The building was as tall and majestic as they remembered it, but the feeling it elicited within their chests proved to be unprecedented. As they stood on the steps that kept them barely a few meters from the door, both Sokka and Azula remained in reverent silence. Her arms were crossed over her chest, his hands were tucked in his pants' pockets.
"After all this time, after all the anguish we've endured at the hands of this accursed business…" Azula said, shaking her head. "I can't believe I actually kind of missed this place."
"Honestly, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic too," Sokka admitted, with a crooked grin. "No matter how many bones I've broken in there, or how many times I had my ass kicked…"
"All things considered, you've won more often than you've lost, so it's safe to say you've done your fair share of 'ass-kicking,'" Azula said, smirking at him. "Shall we, then?"
"Of course, Princess," he said, smirking back.
He stepped forward and pushed the doors open for her. Together, they strode through the vestibule with their heads held high, unafraid and unwavering, regardless of all the stares that followed them.
Shoji was busy handling other sponsors and gladiators at the moment, but his counter wasn't the only one that was heavily crowded: the betting counter was overflowing. Moreover, the entrance leading to the stands was heavily blocked by the masses of people trying to find a seat inside the massive Arena. Sokka and Azula eyed the crowd with curiosity: they couldn't remember ever seeing the Grand Royal Dome overflowing with public in this way throughout their two years of being part of the Superior League.
"You think they're giving away free samples of some sort?" Sokka asked, teasingly. Azula snorted.
"Of what, spicy noodles?" she asked. "If that's the case I ought to fetch some…"
"You know, eating so many spices may not be that good for you," Sokka said, chuckling. "They might burn a hole through your stomach, or something."
"As if. Spices have never been a hazard for me," she smirked, but her attention was stolen away by the crowds again. "Seriously, though, this is not normal. Who on earth is fighting today?"
One glance at the large board, that most of the betting line was obscuring, provided the answer to all their questions. The name that headlined today's main battle was sufficient explanation for the enthusiastic audience:
"Combustion Man, huh? Makes enough sense now. I wonder if Zhao's sponsoring him today," Azula whispered, raising her eyebrows as they stepped forward in the line that led them to Shoji. Chances were the man in front of them could be the sponsor of Combustion Man's upcoming rival, even.
"He should be," Sokka commented. "He said he ought to get back to it soon, and if Zhen's so busy…"
"Huh, you really haven't disclosed much about your great conversation with Admiral Zhao," said Azula, smirking teasingly at him. "Other than, of course, that you fell square for his perfectly innocent act…"
"I didn't fall for any act! He says he respects me more after enduring Hahn, that's all" Sokka pouted. "And, uh, it's also because of my display of loyalty towards you, looks like. He seems to think you and I are like him and your dad…"
"Goodness, I hope not," said Azula, with a dry smile and wide eyes. Sokka snorted and covered his face before he started laughing.
"You know he didn't mean… of course he couldn't mean that!" he said, as she held back the urge to laugh too.
"Do elaborate, then," she said, smirking at him. Sokka smiled and shook his head.
"He didn't mind that I had called you by name once. Yeah, uh, it slipped out before I knew it," he said, with a grimace now. Azula sighed. "But he said he did the same with the Fire Lord all the time, because they've been friends for very long."
"Well, we've definitely not been friends for as long as they have," said Azula, looking at him skeptically. "In fact, I question that we're friends at all."
"Oh, really? Even after all this time?" Sokka asked, smirking. She raised her eyebrows and shrugged.
"Would you really consider me your friend, Sokka?" she asked, in a lower voice. He laughed and nodded.
"The best of them, actually," he said, smirking at her. She sighed and tried to hold back from blushing.
"You need more friendships in your life, then," she said. "All I do is torment you, after all."
"Maybe I have no common sense and I like to befriend my tormentors," he said, shrugging.
"Well, the part about your lack of common sense is unquestionably true," said Azula, smirking as the man in front of her finally moved away, headed towards the stairs.
Shoji's eyes lit up, as they often did, when he laid eyes upon the Princess and her gladiator. He smiled brightly, though with some melancholy too.
"Oh, I was hoping you'd be back, but I didn't know you would be here today!" he exclaimed, almost tearful. "You're both okay!"
"Yes, the heaps of creepy rumors can be debunked officially by now," said Azula, nodding. Shoji giggled and nodded.
"We had heard the Blue Wolf was invited to some event with the Fire Lord, but it was something exclusive, so nobody knew if it was true or not," he said. "I'm so glad, though. So many awful things were said…"
"Well, now you know the worst of them weren't true," said Sokka, smiling encouragingly at Shoji. "It's good to see you too, Shoji."
"It's awesome to know you two are okay!" he said, sighing happily and looking at them expectantly. "I suppose you came here to see the ranking? I doubt you want to watch Combustion Man…"
"Even if we wanted to, we would never find a place to sit if the stands are that crowded," said Sokka, with a skeptical smile. Shoji shrugged.
"You don't have to sit with them, though. But you did come for the ranking yeah," he said, with a gentle smile, as he picked up the scroll. "You've actually stayed in a good position, despite you haven't fought for some time. But all the victories from Yu Dao really gave you a good boost that kept you afloat, so…"
"Great to hear," said Azula, nodding. "What's his position, then?"
"He's at…" said Shoji, scanning the paper quickly until he found the Blue Wolf's name and smiled. "127! And with a grand total of 16,970 points to his favor, no less."
"Woah, seriously?" Sokka said, blinking blankly. "Here I thought we'd have fallen down to the 150's all over again…"
"It's a real surprise. I guess the rest of the fighters aren't all that competent if they couldn't make the most of your fighting hiatus," said Azula, with a small smirk. Shoji bit his lip.
"Well… maybe not all of them. But the Blind Bandit got ahead of you again," he said. Both Azula and Sokka sighed.
"By how much?" the Princess asked.
"Just around a thousand points, she's only five positions ahead," said Shoji, smiling encouragingly. "You could catch up to her, well, if you're ready to fight again, of course."
"We think we are," said Azula, giving Sokka a meaningful stare. He nodded proudly. "So, do we have any worthwhile challenges? Anything good for our return to the fighting ring?"
"You could take on this one firebender, Explosion," said Shoji, picking up her challenge. "She's around a hundred positions below you, hasn't been too effective lately, and the Blue Wolf has a good record against most firebenders, so I think, of your available challenges, she's the best option for the Blue Wolf to get back into the swing of things."
"Seems reasonable," said Azula, taking the challenge into her hands.
"Most the others who have challenged you have a better record, like Pixie, or the Ruthless Hero, so while the Blue Wolf likely could beat them, it might take a lot of work to defeat them. I figure you want something lighter for now," he said. Azula nodded.
"Then I guess that Explosion will do. Who knows? Maybe fighting an explosion can prepare you for your eventual showdown against Combustion Man," said Azula, smirking at Sokka. He stiffened.
"I do hope she's not as explosive as he's supposed to be," he said, grimacing. Shoji chuckled and shook his head.
"Nobody is," he said, handing Azula a brush and ink so she could fill in the challenge with her requirements. "Though if you want to fight Combustion Man one day…"
"I know, I know, I'd better be stronger than I am right now," said Sokka, with a crooked smile.
"Have you ever seen him fight?" Shoji asked. "He's… really scary, I'll say."
"You've seen him, then?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow as she handed Shoji the challenge sheet. He added the rest of the necessary information to make it an official challenge. "You do know quite a lot about gladiators, but I've always seen you sitting here…"
"Oh, I don't watch a lot of fights, but I tend to sneak in for the last ones every day," he said, smiling. "Usually I won't have much else to do by the time the last fight is up, and as Combustion Man has fought so many times I've caught a couple of his fights… but I don't really like seeing him in the Arena. It's really… daunting."
"How so?" Sokka asked. Azula sighed.
"Do you really want to know?" she asked. He blinked blankly.
"You're not saying we should stay and watch, are you?" he said. "People are still pouring in, you know…"
"And those people don't have the privilege of being of royal blood," Azula said, with a proud smirk. "Did you forget where we are, Sokka? The Grand Royal Dome has a balcony for the Royal Family's private use. We can simply watch the fight from there."
"I… forgot," Sokka said, blinking blankly. "I mean, that balcony is always empty, so I didn't think…"
"Well, that's because I'm usually only here to sponsor you, not to watch. My father doesn't have enough leisure time to spend it watching gladiator fights, and my brother kept forsaking his royal privileges and lurking around the Royal Dome while hiding under a hood whenever he came here," said Azula, with a skeptical smile. "Therefore, royals seldom use their balcony. But today seems a good opportunity to use it again. Maybe this way you'll understand why Shoji is so scared of Combustion Man."
"I… yes, I won't deny I am. But to be fair, everyone's scared of him," said Shoji, blushing. Azula chuckled a little.
"Fair enough," she said, before looking at Sokka again. "So, shall we witness the might and prowess of the fearsome Combustion Man?"
"You've already seen him fight, haven't you?" said Sokka. Azula nodded.
"I have no idea if he has improved. Who knows, he might have extra limbs nowadays, or maybe he can set off chain explosions?" she shrugged. Sokka snorted.
"Well, we'll have to watch him fighting to know as much, I suppose," he said, smirking and sighing. "Shall we?"
"You have a key to the Royal Balcony?" Azula asked Shoji, who nodded and searched for it. "We'll return it once the fight ends."
Sokka gulped as Shoji handed the key to Azula, already apprehensive about what they would witness. The Princess jerked her head towards the stairs, and they filed through the droves of people warily, with Sokka often sliding between Azula and the eager crowd, protecting her from their brusque movements as they struggled to cross the large doorway and into the stands.
"This is a nightmare," Sokka said, grimacing as someone elbowed his back accidentally. "Is this what will happen when we get to the top of the ranking, really?"
"It's likely," Azula said, sliding out of the crowd at last when she reached the second flight of stairs. Sokka followed her quickly, glaring back at the people pushing and yelling down at the stands' entrance. "Which is why we'll make sure to arrive at least an hour early once we're that high in the ranking. I won't risk getting caught in mobs like this one."
"I suppose it checks out that violent people would love Combustion Man's fights, huh?" said Sokka, sighing.
They continued climbing the stairs, headed not to the usual balcony Azula frequented, but to the one in the upper floor. Sokka had only climbed these stairs fully once before, when he had hidden in the Dome's roof after his fight with the Notorious Stingray. He had never stopped to ponder what the Royal Balcony might be like, let alone did he think he'd ever enter it.
"It's no surprise that he's so popular, though. He's the strongest fighter in a business that revolves around violence and fighting," said Azula, shrugging. "And showcasing that much power and strength is something Fire Nation culture largely admires. He used to fight random Agni Kais, from what I know, until he started doing less classy jobs…"
"Yeah, Zhao mentioned he was an assassin. Not the stealthiest one, apparently," said Sokka, as they reached the door that led into the Royal Balcony.
"He didn't need stealth to do his job. He simply took out his mark, and if anyone else saw him and wasn't supposed to, he'd blow them up too, or so people say," said Azula, with a shrug. "I've always guessed he was mostly hired for genuinely gruesome business, in remote locations, so he never blew up half the capital city just to take out someone who had given his contractor the stink-eye."
"I guess all his fans down there wouldn't be that excited about him if he'd blown up their houses," said Sokka, with a crooked smile.
"Controlled violence that doesn't affect them is certainly more their style, yes," said Azula, sliding the key into the door's lock. "Now, what you're about to experience may be a little too luxurious for your usual standards, but please try not to lose your mind, gladiator…"
"What?" Sokka snorted, as Azula smirked at him. "I've been in the Palace, Princess. I've… slept in your bed."
He whispered the last bit while leaning close to her ear, just in case there was anyone nearby despite it didn't seem to be the case. Azula's smirk only widened.
"I'm pretty sure I can control myself at a luxurious place. Unless… are you worried that I might do something crazy because we'll be alone?" he asked, with a crooked smile. "Are you trying to convince me into doing something crazy, rather?"
"Oh, I definitely am, it would be so much fun…" she said sarcastically, smirking before finally pushing the door open.
Sokka had no answer to her jab, astonished as he was by the room of gold and crimson. It was pristine, completely out of place even for the most luxurious of the arenas in the Gladiator League. It looked like a sitting room of the Palace instead, with top quality paintings decorating the walls covered with red and gold tapestries. The furniture was mostly gold, from the shelves at the walls to the chairs and couches at the center of the room. Crimson silk curtains lined the balcony's archway, and they were drawn back so that any visitors would be free to look out into the ring with ease. The sunlight filtering through the dome's glass roof was almost blinding up here.
Once he had taken everything in, Sokka swallowed hard, still speechless. Azula smiled.
"Do you really want to do something crazy for everyone to see, then?" she asked, spreading an arm towards the crowd below.
Sokka grimaced and approached the balcony. He tensed up immediately, unused to being in such a tall balcony, with a perfect view of everything below. He had never seen the judges from above, but there they were, at the other side of the ring, on the same level as the sponsors' balcony. Sokka tapped the red railing of the Royal Balcony with a finger, guessing Zhao would be right below them.
Naturally, Sokka could see the crowd from where they stood, the wild droves of people eagerly awaiting the fight, some of them squeezed into small spaces of the stands, others even starting fistfights as they tried to seize the perfect seat. The sand that he was so familiar with seemed so distant from the balcony: the roughness of the fighting was a world away from this lavish room, despite it was in the very same building.
"I'm guessing this is meant to be the ideal place for royals to feel detached from the commoners down there, isn't it?" Sokka asked. Azula nodded, stepping closer to him to gaze down at the Arena beside him.
"Yet we never use it. I guess we're so detached we don't even care to mingle with commoners and their petty entertainment," said Azula raising an eyebrow and smirking sarcastically. "At any rate, rejoice. You're one of the few non-royals who has stepped foot inside this balcony without being part of the Dome's staff. Incredible, isn't it?"
"I'd say I deserve it," Sokka said, pouting proudly. Azula raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I've risen all the way to the 127th position in the ranking, after all, with less than fifty fights, right? How many people have achieved that?"
"I wouldn't know. You can ask Shoji, if you're that eager to have your ego boosted," said Azula, rolling her eyes but smiling.
She left Sokka to gawk at the Arena as she made her way to close the door. She didn't think they would speak of anything too compromising during the fight, but she would rather prevent any wandering onlookers from prying into anything that transpired between them here.
"You know, for all its glory, this room is missing something" Sokka commented, as he sank in one of the gold chairs with crimson velvet cushions. Azula snorted as she turned back to join him at the chair beside his.
"And what might that be? Do you want servants? A spa built into the balcony, maybe?"
"No: snacks!" Sokka declared, beaming and stretching back on his chair. Azula huffed and rolled her eyes.
"You do realize we may be about to witness a gruesome and explosive public murder, right?" she said, sinking in her seat. Sokka's relaxed smile waned. "If it were a fight between any other gladiators, perhaps you could use a snack or two. But as it is, I think the Arena's staff would rather not have to clean up the vomit from people who can't handle the gruesome sights in the ring while gobbling down fire gummies."
"Fair enough, point taken," said Sokka, sighing. "It's hard to believe there's such a luxurious way to watch a gladiator fight once you put everything into perspective. While Hui Yi was gruesome, at least it made sense that a horrible business would take place in a horrible fighting pit…"
"Losing sight of reality can be fairly easy when surrounded by all this opulence," said Azula, shrugging. "Truth be told, you're the one who has put a lot of things into perspective for me. So, don't worry, I'll gladly do the same for you whenever you need it."
"Thanks," said Sokka, with a small smile.
"Anyways… you still haven't said much about your conversation with Zhao," said Azula. "Anything else worth mentioning?"
"Uh… well, according to him, he's not the top sponsor simply because he wants to be, it's because he's some sort of political tool for your father," said Sokka.
"He told me the same thing. I suppose it makes some sense," said Azula. Sokka raised an eyebrow.
"Doesn't that throw off our plans a little?" he asked. "I never figured being at the top of the ranking would mean having to do the Fire Lord's dirty work. Zhao talked about being tasked to kill certain gladiators, to basically send threats to their sponsors…"
"You won't have to," said Azula, reaching over the chair to clasp his hand gently. The railing of the balcony was tall enough to keep anyone from seeing the affectionate gesture. "We did promise what we promised, Sokka. Whether you choose to go back to your tribe or to stay with me, we never agreed that you would keep the first place forever. At first, I did wish that you would hold dominance over the League for some time, but as soon as you cornered me into taking you home once you became the top fighter, I gave up on that idea."
"Then, we'll just retire?" Sokka asked. "Just after we achieve the unthinkable, we'll step right out of the business?"
"Why not? I can't think of a more legendary way to succeed at our goal," said Azula, smirking. "Defeat Combustion Man, take over the League… and then we take our leave by our own choice, so no challengers can force us to step down. We'll have damaged Zhao's image, as his undefeatable gladiator would just so happen to fall against a non-bender…"
"We really would be legends," said Sokka, chuckling. "But what would we do then? Once everything's finished…"
"Well, I do mean to fulfill my promise," she said, looking at him meaningfully. "You're going to see your family again. But I suppose you're asking after that…"
"Yeah, once we come back," Sokka said, smiling. Azula smiled too.
"Depending on our circumstances… I could, perhaps, help you become a renowned sword master," she suggested, shrugging. "If anything, we've proven you'll be a good teacher for anyone who wants to learn."
"That wouldn't be a bad idea," said Sokka, but he frowned. "Though… I will admit, thinking of it in the grand scheme of things, it means I'll be helping strengthen a whole new generation of Fire Nation soldiers?"
"You can do what Piandao did, then," said Azula, with a sarcastic smile. "Raise them into being critical of the Fire Nation, so they won't use their power for the forces of evil…"
"You sound oh-so-cynical about that," he said. She laughed.
"It's hard to imagine you deliberately manipulating children or even grown men in any way," she said. "Then again, look at what you've done to me. I shouldn't underestimate your manipulation abilities."
"Hey, I didn't manipulate you!" Sokka said, laughing in disbelief. Azula shrugged.
"So you say…" she smirked, looking away pointedly. Sokka chuckled.
"Still, being a sword master could be fun if I can be as picky about my students as Piandao used to be about his," he said. "That way I'll make sure I won't get stuck with kids who don't want to be there, eh?"
"Seems like your tribesmen were quite stubborn, weren't they?" said Azula, with a sympathetic smile. Sokka sighed.
"I would put my everything into motivational speeches and they'd just run off at every opportunity to play at sticking their tongues to ice blocks," he said, rolling his eyes. "They were incredibly receptive to my teachings, as you can tell. But anyways, as long as you drop by for classes with me regularly, I'll be pleased with this procedure."
"Oh, so I still need lessons on swordsmanship, then?" Azula asked, with a questioning stare. Sokka smirked.
"I'm afraid you do. Lots of them. You really have much more potential than what you've shown me so far," said Sokka, winking at her. She rolled her eyes.
"That's certainly flattering, just as it's insulting," she said. Sokka chuckled.
"Come on, do you have any better ideas for us to still be in touch, if not this?" he asked. Azula smiled and shrugged.
"I was under the impression that we would marry each other someday, and all that… seems to me that we'll stay in touch if we do as much, right?"
Sokka bit his lip and smiled at her. She avoided his gaze, focusing instead on the sand pit below, as the megaphone man stepped forward to deliver his usual introductions. As their hands were still linked, Sokka squeezed Azula's fingers gently, knowing all this talk about the future was hard for them both. There was no telling what could happen, even in the best-case scenario, but dreaming of a bright future was encouraging, nonetheless.
"Welcome, all, to another match in the Grand Royal Dome!" the man with the megaphone exclaimed. A loud cheer answered him from the public. "Today, we shall witness the prowess of the finest competitor in the League, the most remarkable of our gladiators, as he fights yet another foe who dares challenge his iron-fist rule over the Superior League! The stands are packed, the crowd is wild, and everyone's ready for the showdown of the week!"
"I suppose he does fight around once a week, if not more often," said Azula, raising an eyebrow. "His full record has insane stats, compared to everyone else's…"
"It's a shame the announcer can't make it sound more epic than 'the fight of the week', though," said Sokka, smiling a little.
"I suppose, yet I doubt it's that epic after the eight hundredth time it has happened. Most of Combustion Man's fights must be the same, mere repetitions of the same story," said Azula. "Gladiators always try to hold their own against him, yet aren't strong enough to withstand his power. I don't fault them for it, though: the bastard always has been incredibly powerful."
The golden grids were rising by then, and the two combatants stepped out into the sand. The one to their left was a pale, sturdy man in a green attire. He would have towered over most anyone, at around two meters of height, and his fists were rather large, furnished with gauntlets. His hair fell over his face in a wild mess of dark brown strands, and his every step seemed to make the Arena shake…
No, it wasn't the earthbender who was achieving that effect. Sokka frowned as he glanced at the other end of the fighting pit. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of an even taller and burlier man, yet with a perfectly shaved head, and a metallic arm and leg. What looked like a smudge on his forehead had to be some sort of tattoo, but as their balcony was so high, Sokka couldn't see it properly.
His clothes were light and maroon. It was hardly an impressive outfit: many men in the stands who had dressed casually for the occasion wore similar garb, yet the man underneath that simplistic apparel was anything but ordinary. The mere sight of him sent a shiver down Sokka's spine, and not of the good kind.
"Combustion Man…?" he asked. Azula swallowed hard and nodded.
"In the flesh. And steel," she said. "He's not the kind of gladiator you'll be able to distract with chitchat, as he's far from talkative…"
"Sounds like fun," said Sokka, with a grimace. "Who did they say was his opponent, again?"
"Blunt Blockade," said Azula. "The announcer said he was in the 45th spot, so he might actually survive. Let's hope he makes it in one piece."
"I've got a bad feeling about this fight," Sokka gulped, as the megaphone man told the gladiators to get ready.
"Three! Two! One…!" he bellowed, as the deafening cheers in the stands grew wilder. "START!"
Blunt Blockade raised up a large wall as soon as he heard the command. It was no ordinary wall: it had to be around eight meters wide, providing Blunt Blockade with a thick defense that he planned on using to protect himself and also attack his enemy. Sokka blinked blankly, in surprise.
"Huh. That's a smart idea, or isn't it?" he said. Azula sighed. "I mean, a small wall would fall within seconds, but a thick one…"
"You underestimate the power of that beast," Azula said, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
Sokka frowned warily, and just on cue, Combustion Man seemed to breathe deeply. In a matter of seconds, shockwaves tore through the space between him and the wall, and light sparks set off just before the full blast took Sokka by surprise.
The size of the explosion was terrifying. The center of the wall was engulfed in a sphere of flames before blowing up, and people all around the stands screamed and cowered away from the projectiles. Sokka flinched, but Azula didn't: she had known what to expect.
"What the…? What the hell?!" Sokka asked, his eyes wide. Azula frowned.
"That is why his grandiose name is Combustion Man," she grunted. "And that is why he's killed all the enemies he's been told to."
"Why do so many people come watch him?! He's a hazard to everyone!" Sokka exclaimed. "Look, some of those people in the crowd were hurt by the debris!"
"They might think it's worth it," said Azula. "A great anecdote to share with friends and family later. How epic can it be, to bear a wound caused by the greatest gladiator of the Superior League?"
"I've got a very different idea on what's epic, if that's really what they think," said Sokka, grimacing as the smoke from the explosion cleared out. Blunt Blockade was nowhere in sight. "Where is he?"
"I have no idea," said Azula, shrugging. "Maybe he got blown off by the attack, or maybe, if he's lucky…"
A burst of earth came from behind Combustion Man, as Blunt Blockade rose from within the sand: he had, presumably, bent his way underground and towards the enemy, hoping to catch him unawares.
His surprise attack was accompanied by noise that betrayed his position: he had been too loud. Combustion Man was ready to swat the earth away with his metal claw, and a massive barrage of regular firebending was wrapped around his left, non-prosthetic hand. The fist impacted directly into Blunt Blockade's attempt of a shield. The small earthen wall was relentlessly destroyed.
Blunt Blockade was above the surface again, and he made to bend the earth below Combustion Man to knock him off his feet. In an unexpected display of agility, Combustion Man jumped powerfully before shooting another combustive blast into the sand. Another scream shook the crowd as carbonized dirt flew all over the place, but this time Blunt Blockade was not as lucky as before.
When Combustion Man landed again, he strode to where Blunt Blockade lay, flung off by the explosion: his clothes were burning, as was his hair, and his pale body was now reddened, burned. He was shivering violently, shuddering against the sand in hopeless attempts to put out the fire. But once the flames had dissipated, and the scent of cooked flesh and burned hair had spread through the Arena, Combustion Man stopped next to him and picked him up by the neck with his left hand.
Blunt Blockade was tall, but not as tall as Combustion Man. He struggled, using a stream of sand to strike the behemoth, but Combustion Man merely angled his body away from each stream, without much effort. He was suffocating the enemy, as though it were no challenge: everyone was left to watch the suspenseful scene in horror or awe while Blunt Blockade kicked, scratched, and tossed streams of sand, each weaker than the next.
By the end, he couldn't bend anymore. He couldn't kick. He couldn't breathe. Combustion Man simply waited until his enemy had stopped resisting before dropping him on the scorched sand. And then he waited.
"He's… he's not dead yet, is he?" Sokka asked, shivering. Azula frowned.
"I can't tell from here. He might not be, if someone does something quickly…" she said.
"But… he won't fight anymore," Sokka muttered. Azula sighed and shook her head.
"I doubt it. Look at him, he's got second-degree burns all over, at the very least," she said. "Surviving that choking attempt is already difficult, but to get up and fight anew right afterwards? It doesn't seem likely…"
And indeed, Azula's prediction came true. The fight hadn't taken over two minutes, and that was all Combustion Man had needed. The judges declared him the winner within the ten mandatory seconds of the countdown, and a team of physicians rushed in to pick up Blunt Blockade for the emergency medical treatment he would need.
But what Sokka registered was the loud cheer. The deafening, proud support of a crowd that had basked in watching a man blown up by his enemy, just because it was entertaining. Because his life was to be forfeited just to give them a fun story to tell their peers. Anger boiled inside Sokka, and his brow furrowed as he glared at Combustion Man from where he sat.
He only snapped out of it when he felt Azula's thumb gliding over his clenched fist. He blinked himself aware of his surroundings again, of his companion's concerned golden eyes: Azula didn't seem surprised, not by his reaction, not by what they had seen.
"Are you alright?" she asked, despite knowing the answer to that question. Sokka sighed and shook his head.
"What on earth was that?" he asked her, his voice shaking. "How could he…? That guy was in the top fifty, he was an earthbender, and…!"
"Calm down. Calm down," said Azula, wishing she could soothe him by wrapping her arms around him and cradling him against her chest, but they wouldn't have a chance to do anything like that just yet. "I know, he's by far the most dangerous gladiator we've ever seen. I've known it for quite a while, but…"
"But you still think I could take him?" Sokka asked, looking at her in disbelief. "How? I mean, believe me, I'd love to be the one to wipe the floor with him after this, but… how?"
"We'll have to look for a solution, Sokka. It's impossible for him to be utterly unbeatable," said Azula, shaking her head. "Somehow, some way, you'll find the one weakness no one else has ever discovered. And once you do, you'll defeat him and everything he stands for. The sickening crowd that loves his every execution, the countless deaths he has delivered and earned nothing but admiration for… you'll put an end to it all. I know you will."
"I… think you believe in me a little too much," said Sokka. "I don't think there's any reasonable way, any possibilities, for a guy like me to just… beat him."
"Fine, perhaps you can't take him down by yourself," said Azula, shrugging. "But… you're not alone, or are you?"
Sokka's frown softened as he looked at her. She didn't smile, but she squeezed his fingers again.
"We've never cowered over any challenges," she said. "You've fought death more times than you can count. Combustion Man won't defeat you the way he destroyed Blunt Blockade. You won't be another mark in his history of victories in the League. We'll see to that."
Sokka breathed out but nodded now, looking at Azula with determination. She gripped his hand hard, and he returned the gesture.
"Yeah. We're going to do this," he said, with a small smile. "I don't know how, and it sounds utterly unrealistic, but I'm with you. His reign will end."
"That it will," said Azula, smirking and standing up, letting go of his hand before doing so. "So… shall we head home? I think we've done all we had to do in the Dome by now."
"Yeah, please," said Sokka, sighing and shaking his head. "I can't believe watching a fight was damn near as bad as being in one."
"Well, now you understand why he's the one at the top of the ranking," said Azula, as they moved to the door.
"Do firebenders fare any better against him?" Sokka asked, frowning. Azula shook her head.
"Hardly. Though I suppose you could say firebenders understand fire better, and they can avoid the degree and number of burns that Blunt Blockade couldn't, but that doesn't mean they do much better, in general."
She locked the door behind her as Sokka sighed and shook his head. What he had witnessed was still utterly unbelievable. Could a man like that be defeated at all? He had barely needed to attack his enemy thrice before rendering him helpless, and Blunt Blockade had looked like a powerful foe, too. He was a capable earthbender, of the sort that Toph would likely enjoy fighting. Yet he had fallen before Combustion Man so easily…
"How do you think Toph would do against Combustion Man?" he asked, suddenly. Azula shrugged as they moved to the stairs.
"For her sake, she'd be better off if she never fights him at all. If someone would be in grave danger when facing him, it's her. He attacks with his mind, he barely needs to move at all. If he does that sort of thing to her… well, her friendly fight with me will look like child's play in comparison. Besides, he's ruthless. He's not like either one of you: you'd never kill another gladiator if you can help it, and she decided not to kill you on a whim, even though her sponsor wanted her to. I can't imagine Combustion Man ever holding back from killing anyone else, no matter how blind or small or rich they may be."
"Then you'd recommend she doesn't fight him?" Sokka asked. Azula shrugged as they moved down the stairs.
"It's really not our business, though," she whispered. "Maybe I'm underestimating her and she might prove to be strong enough to survive him. But I'm not sure she ought to risk her perfect record doing that."
"Fair enough," said Sokka, sighing. "And you think I'll be able to improve enough to take him on?"
"In due time: obviously, I'm not about to send you to fight him as you are," said Azula, raising her eyebrows skeptically. Sokka smiled weakly.
"That's good to know," he whispered.
"But I'm hoping we'll find new ideas to train you," she said, biting her lip. "I've had quite a few thoughts that you might…"
She stopped talking when they reached the sponsors' balcony's floor, packed with a small group of pompous men: Zhao was there, smiling at others who gazed at him in wonderment, all of them clad in fancy robes, trimmed with gold. Sokka failed to identify them, but Azula had been acquainted with them since some time ago: the chairman and the executives in charge of the Grand Royal Dome, leaders of the Superior Gladiator League.
"Who're those?" Sokka asked Azula, looking at the men with confusion. Azula waved a hand as to give it little importance.
"Just the men behind the Gladiator League," she said. "I'm sure you'd love to give them a piece of your mind, of course…"
"Huh, you know, I really would…" Sokka grunted, an eyebrow twitching, but Azula grabbed him by the arm and yanked him towards the stairs.
"You're not going to cause trouble for me, not now, so we're leaving," she snapped. Sokka pouted.
"But…!"
"No!"
Zhao had been accepting all the greetings and compliments from the men surrounding him when he caught sight of what looked like the Princess dragging her gladiator behind her. He blinked blankly, excusing himself briefly only to take a proper glimpse at the stairs, but the crowd filing out of the stands was so large when he approached that he couldn't spot them in it anymore. Still, it had to be them; he smiled a little as he reached that conclusion.
"Keeping an eye on the competition, of course," he said to himself, before turning to the businessmen again. "So, where were we?"
"Ah, we're just so pleased you're back, sir, it is an unparalleled delight," said the chairman, beaming at Zhao. "Of course, your gladiator did the same things he always did while you were gone, but it wasn't quite the same, you know?"
"I suppose the parties of the High Tier were a lot less entertaining without me, then?" Zhao asked, smirking. The others laughed.
"Well, of course, Admi-… Princess?"
Zhao raised an eyebrow before turning his head. Indeed, it was Azula, accompanied by her gladiator, and the pair looked very uncomfortable, with disheveled clothes and hair as they were right now. It was unusual for the Princess to be anything but the picture of perfection…
"Greetings," Azula said, with a curt smile. "We were just leaving, but the crowd is akin to a pack of wild animals. They wouldn't let us through, and frankly, I didn't feel like mingling that closely with all the commoners, so I guess the roof it is…"
"Oh, no, Princess!" said one of the executives, scared. "You can't just climb the outside of the building, that would be so dangerous…!"
Azula looked at him with disgruntled confusion. Sokka actually snorted behind her, masking his laughter with a hand rather poorly.
"I have a dragon," she said, matter-of-factly. The man blushed. "I'm not going to jump off the building, if that's what you were so worried about. At any rate, I had to return this to Shoji's counter, but I suppose handing it to the League's chairman will be enough?"
The man nodded enthusiastically and extended his hand as Azula passed him the key to the Royal Balcony. He smiled warmly before bowing his head in her direction.
"It is no trouble, I shall give it to Shoji after the crowd has left."
"Perfect," said Azula, nodding. "Anyways, excuse our intrusion…"
"Did you come to watch the fight, Princess?" Zhao asked, before Azula could push Sokka to the stairs again. She stiffened but smiled at him.
"We decided to stay for it, it wasn't our main goal today," she said. "My gladiator will be back in the fighting ring soon, so we came to schedule a fight for him and found half the city was in here, eager to watch Combustion Man doing what he does best… utter destruction, of course."
"It's lucky he avoided most the furniture, despite it all," Zhao chuckled, but he nodded in Azula's direction. "Have a safe flight. And a safe fight, when you return to the ring, gladiator."
"Yeah… thanks," said Sokka with a small smile.
"Until later, Admiral. Gentlemen," said Azula, nodding in their direction. As they had failed to bow deeply for her earlier, they did it now as she took her leave.
Sokka and Azula rushed to the roof, pushing the door open: even before reaching the border of the roof, they could see the crowds pouring out into the street through the twin doors at the building's entrance. Azula shook her head and looked at Sokka in disbelief.
"We really are lucky you're not all that popular yet," she said. He snorted.
"I never realized that was a good thing, but it really is," he said. Azula smiled.
Xin Long fetched them as intended, and he ferried them off to Sokka's house but, emotionally drained as they had been after witnessing the fight, all they did was sink on the couch, side by side, staring into the horizon while trying to organize their thoughts. There was nothing but silence in the house for quite some time. The unusually long moment ended when Sokka breathed deeply and spoke:
"We have to beat that guy."
Azula glanced at him, surprised. He returned her gaze, his blue eyes betraying a powerful determination she wasn't sure she had seen in them before.
"That's odd, coming from you. Are you alright?"
"It's just… I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "I never thought that seeing him in battle would make me feel this way, but it does. Maybe it's because I'd never seen such an unpleasant crowd at a gladiator fight, or because of how he destroyed Blunt Blockade like it was nothing… it's not even about Zhao, he's yours to bicker with…"
"Yeah, we know you suddenly like him oh, so much…" said Azula, rolling her eyes. Sokka pouted.
"I didn't say I liked him, I just say maybe he's made mistakes but he might be a nicer guy than we thought. I mean, he seems to be truly loyal to your dad, and with the story he told me, it makes sense that he is. Did you know he saved his life?"
"Who saved whose life?" Azula asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms over her chest.
"Your dad saved Zhao," said Sokka. Her eyes widened, and her skepticism diminished at Sokka's claim. "Apparently he was going to be executed after he killed soldiers by mistake. He was a kid, had a firebending mishap, lost control after his parents died in the war, and Fire Lord Azulon wanted to have him killed for what he'd done. But your dad intervened somehow, and it didn't happen."
"Really?" said Azula, raising an eyebrow. "Odd that I've never heard this story before."
"He told me because I was distrustful of him, and because I mentioned he hadn't acted like the nobles or military people I'd met so far," he said. "I mean, he did act like that back when he first returned, I'm not forgetting how he told you to find another gladiator instead of me… but because of Hahn, and because of what happened with Jeong Jeong, he seems to be considering I'm not as bad as he expected, even though I assume he still thinks I'm a lowly slave."
"So, he decided to share his life's story because you believed he should have been more arrogant, then?" Azula concluded, raising an eyebrow. "Odd. But I'll take your word for it. It does make enough sense. I didn't really talk a lot with Zhao, not even when I was younger, and not unless I was in my father's presence. And my father has some sort of unspoken rule about not discussing the past much…"
"So, they never spoke of their shared history with you?" said Sokka.
"I knew they traveled together when they were younger," said Azula. "But they never explained the details of how they first met. I had thought their first encounter might have happened when Zhao was assigned to sail with my father, but if what he told you is true… well, the veracity of the story is still up in the air, of course. It might not be true, you know…"
"Why wouldn't it be?" said Sokka, smirking. "What would he achieve by lying to me?"
"Beats me. Maybe he wants to turn you against me," she said, looking at Sokka defiantly. He snorted and shook his head.
"Like I needed his meddling to antagonize you," he said, smirking and leaning closer to her. "We are always bickering as it is, he doesn't have to do anything to goad us into fighting."
"You know that's not what I meant, but truth be told, fighting with you is entertaining as it is," said Azula, smirking too and pressing her forehead to his. "So now we'll get to fight about whether Zhao is a liar or not…"
"One thing's for sure, though… his gladiator needs to go down," said Sokka. Azula bit her lip.
"And we need to think of how to achieve that."
"What do you know about his skill? What is combustion bending?" Sokka asked. "How does it work, what about that tattoo on his forehead…?"
"Calm down," said Azula, raising a hand so she could put her finger on his lips. "I'm sorry to disappoint, but there's actually very little, if any, information about combustion bending. I did try to research it after I first saw him fighting, but I found next to nothing. Even the more complex books on firebending didn't feature much more than brief descriptions, merely to say that it was a skill that could not be learned, and that very few people are born with."
"And you're not one of them, are you?" Sokka said. Azula looked at him skeptically.
"If I were, do you really think you wouldn't have seen it by now?" she asked. "I never had the skill, neither does any other firebender I know aside from him. It's a rare skill, one of the rarest of all. I could learn to bend fires of different colors, I could produce lightning, but creating an explosion with apparently the power of my mind? It's… unthinkable."
"It's got to have something to do with chi, like all bending does," said Sokka, frowning and slouching on the couch, while stroking his stubble. "He seemed to always stare at the very place he was about to blow up, and there were sparks in a straight line, between his face and… wait, maybe that's what the tattoo is for? It focuses the attack, somehow?"
"I don't know," said Azula, shaking her head. "But no doubt he wasn't born with a tattoo, was he?"
"That would be very, very weird," said Sokka, raising his eyebrows. Azula chuckled.
"If he wasn't born with it, someone drew it there," she said. "Maybe his assassination guild did it?"
"Do you think they have more combustion benders like him?" Sokka asked, frowning.
"I would hope not. One combustion bender is already bad enough on his own," said Azula, with a weak grin. "But if it's not the assassination guild, there's at least someone out there, or there was someone, who drew that tattoo and who presumably helped him control his powers."
"So, a master combustion bender?" said Sokka, raising an eyebrow. "Maybe they're a secret organization of some sort, then? I haven't seen people with tattoos like that anywhere before, they might be in hiding somewhere…"
"Most likely, but these are all guesses in the end," said Azula. "And figuring out who taught him how to do it may not be enough for us to find his key weaknesses. Still… you mentioned chi. Do you think chi-blocking him is possible?"
"Not on the metallic limbs, of course," said Sokka, with a small smile. "But everywhere else, yes."
"Still, throwing your boomerang at him for long-range chi-blocking won't do much good," said Azula. "He could blow it up easily, and you'd lose a weapon just like that…"
"Still, his hand and leg are metallic," said Sokka, tapping his chin. "Space Sword has sliced through some really strong metal before…"
"And how will you get close enough to chop them off?" Azula asked. Sokka grimaced.
"True, then… I need another meteorite!" Sokka declared. Azula looked at him, dumbfounded.
"For what?" she asked. He scratched his head guiltily.
"To make a Space Boomerang?" he said. She snorted and shook her head.
"You're unbelievable."
"But it would be great!" he exclaimed, quickly impassioned by his sudden idea. "If I threw it fast enough, it could cut cleanly through his foot and then he'd lose balance and I'd get him!"
"That's a big 'if', and one that could cost you one of five weapons, so I'm afraid we shouldn't rely on that absurd possibility too much," said Azula, smirking. "Finding another meteorite of the exact same properties as the first one seems like a stretch, don't you think?"
"We could try, though…" Sokka pouted. Azula laughed and leaned closer, kissing him softly.
"Truth be told, we're getting ahead of ourselves," she said, dropping her head on his shoulder and surrounding his waist with her arms. Sokka held her too, biting his lower lip. "Your fight against Combustion Man isn't happening anytime soon, even though we'll do everything in our power to make it happen. We have time to design strategies and procure all the information we can about his skills and whatever weaknesses he may have."
"We do, we do," said Sokka, with a small smile. "But truth be told, he's really far ahead, Azula. If he really fights once a week, or so… how are we going to beat him?"
"Feeling sorry that we dumped the Slate when we did, are you?" Azula asked, with a small smile. "Events are my best idea, actually. They always provide us with more points than anything else, so even if we never return to the Slate, we can always find other events to join. We're not guaranteed to always obtain absolute victory in them, but it's worth a shot…"
"Seems like a good plan," said Sokka.
"And in the meantime," said Azula, looking at him meaningfully. "We have to keep doing what we always did. You will fight every challenger you can, and we'll try to make that a weekly thing instead of waiting two weeks as we would before. You'll fight, and we'll do our damnedest to get you up to the top hundred. And while you're not in the ring… you'll train."
"Which is what I've been up to lately, anyways," said Sokka. But Azula smiled and shook her head.
"As I mentioned earlier… we may need to go a little further to explore your skills properly. I've had ideas recently for your training. If we put them into action…"
"That look on your face says that either you're suggesting something naughty, which I would never say no to, or that you're planning on pushing me to extremes I've never seen before…" said Sokka, raising his eyebrows.
"And would you say no to that last thing?" she asked, smiling and stroking his chest as if to convince him. Sokka chuckled.
"I'll only say no if you don't wear your necklace while training me," he said, prodding her nose with his. She smiled.
"Ah, if that's your only condition then there's no need to worry, of course I'd wear it. So, we're all set," she said, taking his face in her hands. "You're going back into the ring, Sokka… and you're going to be better than ever before. Let them all see you are a force to be reckoned with."
"I will certainly try," said Sokka, smiling. Azula sighed.
"After all that motivation earlier, all that eagerness to beat Combustion Man, this is all you can give me now? 'I'll try'? Come on, gladiator, put some spirit into this."
"Okay, uh… I'll leave all our enemies dunked in the sand, where they belong?" he said, tentatively. Azula laughed and dropped her head on his shoulder.
"You'll get motivated soon enough. I'll see to it," she said. Sokka chuckled.
"I look forward to that, Princess."
The real training didn't begin until the next day, once Azula had arranged all the preparations she required. Sokka was surprised when she arrived at his house on a carriage this time, bearing a large, heavy trunk filled with what he discovered were weights, not just for him to lift, but some of them were meant to be strapped on his limbs too.
"The heavier the weights, the more strength you'll build with each of your movements," said Azula, as he tried out the first set: they weighed at least thrice as much as his armor did.
"And once the weights come off, I'll be faster and stronger too," Sokka said, raising his eyebrows. Azula smirked.
"That's the plan," she said. "So, without further ado, go ahead and start running, gladiator."
"You should run with me too," he suggested, smiling. "I can chase after you, maybe. It could be a lot more fun."
"Or I could chase you, instead," she suggested, with a smirk. "Tossing fireballs at your feet, so you'll know to run faster…"
"Hey!"
Indeed, Azula abided by his suggestion, but following fit with her own, wicked ideas. He started out by chasing her indeed, the weights on his limbs slowing him a lot, while Azula's speed remained the same as ever. Within a single lap around the house, she had already put so much distance between them that Sokka was genuinely embarrassed. It didn't take long for him to lose sight of her, and he knew she was going to show up behind him in due time… He tried to move faster, to keep her from burning his shoes as she had eerily suggested, but even though he picked up some speed, so did Azula.
"Ha! Slowpoke! Move faster!" she bellowed behind him barely at the fourth lap. Sokka flinched just before he felt the familiar sensation of heat behind him.
"Dammit, don't burn my shoes!" Sokka shouted, cringing and speeding up further. He was forced to zig-zag to avoid the fire too, but his agility with the weights certainly left a lot to be desired.
Azula was enjoying herself thoroughly by training him this way, clearly. Sokka's body was coated with sweat within an hour or two, despite he was still doing his very best and hadn't asked for a break, but the weights that hindered his every move were a troubling obstacle. The Princess spent that day forcing him to build up further muscles by lifting heavy objects too, but after she ordered him to lift his brand-new and remarkably heavy hot-air balloon, he shot her a meaningful glare and lifted her instead. She was laughing as he carried her slung over his shoulder, and he dragged her all the way to the living room, urging her to rethink her training strategies.
The training continued the next day, and the next. Xin Long helped too, once Azula decided that Sokka's agility needed more refinement. As he raced through the backyard of the house, the Princess and the dragon would shoot bolts of fire in any direction, and he would do his best to avoid them. Sometimes they did it by standing at opposite ends of the yard, others they did it while being airborne. After a few close calls, Sokka decided to change into his fire-retardant clothes, for safety's sake.
His afternoon training was mainly about sharpening his senses. What Azula and Xin Long did during the morning certainly kept him on his toes and he knew to expect attacks from any sources, but Azula argued that he needed much more than that. While she didn't expect him to develop his senses as much as Toph had, she did want him to rely on more than just eyesight in the battlefield.
So Sokka would stand in the middle of the backyard, blindfolded, while Azula tossed projectiles at him. Sometimes she threw stones she found on the ground, other times she would use her own fire. Sokka, equipped only with his own weapons, had to deflect the attacks, but he started out very poorly at this exercise. Within a few days he had proved capable of hearing even her stealthiest footsteps, and he could pick up the pungent smell that accompanied firebending whenever Azula was ready to attack.
This innovative brand of training was taken to new heights when Azula finally brought him back to Ty Lee's house for a session against Haru. Naturally, the chi-blocker had clung onto Sokka dramatically, relieved he was alright, while he looked at Azula with despair, hoping she could get Ty Lee off him. But once they started to focus, Haru had joined Azula in throwing projectiles at Sokka. Mai had brought blunt projectiles herself, which were the hardest to dodge for Sokka, as she was the fastest of them all. Ty Lee would lurk nearby to chi-block him, but as fast as she was, he always could hear her footsteps, so he would fight back and evade her effectively. Azula kept to using her fire only, without risking lightning in case Sokka didn't succeed at avoiding it…
All this was additional to his usual weapons training. He still sparred often with Azula, going all out with her just as she did with him. And even when everyone else was tired out in Ty Lee's house, when Mai had already gone home while Ty Lee and Haru lounged lazily in the living room, Sokka and Azula continued to fight one another in the ragged backyard until finally the Princess declared they ought to stop.
"Your fight is tomorrow, after all," she reasoned during the afternoon, a pleased smile on her face. "You'll need proper rest tonight."
"Well, no doubt I'm getting it," said Sokka, looking at her questioningly. "My nighttime activities nowadays involve nothing but sleeping soundly. No company, not one bit…"
"And don't you get much better rest with a whole bed for yourself?" she asked, teasingly. Sokka smirked.
"Who on earth does?" he asked, inching closer and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Meanie. Why do you keep tiring me out this much? I'd gladly work on my endurance in other ways too, if you know what I mean, but I always end up exhausted with all your training plans."
"I'm just not sure that would help you build the kind of stamina we're going for, you know," she said, smiling and stroking a strand of hair that had fallen out of his wolf's tail. "Stop thinking so much about it. We'll return to that line of business sooner than you think."
"Oh, really?" he pouted. She smiled.
"Whiner," she said, bumping him gently with her shoulder.
"Will we stay for dinner here or will we go back home?" Sokka asked "Because I'm so sweaty I should clean up if we do stay. You know, pour a water bucket over myself…"
He bit his lower lip while saying that, his smile growing even as he tried to hold it back. Azula rolled her eyes and glared at him, smiling too, despite herself.
"You're getting nothing for the next month if you dare do something like that here."
"Oh, boohoo, as it is, I've gotten nothing for well over a month!" he responded, as she laughed and shook her head.
"Whatever. We're going home before you embarrass me, irksome, sweaty gladiator."
Sokka chuckled but followed her to say their farewells to Ty Lee and Haru anyways. Ty Lee reconsidered hugging Sokka this time, knowing Azula's good mood could sour if she did: she settled for a smile instead.
"Good luck tomorrow! You two can do this!"
"We'd better. I've never been torture-trained this much, if I fail it'll be because of excessive training instead," Sokka said, pointing at Azula with his index finger. She rolled her eyes again and swatted his finger away, smiling anyways.
"Nonsense," she said. "We'll see you, Ty Lee, Haru."
"Good luck!" Haru called from the kitchen.
"Bye, Haru!" Sokka exclaimed.
As ever, Xin Long brought them to Sokka's house, sighing through the whole trip as his rider and companion did nothing but bicker foolishly. It was odd that two people would genuinely bond over arguing, Xin Long thought, but his riders had never been all that normal to begin with.
"But really, it's not that late yet…" Sokka pouted, as they touched down on the backyard. "A quickie would suit me just fine too, you know? For luck?"
"Nope," said Azula, jerking her head to the side. "Away with you now, gladiator. You need to sleep."
"This is torture, I tell you, real torture," he said, shaking his head and jumping off the saddle. "All this training with no payoff? It's utter cruelty, you hear me?"
"The payoff will be that you've become stronger than ever before, with great muscles and everything…" said Azula, smirking as she stared at his arms. Sokka smirked.
"You can check out just how great they are, if you like. Really, I won't bite," he said. She bit her lip and shook her head.
"You won't? Disappointing. And then you wonder why I don't want to get back in the sack with you yet," she said, prompting him to laugh and rest his head against her side, as she remained on Xin Long's saddle. She smiled and stroked Sokka's hair. "I do like those strong arms, yes, but you should know full well that as soon as we dare rip each other's clothes off, we're going to stay in bed for about three months to make up for all the time we didn't do it…"
"Sounds like fun," said Sokka, beaming. Azula looked at him skeptically.
"Considering we're doing all this just so you won't drop out of the ranking, fun isn't in our schedule for the time being," she said, lifting his chin with her hand and leaning down to kiss his lips. Sokka responded gladly. "But it will be, if you behave. Get some rest."
"Fine," he surrendered at last, smiling at her. "I love you."
"I love you more," she said. He scoffed.
"Not possible!"
"Yes, it is," she said, smiling as she stroked Xin Long's side. "I'll fetch you tomorrow."
"Can't wait," Sokka grinned, as Xin Long took off into the sky.
Azula returned bright and early on the next morning. Sokka had finished his breakfast quickly and bid Song a hasty goodbye: as he rushed to the backyard, clad in his armor and helmet, his weapons at the ready, Azula's breath hitched. It wasn't merely because she had missed seeing him in his battle garb, which she had – it suited him so well, more so now that he was buffer than ever –, but he didn't look stronger only on the outside. His eyes gleamed with a different kind of determination from the usual. She smiled upon him as he reached her.
"Ready?" she asked. He smiled and nodded.
"Time for our comeback, Princess," he said.
Azula offered him her hand and lifted him onto the saddle. And once he was in place, right behind Azula, Xin Long sped his way to the Grand Royal Dome.
They were extremely early, unsurprisingly, even though their fight would be the first of the day. But as the crowd entered the building and settled on their seats, Sokka and Azula waited as patiently as they could in one of the waiting rooms.
"I'll do fine, you don't need to pace so nervously," Sokka said, smiling as he sat on one of the couches in the room. His sponsor, as he had said, kept walking with no set destination, her arms firmly folded over her chest.
"It's strange, I just feel like…" she said, shaking her head as she continued to walk. "Like it's the first time we do this, all over again. I don't even know why."
"Well, a fair share of things changed since the last time we were here," said Sokka. "We've been through quite a few ordeals. And if you're feeling apprehensive, it makes perfect sense…"
"I guess, but…" said Azula, looking at him and sighing. "I really want you to win today. For some reason, I just…"
"Don't worry, I feel the same way," said Sokka, with a small smile. "But I also feel like I can do it, you know? I feel lighter than I have in weeks, without those weights…"
"No doubt you do," said Azula, smiling too. "You do look stronger than ever, though…"
"Of course I do, with all you've tormented me in these last weeks," he said, smirking. "You could make it up to me right now too, you know. I've always thought these waiting rooms are so comfortable, too comfortable to be meant just for waiting…"
"How convenient of you to point that out," said Azula, stopping before him and giving him a skeptical look. Sokka smirked, his arms relaxed and spread over the backrest of the couch.
It wasn't long before she found herself smiling earnestly. They had definitely endured a nightmarish setback in their relationship after their first escapade in a room like this, but the memory of that first, fierce kiss remained the only good thing that had come from it. And here they were, years later, as good as reenacting it, without the wrong motivation this time, thankfully.
"You know I'm right, though," he said, smiling. "Isn't that why you locked the door?"
"I locked the door because I know I can't predict when you'll pounce on me while we're alone," said Azula, raising her eyebrows. "And… I also can't predict when I'll pounce on you, why lie?"
Sokka laughed and she smiled at him. Her hand went down to his shoulder and she leaned closer to him, climbing atop his lap as her lips hovered inches away from his.
"Oh, would you look at that… I just did," she said, smiling before kissing him rashly.
Sokka hugged her and kissed her back, knowing full well what she was doing, and knowing he wanted her to do it, too. His chest tightened with emotions, as the reality of everything they had overcome hit him right then and there: they had already endured so many trials, survived every single obstacle in their path. In the end, they had come out stronger than ever before, strong enough to be together the way they wanted to be. They were lovers, but they were still gladiator and sponsor. Their lives were interlocked, tied together in every way that counted.
Azula pulled away and smiled fondly at Sokka, keeping his face between her hands. He beamed at her.
"That was a lot less desperate than the last time you climbed on my lap in this building," he pointed out. She shook her head and pressed her forehead to his, smiling.
"I still want you as badly as I did that day," she admitted. Sokka blushed, surprised by her honesty. "I fear I always will. But… I think we've learned a lot since then, haven't we?"
"Much more than I expected us to," Sokka said, smiling at her and stroking her hair. "But I'm glad we've come this far, together."
"So am I," she said, dropping her head on his shoulder as he rubbed her back gently now.
She finally settled with sitting on his lap, forcing him to endure as she fixed her makeup, before wiping his lips, as ever. He hugged her tightly from behind, though, and he was pondering if he ought to mess with her by kissing her lips again, but a knock on the door forced them to stop their dalliance for the time being.
"Your fight will begin shortly," announced a staff member, when Azula opened the door. She nodded.
"Very well. Gladiator, get going," she said, sternly. He couldn't hold back a smile as he fitted his helmet in place.
"No need to boss me around that much, I'm going…" he complained. Azula rolled her eyes, as the staff member took off. She dared smile at Sokka as he picked up his weapons and reached her at the room's threshold.
"I'll boss you around as much as I please, insolent savage," she said mockingly, smirking at him. Sokka laughed under his breath.
They headed to the stand-by room together, where Azula stared at the glowing sand with growing apprehension tightening in her chest. Sokka placed his hands on her waist and forced her to turn around to look at him. He smiled serenely, with confidence.
"It'll be over before you know it. You did a great job in getting me into shape, you know."
"Of course…" she said, biting her lip but smiling at him. "But you know, sometimes it's tricky letting you go to battle. You're supposed to marry me when we're seventy, so I just want to make sure there's still some Sokka left by then…"
"There's going to be… at least, I hope so," he said, grimacing. "I really wanted to say something overconfident, but I would rather not make false promises about how hot I'll still be at that age…"
Azula laughed and dropped her head on his chest plate. Sokka smiled, hugging her and reassuring her with his gentle touch. She finally looked up at him again so she could kiss him deeply, and Sokka complied gladly, enjoying everything she was conveying to him without words. He kissed her back enthusiastically, showing her he wasn't scared of whoever waited out there: he was ready. He was out to win this fight.
Azula pulled away, pleased by his determination. She wiped his lips clean again as she always did.
"Make me proud," she said, smiling. He smirked and nodded.
"I will," he said. Her grin broadened as she made her way to the corridor again.
Sokka watched her go, and chuckled when she stopped to fix her makeup, yet again. She gave him a meaningful stare and rolled her eyes, pretending to be utterly exasperated by their impromptu make-out sessions. Sokka could only laugh as she left, but he allowed the joy to join the rest of his resolve once she was out of sight. He stared at the gold grid again, tightening his fists, the weight of the weapons he was carrying reminding him of who he was, and what he would set out to do right now.
It was the beginning of a new era. No longer did he fight with a blurry goal in mind, with a mere glimmer of hope to return home. He didn't do it just to please Azula, either. He did it because he had seen his true rival: he had found the one enemy he needed to defeat, all else be damned, if he was to change the world they lived in. His determination to succeed in Azula's self-imposed quest was stronger than ever, for now it wasn't her goal alone: he believed in it too, and he wanted it just as much as she did. One day he would step out into that glowing sand, and he would face that behemoth with metal limbs. And he would do it while feeling every ounce of determination he felt right now.
The grid opened, and Sokka entered the Arena with a steady stride. The crowd cheered him on more loudly than ever, welcoming him back to the brutal affair he had condemned for as long as he had been part of it. To the fighting pit where only the strongest could fight, and only the best would win. It was a world he had abhorred, and he still held no love for it: but it was a world he was part of, a world he could only change if he accepted the role he had to play in it.
He would usher change in the Gladiator League. He would never be the gladiator who did Ozai's dirty work, murdering as commanded, let alone would he be the kind of gladiator who killed for sport. He would fight and he would be strong, without ever becoming the ultimate enemy he wanted to dethrone.
Explosion was tall, strong and fair-skinned. Her hair was dark, tied in a tight ponytail and her brown eyes gleaming fiercely. Sokka stopped before her and nodded in her direction: she didn't return the gesture.
"… And in this comeback, at long last, the Blue Wolf will prove no one can destroy his resilience no matter how hard they try! Give it up for the royal champion, and may this combat begin…!"
Sokka breathed deeply and widened his stance, hoping to be ready to react to anything his opponent might throw at him. Explosion took up a stance of her own immediately, a bending kata Sokka recognized quickly, for it was one of Azula's basic stances too. He smirked.
"Three…!"
His fingers trembled, hers were rigid and stretched outright.
"Two…!"
The crowd cheered and hooted, and every eye in the Arena gazed upon them intently.
"One…!"
A sponsor dared make furtive eye contact with her gladiator, who allowed himself a quick smirk in her direction…
"START!"
He dodged the fire blast, predicting the firebender's bluff and slipping out of her reach just before pulling out two swords. Explosion cursed, casting a fire punch quickly at Sokka, but Wolf's Bane wouldn't struggle to swat away such feeble power. Sokka rushed in again, zig-zagging unpredictably, and Explosion struggled to keep up with him.
The Blue Wolf wasn't easily daunted by barrages of fire, especially not when he had a weapon that could keep them at bay fairly easily. Explosion struggled, trying to shoot further fire in Sokka's direction, but he was too fast for her. He encircled her tactically, moving closer or farther, driving her to a frenzy and a firebending outburst worthy of a raging child. That would be why she was called Explosion, then…?
She was conjuring a tall tower of fire, and she stood at its center. It would be a great defense, in theory, but it would also blind her. Sokka's projectile weapon would be blocked from sight until it was too close for her to evade it.
He decided not to waste more time: his boomerang flew past the flames as easily as with other enemies, and just as Sokka had expected, the barrage of flames faded once the bender behind them had been knocked out of balance.
Sokka charged, with two swords in hand again. Explosion shot a stream of flames at him, but with Wolf's Bane in his left hand he tore through the attack, while holding Space Sword low, at the ready…
Explosion screamed, in panic, at Sokka's reckless, wild charge. She tried to inch away from him but failed: her speed couldn't possibly compete with his.
She couldn't keep the world from disappearing around her as she dropped unconscious on the sand upon being hit by Space Sword's pommel, right on the side of her head.
Sokka breathed out in relief and watched the woman after she collapsed, hoping she wouldn't wake again until the countdown was up. But it was apparent that she wouldn't, and he could hear the crowd cheering because they knew that, too.
The cheering was strong, but different from what he had heard from the Royal Balcony during Combustion Man's fight. He smiled to himself and gazed at the people supporting him, even spotting a few familiar faces from the Wolf's Pack in the crowd.
But what his eyes sought wasn't in the general stands. He lifted his eyes further, and found his sponsor smiling proudly indeed, as the judges announced him as the winner. Sokka's smile grew stronger as he saw the approval in her eyes. As he saw the last shreds of fear disappearing from them: she knew they could do this, he had proven it to her many times in the past, and he proved it again now: they would succeed at their quest, there was no doubt about it. With resolves burning as fiercely as the wildest, untamed fire, they felt stronger than they had ever been, together.