Capítulo 15: Chapter 15: Way of the Warrior
The Kyoshi Warriors continued leading Goku, Aang, and the others to their village. They walked through the trees of Kyoshi Island's surrounding woodland, maintaining astute focus on the task at hand.
However, some of the girls couldn't help, but limp from the soreness caused by Goku's previous kicks. Despite his happy-go-lucky appearance and nature, his strength as a supposed "chi-user" was nothing to scoff at. The Unagi's currently decaying corpse was enough proof of that fact.
Suki was particularly weirded out by these events. Not only did this strange Fire Nation kid come in and devour a giant eel, he also just so happened to be traveling with Aang, Kyoshi's most recent successor as the Avatar. She knew every Avatar had their strange companions of sorts, but this group really took the cake. The sexist Water Tribe idiot was, by far, the strangest from her perspective. The fact that he challenged her to a fight without much hesitation showed that he was either brave or very ignorant of his own limitations as a warrior. That is, if he even was much of a warrior to begin with.
Sokka was grumbling under his breath from frustration. He already knew this upcoming fight with Suki would be a waste of time. With Goku's training, there was no question that a bunch of girls couldn't stand any chance against him, let alone their leader. From a biological standpoint, girls were simply much weaker than guys. Why couldn't everyone else understand that?
"Hmph. This isn't even a contest. I've got this thing in the bag."
Goku, still in the process of adjusting his concealed tail, walked up to Sokka's side in puzzlement. Being the group's martial arts professional, he didn't exactly approve of his behavior towards Suki and her fellow Kyoshi Warriors.
"I wouldn't be so sure, Sokka. Like I was trying to say before, sensing chi is different than actually using it." He said. "You've still gotta long way to go until then."
"So what? I'm still strong enough to handle Suki over there. In fact, you could have all those Kyoshi Warriors fight me at the same time, and I'll still win."
None of the girls took this boast seriously. They found it more amusing and pathetic than anything else.
"Feh! The only thing strong here is the smell of the misogynistic crap you're spewing, Water Boy." One of them snorted.
They all laughed at this remark while Sokka took clear offense to it. Katara couldn't help herself from joining in once she saw the look on his face.
"W-Water Boy?"
"Now, now, girls. Let the poor guy boast while he can. After all…" Suki turned her head to mischievously glance at him. "…he's going to need it."
The Southern Water Tribe teen tightly balled his fists and fumed in place.
"Well, you're going to need some… uh… new paint for that stupid face of yours once I'm done with you! How's that for boasting?"
Suki and her group all ignored him, not even bothering to grace that awful comeback with a proper response. They simply walked forward and didn't address him further than that.
"Good one," Katara muttered.
Sokka just put his hood over his face and scowled, "Shut up."
"By the way, Goku, what's that thing wrapped around your waist?" The Kyoshi Warriors' leader asked.
He looked down at his tail with a sheepish grin. He'd need to make this explanation as convincing as possible.
"Oh. This? It's just a furry belt that goes with my martial arts gi." Goku replied. "They used to sell them in the Fire Nation one-hundred years ago. They called them…uh…"
"Monkey Belts!" Aang interjected with a smile.
"Oh right! That's why it hangs out like the tail of a hog monkey sometimes. Neat, huh?" The martial artist added.
Suki couldn't believe that such a product even existed. She raised an eyebrow and then shrugged her shoulders, brushing it off as some old, outdated Fire Nation custom.
"I suppose that makes sense."
"For a second there, I thought that tail was actually a part of his body or something. Hehe." Another Kyoshi Warrior, Jie, chuckled. She had short brown hair and brown eyes.
Goku and the others exchanged nervous looks with one another before laughing the same way.
"Pfft. Of course not. That'd be ridiculous." Aang snorted. "Like come on. He's a person, not a monkey."
"He sure eats like one, at least." Sokka grumbled under his breath.
Katara just glowered at him as they finally reached the Kyoshi Warriors' village. Relatively small compared to most other settlements in the Earth Kingdom, it contained two rows of wooden houses and a large Meeting Hall situated in between them. Other settlements not too far off from the village were Kyoshi Dojo, where the Kyoshi Warriors did most of their training, and a shrine dedicated to Avatar Kyoshi herself.
What impressed Goku and Aang the most, however, was a lifelike statue of Kyoshi facing the entrance. Standing on top of a wooden log, she wore long, green robes and held two golden fans in front of her. Situated atop her brown hair and painted face was a matching, golden headdress as well. It felt as if the statue was watching over this village and all of Kyoshi Island from beyond the grave.
"Well, I can definitely see the resemblance…" Goku whispered. Suki, in a way, resembled a younger version of Kyoshi from his perspective. That might have just been the face paint throwing him off, though.
As they approached the village, everyone who lived in it stood outside to see what was going on. They were led by an old man, Oyaji, who had a gray beard and hair that was tied up into a large bun. He wore blue robes with a white piece of cloth hanging along his shoulders.
Glaring at them with narrowed blue eyes, he did not look pleased to see the Kyoshi Warriors bringing a group of foreigners into their village. He looked upon Suki for answers.
"What is the meaning of this, girls? You know our policy on bringing outsiders here. They could be spies for the Fire Nation."
"It's alright, Oyaji. This boy is the Avatar and these are his friends." Suki explained while gesturing to the group.
The villagers all gasped in surprise, examining the bald monk for any noticeable glimpse of his powers.
"Yep. That's me." Aang awkwardly affirmed.
Oyaji crossed his arms. "Do you have any proof to back up this claim?"
"Proof? Sure!" The monk nodded. "Check this out, everybody."
He then projected a small spinning wheel of air between his hands and goofily grinned at all of the villagers. Now recognizing his identity as the last airbender and Kyoshi's successor, they all cheered and clapped in excitement.
One guy got a bit too excited and started throwing his hands up in the air like a crazed Avatar fanatic. He had a long brown ponytail and wore a blue headband that matched with his clothes.
"RAAAH! RAAAH!" He screamed. White foam then began to spew from his mouth as he abruptly collapsed on the floor. "Grrghlgh…"
Goku blinked a few times at the sight of this guy's catatonic episode. He then laughed in amusement. "Hehe. I'll have what he's having!"
"It's true. You really are the Avatar." Oyaji said. His eyes darted towards Goku, recognizing his orange gi and monkey right off the bat. "Then, that means, you are the legendary Son Goku who journeyed with him one-hundred years ago, correct?"
The villagers became slightly less excited by this news. Although a few villagers knew about him, Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors didn't for some reason.
"I knew I recognized that name from somewhere…" She noted in growing confusion. "What do you mean by 'legendary', Oyaji? Is there more to Goku than he led us to believe?"
"Yes, Suki. I don't know what he told you, but tales about Son Goku have spread all throughout the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. Most describe him as a monkey-tailed boy who could convert the chi within his body into a magnificent attack called the Kamehameha Wave. Some even say he can walk in and out of the Spirit World at will." Oyaji briefly summarized. "I didn't wish to tell you girls because Kyoshi vowed to stay out of all global affairs, including this Hundred-Year War. We intended to keep it that way until now…"
Suki's expression soured at the sight of Goku's tail. He straight up lied to her and her sisters' faces.
"Ridiculous, huh?" She muttered.
Goku sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and uncoiled his brown monkey tail. The villagers whispered amongst each other in awe. Most of the children, however, thought it was cool and somewhat cute at the same time.
"Yeah. Sorry for lying like that. I just didn't want to reveal that much information about myself so soon."
"You can't blame him for doing that, really. Most people wouldn't take a full-blown tail all that well." Katara added in defense of Goku's actions.
"Or in my case, think it was even real in the first place." Sokka groaned. "I tried to pull that thing off and let me tell you, it was as freakishly strong as every other part of his body."
The Kyoshi Warriors examined the tail as it swished about in different directions. It didn't look all that strong, but as with Goku himself, looks could be deceiving.
"Well, I'm sure most things are freakishly strong compared to you…" Suki quipped. Right as the boy was about to express his outrage, she spun her body around to address Goku again. "Fine then. I'll accept your apology if…"
Her red lips twitched into that of a playful smirk as she pointed towards the Kyoshi Dojo.
"…you agree to watch me and the big lug's little competition. How does that sound?"
Goku enthusiastically nodded his head. "Sounds good. You've got yourself a deal, Suki."
"Good to hear. I'll make sure our 'fight' is worth watching in more ways than one."
"Hmph. So will I!" Sokka grunted.
"Well, before that can happen, I insist that we hold a feast in your and the Avatar's honor. It'd be our pleasure to serve Kyoshi's current reincarnation." Oyaji warmly proclaimed.
Both the monk and martial artist licked their lips in sheer delight. Goku, in particular, was eager to see what food this village had to offer.
"Wow. Thanks, gramps!"
Suki widened her eyes in shock. She couldn't believe the fifteen-year-old boy was still hungry after everything that happened with the Unagi.
"Hold on. I don't think adding more food to your stomach is the wisest thing to do, Goku."
Oyaji frowned. "What do you mean, Suki?"
The Kyoshi Warriors exchanged guilty expressions with one another. They weren't sure a village elder as old as Oyaji would take his news all that well.
"Well, you know the Unagi? The one that helps protect our village from potential invaders?" Suki asked.
"Yes."
"He sorta… um…" She nervously coughed. "…killed and ate it, sir."
The entire village became dead quiet once this utter bombshell was left off. They all stared down at Goku in horror as one of Oyaji's eyes began to twitch. No one could tell if he was angry or disgusted by this revelation.
Anticipating a rather loud shout from the old man, Goku covered his ears and clenched his teeth.
"Y-YOU… YOU ATE THE UNAGI?!"
Somewhere else on the island...
Several minutes after Aang and the others' initial arrival, a young girl with long brown hair and a blue bandana ran over to one of Kyoshi Island's many harbors. She approached an older man in green clothing who was busy placing some fish in a net. He had long gray hair and a matching beard of the same color.
She skipped across the harbor's dock with a wide smile on her face.
"Did you hear the news? The Avatar and Son Goku are on Kyoshi!"
The old man abruptly dropped his collection of fish in surprise.
"Huh?!"
With this news in mind, he sailed on his boat to the Earth Kingdom mainland. He gave the fish to a heavier man wearing a gray apron amongst similar green clothes and briefly described what the girl had told him. This man, revealed to be a merchant, then gathered these fish and sold one of them to a middle-aged man with long flowing brown hair. He also wore a gray shirt with red sleeves concealed underneath it.
Word about the Avatar's current whereabouts were spread to this person as well. He gathered the fish, cooked it, and set it on a plate for Prince Zuko to eat from. Although initially prepared to have dinner with Iroh and discuss their chi training, he changed his mind once that piece of information was shared to him.
He stood up from his seat and shouted, "What? They're on Kyoshi Island?!"
Eating was now the least of his concerns, much to Iroh's chagrin. He tightly balled his fists and made his way towards the room's exit.
"Our discussion about chi can wait, Uncle. Ready the rhinos!" He ordered. "I won't let Goku defeat me this time."
The old firebender looked down at the fish and frowned.
"Are you going to finish that?"
He would have tried eating it himself if not for Zuko snatching it away from him in anger.
"I was going to save it for later!"
Taking the plate with him, Iroh was left to childishly pout and cross his arms in disappointment. It appeared that dinner would have to wait for him too.
Back in Suki's village…
Oyaji needed some time to stew over the Unagi's death and consumption by Goku's hands. That eel had been sacred to the village for hundreds of years, so he couldn't even begin to comprehend the fact that it was inside someone's stomach of all things. He tried his best not to pass out from shock and decided to get some rest in the Meeting Hall.
While that happened, he ordered the village's top chefs to prepare a full-course meal for Goku and Aang as promised. He did try to limit the amount of food given to the former, but, unfortunately, it proved to be a lost cause. The martial artist's hunger was just far too immense for anyone, let alone the Kyoshi Warriors themselves, to suppress. Regardless, many of the villagers were still incredibly pleased by his and the Avatar's presence. Some villagers even took the time to clean and repaint Avatar Kyoshi's statue, an act which hadn't been done in many, many years. Others also cleaned Appa's fur and fed him some hay while Aang enjoyed himself. The sky bison did not object this grooming session in the slightest.
Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Goku were currently seated in front of a long wooden table. It contained two rows of delicious food native to Kyoshi Island and its people. Momo wasted no time in snatching some food off these plates while Goku quickly took a bite from each one in utter delight.
"Alright! Dessert for breakfast!" The monk beamed as shoveled some sweets in his mouth. "These people sure know how to treat an Avatar!"
Goku nodded in agreement while speaking with his mouth full. "No kidding! This stuff is delicious!"
Katara, seeing the truckloads of food being stuck in between Goku's teeth, slightly winced in disgust. The waterbender inspected an orange-looking treat, trying to figure out what it was before she spoke.
"Please swallow before talking, Goku. It's making me lose a bit of my appetite."
The martial artist beat down on his chest, so he could swallow all of that food in one single gulp. After doing so, he sighed in relief.
"Right. My bad. Haha."
"Mm. Katara, you've gotta try these!" Aang said as he handed one of the desserts to her. When he wasn't looking, Momo grabbed the one held in his other hand and ate it.
"Well, maybe just a bite."
She then ate it and grabbed some bread from the table. Thanks to Goku, most of the entire table's collection of food was split in half. Aang and Katara's share was all that remained for the most part.
What surprised them about this was that Sokka didn't eat any of it. He was too busy moping in the corner with crossed arms and a prominent scowl on his face.
"Sokka, what's your problem? Eat!" Aang shouted.
"Not hungry."
"But you're like Goku. You're always hungry!"
Katara smirked in knowing amusement. "Oh, don't worry about him. He's just scared that there's a chance he'll lose to a girl during his competition in the dojo."
Sokka uncrossed his arms and stood up straight. His eyes were widened in disbelief.
"Me? Scared? Tch! Stop talking nonsense, Katara. I know I can win this!"
Goku stopped eating to look up at his newest student. He had a good feeling that this fight against Suki wasn't going to be in his favor.
"You're starting to sound a little too overconfident, Sokka. Suki's much more experienced as a martial artist than you are, so that mindset will only make your chances of winning even lower." He advised with caution. "Take me for example. After my best friend, Krillin, died, I went into a blind rage and immediately picked a fight with his killer. I ended up losing because I let my emotions get the better of me…"
Everyone paused to look at Goku sympathetically. They didn't know he lost one of his closest friends that way. He never chose to talk about it before until now.
"Wait. The same Krillin you trained under Master Roshi with? He… died?" Sokka muttered in surprise.
"Yeah… he did," Goku nodded in brief sadness. "But we can talk about that another time. I just wanted you to know that keeping your emotions in check is the key to achieving success as a fighter, regardless of gender, elements, or chi abilities."
Sokka grimaced. Attempting to hide his nervousness, he grabbed a few pieces of food and aggressively chewed on them. He then clenched his fist in sheer determination. He understood Goku's advice, but not enough to keep his confidence from swelling further.
"Well, then let's go over to that dojo and show those girls that I mean business. They need to see that I'm not scared of anyone!"
"If you say so, Sokka." Goku sighed while shaking his head. He glanced back at the other two and waved. "We'll see you guys later."
He then followed after the Water Tribe boy and walked away. At the same time, Momo laid underneath the table and gorged on his own collection of food, some of which was stolen from Aang, Goku, and Katara.
"Make sure he doesn't get his butt kicked too hard, Goku." The waterbender cried out.
"I heard that!" Sokka snarled in a slightly muffled voice. They had officially left the Meeting Hall by then.
Katara's expression became a little more serious in that moment. He couldn't believe that a boy as goofy and fun-loving as Goku could have gone through so many horrific experiences.
"Did Goku ever tell you that happened to his friend?"
Aang shook his head, frowning. "No. I had no idea that happened to him. I just know that he's faced a lot of dangerous enemies in the past."
"Even more dangerous than the Fire Lord?" Katara whispered. She was too concerned about Goku's emotional state to take another bite of food. That didn't stop Momo, though.
"Given how strong Goku is, then yeah, definitely. One of them was a monster called King Piccolo, whom he defeated right before Roku sent him here." The airbender said. He then narrowed his eyes in uncertainty. "I wonder if Krillin's death has any connection to him…"
"Is that what Goku meant by 'an even bigger threat' coming to this world? And Roku's true purpose for taking him away from his?"
"I'm starting to think so. Back in your tribe, he had this nightmare that really shook him up. I have a feeling it might have been about this Piccolo monster's return, but Goku wouldn't tell me any more than that." Aang recounted in frustration. "It just confuses me, because he said that Piccolo had been beaten by him a few months prior to the day we met. How is it possible that he could have survived that?"
Katara felt just as confused, if not more so. She couldn't believe that an evil being equal in strength to Goku even existed. She hoped that Aang was wrong about this, but sadly, none of his suspicions could be disproven at all.
"You'll need to ask Goku about that, Aang. If this Piccolo person does indeed threaten the entire world, we need to find a way to stop him… together." She proclaimed with a frown. "After everything he's been through, we can't afford to wait any longer."
"You're right. I'll ask him as soon as I get the chance." Aang promised. His mood then shifted into one of content happiness. "But first, we should continue enjoying our time in this village while we can. They're giving us the royal treatment."
"Okay, but don't get too comfortable. With Zuko on our tail, it's risky for us to stay in one place for very long."
"I'm sure we'll fine. I'm just glad to see how happy I'm making everyone." He said while gesturing to the Meeting Hall's open window. "They're even cleaning up that old statue of Avatar Kyoshi in my honor. It's pretty refreshing."
"Well, it's nice to see you excited about being the Avatar, but don't let it all go to your head. We have more important things to worry about right now." Katara expressed in concern.
"Oh, come on. You know me better than that. I'm just a simple monk."
He then looked out the window to see a horde of preteen girls gathered below. They all fan-girlishly squealed in delight upon seeing him, causing the young Avatar to blush.
"There he is!" One of them cried.
Katara rolled her eyes and blew out a raspberry with her tongue. After Aang hopped out of the window to address his adoring "fans", she shook her head and decided to gather some supplies for their next destination.
Meanwhile at the Kyoshi Dojo…
The dojo was a wooden building slightly smaller in size compared to the Meeting Hall. Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors usually performed all of their training there from sunrise all the way to sunset. As him and Goku walked towards it, Sokka grumbled under his breath in annoyance.
"Ugh. Dumb girls. Think they're so tough. I'll show them."
Goku sighed. "Remember, Sokka. Keep your emotions in check."
"Yeah, yeah! I get it, Goku. You don't have to remind me." The tan-skinned teen grunted. "Now, be a good teacher and analyze my match with Suki. I'm sure you'll notice that I made some good progress since our last session."
"You mean yesterday?"
"Hey. Sometimes a day is all it takes." He nonchalantly shrugged with a proud smirk. "Keep in mind that I was able to sense them coming before they ambushed us. That's all from pushing some large rock a few feet away from me."
"I guess that's true, but still—"
His statement was all but interrupted once Sokka walked through the dojo's entrance. The Kyoshi Warriors were currently synchronizing their movements together in order to better function as one single combat unit. They swung their fans around while standing in various fighting stances.
"Sorry, ladies. Not to interrupt your dance lesson, but I think we have ourselves a little workout to do together, right?" He asked while flexing his muscles and stretching. Suki and her sisters-in-arms folded up their fans to glare at him.
"Yes, I suppose we do." She glowered. She then smiled once the monkey-tailed boy walked in. "Glad you could make it, Goku."
He crossed both arms behind his head and said, "No problem. Gotta make sure Sokka doesn't hurt himself too bad, you know? Haha."
"Gee. Thanks for the vote of confidence, man." Sokka grumbled.
"Just being honest."
The girls giggled at their banter with one another. Suki then stepped in and placed both hands on her hips.
"Don't worry. I promise to be gentle with him." She said with a mischievous smirk. "I know how… sensitive this big, strong man can be."
Sokka jerked a thumb at his chest in direct defiance of her playful remark.
"Sensitive? You don't even know the meaning of the word, lady. I'm the best warrior in my village. I'm the furthest thing from sensitive that you can possibly get!"
"Oh, is that so? Then how about we stop talking and begin our little competition, shall we?"
"Thought you'd never ask, Suki! You're going down!"
"We'll let our skills be the judge of that." She snorted. "You mind being a referee for this match, Goku?"
The Turtle Hermit's student smiled at her and shrugged his shoulders.
"Sure. I don't see why not. You said it will be around three rounds, right?"
Suki nodded. "That's right. You'll be able to see the way us Kyoshi Warriors fight during each one."
"Yeah. If the moron even lasts that long to begin with…" Jie grumbled from the sidelines. Her fellow warriors giggled at her comment, causing Sokka's anger to swell.
"Hmph. Let's get this over with."
While Goku stood in between both competitors, Sokka positioned himself on the left side of the dojo while Suki was on the right. Her sisters all gathered around the nearest wall.
"Man, this really takes me back to when I competed in the World Martial Arts Tournament." Goku thought with a smile. "I wonder how the 23rd tournament will go. Should be fun."
He then shook his head and darted his black eyes from Sokka to Suki. Each of them silently glared at one another in deep focus.
"You guys ready?"
"Yes."
"You better believe I am." Sokka hissed. He tried to emulate Goku's typical fighting stance but failed miserably. He didn't have the heart to correct him about it.
"Okay then. On the count of three, you two can start." He announced, starting to count on his hands. "3… 2… 1…"
Sokka began to shake a little from nervousness while Suki, the seasoned warrior that she was, stood completely still.
"Fight!"
Narrowing his eyes, the Southern Water Tribe teen pulled back his fist in an attempt to knock Suki off her feet.
"Try to block this! Haa!"
The auburn-haired girl smacked her yellow fan against Sokka's shoulder and then, with little effort, swiped her leg across his. He fell down and smacked his butt against the floor, causing Goku to wince.
Suki unfolded her fan and started blowing herself with it. "That's one."
"That was good, I'll admit. But I was going easy on you that time, of course." Sokka said while slowly standing back up.
"Of course." The girl cheekily replied. "Wouldn't you like to show us more of your moves? You are the best warrior in your whole village, aren't you?"
The Kyoshi Warriors played along with their leader's sarcastic jest and nodded in agreement.
"Fine. If that's what you want, then I'd be more than happy to demonstrate!" Sokka yelled.
Suki raised an eyebrow. "We're all waiting."
Goku just scratched the side of his cheek, wondering if he should step in before Sokka embarrassed himself even further. He then awkwardly cleared his throat to break the tension.
"You can… uh… start again whenever you're ready, guys."
"Let's see if you can… HANDLE THIS!"
Sokka attempted to kick Suki in the head, causing her to grab ahold of his leg and judo flip him over her head. His shoulder and face painfully smacked against the matted floor once more.
"Ugh…" He groaned. He then bared his teeth and rolled back to where he originally stood.
Suki, as expected, was not impressed by this demonstration.
"And that's two."
Sokka, still crouched down on the floor, charged at Suki with one more fully outstretched punch. Although he couldn't tell, his speed overall was much faster than what could be seen in the first two rounds.
"Errgh! That does it!"
Suki then grabbed the boy's arm and rapidly spun him around in a circle. This caused him to scream in reactionary horror.
"DAAAAH!"
Just as quickly, the Kyoshi Warriors' leader grabbed Sokka's hands, placed them behind his back, and slammed him down into the floor. His cheek was roughly smooshed against its carpeted surface due to Suki's bodyweight being pushed down against him.
"And that's three. Looks I win." She said in acknowledgement of her victory. "You know what that means, don't you?"
Sokka's cheeks were slightly flushed as he accepted his unanimous, humiliating defeat. "Yes. A deal's a deal. Just put the girly armor on me."
"Glad you're such a good sport about it." Suki chuckled. She then walked with Jie and the other Kyoshi Warriors to find an extra outfit for Sokka to wear as punishment.
Goku bent down on his knees to look at him face-to-face. "We might need to work on keeping yourself calm next time."
The boy sighed and placed his entire face on top of the floor. In actuality, learning to be humble was the next part of his training he'd need to focus on.
"I know, I know…"
In another part of the village…
Aang spent most of the day showing off to his group of fangirls. After being smothered with hugs and other forms of affection, he even went as far as to do air-enhanced pushups in front of them. Katara tried her best ignore this by exploring the marketplace in search of food and other supplies.
The monk then stood in front of Avatar Kyoshi's statue while the girls looked upon it in relative awe. For him, it was hard to believe that he used to be a woman at some point.
"There she is, girls. That's me in a past life."
"Ooooh."
"You were pretty!" One of the girls commented. Another girl was now holding an unconscious Momo in her arms.
He then saw Katara within the corner of his eye. Wishing to get her attention above all else, he decided to put his time spent with the younger girls on hold.
"Excuse me for a second, ladies."
They waited by the statue as Aang moved over to the marketplace and tapped Katara on the shoulder. She was placing multiple fruits and vegetables inside of a yellow pot with blue stripes along its center.
"Hey, Katara."
"Oh, good. Could you help me carry this back to the room? It's a little heavy." She kindly requested while moving the pot over to him. "I would have asked Goku, but he still hasn't come back with Sokka just yet."
"Actually, I can't right now."
Katara frowned. "What do you mean, you can't?"
"I promised the girls I'd give them a ride on Appa. Why don't you come with us? It'll be fun!" He offered with a smile. "You can even fly on Nimbus, if that's better for you. I'm sure Goku wouldn't mind."
"Remember, Aang, I'm not 'pure enough' to fly on Nimbus. I'll just fall through like last time." She grumbled, wishing that the golden cloud would let her fly on it without any issues. "Besides, watching you show off for a bunch of girls doesn't exactly sound like fun."
The waterbender placed some cucumbers and eggplants into the pot while speaking.
"Well, neither does carrying your basket."
"It's not my basket. These are supplies for our trip. We have to leave Kyoshi soon or else Goku will use up what little stuff we have left." She sighed in slight annoyance. "You know how he and Sokka are."
"But I don't want to leave Kyoshi yet. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something I really like about this place." He commented facetiously. The girls all giggled in response.
One of them then stamped her foot in clear impatience. She had short brown hair and wore a dark blue hat over her head. "What's taking you so long, Aangy?"
"Aangy?"
"Just a second, Koko!" Aang called out with a wide smile.
"Simple monk, huh? You promised me this Avatar stuff wouldn't go to your head." Katara glowered in a serious tone. "Considering what you just told me about this King Piccolo monster from Goku's world, you shouldn't be fooling around with some little girls like this."
Aang frowned. He knew that Katara meant well, but he did too. It seemed like this was the first time these villagers were genuinely happy in a long time. That went double for this group of girls, in his opinion.
"I'm not fooling around. I'm just having some fun with these kids. They likely haven't been able to experience that in a long time." He insisted. "You know what I think? You just don't want to come because you're jealous!"
The waterbender dropped her pot back down on the counter in surprise. She couldn't believe he just said something like that.
"Jealous? Of what?"
"Jealous that we're having so much fun without you."
"That's ridiculous!" Katara scowled while dropping food into her pot at a faster pace.
Aang innocently held both arms behind his back. "It is a little ridiculous, but I understand."
She gave him the stink eye before scoffing and marching away with the pot in her hands.
"Ugh!"
The girls then dragged Aang back to the statue by his shoulders, causing him to laugh.
"Hahaha!"
Back at the Kyoshi Dojo…
As promised, Sokka was now wearing white face paint and a green kimono like all of the other Kyoshi Warriors did. He, unfortunately, had to put on red lipstick as well, which caused Goku to struggle not to burst out laughing right then and there. He couldn't help, but compare him to a common, everyday circus clown.
He just barely managed to cover his mouth before erupting into a slew of uncontrollable giggles. The other girls did the same, but to a much lesser extent.
"Pfft. Hahaha! I'm sorry, Sokka. I can't help myself. You just look so funny in that outfit."
Scowling, Sokka slumped his shoulders and said, "Errgh. I'm well aware of that, Captain Obvious."
He then looked down at his kimono in shame and sighed.
"Do I really have to wear this?"
"You agreed to adhere to all of our traditions, so yes, you do. We shook on it, remember?" Suki replied with a smile. "If anything, you should be proud. It's a warrior's uniform. Its silk threads represent the brave blood that flows through our veins; the gold insignia represents the honor of the warrior's heart."
Sokka looked pleased with this explanation. He placed both hands on his hips in newfound pride.
"Bravery and honor."
Suddenly, in that moment, Aang walked by and noticed his friend's new outfit.
"Hey, Sokka. Nice dress." He joked while lightly waving at Goku. He then left, causing Hakoda's son to feel bad about himself again.
"Don't take what Aang said too seriously. Now that I heard the meaning behind it, I wouldn't mind wearing one myself." Goku proclaimed in a more encouraging manner.
Suki gestured toward one of the dojo's closets. "We have some extra uniforms, if you're interested."
"Eh, maybe some other time. Hehe."
"Thought so." She lightly giggled. "Do you two want to hear about the Kyoshi Warriors' special form of martial arts? It's practiced in every village across the island, not just this one."
"I was actually meaning to ask about that. What techniques do you use?"
"Well, for our main technique, we don't solely focus on strength. It's about using your opponent's force against them. We think of the fan as an extension of our arms." Suki explained while tightly grasping one of her war fans. "It typically goes by the name, Tessenjutsu, or the Iron Fan Technique, around these parts. Avatar Kyoshi was, of course, its main practitioner before she died."
"Interesting. I use this staff as an extension of my arms as well. Our fighting styles are a bit similar that way." Goku said. He pulled out his red Air Nomad staff and expertly spun it around, much to Suki's amazement.
"Guess so. You seem to handle that bō staff quite well, Goku."
"Well, I've had a lot of practice. I've been fighting with one of these since I was six or maybe even younger. I can't remember the exact age."
"To think he's been fighting for that long. No wonder he's so powerful." She thought in growing interest. "Maybe he could help me reach Kyoshi's level or, at least, somewhere close to it."
"You mind if I try it out?" Sokka asked as he deployed his own yellow fan.
"That depends. Will you take me seriously this time? Even if I'm a girl?" Suki asked.
"Look, I'm sorry if I insulted you earlier. I was wrong about you and… well, about girls in general. I just got far too confident after training with Goku for the first time." Sokka said. He then went down on his knees and humbly bowed in front of the girl. "I'd be honored if you would teach me, Suki…"
She looked down at him with a genuine smile this time around. She was more than convinced by his apology.
"Well, we normally don't take in outsiders, let alone boys, but we'll make an exception just this once. You are a friend of the great Son Goku, after all."
Goku shuddered at the utterance of that title. "Please don't call me that. I'm really not used to it and I don't think I ever will be."
"I figured as much. I was just teasing him a little, Goku." Suki said. She then helped Sokka back up. "You probably won't master Tessenjutsu in a day. Even I'm not that good, so don't be discouraged. Just try to wave the fan around and see how it feels."
"Got it."
Sokka danced and spun around with the fan in his hand. He moved in tandem with the fan's flow, stepping closer to the nearest entrance. From Goku's perspective, this action seemed like a good way to help chi flow through Sokka's body, particularly his arms and legs.
"Hm. Sokka trying this out with his boomerang could be helpful. I'll have to see for myself." He thought. Transferring chi into an object or weapon was a more advanced technique, of course, but it could prove to be beneficial in the long run. Sokka just needed more practice.
"I think I'm starting to get the hang of it."
After a few more shaky, uncoordinated steps, Sokka tossed his fan at a tree. It bounced off of it and caused some stray clumps of snow to fall to the ground.
"That's not bad, but keep what I said before in mind." Suki instructed while extending her fan directly in front of Sokka's face. "Think of the fan as an extension of your arm, wait for an opening, and then—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Sokka tightly grabbed ahold of her fan and pushed her down to the ground. The other Kyoshi Warriors gasped in surprise.
Goku clapped his hands together and looked impressed. "Nice one, Sokka."
"Thanks. I guess that's one for me, huh?" He said while crossing his arms.
Suki picked herself up and balled her fists in outrage. A faint tint of red could be seen on her cheeks.
"N-No! That doesn't count. I fell on purpose to make you feel better!"
Sokka pointed his finger at her with a wide smile. "No, I got you! Admit I got you!"
The girl pulled his fingers back at a weird angle to shut him up. She then let go of them, causing the boy to whine in pain.
"Okay. It was a lucky shot." She laughed. "I doubt you'll ever be able to do it again, though."
"Wanna bet?"
Actually, before you guys go at it again, do you mind if ask you something, Suki? And I guess the other Kyoshi Warriors too." Goku interjected at the last second.
"Sure, Goku. What is it?"
"Well, I was just thinking that, with your Tessenjutsu ability being so strong and all, why haven't you tried helping out against the Fire Nation? You probably could have helped save a ton of innocent people from those firebender jerks."
"We can't. Avatar Kyoshi preferred to keep us separate from the rest of the world." Jie replied while leaning against a wall. "We can import goods to the rest of the Earth Kingdom, but joining this war is out of the question."
"She's right. Our island broke off from the mainland for good reason. The Kyoshi Warriors were trained to help our people, not the people of other communities." Another Kyoshi Warrior added. "That's the Avatar's job, isn't it?"
Goku shook his head in disapproval. "That just seems… so selfish of you, guys. I don't mean any disrespect, but the Fire Nation is a serious threat. What if they somehow came to this island and laid waste to it? What would the Kyoshi Warriors be able to do then?"
"I get what you're saying, Goku, but Kyoshi's isolationist policy has been part of our culture for generations. We can't just go against it so willingly." Suki whispered in defense of her people's actions. "Believe me, I had an old friend who thought like you once. Her name was Mingxia and she ended up leaving the island, because we refused to accept help from neighboring communities during a great famine. I haven't seen her ever since…"
Her expression grew downcast as she looked down at the floor. Goku could relate to her struggle in losing a best friend, but that was besides the point. Kyoshi Island's refusal to change could cause their destruction one of these days.
"Then, maybe she was right to leave and… you guys were wrong."
Sokka couldn't help, but nod in agreement. Jie, however, was outraged by this statement.
"And what gives you the right to say that? Legend or not, you're still just a commoner from the Fire Nation colonies. I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand." She scowled.
Suki narrowed her eyes in shock. "Jie!"
"Well, unlike you, I don't have loyalty to one single nation, place, or people. I have Aang and this entire world's best interests at heart." He replied in a calm tone. "But if you think the Kyoshi Warriors are better off staying here, then be my guest. Just remember that me and Aang could have kept ourselves hidden this entire time, yet we didn't. We chose to return and help end this war, so something like the Air Nomad Genocide could never happen again."
The Kyoshi Warriors, including Jie, all looked away in a mix of shame and guilt. Suki almost forgot that Aang was the last of his kind and thus, had no existing family to speak of.
Goku then sighed and placed his staff back in its holster. He briefly shared one last grin with the Kyoshi Warriors' leader.
"Thanks for showing me your martial arts techniques, Suki." He said. "I hope you'll find a way to put them to good use."
With that, he walked out of the dojo and left to explore some other portion of the village. Sokka decided to stay there to ponder over Goku's words with the others.
"You're wrong, you know." He muttered.
Jie quirked a brow. "What do you mean?"
"That kid's been through much more than you can ever dream of. Sure, he may seem goofy and a bit simpleminded at times, but he's not just any simple commoner or whatever dumb crap you said about him." Sokka scowled with narrowed eyes. "Goku is a true warrior. And a better one than any of us will ever be, in fact."
The Southern Water Tribe boy followed after Goku before anything else could be said. Suki crossed both arms underneath her chest and ruminated over everything she just heard. Maybe her friend, Mingxia, was right all along. Was Kyoshi's isolationist policies not meant to last forever? If so, was this war the proper time to end it?
"Kyoshi was the Avatar too once. She would have wanted what's best for the world, not just our people." She thought.
Suki then narrowed her blue eyes and placed a hand over her chest. Deep down, she knew that Goku was correct in what he said about them.
"And I want to help the world too."
It was time for her to make a decision that would change the course of her and the Kyoshi Warriors' very lives. She just hoped it wasn't too late.
Meanwhile…
While Appa continued to get some rest before his next flight took place, Aang walked over to the Meeting Hall, so he could speak with Katara. She was currently bending some water from a clay bowl with a determined expression on her face. It snaked out of the bowl like some tentacle from an octopus or squid.
She hovered her hand over this stream of water as Aang slowly, but surely walked in.
"So, there's still some room on Appa in case you changed your mind, Katara."
"No, I'm good. You and those girls go have fun." She muttered, keeping her eyes focused on the water.
"I might have promised to jump off of him and land on some stray elephant koi, though. It's gonna be real dangerous." Aang boasted with a wide smile on his face.
"Good for you."
"You're not going to stop me?"
"Nope. Do whatever you like."
The monk crossed his arms. "I will."
"Great."
"I know it's great."
"I'm glad you know."
"I'm glad you're glad!"
"Good!"
"Fine!"
Katara clenched her fist, causing the water to fall back into the bowl. Aang sadly glanced over his shoulder one last time before leaving. She then looked over to the side in slight guilt for what just happened.
Outside the Meeting Hall…
It was starting to get a bit late once Goku and Sokka left Kyoshi Island's dojo. Some of the villagers whispered about the latter's strange appearance as a male Kyoshi Warrior, but he didn't pay much attention to them. He was still frustrated over their past argument with Suki and the others.
"Sheesh. Can you believe them? They're all so strong, yet too cowardly to face the Fire Nation. Even I was brave enough to fight Zuko and I got my butt kicked… twice!"
"I wouldn't say they're cowardly. They're just hesitant to go against their island's traditions." Goku replied. "Not sure why an Avatar of all people would set that up, but hey, I didn't know the lady or what she went through."
"Speaking of Avatars, isn't that Aang over there?" Sokka pointed out. The aforementioned monk had his head hung low in clear sadness.
They immediately caught up with him and grabbed his attention.
"Hey, Aang. What's up?" Goku asked.
"Oh. Hey, guys. I just got into an argument with Katara. It didn't end well." He sighed while rubbing the back of his head. "How'd your training with Suki go?"
"It was going pretty well at first until she and the others brought up their lack of participation in the war. They'd rather stay here than make an actual difference and protect people across the entire Earth Kingdom."
"I mean, I guess can't blame them. They haven't experienced any attacks from the Fire Nation thus far." Aang said.
Sokka pursed his red lips. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean they're safe forever. There's a good chance that they could be attacked now for all we know."
As if by chance, a Fire Navy cruiser perched itself along Kyoshi Island's shoreline. It deployed its bow, revealing the banished prince, Zuko, and a few other firebenders. They each rode on komodo rhinos that had beady white eyes, gray skin, and wore red, armored faceplates. The most defining feature of these animals, however, was their dangerously sharp black horns.
The sixteen-year-old firebender was still wearing his "girly", flame-shaped helmet from the Southern Water Tribe.
"Bring me the Avatar alive. We can deal with Son Goku after he's captured." He ordered.
Although they were still far away, Sokka could catch small a glimpse of the metal warship between some trees. Goku was also able to sense Zuko and his uncle's respective chi signatures, albeit some miniscule traces of the latter. He must have been sleeping somewhere on deck.
"See?! What did I tell you, guys?"
Plumes of black smoke expunged from the Fire Navy cruiser's pipes, causing all of the villagers to run into their homes in fear. Katara, in contrast, ran out of the Meeting Hall as fast as possible.
"What's happening?"
"Zuko's back!" Aang said while frowning in dismay. "It's all our fault. We lured them here."
"Don't think like that, Aang. He must have found out we were on Kyoshi some other way." Katara soothingly advised. "For now, we need to focus on protecting this village from him and those scary-looking rhinos."
"We can help with that."
The group looked up to see Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors standing before them.
"If there's anyone especially suited to protect this place, it's us. We might not be involved with the war, but we can at least help you take down these firebenders."
"Great. You take care of the soldiers while Aang, Sokka, and I focus on Zuko." Goku ordered. "Katara, make sure the villagers are kept safe, alright?"
"You've got it." She nodded in agreement. "Please be safe, guys."
"Alright. Let's hide somewhere until they enter the village's gate."
Each of them then scattered to different portions of the village and concealed themselves. Katara brought it upon herself to keep the children inside one of the village's wooden houses, which was where Momo stayed.
The four komodo dragons stood in between each row of buildings. They were situated just a few feet away from Avatar Kyoshi's statue.
"Come on out! You can't protect the Avatar this time, Son Goku! There's nowhere else for him to hide."
No sort of response was given. The only thing that could be seen were frightened villagers, both old and young.
"If only Uncle could have taught me how to sense chi before this happened…" He scowled under his breath. He motioned for the other three komodo rhinos to move forward. "Find them! Burn down this entire village if you have to!"
Each rhino stomped across the path leading to the Meeting Hall. They all had three firebenders and three Fire Navy spearmen onboard. Before these creatures could walk another step, three Kyoshi Warriors jumped from the roof and powerfully kicked some of the soldiers off their mounts.
Another one then deployed her fans and blocked a jab from the Fire Navy soldier's spear. She used the force exerted from this weapon to jump up and smack him across the face with her boot.
"Hrrah!"
Suki then hopped on top of a komodo rhino and uppercut its rider in the chin. With that firebender now rendered unconscious, she leapt off of the rhino and dashed toward Zuko. She speedily evaded one of his fire blasts and made preparations to slash the prince's face with both fans.
"Hyaah!"
Just as the girl drew close to him in midair, Zuko spun his rhino around and smacked her with its tail. She slid across the ground, leaving her wide open to another stream of white-hot fire from his hands.
Thankfully, Sokka was able to block the fire with his own set of war fans. He glared at the prince, giving said firebender a chance to actually recognize him their first encounter.
"Hmph. Nice outfit, Water Tribe peasant." He sneered with a sinister grin. "And you called my helmet, girly."
"It's not girly to wear a warrior's uniform, Zuko. Though, I doubt you'd be able to understand that as some has-been prince or whatever."
Zuko bared his teeth in newfound rage. "What did you just say?"
"Look out."
He was then kicked off his own komodo rhino by Jie, proving Sokka's disingenuous warning to be true. His helmet went flying off of his head as a result.
"Dah!"
Before he could start attacking again, Sokka helped Suki off the ground and sprinted away.
"Guess training's over!"
Her, Sokka, and Jie surrounded the wounded prince on all sides, so he couldn't escape. Unfortunately, this only gave Zuko the opportunity to light his feet on fire and spin them around.
"Hrraagh!"
Jie was smacked through a cloth, fence-like door, Suki slammed against a wooden post, and Sokka struggled to stand up straight. Using what little chi abilities he had, he jumped up to evade another fire attack, but was then subsequently knocked over by a swift, superheated kick to his legs. He struggled to stand up from that last attack.
"These little girls can't save you from me. Show yourselves or I'll have to start taking hostages."
In split second timing, Zuko's remaining firebenders and komodo rhinos were knocked unconscious by an orange-blue streak. Goku then fully revealed himself alongside a very angry, guilt-ridden Aang. He couldn't stand to see the village's homes in such clear disrepair.
"We're over here, Zuko." The monk grunted.
"Finally." He hissed. The teen then blasted fireball after fireball at both of them. "Hraagh!"
Aang spun his staff around to dissolve the first one while Goku projected a stream of highspeed winds from his fist that both extinguished the second and smacked Zuko backward against the ground. If not for him grinding his feet against the sand, he would have been sent flying straight into a nearby house.
The prince seethed in pain. Whatever Goku used against him looked like wind, but it was so much more powerful than that. It rivaled even the Avatar's airbending skills in terms of strength.
"If you want us so badly, then come and get us!" The martial artist yelled. "Nimbus!"
They both jumped on top of the golden cloud and speedily flew toward Kyoshi Island's lake. Losing interest in the village, Zuko sprinted after the Flying Nimbus in sheer desperation.
"After them! We can't lose sight of those two!"
What little remained of his firebenders followed his orders and left the village behind. This provided Aang and Goku a good look at what level of destruction was brought upon the poor village. Many of the buildings' roofs were burning and torn to pieces as a result. Even Avatar Kyoshi's statue was left in shambles due to their flames.
"Look what I've done to this place."
"It's not your fault. Like Katara said, they lead themselves to Kyoshi Island, not any of us." Goku tried to assure him.
"It is, though, Goku. This town would have never gotten destroyed if they hadn't risked their lives trying to protect me." Aang sighed. He then narrowed his eyes. "I've got to do something."
"Well, I'm all ears, Aang. As soon as I knock out Zuko again, we can send these guys packing and—"
Once he the lank could be seen directly beneath them, the monk not-so-subtly leapt off of Nimbus and dived down. Goku widened his eyes in horror, not even thinking that Aang could be reckless enough to perform such a stunt.
"AANG! What are you doing?!"
"AAAAAAAH!" The recent Avatar screamed as he struggled to stay awake. "DON'T TRY TO STOP ME! I CAN DO THIS!"
From the village, Katara, Sokka, Suki, and everyone else could see the black speck that was Aang descending towards the water at faster-than-normal speeds.
"Aang! No!" The waterbender screamed.
He splashed into the water and didn't bother trying to swim back up. Quickly falling unconscious due to the incredible height from which he fell from, his last, lingering thoughts focused on his activation of the Avatar State. The monk desperately needed some way to call upon it like he did at the Southern Air Temple a few days ago.
"You can do this. Just remember what happened during the storm all those years ago. Bend the energy within your body…" Aang thought while closing his eyes. "Bend the energy within… your…"
He then vividly heard the sound of Goku and Katara calling his name. It became more and more pronounced as he drifted deeper into the lake's lowest parts.
"Aang!"
"Aang!"
"AANG!"
His eyes and arrows tattoos glowed a brilliant white hue once again. High amounts of chi surging through his body, Aang officially entered the Avatar State and surrounded his body in a massive tornado of water.
It launched himself out of the lake in a massive splash and seemed to hover in midair thanks to the water tornado's towering size. Zuko and his firebenders gasped at the sight of this power in absolute horror.
"No way…"
Goku sat on top of Nimbus and smiled from ear-to-ear. "Ah. So, that's what he meant."
Continuing to not say a single word, the empowered Aang gathered a massive stream of water into his hands and, much like a firehose or rain during a thunderstorm, sprayed it all over the village situated before him. This prevented Kyoshi's statue and every other building from burning to a crisp.
He then manipulated the tornado, so it could safely place him down on the island's beach. Since Zuko and his men were now standing there in a single row, Aang bended the entire tornado itself and smacked it against them like a whip.
"Gwaah!"
They were all sent flying back to their Fire Navy ship, causing the banished prince, out of fear at what he just witnessed, to issue a desperate retreat.
"Let's get out of here before our ship is damaged again! Retreat!" He shouted. Him and the firebenders quickly ran for the hills and, once their komodo rhinos were all back inside, set sail away from Kyoshi Island.
As they parted, Zuko glared up at Goku as he continued flying on Nimbus. He immaturely drooped his eyelid and stuck out his tongue, much to the prince's audible disgust.
"Errgh. This isn't over."
He couldn't afford to delay his chi training any longer. That form the Avatar, Aang, displayed was far too devastating to ignore. He wondered how his uncle would react to it.
Back at the beach, Aang collapsed onto the sand as his tattoos changed from a glowing white to blue. Goku hurriedly ordered Nimbus to land, so he could be there to catch him.
"Ugh. Did…Did I save the village?"
"You sure did, buddy. That was some awesome waterbending you did there." Goku beamed with a smile. "I bet Katara would be jealous."
"Yeah. Hehe." Aang weakly chuckled. He then, with some momentary struggle, stood on his own two feet. "We should probably go check on them."
"Way ahead of you."
With the Flying Nimbus in tow, Goku and Aang traveled back to the village. They were greeted with loud cheers and applause, most of which was directed towards the incredible waterbending skills Aang displayed in the Avatar State. Katara, in contrast, gave him a big hug.
"I'm so glad you're alright." She sighed. The monk returned her hug with the utmost enthusiasm. "What you did with the water was probably… the most amazing thing I've ever seen! How did you do it?!"
"Well, you know how it is with the Avatar State. I just sort of… uh… did it." Aang shrugged in oblivious.
Directly afterwards, Oyaji revealed himself from the crowd of villagers. He was accompanied by Suki, Jie, and every other Kyoshi Warrior present.
"Well, it was an impressive show of bending, my boy. You're definitely a worthy successor to Avatar Kyoshi and then some." He warmly proclaimed. "Thank you so much for protecting our village."
Aang frowned at all of the burns and wrecked buildings scattered throughout the village. He didn't see this as a victory at all.
"But I didn't. I may have put out the fires, but there's still so much left to be fixed. You shouldn't be thanking me."
Sokka then barged in on their conversation and wrapped an arm around Aang's shoulders, smirking.
"Ah, come on, Aang. Don't be so humble. You managed to singlehandedly scare Zuko and his group away from the island. It could have been a lot worse if that hadn't happened."
The monk rubbed his chin in thought. "That is true, yeah."
"How about you guys help out with some of the cleanup before you leave? Will that ease your conscious a little?" Suki suggested in a kind tone. "Plus, I'm sure there's some people you still need to say a proper goodbye to."
Koko, peaking her head out from one of the house's doors, stamped her foot and frowned. She puffed up her rosy cheeks for good measure.
"Yeah, Aangy! I won't let you leave yet!"
Aang chuckled at the girl's behavior and smiled. He was back to his positive, fun-loving self again.
"Hehe. Alright. I'll help out in any way I can."
"Yay!" All of the village's little girls cheered. They tossed Momo in the air, causing the poor lemur to screech from absolute shock and glide away.
While him and Katara got started cleaning up some of the more severe damages, Suki lightly tugged on Goku's sleeve, much to his confusion.
"By the way, there's also something I need to tell you, Goku. I'll save it for when you guys are ready to go."
The martial artist nodded. "Oh. Sure, Suki. I can wait."
"Thanks."
She then reconvened with her fellow Kyoshi Warriors and worked on a few substantial repairs herself. Sokka quirked a brow at Goku in confusion, causing him to blandly shrug his shoulders.
"Hey. Don't ask me."
Several hours later…
Although the village wasn't completely back to normal, it looked a lot better than it did. Most of the buildings' roofs were back to working condition and, thanks to Katara's waterbending, completely void of any scorch marks or burns. Aang, of course, got a little distracted by his adoring fangirls, but upon nightfall, he managed to complete his own repairs. He even helped repaint Avatar Kyoshi's statue with the help of his glider and Nimbus.
Sokka would have tried getting some more training done in the Kyoshi Dojo, but for some reason, Suki and the others wouldn't let anyone inside. He assumed that they might have been changing into other clothes, but that would have only taken a few minutes tops. Was there some big, long meeting that he wasn't aware of?
In the end, he just sighed. The teen was just glad that he didn't have to wear the Kyoshi Warrior uniform anymore. He respected its relevance to their culture and whatnot, but at the end of the day, it just wasn't his style. Their makeup, after all, wasn't designed for men like him in mind. Although, he did admit that seeing Goku in such an outfit would be pretty hilarious.
"Is that what Suki wants to talk to Goku about? I wonder…" He thought.
"All of the supplies are packed inside Appa's saddle, guys. Is everyone about ready to leave?" Katara asked.
"We can't, Katara. Suki wanted to talk to me about something first." Goku said.
"Well, she better do it soon. It's getting pretty late." The waterbender noted while looking up at the moon. "I don't want Appa to get exhausted too fast."
In that moment, the door to the Kyoshi Dojo opened up. The Kyoshi Warriors all filed out of the building with Suki in the lead. What was strange about this, however, was the fact that their leader had a fully stuffed bag hung along her shoulder. She also had an almost bittersweet smile on her face.
"So, you wanted to tell me something, Suki?"
"It's about what you told me in the dojo earlier. After seeing what Aang did to save the village and my people, I'm now convinced that my friend, Mingxia, was right all along. Kyoshi Island's isolationism should be a thing of the past." Suki proclaimed with a reluctant frown. "The world is in the middle of a war right now, so I think it should be the Kyoshi Warriors' and, more importantly, my job to help people."
"That's great! Glad to hear that—"
"Wait. Let me finish, Goku." The auburn-haired girl frowned. "Some of us here don't necessarily agree, so as their leader, I decided to come to a tough decision."
She darted her blue eyes to examine all four members of this team, excluding Momo, Nimbus, and Appa.
"I'm going to leave Kyoshi Island and join your group."
They widened their eyes in surprise. That was the last idea they expected to hear, admittedly.
"HUH?! You, a Kyoshi Warrior, want to… join us?" Sokka stammered.
"Yep, you heard right. At this very moment, the Fire Nation could be out there destroying other homes and villages. I want to make sure that no one experiences something like this again and there's no better way to do that than by helping the Avatar bring balance to this world." She declared with a smile. "And I suppose learning some chi and martial arts from Goku doesn't hurt either."
The girl glanced upon the four in a pleading, almost desperate manner. She looked very serious about this, much to a few of the Kyoshi Warriors' disappointment. Jie was one of them.
"What do you say?"
The four all huddled together to discuss Suki's new induction into their team. They whispered amongst themselves for a few moments before coming to a unanimous decision.
"You seem like a decent enough fighter, so why not? I'd love to train with you."
"It'd be nice to have another girl on the group for a change too. Welcome aboard, Suki." Katara said.
"Yeah! The more help, the better, I'd say!" Aang beamed.
Sokka tried to suppress the nervous blush that was plastered on his face.
"Uh… Erm…" He stammered before trying to play it cool. "I guess it'd be pretty cool to have you around… or whatever…"
Suki sighed in relief, thankful that this crazy idea actually paid off. Truth to be told, she spent most of those last few hours practicing what to say more than anything else.
"Thanks, you guys. I'll try to contribute as much as I can to this group." She assured them while bowing her head. "I'd like to say a few goodbyes to my sisters, though…"
"Sisters?" Goku thought. He wondered if they were adopted or something.
"You're making a mistake, Suki. We're supposed to protect the island, not leave it in danger!" Jie glowered.
"That's why the rest of you are staying behind to do just that." Suki whispered as she looked her fellow warrior in the eye. "You'll be leading them in my place, Jie, so please… take care of yourself, okay?"
Jie began to get emotional. Her eyes steadily brimmed with fresh tears.
"B-But we're sisters. We stick together, don't we?"
Sniffling, Suki gathered the Kyoshi Warriors in one big group hug. They could no longer stop their tears from falling.
"Of course, we are. We're sisters forever." She hoarsely promised. "I'll miss all of you so much."
Before some tears could ruin her face paint, Suki wiped them away and waved at the Kyoshi Warriors. The village's leader, Oyaji, was not too far away from them.
Suki bowed in front of him as a sign of respect and admiration. "Goodbye, Oyaji."
"Farewell, Suki. I know you'll make Kyoshi proud."
"I hope so."
She then walked over to her new friends and tried to put on a brave face. Goku tried to smile the same way, but it didn't work.
"W-Well, should we be going then?"
They all boarded Appa's saddle while Goku flew on Nimbus once more. Taking one last look at the steadily recovering Kyoshi Island, Aang slapped his sky bison's reins with a slight grin.
"Appa, yip-yip!"
"Grrraagh!"
The bison soared into the night sky as Oyaji looked upon them in high regard. He was in the middle of walking back to the village's Meeting Hall.
"Thank you, Avatar. Make sure Suki stays out of trouble."
As Appa ascended far above the clouds, the aforementioned Kyoshi Warrior a little woozier than expected.
"Woah! This will need to take some getting used to. You really travel like this all the time?"
Sokka shrugged. "It's either that or the golden magical cloud. Take your pick."
Suki glanced over at Goku as he sat cross-legged on Nimbus. She still didn't know how such an action was even humanly possible.
"I'll stick with Appa for now, thanks."
"By the way, Suki, I… uh…"
Katara knowingly smirked as her older brother began speaking in tongues.
"Yeah?"
Sokka nervously scratched the back of his head. "Well… uh… it's hard to explain…"
"Spit it out. What is it?"
"I just wanted to say… I'm sorry. I treated you like a girl when I should have treated you like a warrior!" Sokka sighed apologetically. "Goku told me how wrong I was for doing that, yet I still did it, anyway. I really apologize for that, believe me."
Suki smiled at this while suggestively batting her eyelashes. He really wasn't that bad of a guy, after all.
"Well, I may be a warrior…"
She then kissed him flat on the cheek, causing him to hang open his mouth in shock. Even Katara didn't expect that to happen.
"…but I'm a girl too. Hehe."
The boy's cheeks flushed a bright pink as he stood frozen in place. This caused Suki and Katara to giggle while Goku waved a hand in front of the Southern Water Tribe boy's face on Nimbus.
"Uh… Sokka? Anybody home?"
"Smooth, Sokka. Very smooth." Aang chuckled, repeating what Katara said earlier.
The group of five then sailed into the dark night, heading a course for the next stop on their journey. This stop, in fact, would be a place Goku and Aang were already familiar with.
It was called the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu. A lot about it, however, has changed in the past one-hundred years or so. One such change was its new king, who most people who knew him would describe as nothing short of a mad genius.
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