Pakku

Wagging between the houses, Michael quickly went to the central market. The nights in the North were getting much colder, and he urgently needed new underpants. This time he wasn't going to steal anything, because underwear stealing was not his profile. So Michael spent the next hour choosing the right clothes.

His brief depression about his clothes and appearance ended in him deciding to wear more bright colors. Never in his life had he wanted to become an edgelord, nor did he intend to become one in the future.

But his shopping spree somehow ended up being dragged by the young Avatar to meet the Master who would train Aang. Pakku.

"Master Pakku, meet your newest student, the Avatar." Arnook pointed towards Aang. Michael looked around in confusion, trying to figure out exactly how he ended up here.

"Just because you're destined to save the world, don't expect any special treatment." Pakku sneered, looking at the hundred and twelve year old Avatar like one would look at an unruly child, which - to be fair - Aang basically was.

"My friend and I can't wait to start training with you! After we relax for a couple of days." Aang smiled, barely standing on his feet. Two days of flying over the sea and the party immediately after that drained all the juices out of him and his friends. Only Michael felt fine, but it would be strange if he was tired after a week of rest.

"If you want to relax, then I suggest visiting a tropical island. If not, I'll see you both at sunrise. Good night." He snapped and turned on his heels. Pakku left the meeting place and Michael couldn't help but frown.

"And this man teaches your Waterbenders?" Even watching the show in his original world, Michael didn't like Pakku. He didn't like bitter old fucks - except for Igorevich - who took out their grievances on the younglings. But he especially disliked traditionalists.

Oh, he didn't see anything wrong with traditions, but Michael always chose progress first. The techniques that Pakku passed on to his students had been in use for over a hundred years, at least that's how Michael saw it. The show didn't have a big style change in The Legend of Aang, but already in The Legend of Korra, people started to evolve.

That's what Michael wanted for this world. To change it for the better.

Arnook shook his head and looked at Michael, understanding his displeasure. "Despite his strictness, Pakku is a good teacher. Many Waterbenders have grown up under his watch, even if there are few who we can compare them with."

Waterbenders mostly lived only at the North Pole, so new Masters were born and raised here. A dozen or so wandering Waterbenders were scattered around the world, but due to the war, few of them could have time to develop enough abilities to become a Master. Of course, there were also hidden Tribes with uniqe Bendings, but they were too reserved to share their experience, so no one knew if they had Masters at all.

"How many generations has he taught? Three, four?" Arnook winced. "Your Bending will die in stagnation if this continues." Michael muttered, Momo only patted him on his head to calm his friend down. Michael had too many problems with Pakku's teaching to not get angry, so he decided to sleep in and leave the problem in the hands of his future self.

Aang tilted his head, trying to understand what Michael was talking about. "Stagnation…?" He began to roll to the side, but sneezed and flew a couple of meters into the air. Aang landed on his feet and slammed his fist into his palm. "I got it!" Aang looked around to find someone to share his discovery with, but noticed that he was alone in the street. "Aww…" He pouted. "Well, I'll tell them later!"

He forgot what they were talking about in the next thirty seconds.

-=-=-=-=-=-

In the hotel with ice walls lay all the members of Gaang. Michael asked the manager to bring a couple more beds into his room so everyone could fit inside. Momo still hadn't let go of Michael's head and didn't look like he was going to let him go anytime soon.

"Man, how did you even live to the seventeen if this is happening to you all the time?" Sokka asked in shock when Michael finished telling the full story of his travels in the Spirit World. His story was too incredible to believe, but Aang heared worse.

Aang stared at the ceiling, trying to imagine how he would fight against the silver Spirit, Gotl, but his mind gave out blanks. He couldn't even imagine life without Bending, let alone trying to defeat a Spirit with such a disadvantage. Aang knew that his job as an Avatar was to maintain a balance, not only between people, but also between Spirits. He could not remain a pacifist mindset forever if he wanted to maintain peace.

Aang knew that every life was priceless, that no one had the right to just end it, that even he didn't have such a right, even despite his Avatar status. But he couldn't stop thinking about the countless lives cut short by the Fire Nation soldiers on Ozai's orders. The only way to stop the war was to stop the Fire Lord. But even without his lead, most of the soldiers wouldn't stop, so Aang nervously bit his lips and thought about the future.

Katara fiddled her fingers with a frown on her face. A couple of days before Michael was abducted, he became part of her family, and she let him disappear so easily. Her determination to become a Master Waterbender intensified, igniting a fire in her eyes. If she had been better, then Michael would not have had to go through such trials.

Intellectually, she understood that no one in this situation would have had time to help him. Only a few Spirits knew about the "cracks in reality", and despite Michael's failure, one of these Spirits wanted to kill him. 'Maybe there is some Bending art with which I can control the Spirits…? No, not control, confront them.' Katara had a lot to think about.

Sokka has already decided what he needs to do so that all his friends can survive this war. He should become much smarter than he is right now. Strategy, personnel management, politics, he needs to learn that and more. Sokka shuddered. He really didn't want to touch politics even with a fifteen-meter stick, but he was the son of the Leader of the Southern Tribe. Sooner or later he would have to pull himself together, so he decided that there was no better time than now… Or tomorrow, but only after lunch.

Completely unavere about his friends' changing minds, Michael made himself comfortable in his bed and cracked open a book. Tomorrow morning he was going to kick some ass, but now was the time to relax. The fact that the book he had at hand was nothing but pure smut was just a coincidence.

-=-=-=-=-=-

"I've waited for this day my whole life. I finally get to learn from a real Waterbending master!" Katara almost jumped for joy. Needless to say, for her, this chance to learn was an incredible opportunity.

Michael rolled his eyes, already wishing he never left his coat at the hotel. He pulled the gloves over his hands and clenched his fists a couple of times, testing their comfort. The thick white skin of the Bear Whale was brilliant, but expensive.

"Am I not a Master? Yes, I only gave you a couple of tips, but you were learning." He put his hand on his heart and wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. "I'm so sad - my first student doesn't even think I'm a good teacher."

Katara slapped him on the shoulder, giggling. Aang scratched his head as he searched for their new Master. Pakku stood with his back to them and concentrated on Bending a stream of water.

"Good morning, Master Pakku!" Aang said cheerfully and Michael grimaced. Aang's screaming in the morning was far from being the sound anyone wants to hear.

Water fell to the floor and Pakku rubbed the bridge of his nose. "No, please, march right in. I'm not concentrating or anything." He muttered sarcastically.

Michael tilted his head in confusion. 'This old fossil taught more than one teenager, is he still not used to sudden loud noises?'

Aang exchanged glances with Michael and both frowned. "Uhhh... This is my friend, Katara." He pointed to Katara, who bowed slightly to Pakku. "The one I told you about?"

Pakku looked at Katara and then at Michael. "I'm sorry, I think there's been a misunderstanding. You didn't tell me your friend was a girl - I thought that I would be teaching you, and the young man beside you. In our tribe, it is forbidden for women to learn Waterbending."

Michael closed his eyes and raised his head to the sky, foreshadowing the scream match that was about to take place. But to Michael's surprise, Katara at his side spoke in a calm and even voice.

"So just because I'm a woman, you won't train me to fight?" She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Pakku. "If the Avatar were a woman and came to learn from you, what would you say? 'Oh, excuse me Avatar, but because I'm a complete ass, you'll have to look for another teacher.'"

Pakku glared right back. "Here, the women learn from Yagoda to use their waterbending to heal. I'm sure she would be happy to take you as her student, despite your bad attitude."

Between the two Waterbenders, the air seemed to be electrified, students and ordinary passers-by looked at their conversation from the sides.

"You didn't answer my question. Good to know that the first real Master is a sexist bitch." Katara shot back, causing Michael to choke on the air. Aang looked at the angry Katara with huge eyes, he had never seen anything so beautiful before.

"It's not about whether I'm a... 'bitch' or not. Our tribe has customs, rules, traditions-"

"Stagnation." Aang spoke for the first time, interrupting Pakka. The Master Waterbender turned to the Avatar and raised an eyebrow questioningly. "How many years have you been teaching only men? How many clear minds have you beaten into obedience with your traditions?" His questions were met with silence, so Aang continued to speak.

"I've never been to the North before, although I had friends all over the world. And from what I've heard, the North hasn't changed at all in a hundred years of war." Michael opened his eyes in surprise and looked at Aang. "Now I get it, you just refuse to change." Aang stopped smiling a long time ago, and began to look like the Avatar one hundred percent.

"Traditions are in place for a reason, Avatar. I thought that you should know it. Air Nomads were evident about keeping traditions, after all."

"The Air Nomads followed tradition in lifestyle, not in the art of Bending. Just to become a master, one had to invent a new technique. We didn't restrict people from learning." Aang put his hand on Michael's shoulder, but was too low so he stopped to tap on his ribs. "There is a man in front of you who knows nothing about the traditions and rules in Bending, he never had a teacher, so he taught himself. And I would confidently call him a Master, but unfortunately I cannot make decisions without the participation of the Elders."

Pakku looked like he had eaten a dozen lemons. "Does this monologue lead somewhere, Avatar?"

Aang smiled, but there was no hint of friendliness behind that smile. "How about a spar between a Master and a Candidate Master? I'm sure after that you will be able to see that tradition is far from being the most important thing in the art of Bending."

Michael slowly turned his head to look at Aang, finally realizing what the kid was trying to do.

'Holy shit, that's just evil. I like it!'