"The Grand Royal Dome will witness a fight like no other on this day: our two strongest non-benders will clash in the sand for the first time ever, offering us a spectacle like none we've seen before!
"Our reigning non-bending champion, the Mad Alchemist, has been the top non-bender of the League for six years, no less! So far, he has never fought against a non-bender strong and skilled enough to defeat him, for he is unpredictable and never wins the same way twice! What remarkable weapons and strategies shall we see from this extraordinary genius today?
"His challenger, of course, is no less than our Crown Princess' very own gladiator, the Blue Wolf! After a few bumps in his early career, there has been nothing to slow down his progress as he earns points and shoots for the ranking's highest heights! His versatility and ever-improving skills have turned him into one of the best gladiators to ever join this League!
"Will the underdog prevail in this legendary fight? Or will the long-time non-bending leader preserve his privileged position? Witness this fight with me, so we may discover together who deserves to be called the strongest non-bender in the Superior Gladiator League!
"Give a loud cheer, now, to welcome… the Blue Wolf!"
Filling his lungs with a deep, calming breath, Sokka stepped out of the stand-by room. As ever, the golden sand greeted him, as did the loud cheers and hoots from his fans. The rhythm-heavy song his supporters had composed for him could be heard faintly between all the loud voices, and Sokka raised a hand in acknowledgement of all who had attended the fight today to support him.
Years ago, he had entered this same arena for the first time to fight another non-bender, the Red-Striped Hornet. Back then, he would have never expected to feel at home in this city, he wouldn't have ever wanted to embrace the darkest sides of his nature, nor would he have dreamt of striding into the sand with pride rather than shame. On that first fight in the Grand Royal Dome, he had glanced up at the sponsors' balcony only to be greeted by the Princess's judgmental glare.
Today, he was here to face off against the strongest non-bender, before a crowd that chanted his name and dressed up in his likeness. He had grown to accept himself, to admit the Fire Nation had virtues, despite being far from flawless, and he had learned to regard his opponents with the same respect they were offering him.
Most of all, today he could glance up at the balcony to smile, not at a begrudging ally, but at a devoted partner. He could fully cherish the remarkable woman who smiled back at him, gazing upon him with such pride his heart ached wonderfully for it.
Perhaps he would lose, there was no telling yet whether he would or wouldn't. But after all these years, he didn't hate himself for being the man he had become, as hard to believe as it was at times. His journey had brought him to the moment of truth, and he was ready to face this new challenge, one of the biggest before him so far. He could allow himself to lose, Azula had made that clear… but he didn't want to. Not when the stakes were this high.
"Let's welcome now the reigning non-bending champion… the Mad Alchemist!"
Surprisingly, the cheers weren't anywhere near as loud as they were for Sokka. It was strange that a man who had been fighting for so much longer than the Blue Wolf, and who had been the best non-bender for so long, would have such a small following… but Sokka decided against distracting himself with such thoughts. He only waited as the golden grid rolled upwards, watching intently for the opponent that would stride out into the sand any second now…
Sokka blinked a few times, wondering if the man had run away or fallen asleep inside the stand-by room. No one was coming out yet, which gave rise to mutterings amidst the restless crowd.
It nearly took a whole minute of hearing the megaphone man calling for the Mad Alchemist until something finally showed up in the stand-by room's threshold… and it was a vehicle, to Sokka's utter surprise.
Slowly, but surely, the Mad Alchemist entered the stage while riding a strange wooden contraption. He wheeled himself in, surely aided by an engine of some sort, going by the smoke pouring out of the back of the vehicle. The machine was slow, although it progressed across the sand steadily while carrying a man on its back.
He was dark-skinned, with messy hair. Sokka wasn't sure why he had expected the man to be younger, but he was bound to be older than fifty. His eyes were sunken, and he didn't look well-built. Had he ran into him and his weird contraption somewhere in the streets, Sokka would have assumed the man was merely a crazy inventor… and there was no doubt that he was one. Yet, was he any good as a fighter too? Or were his creations so extraordinary that he could easily defeat most his opponents merely through them?
The man wheeled himself until reached Sokka: he stopped the machine by pulling several levers. He smiled at the Blue Wolf by then, who was equally puzzled and curious about his strange opponent.
"Greetings!" said the man, bowing his head towards him "I am the one they call the Mad Alchemist, though my actual name is Takase! Good to meet you, youngster!"
"Youngster?" Sokka repeated, smiling a little "Well, I am the one they call the Blue Wolf, then. My real name is Sokka"
"Eh, nice! Most gladiators don't like introducing themselves civilly, I have never understood why" Takase declared, shaking his head while tampering with something in his machine. Sokka sighed and nodded in agreement.
"That's very much true, I've never understood it either" he said "It's just so rude, don't you think?"
"Very! Utterly rude!" said Takase, smiling again "So, my sponsor says you're here to beat me and prove you're the top non-bender in the League, is it?"
"Uh, yeah, that's the plan" Sokka nodded "I hope you're not offended by that, though I'm still really far from you, in terms of points…"
"That's okay. You'll catch up!" said Takase, waving a hand carelessly towards Sokka "Or at least, I'd like to think so. It's only fair for a truly civilized man like yourself to be the one to beat me!"
"Does that mean you'll just let me win?" Sokka asked, amused. Takase raised an eyebrow.
"Would you be fine with that?" he asked. Sokka sighed and shook his head.
"Maybe I would have been, years ago. But nowadays… it'd feel like an undeserved victory" he said. Takase snorted.
"Well, that's pushing it" he declared "Too civilized, too honorable! That kind of behavior isn't suitable for a gladiator, it suits soldiers or…! Wait, nah, that's not true either, soldiers are more worthless yet…"
"Oh?" said Sokka, blinking blankly as Takase tapped his chin.
"Goodness, I can't think of any profession in our day and age that warrants that kind of honorable behavior" Takase declared, biting his lip "Let me think on this real quick and I'll get back to you in a bit!"
"O-okay?" said Sokka, looking at Takase in confusion as the man brought his index fingers to his temples.
"… For the next fifteen minutes, our two fighters are sure to provide us with a combat for the ages!" the megaphone man was saying amidst the cheers and chanting "We'll have history in the making today, everyone! Gladiators, get ready…!"
Sokka smiled awkwardly as he eyed The Mad Alchemist again. The man seemed to be mumbling something to himself, eyes tightly shut. It didn't seem he was listening to the megaphone man at all. There was nothing else to it but to prepare, he concluded, as he put on his new helmet.
"Three… two… one…!"
"Curses, I can't get attack when he's like this, can I?" Sokka groaned, just as the megaphone man shouted.
"START!"
Sokka raised his eyes towards Takase, wary of his behavior. It could have easily been a trap, a pretense to strike at Sokka when his guard was down… but nothing. The man continued to think hard, if that was what he was doing, and it didn't seem he had any intentions to stop anytime soon. Sokka sighed, shaking his head and crossing his arms as he waited for Takase to finish his thinking.
"Hey, Takase…" Sokka finally said, startling the man "I know you're having fun? But, uh, we're supposed to start fighting already"
"What, we are? Says who?" Takase asked, frowning.
"Says them?" Sokka said, pointing at the judges' balcony.
The Mad Alchemist raised his eyes to the balcony indeed, frowning as the judges and megaphone man nodded in his direction. He sighed then, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Darn it, and now I'm going to spend the whole fight thinking about this, this isn't good" he said, pulling at his machine's levers again.
Sokka frowned at that, unsheathing his sword and bracing himself for whatever the Mad Alchemist was going to do. As strange as the man had been so far, his just-as-strange vehicle surely wasn't harmless.
"Anyways, uh, this machine is the Wheeler" said Takase, smiling at Sokka and gesturing at the machine with grandeur "It's one of my five weapons. As it only counts as one, its multiple uses are just nifty for a guy like me!"
"Okay…?" said Sokka, grimacing "You're not going to run me over with it, are you?"
"Oh, of course not, it's too slow for that kind of thing" said Takase, chuckling "But it can do other things! For instance…"
On first sight, the machine seemed so slow and ineffective. Logic dictated it couldn't be that much of a threat…
Until a wooden panel at the front of the Wheeler slid downwards, and a barrage of knives flew at full speed towards Sokka.
Sokka leapt out of the way, but to his surprise, one of the levers Takase had his hand on turned the machine around in its own axis: the compartment from where the knives flew was still open, and still firing at Sokka mercilessly.
Sokka continued jumping out of the way, hoping to run in a wide enough circle to avoid the worst of the knives. The Mad Alchemist merely chased after him at first with his knives, but eventually he turned the machine in the opposite direction: Sokka was still running a lap around the Arena when he noticed the barrage of blades was in front of him now.
He dropped down on the sand, the knives flying above him, grazing his helmet and armor. Even in such danger, Sokka allowed himself to glare at the Mad Alchemist, wondering if this was his way of handling fights. It seemed an absurd and inconvenient weapon to resort to, since any firebender could destroy his Wheeler immediately… The machine continued to spin, the momentum forcing it to turn further than its operator had intended, which meant their target was now free from the barrage of knives: Sokka took the chance to draw his boomerang and toss it fast at Takase, but the man saw it coming and dodged.
Unlike most fighters, Takase decided to watch the boomerang's flight pattern, ensuring that it wouldn't hit him from behind. Sokka gritted his teeth and jumped forward, away from the compartment that launched the blades, in hopes to cut down the slow machine with his sword…
"Not so fast!" Takase said, beaming before pulling yet another lever.
A different wooden panel dropped off at one side of the machine: the side Sokka had been about to attack him from.
And yet more rows of small blades gleamed there, ready to greet Sokka as soon as Takase launched them.
"Did I mention I've improved on my multiblade?" Takase said, smirking "I couldn't do the same thing with the knife expeller, sadly, but the multiblade was ever so promising…"
With that, he pressed a button this time. And the entire wall of blades shot off towards Sokka.
The Blue Wolf grimaced and dropped flat on the ground for the second time. The knives seem to soar past him, and none found their target, lodging in the arena's wall instead.
Yet something was different about these knives indeed… and it took Sokka a moment to notice what it was: there were thin strings above him, tense strings that hadn't been there with the previous attack.
"And here's the kicker!" Takase yelled, before yanking a new lever.
The blades dislodged from the wall, pulled back violently by the retracting strings they were attached to. But as their speed wasn't as fast as when they were released, most knives were dragged over the sand to their destination… and in the process, several of them dragged over Sokka's armored body. Fortunately, both the armors he wore protected him perfectly.
The knives all returned to their starting points, and Takase laughed and clapped as they did… until he noticed two of the strings had gotten tangled. He huffed with annoyance and leaned over the side of the Wheeler, untangling the two small blades with difficulty.
"Curses, I knew this was going to happen, stupid strings…" he grumbled, only noticing from the corner of his eye that Sokka was getting up again.
"That's all so crafty…" said Sokka, heart racing even if he had escaped injury so far "That's one heck of a killer machine, eh, Takase?"
"Thanks! I'm glad you appreciate…!" Takase exclaimed, beaming… until he noticed Sokka was running towards him.
The Mad Alchemist grimaced, turning the machine again so his knife expeller could shoot at Sokka again, but the Blue Wolf wasn't merely testing the waters with the machine anymore: he ran fast, diagonally so he could avoid the weapons, but ever moving forward.
"Ah, blast it!" Takase growled, before pressing a new button.
Sokka was going too fast to stop by now, but to his surprise, the man released a new contraption: it looked like a horizontal bow, and it seemed more mechanical than any bows he'd seen before…
"Have at it!" Takase yelled, yanking at the trigger… and the bolt shot off at Sokka at even higher speeds than the blade expeller.
This time, Sokka could barely avoid the bolt: it bounded against the side of his helmet, the ringing sound disorienting him altogether.
The bolt had struck hit him hard, despite it didn't wound him, but it effectively stopped his progress. The Mad Alchemist laughed and whirred around again, aiming the multiblade at Sokka once more just as the Blue Wolf was gathering himself. Sokka gritted his teeth as the multiblade fired, the many blades now striking his armor: his main armor was ever sturdy, warding him from the attack, but the under armor was nowhere near as resilient.
The small knives carved their ways through the small plates, only cutting at Sokka's skin superficially, but cutting at him indeed. Sokka gritted his teeth before making up his mind to do away with the multiblade before it could further harm…
Takase had been basking in his successful first blood when Sokka leapt and whirled in midair: he waved Space Sword hard across all the thin strings, and quickly enough, the net-like formation of blades had lost its attachment to its source.
Takase's jaw dropped as Sokka fell hard on the ground again, yanking out the blades that protruded from his under-armor without further ado. The shallow wounds wouldn't stop him, he'd taken much worse injuries than this before…
"That's… that's rude!" Takase squeaked "I worked hard to spin those thin and strong strings as well as I did!"
"Well, then, you should've considered you'd be fighting someone with a sword as sharp as mine" Sokka said, smirking under his helmet "What, you thought I'd just sit back and enjoy getting cut up by your weapons?"
"If you must know… yes" said Takase, huffing as he picked up something in his vehicle again. Sokka scowled and readied himself to attack again.
The Mad Alchemist raised a new weapon now, though as it wasn't part of the Wheeler, Sokka assumed it would count as his third weapon, for the mechanical bow would have been the second one. It looked like a tsungi horn with two openings, one of which was attached to a small container, the other was a mouthpiece. For a moment Sokka wondered if it was meant to deafen him, and out of nothing but curiosity he waited to find out what this weapon's use might be…
The last thing he expected was for the tsungi horn to begin roaring fire.
Sokka backtracked quickly, eyes wide as he scrambled away from the wild weapon. What on earth were these inventions? The Wheeler was already weird enough, but turning a musical instrument into a flamethrower? How on earth was this man doing these things?
"You know, it's funny because earthbenders and firebenders can't really fight with weapons like us non-benders!" laughed Takase "But oh, if you're a smart enough non-bender… you can be both a firebender and an earthbender if you wish!"
Sokka frowned at that claim, eyeing Takase warily. Within moments, the Wheeler had turned in Sokka's direction once again, but this time it a new side panel was uncovered. With the pull of yet another lever, the machine's engine seemed to start working again… and it was throwing sand at Sokka through a new machine, in ways akin to what earthbenders often did.
"Shit!" Sokka growled, shielding himself with an arm from the stream of sand pouring out of the canon-like weapon. The damn Wheeler was a pain, there was no doubt to be had about it. He needed to take it out altogether, at haste, or else…
"Oh, but I'm not done! We can even do better than this!" Takase laughed "Watch this, Sokka, watch this! It's genius, I tell you, pure genius!"
Sokka's eyes widened when the flame thrower's wild fire joined the sand. Once again, Sokka had to evade a wild attack of the sorts of which he hadn't dealt with before: the heating sand was being shot in his direction, keeping him at bay and preventing him from reaching his opponent.
Was this really the way this man always fought his battles? It seemed fitting, for it was madness to fight this way… and yet it annoyed Sokka quite a bit. Takase's strength was in his inventions, in his strategies, in his unpredictability… but was he a fighter at all? So far, Sokka wasn't sure of it. The Dark Rook had been a warrior on his own right, but could the same be said about the Mad Alchemist?
Whether he could be deemed a warrior or not, at least he was a completely different kind of gladiator from the ones Sokka had met so far. But it was time to act, to stop running hopelessly from an enemy who seemed invulnerable. All he had to do was cut across the distance between himself and his enemy to destroy his wretched Wheeler, right?
The heating sand was dropping around the ring, the grains melting into shards of glass. Sokka eyed them with uncertainty, wondering if he could use them to his favor eventually. But the first thing he needed…
He ran, avoiding sand and blades from the expeller, which the Mad Alchemist activated again once Sokka stood within range. Finally, after avoiding so many dangers, he had a chance to pick up his boomerang. The Blue Wolf rolled across the ring and raced towards one of the furniture wooden contraptions and climbed atop it without much difficulty: the Mad Alchemist's weapons had their limitations, and Sokka hoped he wouldn't be able to aim them towards an enemy who was standing above him.
"Oi, that's… that's awfully clever of you" said Takase, blinking blankly when he noticed what Sokka was up to "Oh, darn it. And now I guess I have to spend my next weapon, huh?"
Sokka gritted his teeth and aimed with his boomerang. All he had to do was figure out a way to trigger a malfunction in the Wheeler, anything that would mess up the system… from up his new vantage point he could see the inside of the vehicle, but the engine was still hidden from view, underneath the wooden outer layers. Then something else, anything else…
While Sokka continued to scour the Wheeler, Takase drew out a new weapon. Sokka frowned as he noticed it was a bomb, not too different from his own, even if it was larger. The Mad Alchemist heaved before tossing it at Sokka, and the gladiator braced himself for an explosion, or smoke, only for the weapon to release a black, liquid substance…
"What the…?" said Sokka, frowning at the smell reaching him. It seemed to be oil, right? And yet that smell was so unexpected, so unpleasant…
"And now, fire!" Takase roared. Sokka's eyes widened.
Takase aimed the tsungi horn flamethrower towards the pool of black oil, and within seconds, the entirety of it was on fire. The wooden contraption was caught up in it too, and Sokka gritted his teeth: trapped in flames, with no Wolf's Bane to help him defend from the fire, for he had assumed he wouldn't need Azula's sword this time. Well, at least that was one less weapon of Takase's to worry about…
"Just one left for you" Sokka muttered, scowling at Takase. Whatever that fifth weapon was, he'd find out eventually. But he already knew just what he had to destroy, and he had a pretty good idea on how he'd do that…
He put away his boomerang and lifted his own bomb, resorting to his breathing techniques to withhold as much air as he could, and to ignore the smoke that was rising around him. The heat rose too, but he had already fought in the Slate before. It was hardly anything he hadn't experienced before…
Hopefully, what he'd do next would be something new for Takase.
The Mad Alchemist was eyeing Sokka with interest, noticing the Blue Wolf wasn't panicking as he had expected. It was hard to see him properly through the flames and smoke, but his silhouette was visible and instead of jumping out of the burning contraption clumsily, he was… he was aiming something upwards. Takase frowned, watching with uncertainty until Sokka tossed his bomb high, so high it nearly touched the dome's ceiling…
He knew Takase would focus on following it, just as he had followed the boomerang. That was his chance.
Sokka leapt out of the weak wooden furniture, falling just outside the ring of burning oil. Takase turned towards him then, upon catching Sokka's movement from the corner of his eye… but the Blue Wolf raced off within seconds, dashing away from the sides of the Wheeler's sand streamer, the crossbow, the blade-expeller… and towards the now useless multi-blade. The only side of the device that wasn't a hazard anymore.
"Oh, oh!" Takase exclaimed, turning to look at Sokka in disbelief.
Just then, the bomb dropped inside the Wheeler. And a thick cloud of smoke poured out of it instantly, carrying the most heinous stench Sokka had been able to concoct so far.
The Blue Wolf closed his eyes away from the thick smoke, for it would easily seep through his helmet. The Mad Alchemist coughed, and the engine of the Wheeler started again. It seemed he was trying to move away… and yet it would be impossible for him to flee. The Wheeler was too slow, after all…
And so, Sokka drew Space Sword and slashed the Wheeler, the wood receding quickly against the power of his sharp blade.
He continued to hack at the device until it stopped moving. He could hear strange noises pouring out of it, a burbling liquid… he frowned, wondering if the device was powered by oil too. All the same, he had no time to waste chopping it to bits. He'd had enough of this wretched thing, and it was about time the Mad Alchemist fought for himself rather than hiding inside his grand creation.
After a moment, Sokka realized he couldn't hear the Mad Alchemist anymore. He opened his eyes slightly, the thick smoke barely letting him see anything at all. He stretched out a hand and climbed aboard the Wheeler, trying to find the man… nothing. He was nowhere, it seemed… and as Sokka touched the destroyed vehicle, he noticed the crossbow and tsungi horn weren't there either. The Mad Alchemist had escaped.
Well, it seemed fitting either way. If the man's talents were to be found in working with substances and the like, he wasn't bound to be considerably hindered by smoke. He gritted his teeth, though, and continued to chop up the Wheeler until it was broken up enough…
"You done now?" the Mad Alchemist asked, from behind Sokka.
The Blue Wolf turned and waved his sword to keep the enemy at bay, and he succeeded, for he didn't cut anything by swinging his sword as he had. Yet…
A blast of light filtered through the smoke, barely a few meters away from where Sokka stood. The tsungi horn.
Again, Sokka was caught in an inferno, one that smelled bad, was full of smoke, both caused by the tsungi horn and his own bomb, and with the oil splattered around, the Wheeler caught fire at an alarming speed. The Blue Wolf clenched his weapons and rushed to climb off the Wheeler, the flames licking at his armor and heating the under-armor badly enough that the metal seemed to burn his skin underneath it.
He untangled from the remains of the Wheeler before long, and he raced out of the burning site as quickly as he could. The smoke bomb had been a good measure through which he could tear apart the Wheeler, but it was backfiring on him now. He dropped to the ground, as close to one of the arena's walls as he could be, and he breathed with difficulty. Even with his helmet protecting him, he was badly affected by the stench. He coughed and breathed in fresh air with desperation, wanting to be ready for whatever else Takase might throw at him. The man was truly a dangerous foe, regardless of whatever could be said for his fighting methods.
Sokka pushed himself up with difficulty, knowing he couldn't let his guard down. The smoke was still too thick, for he had gone overboard intentionally with the components of the bomb… but he hadn't thought it would be this much of a hindrance for himself. Just as the Dark Rook had been ridiculously fast, faster than Sokka, the Mad Alchemist had better resistance for smoke and substances, surely better resistance to stench or else he wouldn't have spoken while immersed in the smoke cloud…
"So! Are you done choking on your own smoke yet?" the Mad Alchemist called out, and Sokka swallowed hard "That's not a good sign for any alchemists, you know? If you can't survive your own substances, you shouldn't use them in battle!"
"I'm no alchemist…" Sokka grumbled as a response, clutching his sword hard "Must be why I failed, eh?"
"Must be! Shame on you!" said Takase. His silhouette was finally visible in the smoke, and he hardly seemed affected by either the smoke or the smell.
"Y-you're… you're crazy" Sokka said, looking at his opponent in disbelief. Takase snorted.
"You just noticed now? I thought my gladiator name spoke for itself!"
"How can you…? How can you talk at leisure when smelling…? When smelling all that stuff?" Sokka asked, grimacing and glancing about himself. There had to be an area in the arena somewhere without so much smoke and stench, right…?
"Oh? Well, I just can't smell a thing. That's my secret!" the Mad Alchemist declared, beaming.
"H-huh?" said Sokka, eyes wide.
"You see, I was testing some brews once and, well, they had some unexpected consequences on me" Takase explained "It's been like… five years since then. It's sad, I do miss some scents, but hey, it comes in handy in fights like these!"
"No kidding" said Sokka, swallowing hard. So much for hoping stench would be his trump card once more.
"At any rate, even if you're no alchemist, you're certainly a man who appreciates a good invention…" said the Mad Alchemist, finally stepping close enough into view… carrying his crossbow on his back, and the tsungi horn aimed at Sokka "And I don't like it when people break mine, you see"
Sokka gritted his teeth, but he wasn't scared. No, not at this point. The Wheeler was gone, the crossbow would be difficult to use, and the flamethrower wasn't better than the average firebender, as long as it had less fuel to burn than it had before. This was manageable. It had to be.
The blast of fire brushed past Sokka, grazing his armor, but the gladiator dashed forward either way. The flames coated him, but after having walked through the Millennium Dragon's fire, this was as good as child's play. Before long he had reached his foe, who stumbled back in hopes to avoid him, but Sokka's sword flashed as he cut across the tsungi horn's attached container: that had to be the source of its fire.
Indeed, the container dropped on the ground to reveal… nothing. Nothing but a smelly gas, it seemed to Sokka. He cringed and inched away from it: volatile gas, turned into a flame-throwing weapon. He had already guessed the device had to be similar to the bombs he had never finished in the Northern Air Temple, but confirming it only worried him more. What on earth was that terrible smell? Hadn't the Mechanist said the gas had no scent?
"You just can't respect a man's weapons, can you?!" the Mad Alchemist roared now, tossing the broken tsungi horn at Sokka. It was useless as a weapon now, but as Sokka blocked it, Takase drew out his crossbow again and fired.
The main armor held its own against the first bolt, even if it launched Sokka back into the spikes: how long had it been since he had last been hurt by them? He cringed as one of the spikes nearly drove through his head. The helmet protected him, but his under-armor didn't do its job remotely as effectively: one of the spikes had broken through it, and Sokka groaned as he pulled back the arm it had pierced.
The sight of his blood seemed to thrill the Mad Alchemist. The man was either developing bloodlust all of sudden, or he had been disguising a violence-loving personality behind his inventor persona… or perhaps he was just as much of a lover of his creations as of violence. Perhaps, then, that was why he belonged in a Gladiator Arena after all…
"I think I have the right word now for what a man like you should be, Sokka" said Takase, tossing the crossbow aside, drawing out a new weapon, a thin tube, from the protective leathers he wore over his body. Sokka glared at him, switching his sword from his right hand to his left… "A legend"
Sokka froze, only then remembering they'd had a conversation before the fight began. And yet what sounded like praise couldn't possibly be that, not when his opponent was smirking in such an unpleasant way.
"But wouldn't you agree… that the best legends are the ones who are already dead?" he chuckled "That way, no one can tamper with their legacy…"
"Considering I've already broken most your weapons… and you've only hurt me a handful of times, do you seriously think I'm going to die by your hand?" Sokka snapped "You're pretty cool, I won't lie… your inventions are strange, but interesting all the same. And yet… and yet you're definitely going down, Takase. It's up to you to decide how you'll fall today"
"Heh? Is that so?" Takase laughed "Then be my guest! Run me through, Blue Wolf, if you know what's good for you!"
Sokka gritted his teeth, raising his weapon just seconds before Takase sprinted into the dispersing smoke cloud again. Sokka huffed before running after him, holding his breath as best as he could…
Without any warning, a solid block of glass shattered against him.
Sokka cringed, realizing the Mad Alchemist had been counting on his fire-and-sand mix to provide him with new weapons in the middle of the fight. The bastard was clever like few people Sokka had seen in this Arena, there was no doubt about it, if he had ever seen anyone like him. But that couldn't matter, not ultimately. No, because the Mad Alchemist was desperate by now. He had tossed away his crossbow, lacking any opportunity to load it again, and whatever that tube was, it couldn't possibly hold anything too dangerous…
Or could it? Sokka froze, wondering what on earth that weapon could be. Upon detailing it, it appeared to be some sort of blowpipe, a small one… He gritted his teeth, quickly thinking about what kind of projectile it might launch. The man's joy at Sokka's blood might not have meant he was delighted to see blood at all… it might just have meant he had a place to shoot his projectile into.
As soon as he realized this, he turned around just in time to avoid a projectile that whistled just where his right arm had been seconds ago. Sokka roared: Takase had snuck up close enough to fire easily into the under-armor's crevice.
Which meant he was within range, for the first time in the entire fight.
The punch Sokka landed on Takase's face sent the man rolling back through the sand. A trickle of blood dropped from his nose afterwards, and the Mad Alchemist merely laughed, as though embarrassed over how easily he had been caught by his opponent.
Sokka didn't waste time now, tossing his boomerang hard and hitting Takase on the back of the head with it. The man's face was dunked in the sand again after that attack, but when he rose, he tossed a new fragment of glass at Sokka. The glass shattered against Sokka's armor, its shards dangerous only to his exposed hands. And yet Sokka walked onwards, catching his boomerang and scowling through his helmet. This fight had certainly dragged on long enough, and he was more certain every moment that Takase was no fighter after all. He was a genius, and yet it seemed his techniques and ideas hadn't been as effective against the Blue Wolf as they should have been.
"Okay, okay, I may have gone overboard…" Takase laughed, pushing himself up to his feet as Sokka walked menacingly towards him "But you said it yourself! You have to go all-out, else you won't feel like you've won fairly, and that's what I did too!"
"Fairly…" said Sokka, with a disbelieving laugh "You have weapons with multiple uses, with further weapons built into them, you use them to turn the Arena itself into other weapons for you to use, and you expect to tell me that's a fair fight?"
"Eh, the rules never stated otherwise" said the Mad Alchemist, shrugging.
"The rules don't state I shouldn't kill you either" said Sokka, with a mad smile of his own "And yet for once I'm consciously, genuinely tempted to try, if nothing else"
"Oh, come on! We're supposed to be the civilized ones, the smart guys!" said Takase, walking back and towards one of the walls. Once he felt spikes against his body he cringed visibly "See? You've backed me against a wall! It's cruel, even!"
"You really expect me to have mercy on you now? After you've spent the entire fight doing as you please?" Sokka laughed "You're insane, and that's not a compliment"
"I… I have no idea why it wouldn't be" said Takase, biting his lip "I've always taken pride in it, myself!"
Sokka breathed out and raised his sword again. He had no intentions of really killing Takase, but for once he was ready to do so if the situation pushed him to. For Takase was deadly: even if he was defenseless, he was bound to have another trick up his sleeve, whether with that blowpipe or with something else. And Sokka wasn't about to let him pull another of those on him. That was supposed to be his area of expertise.
"Fine, then, I… I surrender?" the Mad Alchemist said.
"You know that's not how it works" said Sokka, stepping closer to him "But I wish it were, really. Seems a lot easier to let someone surrender than to knock them out, huh?"
"Surely" said Takase, beaming "S-so… you'll let me?"
"Considering everything you've done to me the whole time… gee, I'm not sure the judges will think I won if I just let the remaining time tick by" Sokka said, pretending to be pondering the situation "Therefore… no, I won't"
"You monster…" Takase said, with a pout.
Sokka moved in, planning on striking Takase with his hilt… and it was that compassionate move that allowed Takase to jump forward, taking Sokka by surprise as he reached for his wounded arm.
Something sharp, small and deadly was suddenly stuck in Sokka's exposed arm skin.
He yelled, despite the sting wasn't too painful. At first, the worst injury had been to his pride: for all this time he'd knocked out his opponents when they were helpless, and not one of them had been able to slip out of his control. But now… now Takase had taken advantage of his unwillingness to kill. The bastard was far too crafty, too good at reading his opponent, for his own good.
But Sokka had yelled because his body seemed to weaken without any control on his part. His right arm felt numb, and suddenly it was burning too… he dropped his sword and reached back to take out whatever Takase had poked him with, and discovered it was the ammunition of his blowpipe: a dart. It looked much like the Dart Slayer's projectiles, from all those years ago in Hui Yi…
Only this time, the dart was most certainly coated with poison.
"Oops" said Takase, with a mischievous grin "I had a few extra darts on me. What? Don't look at me like that, there are no restrictions on how many projectiles you can carry, so… yes. Legend. Sokka, the Legend. Dead against the Mad Alchemist's poison, no less… that's one of my best batch, you know? Made from the poison of a two-headed rat viper and spiced with paralysis toxins from a shirshu, this venom is…!"
Sokka didn't hear the rest of the explanation. For once, he wasn't curious about the man's inventions. No, this time he wanted nothing but to silence that man for good. He'd had enough.
He tackled Takase to the ground, his arms around the man's lower torso, and the Mad Alchemist let out a yelp of surprise. He kicked away at Sokka, whose body was weakening with every second that went by: all his resilience, and his endurance through the fight, was going to result in nothing if he couldn't win right now. The damned poison was bound to immobilize his entire body before long, and who knew what else it was going to do to him. The poison of a two-headed rat viper… what sort of symptoms did that have? Was it going to kill him?
Well, if it would, then he'd have to deal with Takase first. Then, at least, Sokka would die as the top non-bender… and Azula would kill him again for dying on the Arena, he supposed. But all things considered, he'd done his best to protect himself and fight back against from everything Takase had up his sleeve. He had made mistakes, but this slip-up, merely done out of mercy for his opponent, would lose him this fight?
It was so unfair… too unfair. The entire fight had felt unfair, and he wasn't going to let it slide anymore. It was time to finish this, in whatever way he could.
Takase had been kicking away at Sokka, trying to get him off him, when the whalebone knife sank into his thigh. For his own comfort, Takase hadn't worn an actual armor, finding the metal too restrictive of his movements and unnecessary when the Wheeler could be counted on to protect him… a big mistake, seeing as the Wheeler was gone in flames and he had nothing left to defend himself with.
So he screamed, as blood rushed out, coating his leathers and clothes and flowing into the sand. He could only scream again when Sokka stabbed him one more time. The poison was rushing faster through Sokka's bloodstream, and his eyesight was blurry now… but the Blue Wolf didn't stop regardless. He gritted his teeth and climbed over Takase's body, the bloody knife in his hand.
"S-stop, I'm sorry, please…!" Takase exclaimed, but Sokka could hardly understand his words by now. No, he had to stay strong, to stay conscious…
He punched the Mad Alchemist in the face again, and more blood was sprayed on the sand. But it wasn't enough. Sokka dropped his knife and raised his right hand with difficulty: the numbing feeling was only gone because a scorching pain had been born in its wake: it was so powerful it was countering the numbness completely by now. And as painful as it was, it meant he could use his hand again, but who knew for how long…
At least, it had to be long enough to press the Mad Alchemist's temples and make him lose consciousness. It had to be. It had to be. He pressed them, and the man writhed below him, near sobbing now under the pain of his stab wounds. In time, he'd be out of it. He just had to press harder, harder, though the seconds were turning into hours in Sokka's perception. He had no idea if he'd done it, but no, he was still moving, so not yet, not quite…
Takase's arm flew out, striking Sokka's head and making his helmet fly off in the process. Sokka lost his bearings briefly, for the world was too confusing and loud… and he had to finish off Takase still. Curses, his right arm was gone again, and the numbing was spreading past his chest now…
He gritted his teeth and reached out for Takase's neck with his left hand. And he squeezed, hard, harder, enough that the man could no longer breathe. One way or another, he had to make him lose consciousness. And if choking him was the only option, so be it.
It wasn't at all the dignified fight he had hoped for at first. It wasn't the glorious success he had coveted as soon as he'd heard he might become the unofficial best non-bender of the League if he won…
But it was all he had. He wasn't going to squander the opportunity to defeat Takase if it might be the only one he'd ever get.
He didn't know for how long he'd stayed there, holding down his opponent's neck, pressing it and choking him. The man tried to cough, the unpleasant sounds out his throat might have disturbed Sokka if only his mind had still been working properly. But it wasn't, and he couldn't really see or think or understand anything as he finally let go of the Mad Alchemist, his left arm fully numb by then.
He dropped on the sand, feeling his control over his body decay and fade away. The sunlight was still above him, and he would have thought it was burning him, but it wasn't. The fire doing away with him was inside his body, the chemical fire produced by that poisonous dart…
He had once experienced fire in his body, when Azula had channeled her power through him. This was nothing like it: had he been asked what firebending felt like before becoming Azula's gladiator, he would have wanted to believe it was as unpleasant as this, all in the hopes that firebenders wouldn't be free to use their powers without suffering for it. And curses, this was certainly the worst physical agony he could remember enduring yet…
He breathed agitatedly, but soon enough he soothed his own body: maybe if he slowed down, the poison wouldn't act so fast. Maybe that way he'd survive, if there was any chance that he might… he truly hoped there would be. Else… else Azula would never forgive herself, or him. Or Takase. Or Takase's sponsor…
Hands on him, suddenly. He cringed, trying to swat them away, but his right arm was gone, and the left was still numb. Takase was back, wasn't he? The bastard hadn't really fallen unconscious, and now he was trying to kill him again. Did he have another dart? Or did he want to kill him by the power of his fists by now, the way Sokka had tried to defeat him, since Sokka was far too weak to fight back…?
Azula watched Sokka writhing below, eyes wide, as the staff members rushed in to check on both fighters. The Mad Alchemist hadn't moved in a while now, and no one could tell yet if Sokka had actually killed the man. Goro, beside her, seemed horrified as well by the outcome of their fight. Two intellectually-inclined, strategic gladiators, fighting to the death in such a gruesome, instinctive way as it had been at the end… it was nowhere near as dignified as to serve for the foundations of any legend, despite what Takase had described earlier.
"Oh, what a fool, what a fool…" Goro was saying, shaking his head as he watched the staff members checking on his gladiator.
The people around Takase checked his pulse, and within moments they nodded at the judges' balcony. Goro eyed the megaphone man with desperation until he finally said:
"The Mad Alchemist is unconscious, but he yet lives!"
"Oh, for crying out loud…" Goro said, dropping against his backrest in relief. Unconscious was much better than dead… which was what the Blue Wolf would be, at this rate.
The anxious Princess wasn't reassured yet, for she remained pale and wide-eyed still. Was Sokka still alive? What on earth had that poison done to him? This wasn't supposed to happen, not again, never again…
Suddenly, one of the staff members near Sokka leapt back: The Blue Wolf had waved his left hand towards him, as though trying to shove him off.
"Is that…? Oh, I think it is! The Blue Wolf… he's moved!" the megaphone man cried out. The crowd, silent for now, suddenly released cries of surprise and amazement "The Blue Wolf… is he conscious? Please, let us know if…!"
Soon enough, a staff member nodded. And with just that, the crowd went wild, wilder than ever, as the megaphone man announced:
"He is conscious! He lives! The Blue Wolf wins this combat!"
"What…?" Azula said, eyes wide still. Who the hell cared whether he had won or lost, when he was poisoned as badly as it seemed?
"Princess…" said Goro, and she nearly ignored him until he showed her a flask, full with a strange yellow liquid "This is an antidote to that batch of poison. It's not perfect, but… if he takes this, he should live"
"You… thank you. Thank you" Azula said, grabbing the flask and racing out of the balcony without a second thought.
Goro watched her go, breathing out in relief still. She hadn't taken the money he owed her… but he'd give it to her later. If there was common ground between them both, it seemed to exist in terms of being sponsors who were constantly, hopelessly, fighting to save their reckless gladiators.
Azula rushed downstairs, fortunate that the crowd was still celebrating Sokka's victory and not yet filling the corridors of the Grand Royal Dome on their way out of the building. She didn't think she'd have to do this sort of thing ever again, not since Toph had first near-killed Sokka all those years ago… her heart was racing faster than her legs, it seemed, as she sped her way to the stand-by room, where Sokka was being carried on a stretcher by now.
"Sokka…!" she exclaimed, and the staff members nodded in her direction.
"We're going to treat him, Princess, don't wor-…"
"This, this is… the Alchemist's sponsor says it's an antidote" Azula said, entrusting the flask to a staff member who wasn't involved with carrying the stretcher "Please, just…"
"No need to panic. We'll tend to him" said the man, smiling reassuringly as the group filed onwards, towards the waiting rooms above.
Raising suspicions had never worried Azula less. She followed them upstairs, and into the waiting room, and there she remained, listening as they treated Sokka, not only with the antidote but with their own resources, disinfecting his wounds and reeling him back from the gates of death. Very little of their actions were reassuring at first for the Princess, but after at least half an hour, the physicians said something promising:
"Well, that did seem like seriously dangerous poison, but he's strong" one of them told her "The antidote's working by now, from the looks of it. The fever's receding"
"You're sure?" Azula asked, standing up from the couch she'd chosen as she waited for Sokka to be fully treated.
He had been writhing in pain before, by now his face looked much more peaceful. And yet he grimaced again, cringing suddenly.
"W-where'm I…?" he mumbled, near-unintelligibly. Azula sighed and stepped closer, kneeling by his side.
"You're in a waiting room, being treated" she said. He coughed.
"'Zula…?" he called her, before smiling a little "Heh… n-not dead?"
"No, dummy, you're not dead" she said, smiling warmly, despite her heart pained her upon hearing him asking that question "You made it. And this time you should survive without needing a palanquin ride, how about that?"
"R-really…? That's… that's boring" he said, with a cheekier smile. Azula shook her head.
"You mustn't be feeling so bad after all, if you're saying that kind of stuff already" she said, smiling and standing up.
"That being said…" spoke the previous physician "He's not going to be fit for fighting all that soon, just saying. From how often we've checked on him lately, you've been fighting pretty much every week, right?"
"Sometimes more often than that" Azula admitted, before nodding "No worries. He'll have a break now, until he's all better"
"Oh. You… you'll let him heal, then" said the physician, smiling in amazement "Gee, most times when we tell sponsors to be careful with their hurt gladiators, they're just angry about it"
"Most sponsors have no common sense. I'd like to think I'm an outlier amongst them" Azula said, smiling before her eyes were claimed by a figure by the door.
Goro stood there, gazing at her with nervous eyes, his walking stick tucked under one arm. As much as she hardly wished to step away from Sokka's side, she made her way to the old man at the door: he offered her the bag of winnings as soon as she reached him.
"Here you go. While I'm truly sorry your gladiator is in such shape because of mine, it's admirable that you more concerned with his treatment than the money" Goro chuckled "That's why I like you, Princess"
"Well, you offered me the antidote to your gladiator's insane poison, and that's why I like you" Azula said, with an awkward grin "Thank you, truly. For a moment, I thought…"
"Yeah, well, that's one of Takase's problems. He hates losing, even if it's happened plenty of times by now" said Goro, shaking his head "He'll do whatever he can to win, even if it's not exactly dignified… and yet he's bound to wake up and say that was one of the greatest fights he's ever taken part in"
"I doubt my gladiator will say the same" said Azula, with an awkward smile "And yet…"
"And yet he won" said Goro, smiling "You are, unofficially, the sponsor of the best non-bender of the Superior League. And from what I saw today… you more than deserve to be, Princess"
The compliment sat well and ill with her at the same time: acknowledgement certainly pleased her, but it would please her all the more if her gladiator hadn't been all that close to dying once again. Goro seemed to understand her conflict without needing her to speak it aloud, though: he offered her an apologetic grin and a respectful reverence.
"I shll drop by the Palace soon with more of the antidote" he said "That flask should have enough to administer twice a day for the first days, but you'll probably need more than that for a full recovery"
"Thank you" said Azula, nodding "I'll appreciate any help you can provide, really. The way he described that poison, it sounded…"
"Oh, nightmarish, yes" said Goro, shaking his head "Takase has no common sense with his inventions. Once he has an idea in his head, he stops at nothing to achieve it. Frankly, it speaks well of your gladiator that the Wheeler, the crossbow and even the glass-spitting technique barely hurt him…"
"And I guess your gladiator will want to build a new, more dangerous Wheeler after this, huh?" Azula said, grimacing. Goro laughed.
"He's incorrigible, so yes, surely. But after the harm he took today, I suppose it'll be a while before he returns to the workshop" said Goro "Anyways, my best wishes for your gladiator's quick recovery. I'm sure a lot more gladiators will hope to fight him now, and I'm guessing you're not going to leave them waiting as long as I always did"
"I'll leave them waiting as long as necessary until Sokka has recovered fully" Azula said, smiling and bowing her head towards Goro "Thank you again. Both for agreeing to this mess of a fight and for helping later, too"
"Not a problem at all, Princess. Be well, both of you" he said, smiling "And now, I take my leave. It'd be best if I'm with Takase when he wakes up, of course"
"Of course" Azula agreed, nodding as Goro walked to the waiting room to their left.
Azula bit her lip as she watched the old man go: they had been fortunate that these two had been the top non-bender and sponsor, despite everything. The Mad Alchemist lived up to his name, and she would never stop begrudging him for poisoning Sokka, surely… but if someone like Koshing had been the one to sponsor the Mad Alchemist, Sokka never would have survived. Goro was a good man, with a hopelessly crazy fighter, but a good man nonetheless.
She returned to the waiting room and waited beside her convalescing gladiator, hoping he'd feel well enough to walk soon. The physicians treated all his wounds, finding most of them to be superficial save for the poison: he would bear no serious scars from this fight. Surely he would be happy to know that.
Once the physicians left, Azula took her seat at the edge of the couch and reached out to clasp Sokka's hand with hers. He didn't respond to it, though he eventually opened his eyes to find her comforting presence close to him.
"How are you feeling?" she asked. He groaned.
"Like someone set my internal organs on fire…" he said "I… really hope you never do that to anyone. No need to firebend people's insides, Princess…"
"I don't fight by using poisons, so I don't think I'll ever do that to anyone" Azula said, with a weak grin. She reached up to stroke his hair "You really need to stop scaring me like this. You handled that fight so well up until the poison, even though your opponent was so complicated… I was sure you'd win, even if you'd mostly been on the defensive until"
"Did I lose, then?" Sokka asked, looking at her remorsefully "If I did, please tell me I won't… I won't fight this guy again in at least another year. I think I need… I think I need a nice period of easy fights to get over this mess before I can even think of doing it again…"
"Well, I won't ask you to do it again at all, if that makes you feel any better" said Azula, smiling warmly at him "You won, if just because you didn't fall completely unconscious and he did. I don't think you've ever choked anyone like that before, but you weren't pressing hard enough to actually kill him"
"I didn't have enough power left for that" said Sokka, with a sad smile "Not like I wasn't desperate enough to kill, but… I could barely move my left arm at that point. Hell, even now…"
"There were shirshu toxins in that poison, from what he was saying before you attacked him" Azula said "I guess the pain is because of the viper-rat poison, and the paralysis because of the shirshu…"
"Is this really what you fought against… b-back in the forest?" he asked, with a weak grin. Azula blinked a few times before realizing what he meant "Because… shit, even now I barely feel my limbs. You're… you're amazing"
"Well, as far as I can tell, this blend of poisons might be doing a worse number on you than what regular shirshu paralysis could do to anyone" Azula said, biting her lip "Either way, it might be a good thing that you're not feeling much of anything. It's probably better than overwhelming pain, right?"
"Eh… it hurts still, truth be told, even if my body is so unresponsive" he said, cringing "It's like bad burning, y-you know? Inside me… feels awful"
"Hell, Sokka…" sighed Azula, shaking her head "I keep saying I'll protect you, but as far as I can tell…"
"Pshhh… you always save me" he said dismissively "The antidote… I think I heard you bringing it. Right?"
"Well, yes, but… it's stupid to save you when I'm the entire reason you got hurt in the first place"
"So… you'd rather just let me die?" he asked, teasingly. Azula scowled.
"Of course not, you fool" she growled "I'd rather not put you in unnecessary danger anymore, that's what"
"Right…" he said, smiling warmly "You're the best"
"And you're the worst" Azula said, sighing and shaking her head.
She leaned close to him, softly brushing his lips with hers. He responded weakly, but responded nonetheless. Azula grinned at him.
"You felt that, then?" she asked. He bit his lip.
"Uh, not sure. Maybe I need another go, just to be sure…" he said, smiling weakly. Azula laughed and kissed his face gently, helping him relax as he closed his eyes.
"You won, though. No idea if you heard me earlier, but you did" she said, by his ear. Sokka snorted.
"I'm not sure how, but… I take your word for it" he chuckled "But, wait, does that mean…?"
"Yeah" said Azula, pulling away only to smile warmly at him "It means we've done it, Sokka"
"Hell…" he said, before laughing in disbelief "Here I thought… here I thought I'd walk out so triumphant if I won… heh, I'm not even going to be able to walk, at this rate"
"Now, now, you don't have to walk by yourself" Azula said, reaching out to caress his legs gently. Sokka grimaced, but he could feel her touch upon his skin despite it all "I already carried you out of here once, when you were smashed to pieces by a troublemaker earthbender… why wouldn't I do the same thing now?"
"You're too nice" Sokka said, smiling warmly "Most sponsors… would be pissed to have a gladiator in this shape again, after all those years…"
"Oh please, not only am I nothing like them, but I know as well as you do that you held your own amazingly for the most part in that fight" said Azula, caressing his cheek "Frankly, these rules need to be revised. That Wheeler… it was a completely unacceptable weapon"
"Heh, it was interesting at least" said Sokka, chuckling "You really think I did well, then?"
"Sokka, seriously" said Azula, smiling and cupping his face before kissing him once more "I'd already told you I was proud of you, hadn't I? That didn't change because of this fight, you can be sure of that"
"Well, that's lucky" Sokka said, smiling "It's just hard to feel worthy of your pride if I'm… well, like this"
"You remained conscious, you were strong enough to fight back against such a powerful poison, and you earned a clean victory in an unfair fight… and you think you don't deserve it?" Azula asked, smiling skeptically "You're hopeless, gladiator"
"And you're beautiful, Princess" he said, grinning warmly.
"Do you think you can move?" she asked "If I help you up, that is. I can try to help you support your weight, as long as your legs can carry you forward. I could try to have Xin Long meet us at the top of the Dome's stairs this time, so you won't have to walk too much… I just always feel better once Song has had a look at you"
"Yeah, going home sounds good right now" said Sokka, sighing and flexing a leg with difficulty "We can celebrate my big success later… when I'm not in pain, right?"
"Right" said Azula, with a heartfelt grin and kiss "Alright. I'll help you up"
With one arm around his waist, and his own draped over her shoulders, Azula managed to help Sokka up to his feet. His right arm pained him more than anything, so Azula stood by his left and helped stabilize him, first of all. Sokka breathed out with difficulty, his eyesight less blurry yet still hazy enough that he felt uncomfortable.
"You sure you can do this?" Azula asked, biting her lip "Maybe you should be carried on a stretcher again…"
"All the way home? That'd take forever" Sokka chuckled "Nah, I'll… I'll go like this. The sooner we take off, the sooner we'll be there. Right?"
"Right" said Azula, kissing his cheek and holding him close "I love you"
"And I you, Princess" he said, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of her brow against his own.
Merely walking all the way to the door took longer than Azula had anticipated, but she wasn't desperate to leave either way: they'd take however long Sokka needed them to, it was as simple as that. By the time they were at the threshold, Azula stopped them only to clean Sokka's face properly. He smiled knowingly, as all marks of her kisses were wiped off his face.
"Can't have people knowing I was nice to you, not even after great achievements like this one" Azula declared, with a smirk. Sokka chuckled.
"You're nicer than anyone thinks" he said "Especially when no one's looking"
"Precisely because no one's looking, rather" she said, gently caressing his flank "Alright, if you need any breaks, let me know. I've already called Xin Long, but he'll stay hovering above the Dome for however long he has to before we get to the doors"
"That's thoughtful of him" said Sokka, breathing deeply "Alright. Let's go, Azula"
Azula nodded and raised her free hand to open the door. She helped Sokka dutifully through the threshold, focusing so much on him that she hardly registered the voices and sounds outside…
"Ah, there you are! Congratulations, Prin-… Princess?!"
She raised her eyes to find, to her astonishment, that many members of the High Tier, along with the Chairman of the League and other board members, had been waiting for her to leave the waiting room. They all stared at them as though Azula was covered in mud from head to toe, going by their confused and disgusted stares. Sokka flinched under their harsh scrutiny and judgment, yet Azula only stood with certainty where she was.
"Thank you, Koshing" she said, smiling at the man who had spoken "If you don't mind, my gladiator needs some more assistance, so I'll be taking off now, but your support is most appreciated"
"Y-you…" said Koshing, staring at her in disbelief as the Chairman moved towards Azula.
"Princess! I can call some of the staff to help you with him, there's no need…!"
"Oh, I think there's every need" Azula said, with certainty that allowed no room for disagreements "I carried him alone the first time I had to, and I see no reason not to do the same this time around. Either way, thanks for the offer"
"B-but…"
Azula smiled curtly and walked onwards, her hold on Sokka tightening. His teeth were gritted, and for once he felt ashamed, genuinely. He was making her look bad, wasn't he? He was shaming her, and he didn't want to hinder her, not when she sought the acknowledgement of these very people…
"Y-you really don't have to do this, Azula" he muttered, as the Princess moved through the corridor with him.
"No, I don't. And yet I choose to" she said, her voice steady, betraying no insecurities "I couldn't care less for what they might say. You're my gladiator, and we're partners, no matter what. I'm responsible for you, whether in good circumstances or bad ones"
"But… hell, you're even more stubborn than I am…" he said, smiling weakly. Azula smirked at him.
"It was about time you realized that" said Azula, proudly. Sokka chuckled.
The High Tier stared on after her in disbelief, as did the League's board members. Her strange behavior towards the gladiator was well-known, no one had ever made it a secret… and yet witnessing it firsthand was almost terrifying.
Still, one of them could only smile in amused approval, despite his better sense told him that wasn't wise. He had stood back, for Koshing and the others had wanted to speak to Azula at once… but Zhao had been there all along. He had watched the fight, and now he watched the two partners walk away, side by side. No doubt, the gladiator was bound to be stoked by the Princess's generosity once he looked back on it in the future. Whatever bond there was between them, it was no doubt tighter than anything he'd witnessed between a gladiator and their sponsor until today. As much as he suspected Ozai would be horrified if he knew of this, there was, undoubtedly, something quite intriguing about their relationship in Zhao's eyes… something worth observing for a little longer before acting on it.
Azula carried on walking steadily, ever checking on Sokka to make sure the efforts weren't taking too much of a toll on him. He still walked slowly, and each step took a lot of effort from him, it seemed, but he was more resilient than he'd ever known he was. He kept walking onwards, despite most his body still felt as though it was aflame on the inside.
"How are we going to… go down the stairs?" he asked, as the imminent problem loomed closer with each step they took.
"Little by little, I supp-…" Azula started, as they rounded the corner that would lead them into the stairs area again. What she saw silenced her immediately, though:
The vestibule was full to the brim, and as soon as the two of them had stepped into view, the massive crowd, filling the stairs and vestibule itself, lashed out in a wild cheer. They had been welcomed by wild clapping, hooting, screaming, and of course, the melody of the song the Blue Pack had composed for Sokka: an enthusiasm far beyond any they had witnessed before in the Grand Royal Dome had greeted the Blue Wolf and the Princess as they stopped cold in the exposed corridor.
"Azula! Oh, goodness, Sokka, are you alright?" Ty Lee's voice reached them suddenly: she had been waiting at the top of the stairs with Haru, along with a few other delighted supporters of the Blue Wolf.
"Y-you came to watch?" Sokka asked them, eyes wide: Azula as well was stunned to see her friends amidst the sizeable crowd.
"Of course we did!" Ty Lee laughed, as they approached the Princess and her gladiator "We read all those pamphlets, we knew all about this contest about who the best non-bender was and…! Goodness, that was intense, but you did it, Sokka! You won!"
"Heh… y-yeah, I… I think so?" Sokka said, with an awkward smile.
"Would you like help with carrying him?" Haru asked Azula, who shook her head but grinned gratefully.
"No need. His other side hurts a lot after that poisonous attack he took, so it's better this way" she said.
Ty Lee was near tears as she clapped happily, ever laughing joyfully. Haru as well was grinning, and he bowed his head towards Sokka in a gesture of respect.
"Congratulations, then. What you just did… it was amazing" he said. Sokka bit his lip and nodded in acknowledgement.
"Thank you. Though I don't feel amazing, but…"
"Yeah, you should go home quickly!" Ty Lee agreed, looking at them worriedly before turning towards Haru "We should help them navigate the crowd safely!"
"Alright. Let's clear the way, then" said Haru, grinning and urging Sokka and Azula to follow them.
"There's so many people here…" Sokka said, with a small voice. Azula chuckled and urged him to restart walking "Are you sure they're not just going to… t-to squeeze us when we're amongst them?"
"Afraid of your fans, are you?" Azula taunted him "Come on, Sokka. We'll make it to the door… eventually"
"Heh. Eventually" he repeated, smiling at her. Azula laughed and helped him maintain his balance as they made their way to the top of the stairs.
"Blue Wolf! Yes! You did it!" another familiar voice called from further down the corridor: Yang was rushing towards them amongst the cheering fans, tears in his eyes as well "You actually did it!"
"Well, I hope that fight will be worth writing about, Yang" Azula smirked as Yang stopped beside them. He snorted in disbelief and shook his head, beaming brightly.
"It was amazing! All of it! T-though I wish you hadn't been hurt, but… in a sense, that makes it even more heroic! The underdog wins the day!" Yang exclaimed, proudly. Sokka laughed.
"You're hopeless, Yang" he said.
"Ever chasing for a good story, looks like" said Azula, smiling.
"You are our hero, Blue Wolf!" Yang called out, as Ty Lee and Haru started paving the way between the thickest areas of the crowd, enabling Azula and Sokka to take their first steps down the stairs "Never forget that! Because we will never forget this!"
Sokka could only smile awkwardly as Azula helped him down the first step. The endless clapping received him, and he could hardly raise his eyes to look at his countless supporters. Somehow, after all these years, these people had watched him grow into the fighter he was today. They cheered him on, even if his victory hadn't been the most glorious fight they'd witnessed. They seemed to think he was admirable regardless of that… and with every new step he took, he heard more encouraging words, more supporting cries. The music didn't stop, and only became louder as they walked to the building's doors.
Once, Azula had carried him just like this, before an entirely confused Grand Royal Dome. Today, it seemed her method of carrying him was more than welcome by the Arena-goers: they were stoked by it, looked like, rather than puzzled or outraged. A gladiator, helped by his sponsor this way, was something that seldom happened. Together, the two of them had rewritten the Gladiator League's history. Instead of cheering on violence, cruelty and death, the Fire Nation was cheering on for a partnership based on equality, trust and genuine cherishing of each other. No doubt, they had no idea just how deeply their affection ran… but they surely understood their bond was strong, personal, real. No self-serving noble would ever be caught demeaning themselves this way, by carrying a slave… and yet Azula was doing it for the second time before the entire Arena. And this time she wouldn't regret it later. This time, she wouldn't fear what people would say about her. This time she held her head high, proud of the man beside her. Proud of everything they had built together through the three years of their partnership.
"Congratulations!"
"You did it! I knew you had it in you!"
"Now off to the top of the League!"
"You can do it, Blue Wolf!"
"Princess! Blue Wolf! Well done!"
Amid the many cries of congratulations, Shoji's voice barely stood out… and yet Azula turned her head upon noticing it, spotting the young man's counter while still on the final steps of the stairs. She smiled at him and raised her free hand in acknowledgement, and the young man's smile only widened. Again, he'd witnessed their extraordinary bond. Again, he could only think that, through all his years working here, he had never witnessed anything quite as beautiful as that partnership.
On and on they went, greeting members of the Blue Pack, the casual public and even a few sponsors they'd fought in the past, all of whom had showed up to watch the Blue Wolf's greatest challenge up to date. Everyone smiled encouragingly, though a few people were stricken upon seeing Sokka's clinging to Azula's shoulders with whatever strength he had left, his face often twisting into grimaces when the burning sensations were too much to handle: they offered Ty Lee and Haru quite a bit of help with clearing the way to the doors, ensuring their admired gladiator would be free to receive further medical treatment as soon as possible. Sokka couldn't help but sigh once they were near the Dome's gates, though, and Azula raised an eyebrow.
"What is it?" she asked him.
"You know… just thinking that, if I gave them the thumbs-up now, they'd likely go wild, but… I can't" he laughed "Never mind, it's something really silly"
"It certainly is" said Azula, smiling before turning slightly, to face the crowd once more.
Sokka's eyes widened as she raised her free hand, making his trademark gesture without hesitation.
Within moments, the already excited crowd's loud cheers became louder still: the music was revamped, some people jumping in relentless excitement, most people laughing and shouting the Blue Wolf's name in a chant perfectly timed with the drums. Azula only smiled, holding her thumb up and allowing them to rejoice upon the sight of her doing something so mundane, so unlike her, before she dropped her hand and helped Sokka cross the threshold, amid further cheers and music. To her surprise, he seemed near tears once they reached Xin Long, who was, as she had asked of him, perched close to the doors.
"Sokka?" she called him, failing to bite back a smile.
"Y-you're impossible" he said, a soft sob shaking his shoulders "Hell, this is all just…"
"Oh, Sokka…" she said, laughing softly as she resisted the urge to embrace him fully.
"Well, you deserve this, and more!" Ty Lee exclaimed, giggling cheerfully at the top steps of the long staircase: many more people had waited outside for a glimpse of the Princess and her gladiator as they took off on their way home.
They watched them reverentially: some had watched the fight and left the crowded vestibule early, some had been too late to find a seat, others had barely just finished their workday and had stopped by the Arena to check on the result of the fight. It seemed as though the entire city was rejoicing in their triumph, even if that was, quite likely, a vain notion to even consider… yet never before had such massive crowds of people cheered Sokka on, celebrating his success with such enthusiasm. Azula's gesture, paired with being received by so many proud supporters, had been more than enough to push the gladiator to a surprisingly sweet breaking point, one that hurt much like the fire burning under his skin… but it was a tender pain, one he clung to, one he enjoyed even if it brought him to tears.
"You've definitely done more than your share of hard work to earn it" Haru said, gesturing at the crowds, both within the Dome and outside it "You're their hero, looks like"
"And I'd like to say… you didn't have to die to become a legend in their eyes" Azula huffed, proudly "So the Mad Alchemist was certainly wrong about that part"
"I'm not a legend" Sokka said, shaking his head despite he was smiling through tears "I'm just… I'm just a common guy, I… I'm not…"
"You still think you're just a common guy, after all this time…" Azula said, eyes wide in disbelief. Sokka looked at her with gleaming eyes and she smiled, shaking her head "You're the most extraordinary non-bender there is, that's an undisputed fact by now. Get used to it"
"Y-you mean, in the League. Because maybe outside the League…"
"Ugh, stop trying to find loopholes and accept your reality" Azula said, rolling her eyes as she led him to the dragon's saddle. Ty Lee and Haru couldn't seem to hold back their laughter at Azula's exasperation.
Sokka chuckled by now as Azula helped him climb onto the secondary seat of the saddle. The cheering crowd at the steps clapped and joined the chant of those within the Dome, and Sokka could only smile at them, nodding gently in acknowledgement as Azula climbed in front of him.
"Thanks, both of you" said Azula, smiling at Ty Lee and Haru "I should've thought to invite you to come cheer for him, but it slipped my mind entirely…"
"Oh, no need to worry, you two must have been too busy getting ready for the fight" said Ty Lee, chuckling "I hope he gets better soon, though. We absolutely have to celebrate this the proper way!"
"And what way is that?" Azula asked, with a worried grimace. Ty Lee smirked and Azula rolled her eyes "You and your gross baijiu…"
"It doesn't have to be baijiu this time!"
"Whatever" said Azula, smiling and shaking her head "I'll catch up with you later this week. Thanks again"
"Goodbye" said Haru, grinning at them both "Feel better soon, Sokka!"
"I'll try" Sokka answered, smiling back at him.
"Well done!" Ty Lee exclaimed "You two are amazing! You heard me? Amazing!"
Azula laughed as she ushered Xin Long to take off. The dragon did as he was told, utterly confused by the situation: whatever made this occasion so special, really? He didn't understand it, and he didn't think he would. Sokka always fought in that weird sand circle and it was never this big a deal: what was there to celebrate when he could barely walk on his own? Human rituals were weird, it was as simple as that for his draconic mind.
The flight was slow and easy, with no crazy tricks from Xin Long this time around. Azula reached back and caressed Sokka's knee gently as they traveled across the city, and he could only watch her helplessly, his arms still too numb to respond to her affection. Her glossy black hair flew in the wind, and that hairpiece crowned it, as ever…
Once, this kind of success would have seemed an impossible, unattainable dream. But they had made it a reality today, despite he could barely believe it yet. People had cheered them on, and perhaps it wasn't the kind of heroism he had dreamt of achieving in his childhood, when he had wished for acclaim, for acknowledgement. He had set out to become the best warrior of his Tribe so he could stand out, so he could be useful, important for his people… this wasn't the same thing, not by a long shot, and yet he felt he had accomplished something grand all the same: a common gladiator from Hui Yi had become the best non-bender in the Superior Gladiator League today.
He dropped carefully against Azula's back, his brow on the back of her neck. Azula's hand rose to caress his face gently, her fingertips touching his tears. Was this what it meant to achieve a dream? Was that what had happened today? It was no longer the same dream he'd had once, and yet it was a dream on its own right. Together they had made it a reality, and his chest kept paining him for reasons completely unrelated to poison by now…
They landed slowly on the backyard, and Azula leapt off the saddle first. She offered Sokka her help, and he draped his arm around her shoulder quickly enough before hoisting himself out of the saddle, managing to stand on his own two feet despite needing her help with supporting part of his weight.
"Here we are. Now you'll get proper rest" Azula said, kissing his cheek again "We made it"
"Yeah" he said, smiling as his arm tightened around her shoulders "Thanks to you"
"Sokka…" she said, both surprised to find his arm was regaining some sense and by his heartfelt words.
Before she knew it, she was hugging him in the backyard, holding him against her shoulder. Her hands caressed his armored back, sometimes sliding into his messy hair. He was breathing deeply, interrupted by sharp intakes of breath that betrayed he was close to tears once more.
"Thank you, Azula" he said. Hearing those words from him was hardly a surprise, and yet Azula's chest tightened just as his own did.
Her embrace welcomed him fully, as she pressed her face to his neck. That same neck she had scarred… the lines were more faded every day, just as the many scars they'd both acquired over the years. It had taken them three years now, and yet all the hard work had paid off. All of it had brought them here and now. The entire crowd acclaimed them, Azula's rivals acknowledged her, and they were at the highest heights they had ever reached… even in Sokka's frail state, it was impossible for either of them to remain impervious to the enthusiasm rushing in their veins. The powerful sensation of fulfilment was so strong it was almost bringing them both to tears.
"I'm not sure I'm the one who needs to be thanked" Azula said, cupping his cheek, gazing into his deep eyes, where so many emotions he could hardly voice nestled. Sokka shook his head.
"Y-you… you saw me, and saw something worthwhile in me. Whatever it was, back in Hui Yi… it's the only reason we're here now. And I… I don't think I'd want to be anywhere else, Azula. I don't… I don't think I'd want to be anyone else but who I am now"
Her smile warmed as she gazed into his eyes. He ventured a smile of his own as well, his waking arm letting him caress her face gently.
"You've believed in me even when I couldn't believe in myself" he said "And now, I… I have no idea how, but I've done it, huh? I… I did it. It paid off, all of it…"
"Of course it did" said Azula, smiling warmly "I've told you before, and I'll say it as many times as I need to, whether you believe me or not. You and I, Sokka… we're not just a gladiator and a sponsor. We've always been so much more than that. We're meant for much more than that. And I'd think we proved it to the whole world today"
He smiled too and nodded. She laughed and brought him closer, kissing him softly. Song would spot them soon enough, ask them what the fight's outcome had been, perhaps even offer to make dinner for Azula too today. And Sokka would need treatment, for sure, so they'd need to rush inside to take care of that soon…
But just for now, they could take a moment of privacy to cherish every decision that had brought them this far. Perhaps once that moment was over, Sokka would finally wrap his head around reality, he'd finally understand his potential to grow and change was greater than he had ever known… but until then, Azula would hold him tightly in a world of their own, reveling over how far they'd come, ever holding onto the promise of walking together into an even brighter future.