Battle on Kyoshi Island Part 1

Pov Zuko:

My ship and I docked at the Southern Headquarters, the only place where I could repair my ship without risking violating Fire Nation waters.

After a week of sailing, we arrived safely at the port commanded by Admiral Zhao.

- I want these repairs done as soon as possible! - I ordered my soldiers, and they agreed.

- You should be less hard on them, they're as tired as we are. - commented Iroh, rubbing his back.

- I can't let him out of my sight, we still don't know for sure if he left the south with that flying bison.

- It would be impossible for the Avatar to have left the south so quickly.

- Don't mention his name on this island. - I whispered, almost spitting fire at my uncle's innocence. - If word gets out that he's back, all the firebenders will go after him, and I don't want anyone getting in my way.

- What could get in your way, Prince Zuko? - said Zhao with some bandages on his body.

- Admiral Zhao.

- It's been a long time, General Iroh. - Zhao paid his respects to the war veteran, ignoring Zuko. - A great hero of our nation.

- Retired general, Admiral. - said Iroh, putting a hand on Zuko's shoulder to stop him from doing something stupid.

- The Fire Lord's brother and second son are welcome on this island.

I clenched my fists in anger, it was annoying to have to deal with this kind of comment, especially coming from someone like Zhao, even though he wasn't even a General, he had enough reputation to be practically untouchable in the South. 

- It seems to me that your ship is badly damaged. - Zhao observed, noting that the ship had not been damaged by natural causes.

- Yeah, you wouldn't believe what happened, would you, Uncle?

Iroh lost his composure for a moment when he realized he had to back up his nephew's lie.

- Yes, yes... it was unbelievable how we crashed an Earth Kingdom ship! - Iroh looked nervous because he was terrible at lying to people. - Right, Zuko?

- Yes, Uncle Iroh, it was incredible that we crashed into a ship from the Earth Kingdom. - I'm ashamed of my uncle's terrible lie.

- Ohh... I'd like to hear the details, can you join me for tea? - asked Zhao, wanting to know exactly how Prince Zuko caused an accident on his own ship.

- No, my uncle and I are very busy...

- I'd love to, come on Zuko, it would be rude to refuse such a request. - interrupted Iroh, who wanted to drink some tea because his stock had run out.

- So come on, follow me. - Zhao turned his back on them and led the way along the large pier.

I followed Zhao reluctantly, it was amazing how annoying this man could be, even more so than Azula and Kai. As we walked, I noticed that part of the pier had been destroyed, as if there had been a great battle.

Iroh quickly noticed the signs of battle, but found it strange that the destruction was all concentrated in one place, as if the flames were well controlled, avoiding collateral damage.

- Forgive my curiosity, Admiral. - Iron looked embarrassed and gave a childish smile. - What happened here? They look like signs of a major battle.

- *sigh* It happened. - Zhao sobbed, his veins popping out of his forehead.

- This? - I asked my uncle.

- This! - Zhao pointed to a bar full of soldiers shouting and laughing.

Zuko and Iroh got close enough to see several soldiers turning a wooden table, all of them seemingly excited, with genuine smiles of happiness or perverted looks, but none of this seemed to bother the woman, over two meters tall, standing on the table, holding a glass of alcohol in each hand.

- HAHAHAHA! It was unbelievable, he thought he was the most powerful water bender in the north and presented himself as the reincarnation of the Spirit of the Sea. - Aki sneered, completely drunk. - I simply drowned him in less than 30 seconds! It's funny how the great waterbenders can't breathe underwater, it's ironic.

- HAHAHAHA! - The soldiers laughed, some even vomited on the floor from laughing so hard at the albino woman's stories.

No way, that's impossible! For a moment, I had a feeling of déjà vu and believed that Kai was here in the south, but when I heard a female voice, I immediately recaptured myself and realized that the giant woman was practically identical to Kai's physical features.

- Is that Kai? - Iroh asked in astonishment.

- If Kai had huge breasts and a huge ass, this would be him. - I commented, not realizing how vulgar I had just been. - Who is this woman?

- She didn't say much, but it's quite possible that she's a relative of General Kai. - Zhao spoke reluctantly, still not getting over the beating he had taken.

I was perplexed, as far as I knew, Kai's only relative was his mother, maybe it was just a coincidence, but the similarities were too great.

With the fun practically taking over the bar, Aki's keen sense of smell reacted to a specific scent, causing the alcohol in his body to quickly dilute in a matter of seconds.

Aki's scarlet eyes focused directly on Zuko, his pupils narrowed and his cheerful expression turned hostile. Without anyone having time to react, Aki suddenly closed the distance and grabbed Zuko's neck like a hand.

- Aahh... What... Let me go... - Without any explanation, I realized that I was being hanged by the albino woman. I tried to free myself, but the woman was too strong, like a wild animal.

- Zuko! - Iroh tried to grab the albino woman's arm, but quickly realized that her strength made no difference.

With my willpower, I tried to bend my fire to burn her, but I couldn't because I couldn't breathe, I could clearly feel my lungs begging for air.

- Let him go! - Iroh used his flames with less force so as not to hurt his nephew, but the flames didn't even seem to scratch the albino's skin. - It's not possible!

A hand gently grabbed Aki's shoulder, causing the tall woman to lower her head and look at Tizo with an annoyed expression on her face.

Aki was a person who didn't care what people thought of her, but she didn't like it when her friends or family got angry with her.

It had been a week since the chaos that Aki had caused with her arrival on the island, and she had ended up making friends with several people, especially Tizo, who took responsibility for the damage caused by the last battle on the island, but in fact the albino had an almost seductive charisma that made her get away with her mischief.

Albina let out a long sigh and lowered the prince to the ground, allowing Zuko to catch his breath. As the exiled prince tried to catch his breath, the dragon disguised as a human seemed to sniff Zuko from head to toe, examining him seriously.

- Why did you attack me? - I complained, but I felt a strong pressure on my body.

- You can't go around attacking people like that. - said Iroh indignantly.

- *Sniff, sniff* Hmmm... He eats meat... *sniff*... bathes regularly, twice a day to be exact... He's been masturbating for two months and he's been smelling of dragon flames for eight or nine years. - He tells Aki as if it were the most normal thing in the world. - You too, old man! - Aki pointed at Iroh with a suspicious look.

Tizo quickly tapped Aki on the shoulder, as if to scold her, or, to be more precise, as if an adult was trying to teach a child a lesson.

- Aki, you can't do that to everyone you know! - complained Tizo, as he was starting to get used to the albino's mannerisms.

I was embarrassed, I could feel my ears getting hot from the woman's vulgarity.

- How dare you say something like that to me! - I complained, embarrassed.

- Do you know anyone with hair and eyes like mine? - Aki ignored Zuko's question.

- What? - I asked. - Of course I do, but that's not the point!

- Dragon flames? - Iroh asked, drawing the attention of Zhao, who was watching everything in silence, as if he'd gotten used to Aki's behavior.

- That boy with the face like undercooked meat has a strange smell of flames that only my family can make. - Aki pointed at Zuko.

- Your family? - I asked with a bad feeling.

-*Sniff* It seems to me that you've been attacked by the flames of the Blue Aspect. - Aki continued to sniff Zuko like an animal. - Apparently, my grandson can use the blue flames, which isn't bad, but it's a rather childish trick.

- Grandson! Wait, you...

- Prince Zuko and General Iroh, this is Kai's grandmother. - said Tizo with disinterest and weariness. - Her name is Aki.

My uncle and I stood for a few seconds in silence and amazement. The woman's strange resemblance made sense if they were related, but her grandmother looking like a 30-year-old woman was almost unreal.

- You can't be Kai's grandmother! - I said with confusion.

- How old are you? - Iroh asked in surprise, as if she believed what she had just heard.

- You can't be serious, Uncle! She can't be Kai's grandmother! He and I are the same age!

- For your information, brat, I'm only 9,558 years old, I'm in my peak youth. - Aki showed off her body.

- You're the most shameless person I've ever met! How can you lie like that! Don't you realize the absurdity of your comment? - I complained, completely annoyed by such a lie.

Iroh realized from experience that Aki had never lied before, her body language hadn't revealed anything that was a lie, so he decided to keep a low profile until he had more information.

Aki, on the other hand, was a little curious about Zuko, as he could smell the draconic flames on him, but his thirst for battle was completely focused on Iroh, as he felt the greatest spiritual energy he had ever seen a human have in his lifetime.

Zhao, on the other hand, could easily spot a liar and quickly understood that Aki's words had some kind of truth in them. Throughout the week, he had tried to learn more about the woman, but she had easily evaded his questions, so his natural curiosity tormented him to find out more about Aki and the secret of her strength.

The group walked into a room decorated with red details, weapons from the collection and a large map of the world on the wall.

Zhao had one of his servants prepare some tea while he chatted with Iroh and Zuko. Tizo only followed the conversation as a matter of hierarchy and duty as a general, but he couldn't leave Aki alone and took her into the living room.

- We are very close to the Fire Nation's victory over the Earth Kingdom. - Zhao expressed his satisfaction as he looked at Mudi's map. - Fire Lord Ozai will soon declare victory in the war.

- The war won't end with the defeat of the Earth Kingdom, the people are still fighting relentlessly. - I said, still looking at the albino woman. - Many people will not obey my father.

Aki ate freshly cooked fish like a child, completely ignoring the discussion and the serious atmosphere in the room. A weakness that Tizo discovered.

- Your ignorance is impressive. - Zhao mocked with irony. - If you were in the fight against Omashu, you'd understand that absolute power keeps the rebels in line.

Zuko clenched his fist tightly, noticed by Zhao, who couldn't hide a smile of superiority.

- Whatever the rumors about Kai's strength, it's not unusual for stories to be exaggerated.

- The title of strongest firebender belongs to him, I don't think it's an exaggeration. I had the chance to see Kai defeat King Bumi when he started fighting for real.

- HAHAHAHA! - Aki laughed, wiping away a funny tear with her hand. - Kai is the strongest firebender? What a joke! HAHAHAHA!

Everyone was amazed to see how much fun Aki was having with the conversation, completely breaking the tense atmosphere.

- I really don't understand why my grandson is helping the Fire Nation, but it's too presumptuous to be called the strongest without ever having faced me!

Zhao and Tizo felt their bodies tense for a moment, as they had both been easily defeated by Aki, so they didn't know or know for sure if she was stronger than Kai, but the truth was clear, she was immensely powerful.

The same feeling of oppression made my legs weak for a moment, that laughter had more meaning than it seemed. I turned away and realized how serious my uncle was, with a small bead of sweat falling from his forehead.

- *Cof, Cof* So, Prince Zuko, how's your search for the Avatar going? - asked Zhao, trying to change the subject.

- We haven't found him yet! - I lied.

- Did you really think you'd find him? The Avatar died a hundred years ago, along with the Air Nomads.

Aki was suddenly confused by the direction of the conversation, and her reaction was noticed by Zhao and Tizo.

- As far as I'm concerned, the Avatar is very much alive. - Aki says, taking a big bite of her fish. - Last week, I felt the power of Avatar Mode, or whatever nonsense this power is.

Zhao made a shocked face and looked quickly at General Tizo, who was equally suprised. Zuko ended up having a sudden reaction, which made Zhao realize that the Prince was lying.

- Prince Zuko, understand the gravity of your actions. Not revealing the Avatar's return is greedy and detrimental to the Fire Nation's victory! - scolded Zhao.

- You want to blindly trust this woman! She lied about her age, why shouldn't she lie about this? - I tried to think of a quick excuse.

The temperature in the room suddenly rose and a bestial instinct was unleashed, causing everyone to unconsciously look at Aki with a serious expression.

- Are you calling me a liar? - said Aki in a completely different voice to her usual one. - You've lost your sense of danger, child.

The pressure I felt from this woman was extremely oppressive and reminded me of all the moments I'd been through because of Kai, so I decided not to back down this time.

- I don't care if you're related to Kai or not, but I am the prince of the Fire Nation! - I stood up and took a fighting stance. - I'll defeat you and then I'll defeat Kai!

- Prince Zuko, don't do that! - said Tizo worriedly, trying to get between Zuko and Aki. - Aki, calm down, he didn't mean anything by it.

- Kid, I'll wait for you at sunset for our duel. - said Aki in a stern voice.

- Perfect!

Aki left the room with a serious expression on his face, seemingly trying to control himself as much as possible so as not to blow up the whole island with his fury.

- Zuko... have you forgotten what happened the last time you duelled a fire master? - Iroh asked worriedly. The old Fire Master knew he couldn't protect Zuko from his own choices, especially when he had so much darkness in his heart, but he would be ready to support his nephew.

Zhao remained silent, but found it interesting to see the exiled prince suffer a crushing defeat. He had several plans, one of which was to send a letter to the Fire Lord about Aki's existence, but the news of the Avatar's return opened up a new opportunity.

At sunset, Zuko was shirtless in combat position, revealing several scars left by his father. Aki, on the other hand, was irritated and grumpy, not even bothering to take up a combat position.

- Zuko, don't forget the basics, if you break her base, you can win. - Iroh whispered to Zuko as he watched the albino woman.

- If she's as powerful as Kai, it will be difficult, but not impossible, because I'm not a weak child like I was seven years ago. - I answer my uncle with confidence.

Aki, thanks to her superhuman senses, had to hold back her laughter for a moment, the idea of being defeated by breaking her base making no difference. Well, she was a living representation of fire.

- I won't hold back with you. - I threaten, feeling my power flow freely through my body, anticipating the new battle.

- If you hold back, I'll pulverize your bones. - Aki crossed his arms. - Let's get started.

Zuko sets up his base perfectly with his feet, waiting for Aki's movement to study it and bring it down with ease.

- How long do you think Zuko will last? - Zhao asked Tizo, who was watching the fight and ready to intervene.

- Aki defeated us all in just five minutes, and that's because he allowed the agent to counterattack. - said Tizo, remembering how Aki treated him like a child in their duel. - Everything leads me to believe that she is superior to Kai and, to make matters worse, she is very angry.

- I witnessed Kai's power four years ago, his power and Aki's is not human. - Zhao remembered all the times Aki never referred to herself as human. - The world is still big and there's still a lot I can learn.

Tired of waiting, I used the distance between us to strike the first blow. My fire traveled to Aki smoothly until I saw the woman's expression turn serious for a single moment.

Unbeknownst to the Fire Masters, Aki closed the distance between her and Zuko in the blink of an eye. Zuko opened his eyes in surprise, as he hadn't noticed the woman approaching, but before he could make a move, he received a backhanded slap that threw him about 8 meters away.

- What speed! - Zhao said in amazement, taking a step back.

- I didn't even see her move!

The old firebending master, Iroh, son of Azulon and brother of Ozai, had a frightened look on his face as he instinctively felt a new kind of fear in his heart for the first time. Of all the people on the island, he was the only one who had a complete perception of spiritual energy. At all times, Aki maintained his strength to an impressive degree, but nothing that was exaggerated.

The Dragon in human form possessed an amount of spiritual energy that could easily rival even the most powerful Avatars in history, and it was quite remarkable that it still contained his strength.

It took Zuko a few seconds to recover from the blow he had received, standing up angrily and feeling one of his cheeks swell. However, his anger was easily contained when Aki appeared in front of him at a speed undetectable to the human eye and slapped Zuko in the face again, throwing him against a wall at least 18 meters from where he was standing.

- She's the complete opposite of Kai. - Tizo commented analytically. - Kai has a certain subtlety and elegance when it comes to mastering fire or showing superiority.

- Aki shows superiority through brute force, just by being direct. - Zhao added, fascinated by the albino woman's strength. - Someone like that wouldn't do that just to humiliate someone without having complete confidence in their own abilities. What kind of monsters is this family?

Zuko was completely stunned, because every blow from Aki, even a simple slap, was strong enough to kill an untrained adult. If it hadn't been for his seven years of physical training, Zuko would have broken his neck with the first slap.

Damn, my head hurt and my vision was blurred, I tried to get up or lean against the wall, but my legs were weak.

- Your physique isn't bad, you really do have a good teacher. - Aki turned to look at Iroh. - Even if you still have a lot to learn about the true concept of fire.

- You... didn't use your flames! - I tried to speak, but it was difficult because I was dizzy.

- I agreed to duel you, but not to use my flames. - Aki snorted with disappointment and put his hands on his waist. - You have talent, but you're too annoying.

One of Zhao's soldiers appeared with a serious expression on his face.

- Admiral Zhao, a large flying animal has been sighted near the territory of Kyoshi Island! - said the soldier with a nervous expression.

- The Avatar! - commented Tizo seriously.

- What do you intend to do, General? - Zhao looked at Tizo doubtfully.

- I officially went on vacation three days ago, but I don't mind helping to capture the Avatar, but I'll only be a support.

- So I'll lead the capture of the Avatar, if you don't mind.

- Do what you want. - commented Tizo, seemingly not interested in the Supreme Warrior.

The Avatar is on Kyoshi Island... since I was an idiot, of course he would go there. I turned to my uncle Iroh, who understood my intentions perfectly, but just sighed with that worried look of his.

Aki watched Zuko's posture attentively, and I found it impressive how he ignored the pain he was feeling, only focusing the rest of his strength on hunting down the Avatar.

- Is this boy crazy to face the Avatar with these injuries? - Aki asked, noticing that Tizo was approaching with relative caution.

- Has your mood improved? - Tizo asked cautiously.

- Ahhh... yes, yes. So we're going to Kyoshi Island?

- Don't you want to see Kai? Wasn't that your goal? - Tizo asked, confused.

- You said Kai is in the royal capital, so he won't be leaving any time soon. - Aki smiled wildly. - Let's go! Besides, my instincts tell me I'm going to have a bit more fun before I go home.

- This family must be difficult to live with. - Tizo whispered, being pulled by Aki without being able to resist.

***

Fire Nation/ Royal Palace/ Training Arena

A few minutes ago...

Jeph bent his wind nimbly, trying not to give Kai room to bend his flames or approach quickly. The aim of the exercise was to train Jefh's reflexes, which were sometimes still a little slow due to his tendency to let his guard down.

Azula was meditating, completely calm and unperturbed by the simulated fight that Kai and Jefh had been doing non-stop for two hours.

When Kai reduced his speed so that Jefh could keep up with him, his concentration was disturbed when he felt an incredibly powerful energy, causing him to be hit by a gust of air that sent him crashing into a wall.

Azula opened her eyes and became aware of a powerful energy that overcame her. In recent years, the princess had practiced various skills, one of which was meditation. Although she didn't have the same sensitivity as her fiancé, she was still able to feel spiritual changes when she meditated actively.

Jeph, on the other hand, felt a strange sensation that was unknown to him, but unlike Kai and Azula, he thought it was nothing more than an intuitive feeling.

Kai stepped off the wall with ease, without bothering to be thrown against it, and looked seriously at his future wife. - Did you feel that?

- Yes, it was only for a moment, but it's incredible! Was that the energy you felt last week? - Azula asked, worried.

- It's not the same energy, but it's just as powerful, if not more so. - Kai looked thoughtful because the energy was somehow familiar. - For some reason, I'm not unfamiliar with this power.

Azula remembered the nightmares that Kai sometimes had when he slept, the same dream that still lingered for years, Jun's death. It made her wonder if maybe, just maybe, another dragon had come for Kai.

Next chapter: Battle on Kyoshi Island Part 2