A/N: Hello, everyone! I can't believe I finally get to introduce Toph! This is where Book 2 really picks up.
Responses from chapter 25:
Vapor23: Hello, friend! I agree, the detective Sokka scenes were super funny, I'm glad that you liked my take on bringing Kiri into the mix :) Okay, so although Akira only slapped the guy with air, I realized the way I described it made it seem more crucial. But, yeah, there will be an eventual discussion about that. Stuff gets a little crazy for the next few chapters, so it'll probably take a while before anything is discussed. Thank you for the side note. Everything is okay with my family, my great-grandma on my mom's side passed two weeks ago, and I had her funeral to go to. About the side project; I haven't even finished the first chapter, but it's going to be heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, and most likely rated M. Akira will be involved, and it's going to (kinda) be a crossover. Thank you for your continued support :)
Kataangshipper3033: Thank you for your review! I watch the episodes as I write, and copy down the character's lines and actions. It would be kind of hard for me to memorize the plot if I didn't :) I'm glad you loved the chapter. Thanks for reading!
We were in an Earth Kingdom town, shopping for supplies. I had been glad this place didn't seem to be crazy like where we had gone the week prior, as I didn't want to spend an extremely long time solving a village's problems. Sokka was going back and forth about a bag, wondering whether or not he should buy it.
"It's pricey, but I really do like it," He stated.
I was on the verge of groaning, exhaustion from walking around so long making my legs ache.
"Then you should get it," Katara replied, the way she had about twenty times before, "You deserve something nice,"
I took a bite out of the apple I was holding, pretending to give some to bun-bun.
"I do, don't I?" Sokka asked Katara, "But no, it's too expensive, I shouldn't,"
"All right, then don't," Katara said.
Finally becoming fed up with her brother's antics, she walked away, Aang standing up and walking with her. I put bun-bun into my bag and walked away with them, leaving Sokka to decide if he should get the bag or not on his own.
"Psst, psst," A voice whispered, "Hey, you kids like earthbending?"
I turned my head to the speaker, who was a middle aged man, holding fliers in his hand.
"You like throwing rocks?" He added, "Then check out Master Yu's earthbending academy,"
He handed a flier to Aang, who began to read it, his eyes darting across the parchment. There was a drawing of a man in fancy clothing bending a rock into the air, writing all around the illustration. Aang turned the flier to the other side.
"Look, there's a coupon on the back," He stated, "The first lesson is free,"
"Who knows?" I asked, "This Master Yu guy could be the earthbending teacher you've been looking for,"
Sokka then walked over, the bag in his hands.
"Okay, I'll go to the first lesson," Aang stated, "If it works out well, I might of just found my earthbending teacher,"
"And if it doesn't?" Sokka asked, his eyebrow cocked in skepticism.
"Then we keep looking," Aang replied brightly, as optimistic as ever.
We followed the directions on the coupon, leading us to the academy. Aang stepped inside, waving the rest of us goodbye. A few minutes later, he appeared again, a look of boredom on his face.
"Eh, he's not the one," He stated, knocking sand out of his ears.
"I think The Boulder is gonna win back the belt at Earth Rumble Six," A kid said, walking out of the academy alongside his friend.
"He's gonna have to fight his way through the best earthbenders in the world to even get a shot at the champ," His friend replied.
This grabbed Aang's attention, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Excuse me, but where is this earthbending tournament exactly?" He asked excitedly, running up to the pair.
"It's on the island of Nunya…" One kid began, his tone full of amusement.
"Nunya business!" The other finished in the same tone.
My eyebrows furrowed in frustration and annoyance as they walked away, their annoying laughter ringing through my ears. Aang looked down, a crestfallen look on his face. Sokka began laughing as we walked up to my brother, the sound annoying me even further.
"Oh, I've gotta remember that one," He stated through his laughter.
I gave him an unamused look, my eyes narrowed and one eyebrow raised. Sokka, sensing my frustration, piped down, his laughing dying out.
"I'll take care of this," Katara stated, putting a hand on Aang's shoulder.
She then began to run toward the guys, her voice flirtatious as she called after them.
"Hey, strong guys, wait up!"
I hoped that whatever she was doing evolved those guys getting a major piece of her mind.
"What was I thinking?" Sokka asked himself accusingly, holding out his expensive bag, "I don't need a new bag,"
"Why'd you let me buy this?" He added, looking at Aang and I before dropping it on the ground.
Momo hopped off of his shoulder and leaped into his bag, purring as he burrowed deeper. Katara ran back over to us, her expression that of satisfaction.
"You ready to find an earthbending teacher?" She asked, "Because we're going to Earth Rumble Six,"
"How'd you get them to tell you?" I asked.
"Oh, a girl has her ways," Katara replied, looking off to the side.
That night, we went to a cave, where Earth Rumble Six was being held. The booming sound of a cheering crowd filled the arena, ringing through our ears as we found our seats. In the front row, there were tons of open seats, so we just plopped down where Sokka saw as the best angle.
"This is the spot," He stated matter-of-factly, "We'll be able to see The Boulder pummel everyone from here,"
In the hours before, he had been learning all about The Boulder, the champion who had his title taken by a mysterious victor during his last match. He had become completely obsessed, even arguing with Katara because she wouldn't get him The Boulder's merchandise.
"Hey, front row seats," Aang stated as we sat down, "I wonder why no one else is sitting here,"
Suddenly, a giant rock crashed into the seats not too far from us, answering his question.
"I guess that's why," Sokka replied, his tone sprinkled with fear.
Then, the cheering suddenly grew louder. We all turned our heads to see a guy emerging from the ground, his voice booming over the cheers as he spoke.
"WELCOME TO EARTH RUMBLE SIX," He shouted, pumping a fist into the air, "I AM YOUR HOST, XIN FU,"
"This is just gonna be a bunch of guys chucking rocks at each other, isn't it?" Katara asked, her tone showing boredom and humorlessness.
"That's what I paid for," Sokka replied giddily.
"The rules are simple," Xin Fu stated loudly, "Just knock the other guy out of the ring, and you win,"
He then leaped into the air and out of the ring, landing on a podium high above it. A bell rang, and A muscular man emerged, along with a ginormous fat dude.
"ROUND ONE- THE BOULDER VERSUS THE BIG BAD HIPPO,"
The Hippo stomped his foot on the ground, which I was sure would have caused an earthquake, and yelled out, his screech so loud it could be heard all around the arena.
"Listen, Hippo," The Boulder began, "You may be big, but you ain't bad,"
"The Boulder's gonna win this in a landslide," He finished cockily, using hand movements to emphasize his words.
The way that this man spoke third person made me question his intelligence.
"Hippo mad!" The Hippo exclaimed dumbly.
Then, the fight began. The Boulder sent two rocks flying up from the ground at The Hippo, who just sat there and took it as if they weren't there. When the dust of the attack cleared, The Hippo was revealed to have a chunk of rock in his mouth, which he bit and chewed before spitting out. My face became a mixture of shock and disgust as my brain tried to take in what I had just seen. The Hippo then repeatedly jumped into the air, moving the ring so that it would be at a sloped angle. The Boulder began to stumble back, losing his balance as he struggled to keep his footing.
"Unbelievable, ladies and gentlemen," Xin Fu said, "The Hippo is rocking The Boulder,"
Just as he was about to fall off the edge of the ring, The Boulder slid out a slab of rock from the side, which he used to get back up and throw at The Hippo. The Hippo, who had seemed to thought he had already won, was hit directly in the back with the slab. He turned around, a look of confusion and anger on his face. The Boulder leaped into his view and began lifting him up from the ground, strain evident on his features. He then pushed the rock, causing it and The Hippo to go flying out of the ring, and signifying his victory.
"THE BOULDER WINS," Xin Fu announced, causing the crowd to once again erupt in cheers.
"How about The Boulder?" Katara asked, turning to Aang, "He's got some good moves,"
"I don't know," Aang replied, shrugging his shoulders, "Bumi said I need a teacher who listens to the earth, he's just listening to his big muscles,"
"What do you think, Sokka?"
Sokka was excitedly hooting and hollering, his hands high in the air as he stood up.
"NEXT MATCH, THE BOULDER, VERSUS FIRE NATION MAN," Xin Fu announced.
Then, a man in Fire Nation attire walked out, waving a flag above his head. The crowd erupted in boos, especially Sokka. I was genuinely surprised that they had gotten a real Fire National to participate in the match, and wondered if he was a firebender.
"Please do rise for Fire Nation national anthem," He said before beginning to sing, "Fire Lord, my flame burns for thee,"
The crowd continued to boo, chucking rocks at the guy.
"Go back to the Fire Nation!" Sokka shouted, throwing a rock.
Suddenly, Fire Nation Man was brought underground by The Boulder, who lifted himself on a high slab of rock above him.
"No, no, please!" Fire Nation Man pleaded, fear in his eyes as he looked up at The Boulder.
The Boulder leaped into the air, landing and catapulting Fire Nation Man out of the ring, where he landed in the rock that had fallen near us at the beginning of the tournament.
"Yeah! Whoo!" Sokka called out ecstatically, causing the rest of us to give him strange looks, "The Boulder really knows how to put the hurt in the dirt!"
Aang and I gave each other a concerned glance at his frantic hollering, before turning our heads back to the fight.
Many rounds of The Boulder absolutely pummeling țhe other fighters later, we made it to the last match, where he would have to fight the mysterious winner who stole his belt and title. I was wondering who this person was, as they seemed like a pretty big deal.
"Now, the moment you've all been waiting for-" Xin Fu began, his tone causing anticipation to spark amongst the stadium, "The Boulder versus your champion-The Blind Bandit!"
The lights turned on to a tiny girl, who only looked to be a bit taller than me, a belt held high above her head and a cape in her back.
"She can't possibly be the victor," I thought, my expression that of disbelief.
The crowd began cheering loudly, chanting "bandit" as they did. The scorecard ladies took the belt and cape from The Blind Bandit, who looked extra small in comparison to them.
"She can't really be blind," Katara stated, "It's just a part of her character, right?"
"I think she is," Aang replied, staring into The Blind Bandit's milky grayish-green eyes.
"I think she is…going down!" Sokka exclaimed, his excitement over The Boulder never wavering.
"The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young blind girl," The Boulder stated, once again using hand movements to exaggerate his words.
"Sounds to me like you're scared, Boulder," The Blind Bandit remarked sassily, pointing at him.
The Boulder's face twisted into a scowl as he took in the young fighter's words.
"The Boulder's over his conflicted feelings, and now he's ready to bury you in a rock-alanche," He said, his tone that of fierce determination.
"Whenever you're ready, The Pebble," The Blind Bandit replied before laughing manically.
I had to admit, I already liked this girl.
"She's pretty cool, I like her," I stated, a smile on my face. I looked over to Aang, who looked as though he was in a trance.
"Uh, Aang?" I asked, waving my hand over my brother's face, "You there?"
He suddenly snapped out of it, slightly jumping with a small gasp. I looked back over to the fight, and saw that The Boulder was about to take a strike at The Blind Bandit. Just as he was about to make his step, she sent a trail of rock at his foot, causing him to do a split. Sokka's ecstatic smile faded at the sight. Then, The Boulder let out a scream that made both Aang and Sokka grimace. The Blind Bandit sent three rock pillars at The Boulder, sending him rolling out of the ring.
"YOUR WINNER, AND STILL THE CHAMPION, THE BLIND BANDIT!" Xin Fu announced, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers once again.
The Blind Bandit pumped a fist into the air, a happy look on her face as she soaked in the victory. An amazed smile came to my face, questions swirling through my mind. How had she known that The Boulder was about to attack? How did she react so quickly? Whoever this girl was, she was definitely the one to be Aang's earthbending teacher. Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Sokka's obnoxious crying. Deciding to ignore his cries, I began to voice my questions.
"How did she do that?" I asked, "The Boulder didn't even get a chance to attack,"
"She waited, and listened," Aang stated amazedly, a smile on his face.
Xin Fu hopped down from the podium, standing next to The Blind Bandit with a sack in his hand.
"To make things a more interesting, I'm offering up this sack of gold pieces to anyone who can defeat The Blind Bandit," He announced loudly.
Taking this as a perfect opportunity to talk to the possible earthbending teacher, Aang quickly stood.
"What? No one dares to face her?" Xin Fu asked the silent crowd teasingly.
Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of my brother's voice as he walked into the ring.
"I will,"
"Go, Aang!" Sokka shouted ecstatically, "Avenge The Boulder!"
I rolled my eyes at him, annoyance evident in my expression.
"Do people really wanna see two little girls fighting out here?" The Blind Bandit asked cockily, causing the crowd to all gasp in surprise at the burn.
Aang, not bothered by the fighter's comment, put his hands up to show a sign of peace before speaking.
"I don't really want to fight you, I want to talk to you,"
"Boo! No talking!" Sokka exclaimed, earning himself a slap on the wrist from Katara.
"Don't boo at him," She warned fiercely.
Just when Aang was about to take a step closer, The Blind Bandit did her same rock-under-feet trick that she had used on The Boulder, which he gracefully leaped over, landing behind her.
"Somebody's a little light on his feet," The Blind Bandit remarked, her tone sprinkled with frustration, "What's your fighting name, The Fancy Dancer?"
Aang just shrugged at this, not really caring about a comment that would've made other fighters enraged. The Blind Bandit then sent another rock up from the ground, Which Aang flipped off of and landed behind her once again.
"Where'd you go?" She asked.
"Please, wait," Aang pleaded.
"There you are," The Blind Bandit stated devilishly, a sly smile coming to her face as she sent yet another rock at my brother.
Aang dodged it by jumping, using airbending to push it out of the way and accidentally pushing her out of the ring in the process. The arena became so silent that you could hear a pin drop, the moment almost playing in slow motion. The Blind Bandit, champion of Earth Rumble, had been overthrown and defeated by my scrwany older brother, who wasn't a fighter, nor an earthbender. Katara, Sokka, and I all shared amazed smiles as the crowd began to cheer, piercing the silence. Aang looked around at the crowd, a scared and concerned expression on his face, before running out of the ring.
"Where's he going?" Katara asked, turning to Sokka and I.
"I think he's going to try to talk to The Blind Bandit," I replied.
"Come on, I wanna get that belt!" Sokka exclaimed, running over to ring.
Katara and I followed behind him. When we got there, Aang had come back, a sullen look on his face as his head hung low. Sokka embraced Xin Fu in a tight hug before taking the bag of gold and belt from him.
"Way to go, champ," He said, pulling Aang into a side hug.
Aang lowered his head further, sadness evident in his expression. I put a supportive hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up.
"Hey, it's okay," I said reassuringly, my tone soft, "I'm sure we can find The Blind Bandit somewhere around town, if she fights here, she's bound to live here too,"
The sadness slightly lifted from Aang's features, a smile smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Thanks, Kiri," He replied gratefully.
I nodded, pulling my hand off of his shoulder.
The next day…
We were walking around town, searching for a possible place to find The Blind Bandit.
"I've gotta admit, now I'm really glad I bought this bag," Sokka stated, turning to the rest of us, "It matches the belt perfectly,"
"That is a big relief," Katara stated sarcastically.
"If we want to find The Blind Bandit, the earthbending academy is a good place to start," Aang stated as we walked through the doorway.
When we got inside, the same kids who were messing with Aang the day prior were punching sand in big pots.
"Oh, great," The one who's hair kind of looked like Zuko's sarcastically groaned, "You again,"
Katara gave the boys an angry glare, causing them to jump back in fear. Whatever she had done to get those kids to tell her where Earth Rumble was must have been pretty great if they were so scared of her.
"Yeah, I didn't think so," She stated warningly, her eyebrows furrowed in deep annoyance and frustration.
"Nicely done," Sokka remarked.
"Hey, you're the kid who beat The Blind Bandit," The kid with actual hair said, pointing to Aang.
"We need to talk to her," My brother stated, "Do you guys know where she lives?"
"The Blind Bandit's a mystery," Puffball Hair Kid replied, "She shows up to fight, then disappears,"
My eyes narrowed in frustration as I crossed my arms, angry that despite Katara being there, the boys still were messing with Aang. My brother looked down sadly, and Katara, sensing his sadness, put a hand on his shoulder.
"Let me handle this," She said, her soft tone carrying reassurance.
Aang looked up, his expression that of slight surprise as he watched Katara stomp over to the boys.
"You're not telling us everything," She said accusingly, pointing her finger into Real Hair Boy's chest.
Fear came to the boy's face, his voice shaking as he began to urgently speak.
"No, no, I swear it's true," He stated, "No one knows where she goes, or who she really is,"
"That's because we're asking about the wrong person," Aang remarked, "In my vision, I saw a girl in a white dress with a pet flying boar,"
"Know anyone like that?" He asked eagerly, his face brightening.
"Well, a flying boar is he symbol of the Beifong family," Puffball Hair replied, "They're the richest people in town, probably the whole world,"
"Yeah, but they don't have a daughter," Actual Hair Boy added, peeking out from behind his friend's shoulder to look at Aang.
"A flying boar is good enough for me," Aang said excitedly, turning to the rest of us, "Let's check it out!"
He quickly ran out of the academy.
"Yeah, you better leave," Puffball Hair grumbled.
My eyebrows furrowed, my frustrations with these boys boiling over as I gritted my teeth. Deciding to do something about them, I sent a funnel of air at their backs, making them both fall face first into their sand pots.
"What was that?" Actual Hair Boy asked, picking his head up from the sand.
"Must've been the wind," I replied, shrugging as I walked away to catch up with Aang.
We came upon the Beifong estate, its expensive beauty shining bright in our faces. There were guards in front of the front door, and above it, there was a picture of a flying boar.
"That's the flying boar from my vision," Aang stated, "Come on,"
We made our way to the stone gates, which Aang used airbending to jump over. I did the same. When Sokka landed, he fell straight on his face. Katara landed shortly after him, being helped by Sokka and Aang on her way down. We quickly scurried toward the nearest bush, hiding behind it to peek at the guards. Suddenly, the ground raised from below us, flinging us all in different directions. Katara, Aang, and I all landed in bushes, while Sokka landed straight on the ground. I looked up, seeing a girl looming over Aang, her words harsh as she spoke.
"What are you doing here, Twinkle Toes?"
Then, I recognized her. The Blind Bandit. She was nearly unrecognizable without her fighting outfit, especially because her hair wasn't in her face, uncovering her features. Her jet black hair was in a neat bun, two pieces stuck out in the front. She wore fancy noble robes, not at all how she looked at Earth Rumble.
"How did you know it was me?" Aang asked.
"Don't answer to Twinkle Toes, it's not manly," Sokka said.
"You're the one whose bag matches his belt," Katara stated, annoyance heavy in her tone as she sat up.
"How did you find me?" The Blind Bandit asked accusatorially.
"Well, a crazy king told me I had to find an earthbender who listens to the earth," My brother explained, using airbending to spin off of the bush he was on.
I sprung up from my bush, landing next to The Blind Bandit.
"And then I had a vision in a magic swamp, and-"
Knowing how insane he probably sounded to The Blind Bandit, I quickly shut down his yapping.
"What Aang means is that he's the avatar, and if he doesn't master earthbending soon, he won't be able to defeat the Fire Lord," I explained.
"Not my problem," The Blind Bandit said dismissively, holding a hand out in front of my face, "Now get out of here or I'll call the guards,"
I liked her a lot more when she was fighting in the ring.
"Look, we all have to do our part to win this war," Sokka stated, "And yours is to teach Aang earthbending,"
"Guards!" The Blind Bandit suddenly exclaimed, "Guards, help!"
We all quickly scrambled to run away, our hearts pounding in our chests.
"Toph, what happened?" A guard asked, running toward her.
"Toph?" I repeated in my thoughts, "Is that The Blind Bandit's real name?"
"I thought I heard someone, I got scared," She said, her voice soft and full of fear.
"You know your father doesn't want you wandering around the grounds without supervision, Toph," The guard said, leading her away.
Aang's eyebrows furrowed in determination as he tapped his fingers against the roof we were hiding on top of. Suddenly, it seemed as though an idea came to his mind, and he smiled brightly before slipping back under the roof to explain his plan to Katara, Sokka, and I.
We were having dinner with the Beifong family in their grand dining room. Aang had gotten the guards to let us in just by saying he was the avatar, I was honestly glad he had the avatar free pass. I was seated in between Aang and Katara, a bowl of soup and a plate of rolls in front of me. Across from us were Toph, her parents, and Master Yu from the earthbending academy. Katara, Aang, and I were all sitting quietly, taking small bites of our food, while Sokka was chomping away noisily, earning himself a weirded out look from everyone in the opposite end of the table, save for Toph. She was handed a steaming bowl of soup by a servant.
"Blow on it, it's too hot for her," Toph's father commanded.
It was weird to me that this guy wouldn't let his daughter, who looked to be my age at least, to blow on her own food. I mean, she's blind, but that didn't mean she was incompetent.
"Allow me," Aang said kindly, using airbending to send a small tornado toward the bowl to cool the soup down.
Everyone at the opposite end, save Toph yet again, began clapping.
"Oh, my," Master Yu sighed amazedly.
"Avatar Aang, it's an honor to have you visit us," Mrs. Beifong said.
"In your opinion, how much longer do you think the war will last?" Mr. Beifong asked, turning to Aang.
"I'd like to defeat the Fire Lord by the end of summer, but I can't do that without finding an earthbending teacher first," He put his arms on the table, leaning his head closer to Toph with a sly look on his face.
"Well, Master Yu is the finest teacher in the land," Mr. Beifong stated, "He's been teaching Toph since she was little,"
"Then she must a be a great earthbender," Aang said, "Probably even good enough to teach someone else-"
"Ow!"
Suddenly, he jumped up from his seat, giving Toph an annoyed look once he came back down. She quietly took a small bite of her food, not seeming like someone who could inflict any harm.
"Toph is still learning the basics," Master Yu explained.
I raised an eyebrow in confusion. If Toph was still learning the basics, then what was a fully trained earthbender like?
"Yes, and sadly, because of her blindness, I don't think she will ever become a true master," Mr Beifong added, disappointment heavy in his tone.
Man, this guy really needed to see his daughter fight. I may not be an earthbender, but her fighting definitely looked like that of someone who had mastered their element. Aang, Katara, Sokka and I all shared a confused glance before Aang spoke again.
"Oh, I'm sure she's better than you think she is," He said.
Suddenly, he face planted into his soup, causing everyone to stare at him in confusion. He lifted his head, annoyance heavy in his expression as he lifted the soup bowl from his face to the top of his head. Toph once again took a small bite of food, looking unsuspecting as ever. Aang smacked his face and dragged his hands along it, wiping some soup from around his eyes. Then, a mischievous smirk came to his face. He sneezed, blowing all of the food toward Toph, Mrs. Beifong, and Master Yu's faces. My eyes went wide at the sight. Soup was everywhere. On the walls, on everyone's clothes. Spirits, there was even some on the ceiling!
"What's your problem?!" Toph snapped, banging her hands on the table and leaning closer to Aang, frustration heavy in her tone.
"What's your problem?!" Aang snapped back, leaning his head closer to her as well.
The two were staring each other down, Aang more so than Toph, annoyance and frustration evident on their expressions. Everyone else went silent, the room becoming so quiet the silence was almost tangible as we all stared at the pair.
"Well, shall me move to the living room for dessert, then?" Mrs. Beifong asked sweetly as she wiped herself off, breaking the awkward silence.
After dessert, we headed to our room. It was the nicest place we had stayed in since General Fung's base, with large beds and grand lights. Appa, being too large to go inside, had to stay outside. Aang pet him through the window, speaking to him softly.
"Good night, buddy,"
Just then, Toph walked into the room, startling Aang. He jumped in fear, landing in a defensive position.
"Relax," She said, "Look, I'm sorry about dinner,"
"Let's call it a truce, okay?"
Aang dropped his defensive stance and nodded.
"Come for a walk with me," Toph said, walking out of the room and beckoning for him to follow.
Aang walked out of the room, leaving me with Katara and Sokka.
It had been a while since Aang and Toph had gone on their walk. Neither of them had returned yet, and I was beginning to get worried. I sat up from my bed, turning to Katara and Sokka, who were on theirs.
"It's almost been an hour, Aang and Toph still aren't back," I stated, catching both of their attentions.
"We should look for them," Sokka said.
Katara nodded in agreement. Just then, Mr. And Mrs. Beifong walked in, worried looks on their faces.
"Have you kids seen Toph and the avatar?" Mr. Beifong asked, worry as heavy in his tone as in his expression.
"No," I responded, "They left on a walk an hour ago, and haven't come back since,"
"We were just about to go looking for them," Katara added.
"Well, where do you think we should look first?" Mrs. Beifong asked.
Sokka, going into detective mode, tapped on his chin, thinking about where to look to find clues.
"We should check the courtyard," He stated.
Mr. Beifong nodded, and we traveled outside alongside Toph's parents and Master Yu.
When we made our way to the courtyard, I was taken aback by the sight. There were two holes in the ground, surrounded by uprooted land. In one of the holes was a scroll attached to a sword. Sokka picked it up, holding it out for everyone else to see.
"Whoever took Aang and Toph left this," He stated.
I took the scroll off the sword, unfurling it and reading it out loud to everyone else.
"If you want you see your daughter again, bring five hundred gold pieces to the arena," I read, "It's signed Xin Fu and The Boulder,"
"I can't believe it," Sokka said, snatching the paper from me, "I have The Boulder's autograph!"
Katara and I gave him an annoyed look.
"Master Yu, I need you to help me get my daughter back," Mr Beifong stated, making us turn to him.
"We're going with you," Katara said.
"Poor Toph!" Mrs Beifong cried, "She must be so scared,"
When we got to the arena, I immediately saw Toph and my brother. They were in big metal boxes high above the ground, hung by chains.
"Here's your money," Sokka said, "Now let them go,"
Master Yu used earthbending to slide the bag of coins toward Xin Fu and The Boulder. Xin Fu picked up the bag and checked the contents, then ordering for Toph's cage to be lowered. When the cage was fully lowered, the bottom dropped and Toph was realeased, running over to her father. I noticed that they weren't letting Aang down, and an irate look came to my face.
"What about Aang?" I asked, anger harsh in my tone.
"I think the Fire Nation will pay a hefty price for the avatar," He said, unfurling a wanted poster of Aang, "Now get out of my ring,"
I had badly wished I would've brought my staff, but I left it in the room back at the Beifong estate. Suddenly, all of the fighters from Earth Rumble came out, including Fire Nation Man, who I was surprised was an earthbender. Katara, Sokka, and I gave each other worried glances. I wasn't sure if Sokka's boomerang could do much, and I already knew what would happen if Katara tried to use waterbending on them. I could use airbending against them, but I was no Aang, and these guys weren't just one person. The only thing we really could do was run, but that would mean leaving Aang to get captured.
"Go," He said, waving his hand, "I'll be okay,"
I wanted to protest, to tell him we weren't leaving without him, but there was a little voice in the back of my head telling me to just go, to trust him, and that things would work out in the end. I listened to the tiny voice, walking away cautiously with Sokka and Katara.
"Toph, there's too many of them, we need an earthbender," Katara said, "We need you,"
Toph, her father, and Master Yu had been walking away, their backs turned to us. But when Katara finished talking, they turned around, Mr. Beifong's expression twisting to that of anger and fear.
"My daughter is blind," He stated, "She is blind, and tiny, and helpless, and fragile,"
These were definitely all words that did not describe Toph. Sure, maybe blind and tiny, but helpless and fragile? No way.
"She cannot help you," Mr. Beifong finished.
Toph removed her grip from her father's hand.
"Yes, I can," She stated, fierce determination in her tone.
Just when the fighters were about to leave with Aang, Toph raised the earth in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. They all turned around, looking to see us behind them.
"Let him go," Toph said harshly, "I beat you all before and I'll do it again,"
"The Boulder takes issue with that comment," The Boulder replied.
The Hippo tossed Aang to the side, making my brother land with a thud. Just as we were about to run up to the fighters, Toph put her arms in front of us.
"Wait," She said, "They're mine,"
Our eyes widened in shock as we gave each other a glance. But, deciding to trust our new friend, we stood back. Toph powerfully shifted the ground below the fighters, flinging them all across the ring, dust emitting from the attack. My eyes and mouth widened in shock as my mind took in the sight. Toph walked into the dust to go fight the earthbenders, leaving us to free Aang. Sokka hit the lock of the metal cage with a rock, while Katara tried to lift it from the bottom. I was attempting to stomp it open, hoping that the power of my legs would be enough to set Aang free.
"Hit it harder!" He exclaimed, his tone a mix of panic and frustration.
"I'm trying!" Sokka replied.
Finally, we got the cage open, and Aang emerged, getting into a fighting position. Sokka shook his head and pointed to Toph, who was taking out everyone with ease. The Hippo thrashed around a big earth plate thing, The Boulder emerging from the dust behind him. The two were having a standoff with Toph, who had also emerged from the dust cloud. Another fighter swung down from the ceiling as The Boulder and The Hippo began to inch toward Toph, a rock in his hand. Toph began to rotate the ground they were standing on, causing the swinging dude to crash into the other fighters instead of her. Aang, Katara, Sokka and I's expressions were all that of shock, our eyes wide and our mouths wider. The fighters were in a pile, and Toph sent earth pillars at them, pushing them out of the ring. Then, in one swift motion, she cleared the dust, revealing Xin Fu. He got into fighting position, a determined look on his face. Toph smirked, spitting before taking her stance as well. They began to circle each other, neither knowing who would be first to attack. Xin Fu settled on being the first fighter. He sent many rocks up from the ground and at Toph. She made an earth dome around herself, blocking off every rock. She slid a half of her earth dome at Xin Fu, which he narrowly dodged. His fingers seeped into the ground, and he sent a rock flying straight for Toph's head. She narrowly dodged it, the rock mere inches from her face. She then dug her hand into the ground, sending Xin Fu flying with the earth around him into the other fighters. Aang, Katara, and I all had amazed smiles on our faces, while the shock in Sokka's expression was evident.
Later, when we had arrived back at the Beifong estate, Toph was speaking to her parents, her words shaky but full of pride.
"Dad, I know it's probably hard for you to see me this way, but the obedient little helpless blind girl that you think I am just isn't me," She said, "I love fighting, I love being an earthbender and I'm really, really good at it,"
"I know I've kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping me secret from the whole world," She continued, her voice becoming less shaky as courage filled her words, "You were doing it to protect me, but I'm twelve years old, and I've never had a real friend,"
Aang, Katara, Sokka, and I gave each other a glance, all feeling bad for Toph.
"So now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me,"
"Of course it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph," Mr Beifong said, "It's made me realize something,"
"It has?" Toph asked, excitement sprinkled in her tone.
"Yes,"Her father replied, "I've let you have far too much freedom,"
"From now on, you will be cared for and guarded 24 hours a day,"
I could barely contain my gasp. He wasn't being serious, was he? Sure, I had never had parents, but Gyatso and Penima were pretty close, and they never would take away my freedom. Either this guy was insane, or parenting styles had changed a lot more than I thought over the past 100 years. Honestly, I was leaning toward the latter.
"But, dad-" Toph began to protest.
"We are doing this for your own good, Toph," Mrs Beifong interrupted.
"Please escort the avatar and his friends out," Mr Beifong commanded, "They are no longer welcome here,"
A servant walked toward us, and we all got up, beginning to walk away.
"I'm sorry, Toph," Aang said, soft sullenness in his voice as he turned his head to look at her.
"I'm sorry, too," She replied, sadness evident in her tone, "Goodbye, Aang,"
We loaded our stuff onto Appa, sadness for Toph heavy in our hearts. Aang stood at the edge of a cliff, Katara walking up to him.
"Don't worry, we'll find you a teacher," She stated, her voice carrying reassurance, "There are plenty of amazing earthbenders out there,"
"Not like her," Aang responded glumly.
Sokka was happily shining his belt as Aang and Katara got onto Appa. Just as we were about to take off, I heard panting in the distance, causing me to turn my head. Toph appeared from the hill, a smile on her face.
"Toph, what are you doing here?" Aang asked in disbelief and surprise.
"My dad changed his mind," Toph explained, "He said I was free to travel the world,"
I doubted the truth of this statement, but didn't mind it.
"Well, we'd better get out of here before your dad changes his mind again," Sokka said.
"Good idea," Toph replied.
"You're gonna be a great teacher, Toph," Aang stated.
"Speaking of which, I want to show you something," She said.
"Okay," Aang replied, hopping down from Appa's head.
As soon as he landed, Toph lifted the ground below him, sending him flying into a nearby tree.
"Now we're even," She stated proudly.
"Um, I'll take the the belt back,"
Sokka reluctantly took off the belt and tossed it to her, causing it to hit her in the head.
"Sorry," Sokka said quickly.
Aang fell from his spot in the tree with a grunt, making both Aang and Toph on the ground.
"I guess you guys really are even now," I stated through a giggle.
Aang and Toph both got up and climbed onto Appa. We flew off, the excitement of a new addition to the team fresh in our minds.
