"Did we die?" Luca whispered.
"I don't think so," Barley said. "I think the spirits want to talk to us about something."
Violet wondered if this had something to do with the swamp. Or maybe it was about Jack-Jack, since the Avatar was the connection between the Spirit World and the mortal world.
She looked around. The quiet was unnerving. There was no background noise. No bugs, wind, nothing. She couldn't even hear herself breathing.
There was a flurry of movement. Three figures appeared. Violet couldn't quite tell what she was looking at. Their bodies seemed to be one thin, continuous line, swirling around in unnatural configurations. Like a stroke of ink.
They peered at Violet and her friends with their glowing eyes, then spoke in unison. "Welcome, mortals."
"Uh, hi," Barley said, waving. "Do…do you need something from us?"
The spirits turned to look at him. "We called you to the Spirit Swamp, to share visions of the past and future with you to help you on your quest, only for you to harm the sacred tree."
"It was an accident," Alberto said. "And maybe you should find something better than a tornado—"
Luca clapped his hand over Alberto's mouth. They were in deep enough trouble already. They didn't need to piss off the spirits even more.
Violet stepped forward. She felt like she was the best person to speak to the spirits, since the Air Nation was the most spiritual of the four nations.
"We're very sorry for hurting the tree," she said. "It was completely an accident." She bowed her head.
"And we felt bad running off, we really did," Barley added. "But we couldn't stay. We have to rescue the Avatar, to stop the Fire Nation and keep balance. I'm sure you understand that."
The spirits blinked at him. After a moment, they spoke again. "To make up for your discretions, you must go to the Dongbei River and bring back a bucket of clean water."
Alberto shrugged. "Okay. That sounds easy enough."
"Don't be so sure, child," the spirits warned. "We'll call you back when you've succeeded."
The Spirit World faded away, the quiet and stillness replaced by the noise of the normal world.
Barley looked at their map. "The river's not far from here. It's in one of the Fire Nation colonies, though, so we'll have to be careful."
"Do we actually have to do this?" Alberto asked. "I mean, couldn't we just bring back any old water?"
"No! You can't trick the spirits! They would be able to tell," Barley said. "They probably won't even bring us back to the Spirit World until we get the right water."
As they walked, they became aware of a foul stench in the air. It smelled like smoke, but it also had a sharp, almost acidic smell to it.
"A Fire Nation factory," Barley said as a large metal building appeared in the distance. They kept their distance as they walked around it to the river.
They passed through a small riverside village. The villagers were all unnaturally pale. Sickly. They mumbled something about food or medicine as Violet and her friends walked by.
"Sorry, we're just passing through," Ian said uncomfortably.
Luca wanted to stop and heal some of them, but Violet said it wouldn't be smart to reveal that he was a waterbender in case there were any Fire Nation soldiers nearby. So he reluctantly walked away, staring at the ground to avoid looking at the people he was abandoning.
When they saw the river, they realized why the spirits had said getting clean water wouldn't be easy. The water was green and brown, with sludge floating on the top.
"It's all pollution from the factory," Ian realized. "That's what's making the villagers so sick."
"How are we supposed to get clean water out of here?" Alberto asked, wrinkling his nose at the awful smell emanating from the water.
"Maybe we can bend the dirty water out," Luca said.
"We'll have to destroy the factory first, or it'll just keep pumping filth back into it," Violet said.
"Let's go," Alberto said.
"Maybe we should wait until night, when they're not using the factory," Barley said.
"Good idea," Ian said. It had been a long day anyway. They could use rest.
They went back to the village. They tried to sleep, but the awful smell was keeping them awake. Ian couldn't imagine living with this every single day.
Luca couldn't resist anymore and went to heal some of the villagers. If they were going to bend later anyway to destroy the factory, he might as well.
As they thanked him, the looks on their faces touched him. The gratitude. The relief and peace that washed over them at not being in pain anymore. It made him feel good that his healing could be used for more than just battle wounds.
That night, they went to the factory. Ian stared up at the angular building towering over them. If only he could metalbend it all down.
Luca and Alberto began passing a splash of water back and forth, cutting through the weight-bearing beams holding up the building. It was excruciatingly slow. But they kept at it. Ian pointed out the best places to cut, where it was structurally weakest.
Violet used harsh slices of air to cut the other side. Barley kept a lookout for any Fire Nation soldiers.
When the beams were sufficiently weakened, they all gathered at a safe distance, and Ian shook the ground until the building collapsed.
Barley pumped his fist. "Take that, Fire Nation! Now let's go clean up that river."
"The factory!" a voice shouted in alarm.
They hid as Fire Nation soldiers came running over. "Those miserable Earth villagers must have destroyed it! They must be punished!"
"They're gonna blame the villagers!" Luca whispered. "What do we do?"
Barley thought for a minute. There were a lot of myths and legends about strange creatures in the Earth Kingdom. He didn't know if the Fire Nation soldiers were superstitious, but it was worth a try.
He looked at the river, then looked at Alberto and Luca. "Do you mind getting a little dirty?"
The Fire Nation soldiers heard a splash behind them. They turned, but there was nothing there. Just faint ripples spreading across the water.
There was another splash in front of them. They jerked their heads to look. Under the water, something was moving, coming toward them.
Alberto and Luca rose from the water, covered head to toe in sludge. They began stumbling toward the soldiers, arms outstretched.
"River monsters!" the soldiers yelled.
Luca and Alberto began groaning and gargling, like inhuman creatures attempting to speak.
"You turned us into this!" Alberto grunted.
"With all the poison you dump in the river!" Luca groaned.
The soldiers shot fireballs at them. Alberto and Luca roared at them. Violet, hiding nearby, blasted the fireballs away with air.
Together, Luca and Alberto splashed the soldiers with the filthy water. The soldiers screamed, terrified that they too would be mutated.
"There's an army of us below the water!" Alberto warned. "So run away and don't come back! Or we'll EAT YOU!"
The soldiers fled. Alberto whooped and hugged Luca.
"That was fun!" Luca giggled.
They spent the rest of the night cleaning out the river. Alberto and Luca sifted the water, and Ian bended out as much dirt and sludge as he could.
When they were finished, Barley got a wooden bucket and scooped up some of the water.
"Now what?" Ian asked.
The temperature dropped. Then they were back in the Spirit World. The three spirits looked at them.
"You have cleaned out the river and restored a part of nature," the spirits said. Their tone and expressions were neutral, but they seemed pleased. "As you have seen, nature is a beautiful thing, and it's not easy to restore once it's jeopardized. Don't let it disappear."
"We won't," Violet said.
"Thank you, mortals." The spirits bowed, then faded away.
Back in the mortal world, Barley led the way to the village they'd seen before. They went to the marketplace and quickly found someone selling the fuel they needed. But then they ran into another problem.
Barley turned to the others. "Uh, does anyone have any money?" He only had a few copper coins in his pocket.
Violet shook her head. Ian had a few coins but it wasn't enough. Alberto and Luca just stared at him blankly. Money wasn't really a concept in their society, where they just made everything they owned or traded with their neighbors.
"Okay, not ideal, but we'll figure something out," Barley said. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten to bring any money. They'd gotten incredibly lucky so far, with so many people willing to give them food and shelter for free.
He saw a piece of paper nailed to a wooden pole. "Hey, look! There's an earthbending tournament tomorrow. The winner gets five-hundred gold coins."
"But I'm the only earthbender here," Ian said.
"Yeah."
"So I'd have to fight," Ian said.
Barley shrugged. "Yeah."
"I can't do that!" Ian cried.
"Why not?" Barley asked.
"I'm not a good enough earthbender," Ian insisted. "Everyone else is probably a pro. I barely know anything."
"That's not true," Barley said. "You held your own against the Fire Nation. You got us out of that canyon. You can tap into seismic sense. You almost learned metalbending."
"I didn't, but okay." He really hadn't gotten close at all. And he still wasn't entirely convinced metalbending was even real.
"My point is, you're a smart, tough kid who already knows a lot about earthbending. And remember what Moonwind said? You just need to believe in yourself."
Ian still looked doubtful.
"Here, let's do another earthbending lesson right now," Barley said. "It'll be good practice for the tournament. Come on."
~~~~
Waternoose and Boggs walked through a grassy field in the Earth Kingdom. Boggs was miserable and he made sure Waternoose knew it. His feet ached. The sun was too hot. Bugs were flying all around them, buzzing in their ears and biting them.
"Why would that wretched girl be here?" Boggs whined. "Shouldn't we be looking at the Air Temple or something?"
"Will you stop complaining?" Waternoose snapped. "Syndrome told us she's been following him. He's coming here, so she'll probably turn up here too."
They stopped when they heard voices. They hid behind some trees and peered out. Ian and Barley were standing on a grassy knoll. Violet, Alberto, and Luca watched them from the sidelines.
"The girl!" Boggs exclaimed. He started to march toward her, but Waternoose held him back.
"Wait," Waternoose commanded, watching Ian intently. From his pose, it looked like he was about to start earthbending. Waternoose wanted to see what he was capable of. Partly so they could see what they were up against, partly to see if he'd be a good candidate for an earthbending teacher.
Barley adjusted Ian's posture. "Stand tall! And remember, use straight, angular movements. Now go!"
Ian assaulted the air with sharp punches and kicks. Large rocks and chunks of earth flew out of the ground and pelted the trees in front of him. His form was impeccable, Waternoose noted.
"Good!" Barley said. "A little more power. Don't be shy! You have to face your opponents head-on!"
Ian took a deep breath. "Okay." He kicked and punched with more force, driving forward with each movement. Giant rocks flew everywhere, followed by a large pillar of earth tearing out of the ground.
"That was great!" Barley cheered. "You'll be metalbending in no time!"
"Hey, couldn't you just learn metalbending, then pull some metal out of the ground and make us some money?" Alberto asked.
"No! I'm not going to make counterfeit money!" Ian protested. "That's illegal!"
"Besides, I doubt inventing a completely new technique is easier than just fighting in a tournament," Violet said.
"It's not completely new," Barley corrected. "It's a lost art, but it really existed! There were real metalbenders long ago! 'Tales of the Four Nations' has players based on them. You think they'd just make that up, after putting hours of meticulous research into every other aspect of the game?"
"…Riiiight," Violet said, the look on her face clearly saying, "What in the world are you talking about?" Alberto had the exact same look.
Waternoose had heard enough. With a flying kick, he landed next to Ian and Barley. Ian and Luca screamed.
Waternoose immediately sent a long burst of flame at Violet's face. She jumped back. The fire singed the ends of her hair.
"Sorry to interrupt your riveting conversation, but Firelord Syndrome wants you dead," Boggs sneered. He whipped a long tentacle of fire between Luca and Alberto, and they scrambled backwards. Luca quickly retaliated with a water tentacle. The water splashed the fire, extinguishing it.
Ian stamped the earth, grounding himself, and punched the air rapidly. Large boulders flew at Waternoose and Boggs. Violet, Alberto, and Luca ducked to avoid being hit. A rock hit Boggs in the face. Another one smacked Waternoose in the shoulder.
"Son of a bitch!" Waternoose growled. He leapt forward to attack Ian. The others ran over to stop him. Boggs jumped in and attacked them with high kicks and punches, sending out jets of fire.
Violet jumped and dodged, attacking where she could. She wasn't even trying to be strategic. She was just reacting.
She looked around. The fight was pure chaos. Luca was swinging a water tentacle and accidentally hitting Ian and Alberto more than the villains. Barley was shouting specific bending stances and moves that nobody was listening to. Alberto was throwing harmless water droplets.
A thought broke through Violet's racing mind. She was the one they were after.
She turned and ran away, making sure to make a lot of noise, kicking rocks and snapping branches.
"She's getting away!" Waternoose shouted. "Get her, you idiot!"
Violet stopped and turned. Boggs was running at her, almost gliding across the ground. He grabbed her in a headlock.
"You're not getting away this time!" he hissed in her ear. He lit a flame on his palm and raised his hand, ready to bring it down on her. She struggled, but she couldn't escape his grip.
Something splashed against the back of Boggs's head. He growled and spun around, still holding Violet. Alberto hocked a loogie and smacked him in the face with it. Violet had to marvel at the amount of stupid bravery it took to do that, especially when he wasn't an advanced-enough bender to deal with Boggs's wrath.
"There's more where that came from!" Alberto jeered. He threw another loogie right into Boggs's eye.
Boggs threw Violet to the ground and charged at Alberto, throwing a flurry of fiery punches. Alberto stumbled backwards as he attempted to dodge. He tripped over a root and fell to the ground. Boggs loomed over him with a malicious grin.
Violet quickly shot a ball of air at Boggs. It hit him in the back and knocked him off-balance. She swiped the air repeatedly, sending harsh air currents at him.
Suddenly, four columns of stone burst out of the ground, trapping Boggs inside. Violet and Alberto stared. Ian ran over, followed by Barley and Luca.
"Ian, that was amazing!" Barley hollered. "Did you see what you just did? You're more than ready for that tournament!"
"Do you really think so?" Ian asked.
"Think so? I know so!" Barley declared. "Look, Ian, I'm not gonna force you if you don't want to. It's your choice. But you can do it."
Ian took a shaky breath. "Okay." He still wasn't sure if he could win, but he was willing to try.
They started walking back to the village. Violet walked next to Alberto. "Thanks for helping me out back there." She would never complain about his spitbending again.
He grinned at her, although he looked a bit shaken by the encounter. "No problem."
They passed another rock prison. Waternoose. Violet could hear him muttering angrily and trying unsuccessfully to blast the rocks away with fire.
In the village, they looked for a place to stay for the night. They eventually managed to find a couple who would let them stay with them. They even shared a meal with them, bowls of plain rice and vegetables. It was simple but satisfying.
Barley was his usual enthusiastic self, chatting and laughing with their hosts. Ian kept to himself, which was normal for him. But Violet noticed Alberto was uncharacteristically quiet. He just stared down at his bowl, picking at his rice. She looked at Luca to see if he'd noticed, but he was also just staring down quietly at his food.
That night, Violet couldn't sleep. Thoughts of Dash, Syndrome, Waternoose, and the earthbending tournament raced through her mind in a repeating loop, along with the occasional worry about whatever was going on with Alberto and Luca. Finally, she decided lying here trying to sleep wasn't getting her anywhere. Maybe she should go for a walk to calm her mind. She knew it probably wasn't a good idea, since Boggs and Waternoose might have escaped and could be lurking around somewhere. But it should be fine if she was careful. She got up and slipped out the door.
The night air was warm, a nice change from the North Pole. She walked around the village, then headed out toward the fields. She stopped when she saw Alberto sitting on a rock, staring up at the sky. She considered leaving, since he seemed pretty preoccupied, but her curiosity got the better of her.
She cautiously approached him. "Um, are you okay?"
He jumped. "What? Oh, yeah. Of course." He nodded and put his hands on his hips. "Just…uh…getting some air. I couldn't sleep. I'm just so excited for the tournament, you know?"
She looked at him doubtfully. "Is it Luca?"
He sighed and dropped the act. "Yeah." She waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't. All he said was, "It just sucks. I just want everything…back to the way it was."
"Yeah, I get that," Violet said softly.
"Luca wants to go back to the North Pole instead of coming home with me. Even though my dad is gone, so he's the only reason I would go back home."
"I thought you said your life was awesome," Violet said.
He dropped his gaze. "Yeah, well…that's not entirely true." He kicked some pebbles. "It's boring and…kind of lonely."
"Couldn't you just go with Luca, then? To the North Pole?"
He shook his head. "I don't belong there." She was struck by how sad that statement seemed. The way he said it like it was just an undeniable truth.
"Where do you belong?" she asked. It obviously wasn't the South Pole, either, if Luca was the only reason he would ever go back there.
"I…I don't know." Alberto seemed surprised by the question, as if he hadn't ever really thought about it.
Violet sat down next to him. "I mean, your dad's not gone for good, right? He'll come back to the South Pole after the war." Supposing he survives, she thought, but she didn't say this.
Alberto looked down at the ground. "No he won't." He glanced at her and saw her alarmed expression. "He didn't die or anything. That I know of. It's just, he's…not really fighting in the war."
"He's not?"
"No," he admitted. It felt so strange saying it out loud. Why was he telling her this? He supposed it was easier than telling Luca, since he'd been lying to him for three years. It was easier to tell the truth to someone he'd only been lying to for a month. "I just tell people that 'cause it sounds like a good reason for him to not be around anymore."
"What's the real reason? I mean, if you don't mind telling me."
Alberto hesitated. He had never told anyone. He'd barely even acknowledged it to himself. Could he really tell this girl he barely knew, when he couldn't even tell his best friend for some reason?
He took a breath and closed his eyes. He couldn't do it while looking at her. "He just left. I found him one night getting one of the boats ready to leave. He was trying to sneak out." He pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them. "When I asked where he was going and when he'd be back, he said he wasn't coming back. Ever. He was going off to look for refuge, a safe place to escape the war and the raids."
"Without you?"
Alberto nodded. "He told me I was old enough to be on my own. Then he sailed away and I never saw him again." He could feel tears running down his cheeks. He angrily wiped them away. "Honestly, I get it. He was always telling me all the things he couldn't do because of me. So it makes sense that he'd leave his stupid, useless son behind when he got the chance to have a new life."
Heavy silence hung in the air. He couldn't tell what she was thinking. She was probably just pitying him, which he really didn't want.
He opened his eyes and slid his gaze over to her, afraid of what he'd see on her face. Instead of pity, he saw barely-contained anger. Her mouth was a tight line, and her eyes were blazing.
"That's awful!" she burst out. "How could someone abandon their child? And during a war!" She looked like she was going to be sick.
"It's not a big deal," Alberto said uncomfortably, although the tears on his face said differently. "I shouldn't have brought it up."
"No, I'm glad you told me," Violet said, her tone softening. "And he's wrong. You're not stupid or useless."
If you really knew me, you wouldn't be saying that. He knew the truth. So did Luca, deep down, he was sure. That was probably why he wanted to leave him for the North Pole.
Violet put her hand on Alberto's. His heart stirred as something welled up in his chest. A fiery new emotion he'd never felt before. Painful and exciting and nerve-racking all at the same time.
He pulled his hand away, scared of the feeling. Violet looked embarrassed. Alberto silently cursed himself for ruining the moment. She was just trying to comfort him and be nice, and he was making it weird. He wanted to explain himself, but he didn't know what to say. So they just sat in awkward silence until Violet stood up to leave.
"Luca doesn't know any of this," Alberto said, "so don't tell him, okay?"
She nodded. "Okay." She thought he should tell Luca, since it really wasn't fair to be mad at him when he didn't have all the facts. But it wasn't her decision.
"Thanks, Violet."
Violet hesitated. "Do you want to go back now? We could go together."
"Okay."
Neither of them spoke a word as they walked back to the house. Alberto's heart was pounding, and he was sweating. What was wrong with him?
They lay down to sleep, but he didn't sleep a wink. He just stayed awake all night trying to process these new feelings he didn't quite understand.
~~~~
Syndrome's ship docked, and he stepped out onto the soft grass of the Earth Kingdom. Waternoose and Boggs were waiting for him, looking rather worse for wear. Their uniforms were crumpled, and their hair was a mess, as if they'd just been mauled by a wild animal.
"What happened to you?" Syndrome asked.
"That girl and her…posse, that's what!" Boggs hissed. "We almost had them! But then that snotty earthbender kid trapped us in rocks and we just got out! We almost died!"
Waternoose put his hand up to silence him. "Don't worry, sir, we know where they're going. There's an earthbending tournament and they're going to be there. We saw them practicing." He paused. "That earthbending kid is quite talented. His brother is teaching him, even though he doesn't seem to be a bender himself."
Syndrome stroked his chin in thought. "Interesting. Keep an eye on them, and tell me once you've caught them."
"Yes, sir," Waternoose said with a bow.
Syndrome walked away, followed by an army. Mike and Sulley were at the back. Boggs sneered at them as they walked by.
"You didn't freeze to death at the North Pole? Shame."
"No, it was quite nice, actually," Sulley replied.
"Yeah. Nice and quiet without your constant whining," Mike added.
Boggs ignored him and looked at Sulley. "Rumor's going around that you've been undermining Syndrome's authority, Sullivan. Expressing doubts about his orders, talking to his least favorite son…Syndrome's not gonna like that."
"That's none of your concern, Randall," Mike snapped.
"Nobody's told him yet, because they haven't been able to extract their heads from your ass, but I don't have that problem," Randall said. "So enjoy being on top while it lasts, boys. The winds of change are coming."
Mike snorted. "Winds of change? What are you, an airbender? Stay in your lane, Randall, and stop making empty threats."
They walked away. Mike didn't look bothered, but Sulley felt uneasy. And he could tell from the smug look on Randall's face that he knew he'd gotten to him.
"Syndrome wouldn't believe him anyway," Mike said. "He knows Randall's just a slimy creep trying to scheme his way to the top. That's why he never brings him along with him. He doesn't want to hear it, either."
Sulley hoped Mike was right. But worries still nagged at him. If the other soldiers were growing suspicious of him, and were just staying silent out of respect for him, that meant they knew. They could turn on him one day, either out of anger or fear if Syndrome threatened them. Even if Syndrome wouldn't believe Randall, he might believe several soldiers who all had the same story.
"What did he mean, about you talking to Syndrome's son?" Mike asked.
"I was just checking in on Dash. After he got burned. I wanted to make sure he was okay."
Mike nodded. "Poor kid." He lowered his voice. "I never cared for the way Syndrome treats him."
"Yeah, me neither," Sulley said. He felt a burning annoyance at the fact that they weren't allowed to express this openly. It shouldn't be illegal to say child abuse was wrong.
He tamped the feeling down. He was already on thin ice. He couldn't make any more stupid missteps. Otherwise, he and Mike might as well dig their own graves and jump in to save the Fire Nation the trouble.
~~~~
Woody stared at Buzz, hoping this was some sort of sick prank. He knew Buzz wouldn't joke about something like this, though. "Syndrome is coming here?"
Buzz nodded. "Someone saw him walking this way with an army. Everyone's panicking." His voice shook. "We need to leave."
Woody looked around the house. His house, where he had lived for most of his life. All of his possessions, all of his memories were here. They'd always been here for him, and he felt awful leaving them to be destroyed.
"I know, Woody. I know." Buzz put his hand on Woody's shoulder. "I don't want to go, either. I just cried saying goodbye to everything in my shop. But we have to go."
Woody nodded and slowly followed Buzz out the door. He looked around for Buzz's escape vehicle, but there wasn't one.
"Can't we take one of your ships or automobiles?" Woody asked.
Buzz shook his head. "Looters came and took all the working ones this morning, so they could escape. They were the ones who told me he was coming."
So they would have to walk, then.
"What should we do?" Buzz asked.
Woody turned to look out over the hill. "We'll go where all refugees go. To Ba Sing Se."