen his stance, he hasn't even created real fire yet.
Zuko was getting impatient with Master Jeong Jeong's teaching methods, but he had to trust it because that's the academy his uncle recommended, and to be honest the old master had his fair share of knowledge and he explained every move he taught to Zuko in details.
"Your concentration is determined by the flexibility of your stance, and to create perfect firebending, your concentration has to be at its peak, you have to concentrate to feel the heat of the sun, it's the greatest source of fire, yet it's in complete balance with nature."
And when Zuko asks when does he get to make actual fire, Jeong Jeong just yells "Concentrate!", and so he's been going on and on for the past week.
What made it even more depressing for Zuko is that Aang was no where to be found during the whole week, ever since he delivered him to the academy, he simply disappeared.
Katara informed Zuko that Aang sometimes goes on secret missions for the order of the white lotus, as the avatar and the strongest bender in the world, there are special missions that only he can do.
Zuko was still not getting the hand of the idea that his best friend is the strongest person in the whole world, he couldn't grasp the fact that Aang was holding this much power in the palm of his hands the whole time without a mere mention of it, he hid it so well.
Maybe it's his goofy nature and his love for jokes and hanging about doing nothing during school times is what gave Zuko the idea that Aang could never be that powerful god everyone is talking about, however Zuko left room for doubt, simply because Aang's speed and strength as he was playing soccer in school was extraordinary, Zuko even doubted that his abilities could never be normal.
Zuko assumed his normal school life as usual, however Aang was absent from school as well for the past seven days, with a sick leave, no less.
The past couple of days made Zuko realize how powerful the order is within Central Asia, they had their undercover agents all around the country, so he knew exactly how Aang was able to get a sick leave from school without being sick at all.
Zuko spent the last couple of days speaking to Sokka, Katara and Toph, him and Toph became fast friends as he totally fell in for the girl's attitude and sarcastic remarks, although her method of showing affection wasn't entirely affectionate.
Yeah, punching a person in his shoulder isn't showing affection at all. Zuko thought, as he remembered how sore his shoulder would feel after each punch.
But nonetheless, he still loved their dynamic, he found out that Toph was one of Aang's earthbending teacher, she taught him everything she knew about earthbending, and he completed the rest, Toph claims to be the greatest earthbender in the world, although Aang vouches for that crazy guy Bumi.
As it turns out, Bumi is the mayor of one of the biggest cities in central Asia, a city called Omashu, Zuko was amazed by the fact that a mayor of a major city would be learning in the same school as him.
Not to degrade Zuko's status in anyway, he's still the prince of Caldera City, Japan. the most technologically advanced city in the most advanced country in the world, but he abandoned that status long ago to leave with his uncle, and so an actual mayor being with them was completely baffling to him.
Of course, Zuko knew Katara and Sokka way before the academy, specially Sokka, with whom he spent most of his time during Aang's absence.
Sokka spent his days at the academy learning combat with Master Piandao, he learned all sorts of weapons, but Sokka didn't want to learn new weapons like guns and rifles, he only wanted to learn how to use blades and clubs.
When Zuko asked him about it, Sokka told him it's Aang's idea, saying that Aang told him he would need it in the future.
When Zuko asked Sokka what he would need those weapons for, Sokka replied,
"You will know when the time comes."
Zuko was getting more and more agitated by the lack of info, he couldn't wait to be a strong firebender only so everyone could explain the situation to him.
During Zuko's training, he also met another first year firebending student named Kuzon, Zuko befriended him, specially seeing that Kuzon wasn't your typical firebending prodigy.
He didn't have a special set of skills, he was just Kuzon, but he was incredibly kind and polite, and that's what mattered to Zuko, that's what made him decide that this guy could really be my friend.
On the seventh day of training, and as Kuzon and Zuko were training, Master Jeong Jeong approached them.
"Zuko, it's time." The firebending master said to Zuko as he was concentrating on the sun, Zuko got really excited.
"Yes, Master." Zuko said, immediately knowing what the master was implying, it's time to make real fire.
The Master left, and Zuko followed suit.
"Good luck, my friend." Kuzon called after Zuko, with a wave and a proud smile of encouragement, at which Zuko waved back with a smile of his own.
Zuko reached a fountain with Master Jeong Jeong.
"You realize why we're near water for this, right?" Jeong Jeong asked.
Zuko smiled faintly at him, "It's self-explanatory, Master." Zuko responded, knowing what the master was implying.
Of course, they were near the water so they could leave no chance for an accident.
The master has little to no faith in me, apparently. Zuko thought.
"Widen your stance." The Master said, Zuko did as told, "Hold this." The master said, handing a leaf to Zuko to hold in his hand, "Now, take a deep breath and let it go, feel the leaf in your hand as you do so." Jeong Jeong said.
Zuko did as told, he kept taking deep and steady breaths, feeling the leaf in the palm of his hands.
And after a couple of seconds, fire erupted from Zuko's hands turning the leaf to ashes.
"Woah! Wow, I did it." Zuko announced excitedly.
Jeong Jeong's eyes widened, "Wow, nobody has ever done it that fast." The master said.
"Really? it felt pretty easy to me."
"I can see that." The master said, as Zuko was controlling the fire like a trained firebender.
Perhaps, Iroh was right about him after all. The master thought, followed by a hand to his face and a grunt.
What am I saying? Of course, Iroh is always right. The master continued in his mind.
"What do you think, Master?" Zuko asked.
"Congratulations, you are a firebender…" The master said in the most unenthusiastic voice ever, "You may begin the next phase of your training first thing tomorrow morning." Jeong Jeong said, and then he left the young prince on the spot.
Zuko got nervous as he created the fire, but he didn't know how to put it out, "Wait! How do I stop this thing?" But it was too late, the master was out of reach.
As Zuko was trying to huff the fire off his hands, the fire became even stronger, and he regretted such stupid decision.
Eventually, as he was stuck, he put his hands in the water, which extinguished the fire immediately.
Zuko sighed heavily, relieved that his fire didn't hurt anyone, but he was excited at the fact that he's finally firebending, it was making him pleased for the first time in a while.
"Well done, Wonder boy." Zuko heard a familiar voice call out from the distance, it was a voice that he hasn't heard in a while.
He turned around to find that it's definitely him, his best friend.
The first thing he said upon seeing him was, "Where have you been?" Zuko asked.
Aang chuckled, "Is that your way of saying you missed me?" Aang asked teasingly.
Zuko gritted his teeth, "You could have chosen a better time to disappear, you know. You left me here alone."
Aang came closer, "I left clear instructions for Sokka, Katara and Toph. I suppose they were taking care of you, right?" Aang said.
Zuko finally found out why Sokka, Katara and Toph would leave their trainings to come check on him, he didn't know whether to feel good about Aang taking care of him even during his absence, or to feel bad that Sokka, Katara and Toph needed instructions to check on him.
"I suppose they were." Zuko responded.
"And to answer your question, I was in your hometown." Aang said.
Zuko was shocked by this, "You went to Caldera City?" Zuko asked.
Aang nodded, "I had a mission there, more of a search, it was all for naught as I couldn't find what I was looking for, but it was worth a shot." The Avatar said.
"What were you looking for there?"
Aang looked at Zuko and smiled, "It's not the time yet."
Zuko got even angrier, "I'm sick and tired of hearing those words! What could be so important that I have to wait all this time to know?! If I'm not qualified enough to know, why did you bring me here?! If it's something that's a danger to Caldera City, then I need to know!" Zuko basically yelled, his breaths turning to fire.
Aang however didn't budge, the avatar kept looking at Zuko as he was venting out, "Trust me, Zuko. Once you know the truth, you will wish you've never known a thing. It's better to wait until you develop your skills. And don't worry about Caldera City, they are safe for now, I'd never let anything happen to your family or your home. As long as I'm alive, the world will be safe." Aang said.
Zuko was amazed by the declaration, how could his best friend be capable of making such a statement? Only someone so sure of his powers would make such a statement, even though Zuko has never seen Aang's abilities, but he was somewhat reassured by what Aang said that he couldn't voice out a word in retribution.
Aang decided to fill in the silent gap, "How's Iroh?" Aang asked.
"Not getting any better." Zuko responded, it was another matter that thoroughly bothered Zuko, "He's refusing the treatment, the doctors have diagnosed him with lung cancer, and he's refusing the treatment." Zuko said, implying that his uncle might die at any moment.
Aang was clearly upset by this, but he looked up as he told Zuko, "It's his choice, you should honor his wish."
"But he'll die." Zuko responded.
Aang put a hand on Zuko's shoulder and looked into his eyes, "We have a saying that we've been saying in the white lotus ever since its creation, 'Iroh is always right', if he thinks that's what's best for him, then who are we to challenge Iroh's judgement?" Aang said.
"It's just… I can't bear the thought of me living without him around." Zuko said.
Aang looked down, he was clearly upset by this, "I know what you mean, Iroh's been my mentor and father figure ever since I lost my uncle, but as I said, if it's his wish, then we can't stand in his way." Aang said.
Zuko, of course, knew the story of Aang losing his uncle and previous father figure Gyatso, for as long as he's known him, Aang has been telling him stories of Gyatso and how he's the best person he's ever known, so it means a lot to hear from Aang that he holds Iroh in the same regards as Gyatso.
"I suppose you're right." Zuko said.
Aang knew Zuko was still bothered by the fact that he doesn't know anything and he feels lost within the academy, he decided to provide some kind of reassurance,
"Hey, I believe you've taken the first step in your journey to becoming a great firebender. If it's any consolation, and since we're on the subject, when Iroh recommended you to the academy, he said that he's recommending a strong firebender, and Iroh is always right. You'll know everything soon enough because I know that you'll learn faster than anyone else, even me." Aang said.
Zuko smiled, "Thanks. It's good to have you back, buddy." He said.
"Me too…" Aang started with a fond smile, he then looked frantic, "Now, where is Katara?! I need to see her so bad! Katara!" Aang shouted and ran away.
"Aang!" Zuko heard the voice of Katara responding back, the two of them ran towards each other and took each other in a very long hug, they then let go of each other, and looked into each other's eyes dreamily, each of them longing for the other, they inched towards each other bit by bit, but then they realized what they were doing and awkwardly let go of each other,
"It's good to have you back." Katara said awkwardly.
"It's good to be back" Aang said, mirroring her awkwardness.
"I'm glad you're okay." Katara said.
"Yeah, I'm glad you're okay too." Aang said.
Zuko slapped his forehead,
For How long are they gonna keep denying that they are in love. Zuko thought as he decided to turn in for the night, as Sokka and Toph came about to save Aang and Katara the awkwardness and also welcome Aang back.
Zuko thought today was fortuitous, He finally learned firebending, Aang returned after seven days absence, and he's on the way of making peace with the fact that he might lose Iroh at any moment.
Aang was right, he needed to respect Iroh's wish, and that's exactly what he's going to teach himself to do in the upcoming days.
It was a normal day of work in central Asia for Wang, he decided to go to his work early as usual, saying goodbye to his wife and little daughter, not before kissing the latter on the cheek as he was heading out, of course.
Wang was a hardworking family man who provides for his family, he works as a waiter in a simple restaurant in Gaoling, Central Asia, and although life gets hard sometimes, he's able to pay his rent at the due time, he's able to provide food for his family, along with his hardworking wife who has a job as a receptionist for one of the big corporate firms.
As Wang was walking by, he said hi to his elderly neighbor, Mrs. Chen, offering her assisting with her grocery shopping as he still had time until the beginning of his shift, Mrs. Chen however thanked him for his never-ending courtesy and after a couple of attempts of politely refusing as she didn't want him to be late for work, Wang still insisted.
Mrs. Chen eventually yielded and allowed him to carry her bags of grocery until he reached her home safely.
After saying her thanks again, Wang left her with a wave and a polite smile to the elderly lady, He was quite the generous and kind man that you would as a neighbor, this was exactly what everyone around the neighborhood thought of Wang, not just Mrs. Chen.
As Wang decided it was time to finally head to work, he arrived there on time.
"Right on time as usual, Wang." His colleague who has the night shift said upon his arrival.
Wang smiled at him, "I guess I'm just lucky there isn't a lot of traffic." Wang said, trying to dismiss his compliment, as compliments make him feel uneasy.
His colleague simply chuckled, and waited for him to change to his work clothes to swap with him.
"So, we're going with the plan today, eh?" His colleague asked.
"Yeah." Wang responded from behind the doors of the changing rooms.
"Just so you know, I'm eager to go to sleep, so the sooner this is finished, the better, please." His colleague said.
"As soon as she gets here, we'll get on with the plan right away." Wang responded.
"Good." His colleague said.
As the normal work day went by, Wang attended to customers, always being polite with them and being patient with impolite customers, whenever one of the customers is having a complaint, it's usually Wang who gets in his way and wins him over with his silver tongue.
The manager requested Wang to be the handler of complaints in his stead, that's why he made him a regular with the morning shift.
Wang never minded that, however there was a strange complaint that one of the customers made that totally intrigued Wang.
A girl said that she was feeling totally creeped out by another girl who comes daily to sit by the table in the corner.
The creepy girl is always hooded and looking down, making sure never to reveal her face, and she always appears to be speaking to herself.
The girl who made the complaint swore that this happened multiple times, not just once.
Wang decided it was time to investigate this himself, he wouldn't want this creepy girl to make a bad reputation for the restaurant, so he decided to await her arrival, and then his colleague would swap with him and he'd sit at a near table beside her to listen in on her conversation.
His colleague of course dismissed his claims, however it was a real complaint in front of them, and because Wang was a very convincing guy, his colleague reluctantly accepted his offer, of course after Wang promised to cover for him when he goes on a date with his girlfriend this month.
So, they waited and waited… and finally, the girl arrived at the exact time as every day.
"It's time." Wang said, giving the signal to his colleague who was about to fall asleep.
"Right on it." His colleague who still had his clothes on stood up and started attending to the customers, while Wang went inside to change into normal clothes to have a table beside the girl at the restaurant, so not to raise any suspicions.
"Table for one, please." The girl said, with the cheeriest voice she could manage, her hood which covered her face made her seem like an enigma, but her voice was that of a teenage girl, Wang was totally confused by this, to the point that he was going to dismiss the entire operation, however he decided to give it a chance.
He sat by the girl, and he did hear bits and pieces but he just thought this girl was talking to her phone, he had a strange feeling tingling his entire body, but he thought it was nothing, and decided to listen in closer to what the girl is actually saying.
"The Avatar isn't an easy target to kill, Voccak. You'd have to think of a better solution."
The Avatar? What's that? Wang thought, as he decided to listen in closer.
When he got closer however, he was able to see clearly what's happening, he saw exactly who the girl was speaking with, as they appeared in front of him all of a sudden, all three of them.
Three people who appeared to be humans, but more like disfigured humans than normal humans, they had some kind of energy field around them, perhaps that's what made them disappear if looking from afar.
What kind of sorcery is this? Wang was creeped out by the display, that he was unable to move and call for help.
"Princess Azula, how powerful do you think I am?" one of the disfigured humans said.
"I'd say about half your father's powers." The girl, whose name turned out to be Princess Azula said.
Wait… Princess Azula? Princess of Japan? Daughter of Emperor Ozai? That Azula? Wang thought, as he knew the royal family of Japan pretty well from the news, he couldn't believe that this is really her, no wonder she's wearing a hood and doesn't want anybody to know who she is, but what is she doing with those evil-looking beings?
"If I'm half Vattu's powers, then I'd say I could defeat Avatar Aang, and in doing so, we would be able to execute our plans to perfection." The man, whose name is Voccak said.
Princess Azula sighed, "Suit yourself. Anyways, if we're going on with the plan of releasing your father from the tree of time, we would need some certain assurances."
"We make no assurances with humans." One of the other disfigured humans said.
"Calm down, Hidi. Let her say her piece." Voccak said.
"First, there is a guy within Avatar Aang's group that I don't want harmed, instead, I want you to bring him to me, his name is Zuko, he's my brother, and my father wants him alive."
"Easy." Voccak said.
"Discretion is key. Keep quiet about our operation."
"Easier." Voccak responded.
"Japan wouldn't be part of your evil plan to take over the world, we're ridding the world of benders, not humans, Japan doesn't have any benders left, and so we don't need your interference with our country." Azula said.
"There are still two benders left in Japan though." Voccak said with a smirk.
Azula sighed, "I know, Still, do we have a deal?" Azula asked.
"Deal. No interference with Japan." Voccak said.
"No… this particular part, we have to make a pact on it." Azula said.
Voccak's eyes widened, "No pacts." Voccak responded.
"Why? Do you have other plans?" Azula asked, clearly annoyed with his response.
"Making a pact with me would be useless, if my father Vattu wills it, he'd still go on with the plan of taking over the entire world without giving as much of a care as to my personal wellbeing." Voccak responded.
Azula thought he was right, she was making the deal with the wrong person.
"What about you, Hidi? Do you think a pact would be useless if made with you?"
"I do believe so, yes. Our father would still go on with his plans and he wouldn't care if we died because of the pact. You need to make the pact with him, human."
"What about you, Tengen? You haven't said a word since we started this meeting." Azula said, Tengen looked up at the princess, looking like he hasn't been listening to any part of their conversation.
"What do you want me to say?" Tengen asked.
"I don't know… maybe, your input on all of this." Azula said.
Tengen sighed, "I think Voccak is stupid for even implying that he could match the avatar in terms of power, but I'm not one to tell my older brother what to do, I just think it's stupid to go after him when we can think of an alternative…", Tengen started, before he was interrupted by Voccak,
"I know I can beat him, and I will." Voccak said.
Azula interfered, "Wait, Voccak. Let him speak. Continue, Tengen." Azula said.
Tengen continued, "I believe that our father wouldn't care if we made a pact with you, he would still go on with the plan and take over the world, it's his nature, so the best option you have is to go make a pact with him, not us." Tengen said.
"Fair enough. What else?" Azula asked.
All of a sudden, Tengen's eyes moved to Wang's direction, "and I believe this guy has been listening in on our conversation the entire time." Tengen said, pointing in Wang's direction.
Wang's heart skipped a beat, he was completely taken aback by Tengen's proclamation, he was about to stand up, but Princess Azula beating him to it,
"Well, you know what to do." She said, looking at Voccak.
Voccak launched an energy beam at the kitchen, making it explode.
Azula ran away from the restaurant as if she was some random girl afraid by the explosion.
Voccak then continued to burn everything at the restaurant with his energy beam, all the while maintaining his invisibility, and so everyone at the restaurant was getting burned to crisp without even knowing what's happening.
Everyone but Wang, who knew exactly what was happening and was just looking at it unfold with wide eyes, he was unable to move as all this was too much for him, people burning all around him, even his colleague who stayed here at his request, he could have been sleeping soundly now at his home, but he decided to stay because Wang asked him too.
Voccak approached Wang with a smirk, "This is all your fault, you know. even in death, I'm not sure how you'll be able to forgive yourself for this." Voccak said, before he placed his hand on Wang's body and completely torched him with one move, turning his entire body to ashes in mere seconds, the last thing Wang saw in front of him was a picture of his wife and daughter smiling and waving at him, securing his spirit safely to the spirit world.
Voccak smirked and looked ahead as he said, "Avatar Aang, you're next." Before all three dark spirits left the restaurant to start Azula and Voccak's plan.
Thank you for reading.
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and have a nice one :)
