When Azulon called for the match to begin, Azula was the first to lunge at Shisui to kick him. She knew her disadvantage was her size, so she would use what a Firebender did best: kicking!
Shisui defended himself with his hand, deflecting the force of Azula's blow to the side, then stepped forward and elbowed her in the forehead. Cold, direct, merciless, if the princess hadn't put her hands up to defend herself, she would already be on the ground from this attack.
"That boy has no respect for women," Iroh muttered, a little indignant at how ruthless Shisui proved to be.
"Azula is a fighter, no one will feel sorry for her gender when she fights, she understands that and that's why she doesn't complain, look how she smiles," Ozai replied, defending his daughter, which made him proud.
Just seeing how Azula seemed to enjoy taking on others from a young age let the reigning Fire Lord know that his daughter would not be a trophy for whoever managed to marry her.
Azula would be a strong woman! She just needed to be more careful. While Ozai did not consider the sadism his daughter hid in her bones to be a particularly bad trait, he did acknowledge his father's advice regarding her mental health.
His ideas on how to raise his daughter had changed drastically some time ago, but now he seemed to have to put more emphasis on Azula's mental cultivation. While he was proud that she enjoyed fighting, he didn't want her to become a fighting fanatic.
No, Azula would become something greater than that, and perhaps for the first time, Ozai had no dark thoughts about his children, only high expectations, at least for Azula. Zuko... well, a good fighter might be the best thing for him.
"How mean you are, Shisui, that punch was dangerous," Azula complained with a small smile, trying to take advantage of the tenderness her age brought her, though she secretly shook her hand, defending herself because it had gone a little numb.
"That was the idea, shall I treat you gently, Princess?" emphasizing the title in his question, Shisui managed to get Azula to jump on him again.
The two were 'gentle' at first, so to speak, exchanging simple punches and kicks, there was no need to move on to something more complicated, not yet. Azula realized that the size disadvantage would quickly become a problem, so she tried to stay in constant motion, not wanting to be caught in Shisui's attack range.
The boy, on the other hand, focused on finishing the fight quickly, at least in the beginning. Realizing that Azula was as slippery as a rabbit, he decided to increase the pressure by using more complicated moves.
Soon, Shisui was incorporating moves usually used by Waterbenders. He had done it subtly before, but now his style became strangely airtight, all the blows Azula threw at him were not defended, but redirected to the side, even causing the girl to fall to the ground for not restraining herself in time.
'I never thought that watching those old men doing Tai Chi in the park would be so good,' Shisui thought, his style becoming much more defensive, much to Azula's annoyance.
"Aren't you a man!!!? Hit me!" Azula childishly tried to provoke Shisui, who only stuck out his tongue in response.
"Grandpa, why does Shisui seem to be fighting with that dance he does when he controls the water?" asked Zuko curiously, not quite understanding why Shisui wasn't going for direct hits.
"Notice Azula's attacks, they don't hit even though it looks like they do, each time she loses her rhythm and her breathing becomes agitated. Shisui is draining her stamina, keep that in mind.
Never let a Waterbender use their body, they can be especially annoying, especially if they have spears," Azulon advised, watching the battle between the two brats with a bit of awe.
He had not expected Shisui to have such an understanding. Each nation had its style of close combat, inspired by the way they controlled the elements, each excelling in certain aspects.
The fastest were the Airbenders, who were elusive, constantly in motion, and with strange movements. Unless you have prior experience, it is difficult to hit a good Airbender, especially when they use their gliders.
The Earthbenders' fighting style was more power-based, with grabs, punches, throws, or takedowns. They were generally the most physically powerful, and their blows were the heaviest, especially since they often used war hammers.
A Firebender was particularly balanced, but was also the most aggressive; many of their attacks were "combos," and they could even lift an opponent to prevent them from finding a way to use their strength. Swords were easy for them to occupy, especially because of the rhythm and momentum of their attacks.
Waterbenders were slow, draining their enemies' power by deflecting or dissipating incoming attacks, and could even "bounce" the enemy's power against themselves. Their spears were used more to extend their range, but also to push the enemy away.
Each aspect was emphasized in his way of controlling the elements, but Shisui had absorbed two styles of action, and though rudimentary, this fight allowed him to hone his way as a fighter a bit more.
He then showed Azula her mistakes, changing his fighting style to the one he had understood and practiced by watching various Firebenders. His fists connected with Azula's arms, pushing her farther and farther back.
His attack was continuous, and every time Azula tried to defend herself or turn the tables, he would redirect his power to take over her legs and resume his barrage of fists.
At one point, he broke through Azula's defense and punched her directly in the stomach, knocking the air out of his opponent, then turned his body to slam his leg into the girl's temple, knocking her to the ground.
"Do you wish to continue?" asked Shisui, watching as Azula tried to get up.
She nodded, then stood with her hand on her stomach; her breathing was labored and she was a little dizzy, but she focused on Shisui. Azula noticed that her partner didn't seem to be using his legs much and seemed to have a slower speed than her own.
She decided to concentrate on speed, but her intention was obvious, her attacks were easily intercepted. Azula became more and more annoyed, Shisui managed to trick her, he wasn't slow at all!
Instead of attacking with his fists, Shisui began to move more and more, hitting with more kicks and even making some complicated moves, feints with his hands, or changes of direction with his legs when striking, constantly catching Azula off guard.
Sure, both Azulon and his two sons noticed that Shisui seemed to be experimenting, his transitions were stiff and his movements were predictable for someone with experience, but in a fight between children, it was downright crushing.
But slowly, the two children began to fight on another battlefield, the mind. Azula had a worried expression on her face, but her golden eyes were constantly evaluating Shisui's actions, noticing something she hadn't before.
Every time Shisui changed his style, there was a considerable pause and his movements were particularly slow. It could be a false signal, but as she watched this situation slowly fade away as the fight progressed, an idea flashed through the girl's mind.
If you can improve, so can I. Azula's competitiveness was equal to her high talent, she took note of her mistakes and absorbed from her past experiences, falling less into Shisui's games.
Although her stamina was dwindling and she had beads of sweat on her forehead, Azula managed to take advantage of one particular opportunity. When Shisui kicked hard at her left leg, she allowed the blow to 'flow', similar to what Shisui always did to her.
Taking him by surprise, Azula made a move no one expected, bending straight down and grabbing Shisui's leg, only to pull back, stretching the boy's limb as he looked at her with some embarrassment.
"Lero lero," the girl joked before pulling back, causing Shisui to split on the ground without wanting to.
Azula took advantage of this change in position and lunged at him, using her knee as a powerful battering ram to hit Shisui's X-arms, but his poor posture caused him to lack support and his body was pushed backward.
Soon, Azula was on top of Shisui's body, trying to get her two knees around her opponent's head, but he used his hands to get in the way. Shisui rearranged his legs and tried to get up, but Azula pulled back and used her elbow to hit him in the stomach.
"Azula is capable," Iroh said, not expecting the princess to start a much more physical exchange.
"Of course, she's my daughter," Ozai replied with a rather proud tone.
"You're too heavy," Shisui told Azula, he didn't know why, but he couldn't get the girl off his back, and she was hitting her ribs and stomach too hard, making him lose strength.
"You're a softy, I'm not heavy," Azula smacked Shisui's head, annoyed by the misplaced comment.
"Really? I don't think so, it's because instead of controlling the fire, you control the food, that's why you eat so much," Shisui started to annoy Azula, seeing the girl getting red and distracted, and hitting his head all the time.
"I got tired," Shisui said suddenly, before shaking his body roughly and shaking his legs to support himself before standing up.
Azula's legs were on his shoulder, trying to cling to his neck. The girl even started to pull at his long hair, but Shisui resisted the discomfort and let himself fall forward.
Azula's back hit the grass, and though the height was not great, it was unbearable even for the childlike body of a firebender, so she let go of Shisui, who quickly pulled away from her.
They both began to gasp for breath, but Shisui was the first to regain his strength, he needed it for what he was about to do. His 'Golden Finger' or the gift he received in his past life, he was going to see Azula's aura to end this fight!
Activating this vision had always cost him stamina in his past life, and it would cost him stamina here as well, in addition to consuming his Chi, which was scarce due to his current age. But it didn't matter now, he couldn't be defeated by a girl two years younger than him.
Shisui took a deep breath and the three adults noticed the change in him. It was more a difference in his temperament, if before Shisui was a somewhat precocious child pretending to be serious, now he looked like a snake watching the prey he would squeeze to death or sink his teeth into.
"Is that your secret?" muttered Azulon when he noticed Shisui's current state.
He didn't know what this strange impulse was, but he had noticed it a few times in the past, especially when Shisui watched the castle guards training or when he was in important meetings.
Only the three adults, who had paid a lot of attention to Shisui in the past year, noticed this characteristic. Well, not only them, Zuko shivered at the sight of his friend like that and Azula got a bigger and bigger smile on her face.
"Are you possessed, Shisui?" Azula asked to break her opponent's concentration, but Shisui just stared at her, even his head tilted subtly.
The world before Shisui's senses had changed, there were no more colors, no more shapes, only colors, colors that constantly warped in appearance, changed in hue, combined with other colors, or faded.
He saw the colors that were Azula, a faint olive green explaining her lack of resistance, a ruby red explaining her excitement, and a dull yellow explaining her fear. These colors blended into each other, constantly changing places, but always fixing on where Azula should be.
Fighting in this state took a lot out of him mentally, but it allowed him to see subtleties that his normal vision could not. Under his efforts, Azula's aura slowly transformed into the colorful figure of the girl, running towards him with a much richer ruby color than before, especially covering the previous yellow.
"I just... see you," Shisui replied, breaking his neutral expression and turning it into a smile.
A step back, he dodged the hook to the ribs, a subtle move to the right, the slap to the face, a bend in his knees, Azula's high kick, and with a much more fluid movement than his normal state, Shisui hit the poorly defended area of Azula's abdomen.
"You see too much," Azula said, quite annoyed by this blow, which was very different from the previous ones.
Although Shisui had hit her much earlier, she hadn't felt as helpless as before, it was as if he had hit a weak spot. Shisui only hit where he saw two or more merged auras, it was a bit tedious, but he could further increase the damage caused by his hits.
In addition, he was able to control his chi better in this state. Azulon, Iroh, and Ozai opened their eyes when they saw the specks of white light on Shisui's hands and recognized them as a manifestation of his inner energy.
"I told you that boy was a monster," Ozai said to his brother after he had recovered from his astonishment.
"I guess with this child's worldview, he must have some chi research of his own," Iroh replied to Ozai with a hint of respect in his voice.
Every living being has chi, it is normal and natural. It is the fuel of life and the manipulation of the elements by masters, but it is also a weapon for fighters.
There are many classics about chi in the castle and the royal library, but usually, there was a lot of esotericism behind them, what if yin and yang, what if heaven, what if earth? Reading so many things made people dizzy, and people only learned the basics of chi.
Enhancing the body's potential and increasing the production of the elements, other than that, no one but a few scholars, sages, or alchemists explored its applications. Iroh stopped stroking his beard and looked at his brother.
"Didn't he force those alchemists to give up their knowledge, maybe he came up with something. After all, it was only after he got those scrolls that he started working with herbs. And you know the feud between those fools and Shisui," Iroh theorized, making Ozai think.
Those alchemists had refused to hand over their knowledge and heritage, mainly because they believed that the Fire Nation was 'destroying the treasure land with modernization'.
While the issue of pollution was taken into consideration, it was no excuse for treating the cause of the land in such a manner. Shisui went on a rampage against them, so he managed to convince the others to just take their stuff, after all, the alchemists were just apothecaries and potions with extra steps.
But the interesting thing is what Shisui did. Anyone with training could emit a little bit of their energy to the outside, but usually, they didn't do it because it would evaporate quickly and cause an unjustified loss of chi.
But the small lights around Shisui's hands were well controlled, it seemed simple, but as he fought, the boy's blows suddenly increased in power when one of those lights was consumed.
Azula was full of bruises and the occasional scratch, it was obvious that something like this would happen during the fight, but even in her current state, she refused to give up. She couldn't just fall like that.
Shisui was tired, his head aching from using his gift and wasting his energy on a rudimentary and imperfect technique, a bad combination when one already had low stamina.
But Azula was too stubborn! She didn't want to stay on the ground, constantly getting up and coming at him with new tricks or tactics, even resorting to throwing rocks, dirt, or bites at him.
Azula left a bite on his hand that drew blood! This had upset Shisui, he didn't want to have a girl's saliva on his hand, he was at the age where girls had 'lice' and he didn't want to touch them.
Azula even used her disgust to throw spit at him as a fighting technique, which made Shisui very uncomfortable, he had had enough of the fight, he was hungry and wanted to make himself a nice fish soup.
Then he thought of a somewhat unpleasant plan, but one that would work. When Azula ran towards him again and tried to kick him, Shisui closed the distance and hugged the girl completely.
"What are you doing, let go of me!" Azula felt Shisui's arms tighten and started stomping hard on the boy's feet and shaking her head to punch him in the nose.
"Only if you surrender," Shisui replied, trying to restrain Azula with a big platypus bear hug.
"No!" Azula refused.
"You asked for it," Shisui resigned, quickly pulling Azula away from his grip and moving extremely close to her face, planting a kiss on her lips.
The girl panicked, her face turning red, and she even brought her small hand to her face, but Shisui hugged her from behind in a standard grip, then pulled his body back, causing Azula's head to hit the grass and eventually pass out.
"Boy, I know you can do anything to win....but why the hell did you kiss my daughter?" the atmosphere became hot as Azulon angrily approached Shisui.
The hot atmosphere wasn't an excuse, the old man had a fireball in his hand and threw it at Shisui. Of course, this attack was more of a show than anything else, he even moved very slowly.
But Shisui reacted instinctively, turning the water from the nearby pond into steam that covered the fireball until it was extinguished. Then the boy realized that he was surrounded not only by the old man but by all the men of the royal family, except for Lu Ten, who was absent.
"There's no other way, Shisui, you'll have to marry Azula," Azulon's angry face suddenly turned into one of happiness, and he even stroked his white beard.
"What!!!?" shouted Ozai, Zuko, Iroh, and Shisui, the latter didn't expect this and even came out of the state his present was in.
He only kissed a girl to win, not to marry her!
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AN: And now, Mc is a married potato, your welcome... xD