Chapter 32: It Begins

XXX

After the whole incident with the dark spirit and a bad theater it was a good day to take some time off - relaxing at the beach, enjoying some sun and water.

"I feel so out of place here," said Azula, coming down to the beach, a towel around her.

"Sun, sunshine and warmth, I thought you firebenders liked that?" asked Toph, making a miniture city out of sand.

"Nice Ba Sing Se image," said Zhan, eyeing the detail.

"I try," replied Toph.

"C'mon Azula! The water is fine," said Zhan, jumping into the water and making a big splash. "Come on!"

"Fine," replied Azula, removing her towel and revealing a matching pair of red linen undergarments.

"Looking good," said Zhan, adding a whistling to it.

"Meh. You've saw me in this last time," replied Azula.

"Can't I admire a girl's look?" he asked teasingly.

"You may," replied Azula.

"Then get inside!" said Zhan, grabbing Azula by her waist and throwing her into the water. "There you go! Ahahaha!"

"You'll pay for that," replied Azula, removing the wet hair from her eyes. Plucking a turtle-crab from the ocean and throwing it at him - which landed on his face and pinched his nose with its claws.

"Ayeee!" yelled Zhan, running around with the crab stuck to its nose. "Get off! Get off! Get off!"

"Now that's funny!" said Azula, laughing like crazy.

"Ow!" yelled Zhan, throwing the turtle-crab away and over Ty Lee' head.

"Woah!" yeeped Ty Lee, as the crab flew over her head. "Looks like you two are having fun."

Zhan took a look at Ty Lee, then at Azula and grinned. Grabbing Ty Lee and throwing her at Azula. "Catch!"

"What th-OWH!" said Azula, before Ty Lee crashed into her.

"Eat that ladies!" replied Zhan.

"Okay then. Ty Lee, attack!" yelled Azula, as she and Ty Lee charged Zhan and tackled him down.

"Well they're having fun," said Katara, as Zhan was currently wrestling with Azula on his back and Ty Lee after him.

"You aren't interested?" asked Zuko from Mai, who was lying under an umbrella.

"Messing with those three?" asked Mai, eyeing the situation - Ty Lee was back in the water and Azula still on Zhan' back, covering his eyes. "No thank you."

"Atleast she is calm," said Suki, sun-bathing. "I'd be freaked out for days, after a spirit came after me."

"Speaking of which, should we be worried about another spirit?" asked Aang.

"Unlikely," said Mai, getting a few looks. "Normally those 'spiritual warriors' are costly and hard to summon, let alone do your bidding."

"And you know this why?" asked Sokka.

"My mom had read to me, when I was younger," said Mai. "A child's story: bad guy summon's one, too costly and bad guy lose."

"What's the cost of summoning one?" asked Aang, to which Mai just shrugged.

"Since they are spirits - I'd say they fear the Avatar, since your more powerful than them," added Mai.

"True. So I should stick close," replied Aang.

"You sure its a good idea, in retrospect, to have this beach-rest, while Sozin' comet is only days away?" asked Zuko.

"Well...actually..." said Aang sheepishly. "We thought of facing the Firelord after Sozin' Comet."

"WHAT?!" yelled Azula, as she and Zhan fell onto the ground, from the sudden news. "Are you serious?!"

"We are," said Katara. "Aang isn't ready yet, to face the Firelord. His firebending still needs some work."

"Your earthbending could use a little work too," added Toph.

"You all knew this?" asked Zhan, to which Aang' group nodded.

"I didn't," said Zuko.

"Me neither!" added Ty Lee.

"Or me," added Mai as well.

"Oh dear..." sighed Azula deeply. "This isn't good."

"Is something wrong?" asked Katara.

"Yeah...something is..." said Azula. "...gather around, this isn't a pleasant story..."

XXX

After a half an hour of listening to Azula's story - regarding Ozai, Sozin' Comet and his destructive and horrifying plan to execute the burning of the entire Earth Kingdom via airships, powered by Sozin' Comet; made all the more bitter by Azula, who came up with the idea...

"...and later that night, I received a message from my uncle. Saying I need to learn about my secret heritage," spoke Azula. "Turns out I am a descendant from Firelord Sozin and Avatar Roku..."

"Wow..." said Toph, breaking the silence after the long speech. "You, Zuko and Aang could be related somewhat."

"Oh, this is bad! Really, really bad!" said Aang. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

"I thought we'd handle Ozai, before this," said Azula. "I'm sorry..."

"Its okay Azula," said Katara, comfortingly. "It isn't your fault."

"Not to worsen anybodies mood, but I got something bad as well to add," spoke up Zhan. "Regarding Sozin' Comet."

"Oh no. What could be worse?" asked Suki.

"When Azula, Ty Lee, Mai and me returned from our first Ember Island trip. I got summoned by the Fire Lord, for a private questioning."

"About what?" asked Azula.

"The flying machines," said Zhan. "He had asked me only three questions: could they handle the cold, could they reach the Northern and Southern watertribes and...could they handle the firepower of Sozin' Comet - after a long thinking...and calculations, regretfully - yes."

"My word..." said Azula, shocked stiff at the realization of her father, burning the whole world into a pile of ash. "This is a nightmare..."

"Then we stand together against it!" replied Katara. "Aang, you don't have to do this alone."

"Yeah, if we all fight the Fire Lord together, we got a shot at taking him down," added Toph cheerfully.

"All right! Team Avatar is back!" cheered Sokka. "Air. Water. Earth. Fire. Blue Fire. Metal. Knife and Fight. Fan and Sword!"

"Fighting the Fire Lord is going to be the hardest thing we've ever done together, but I wouldn't want to do it any other way," spoke Aang, to which everyone laughed heartily and joined for a group hug.

"Yeah."

"All right."

Get over here, your four," said Katara - meaning Azula, Mai Lee, Ty Lee and Zhan. "Being part of the group also means being part of group hugs."

"Seriously?" asked Azula suprised. She wasn't expecting this sort of acceptance, but warmly joined with Ty Lee.

"You too!" said Zhan, pulling Mai along with her.

"Fine..." replied Mai, not much used to hugs or group hugs. Or getting smushed by a flying bison.

XXX

"There's one technique you need to know before facing my father - how to redirect lightning," spoke Zuko, after the group discussion at the beach, from now on it was full-speed forward. "If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it. You turn your opponents' energy against them."

"That's like waterbending," said Aang, seeing Zuko show the technique to redirecting lightning and copying it.

"Exactly. My uncle invented this technique himself by studying waterbenders," replied Zuko.

"So, have you ever redirected lightning before?" asked Aang.

"No. Never," replied Zuko.

"I can give you an explanation," said Azula. "Its a powerful force, unseeable, yet very powerful..."

Azula then got into position to show the lightning technique.

"You clear your mind, calm your emotions and feel energy separate..." she said, splitting the energies and combining back into energy - blasting a lightning bolt into the ocean. "...and release. You can't express any feeling or the technique could back-fire on you. But I'll say its a very powerful experience, when you combine the positive and negative energies."

"Wow..." said Aang.

"We got also two things to show you," added Zhan, joining Azula. "Concentrating fire..."

"Observe..." said Azula, as bend her signature blue fire, then shrinking it down yet it glowed brighter. Then she released it down into the water, the small sparkling making a huge explosion. "You gather as much energy as you can into your fire, while willfully keeping it small. Its a high-level firebender technique, but easy to teach."

"Okay, and the second one?" asked Zuko.

"This is...a little more intimate," said Azula, as she and Zhan got into position. As they moved and breathed in rhythm, Zuko could see the closeness and trust between the two - as their hands and bodies moved as one, their heartbeats could even beat in a single rhythm.

Then they spread their fingers and bended a white fireball - twirling between their hands, separating it into two smaller fireballs and presenting Aang with one.

"I shouldn't..." said Aang, but tried to take it and unfortunately it vanished. "I can't..."

"Maybe I can help Aang," replied Katara, having seen the events unfold. "Give me your hands."

"Umm...alright..." said Aang, as he and Katara held hands. "Okay..."

"Here..." said Azula, as she presented the small white fireball, between their hands...and it kept burning.

"Wow..." said Katara, admiring the little spark of fire, before it poofed out. "That was amazing."

"Guess you two are blessed with white fire Avatar," said Zhan.

"What is it?" asked Katara.

"Noone knows," said Azula. "But if I had to guess, its the pure union of two. Me and Zhan had to be very physical. Yet you two could keep it without that, I'd say your union is very spiritual."

"Thanks..." said Aang, a little red along with Katara. "For the training I mean..."

"Sure," replied Azula. "But my brother deserves the credit. He by far, thought you everything."

"Not everything," said Zuko.

XXX

"Gather round, Team Avatar," spoke Sokka, as he gathered everyone for a mock-fight against a melon-mannequin. "In order to take out the Fire Lord - or in this case, the Melon Lord - our timing has to be perfect."

He then started to draw a plan into the ground using a stick.

"First, Suki and I will draw his fire. Then, Katara and Zuko charge in with some liquidy hot offense, Ty Lee and Mai rush in with precisiony strikes, Azula and Zhan cover our assault and while the Melon Lord is distracted, Aang swoops in...and bam! He delivers the final blow."

"Uh...what about me?" asked Toph

"For now, you're the Melon Lord's forces," replied Sokka.

"So I get to chuck flaming rocks at all of you?"

"Whatever makes the training feel more realistic."

"Sweetness," said Toph excitingly.

Later that day, everyone gathered around and everything was set in place - to kill the Melon Lord.

"Mwah-ha-ha-ha!"

"Did I really sound like that?" asked Azula, hearings Toph's evil laugh.

"Not really," replied Zhan, as the attack commenced.

Sokka and Suki ran forward first, toward the Melon Lord getting pelted by flaming boulders and stone soldiers on the route. Until a larger boulder almost impacted the two, until it broke apart mid-air - thanks to a lightning bolt via Azula.

"Watch it, Toph!" said Sokka, as the dust cleared.

"I am not Toph. I am Melon Lord! Mwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" laughed Toph, sending more boulders at Azula, Zuko, Mai and the rest.

Katara and Zuko following up next, becoming surrounded by a circle of stone Fire Nation soldiers, which they quickly eliminate.

Mai and Ty Lee, dealing with flying boulders which they dodge and jump over, dealing with any single stone soldiers in their way. While Azula dealt with any larger boulders from afar, Zhan dealing with any boulders headed their way.

"Now, Aang!" yelled Sokka, satisfied at the level of distraction they've caused. Aang following shortly from up-high, ready to strike the Melon Lord, yet hesitating at the last second and stopping.

"What are you waiting for? Take him out!" yelled Zuko.

"Come on!" added Azula.

"I can't."

"What's wrong with you? If this was the real deal, you'd be shot full of lightning right now," said Sokka, walking up displeased.

"I'm sorry, but it just didn't feel right. I didn't feel like myself," said Aang resigned. Sokka dealing with it instead, by cutting the melon off with his sword.

"This...could be a problem," said Zhan, eyeing the incident.

"I hope not," replied Azula.

XXX