Decisions

Long story short, General Fong induced The Avatar State in Aang. That's fine, cool even, with Aang learning a lesson in not to take the easy way out. Something he should've known already as he has tried to take the easy way out before by running away. That didn't work out well. What wasn't all that fine, was me nearly losing my head in the resulting natural disaster that was the rampaging twelve year old. It might not sound all that threatening, but when Aang glows up... Yeah.

And you want to know what I realized as I watched him enter The Avatar State? He gets at least a few hundred levels when entering it! How OP is that? In fact, I have a small theory that it isn't just a normal static "level boost," but instead, a culmination of levels from all of Aang's past lives. Meaning if every Avatar was at least level one hundred, and then those combine... Aang would at least be over ten thousand. But, I didn't know. Maybe that wasn't the case.

It was actually probably way lower than ten thousand. Since a lot of Avatars probably didn't live long enough to become a fully realized Avatar.

...

It was nighttime, we were all camping out after the fiasco at the fortress. Earlier in the day Aang had started Earthbending training. It went about as well as expected, meaning not well at all.

I honestly had nothing to do. So I was lying around like Sokka. Of course, I was practicing Airbending by trying to Soundbend, so I wasn't being completely unproductive. I didn't actually think there was a lazy bone in my body at this point.

'Though that's kind of contradictory with how I want nothing more than to return home and lie in bed while watching YouTube,' I thought.

I then began thinking about the episodes of Avatar.

'Hm. Now that I think about it, the Cave of Two Lovers is coming up, isn't it?' I wondered. I seriously doubted there'd be any development with that, since, well, Toph.

'I guess that also means there won't be any development between Katara and Aang, though mostly with Aang.' I actually couldn't care less about how things changed at this point though.

'Well, maybe Toph will do something to purposely get alone with Sokka if she's already crushing on him? Or maybe not... Is that in-character with her? She sort of backs off after Suki appears,' I pondered to myself.

'I mean, she sort of feels to me like a gogetter in a relationship... I wonder what happened between her and Kanto and that other random dude who had Suyin with her?' I'd actually get to see it in person, eventually.

'I have to make sure they aren't assholes,' I told myself. It wasn't that weird to feel protective for a close friend, plus...

I had always wanted a sister, and Toph was slowly taking that role for me. "Maybe I'm just getting attached too easily at this point," I murmured to myself sadly.

At this rate, there may come a day where I didn't mind if I wasn't able to return home. That day may be soon. 'I guess when that happens, I'll have fully accepted my situation and moved on,' I smiled. That wouldn't be too bad, in fact, I hoped for that. Cause it sucked.

It sucked that I constantly felt terrible. It sucked that I couldn't do anything about my situation. It sucked that I was helpless. Because being depressed constantly, fucking sucked, and was mentally draining.

I didn't want it anymore, and maybe that was a good thing. Or the best for me in the long run at the very least.

'Hey, System, could you give me a flaw like depression, so that I can feel immense satisfaction and overwhelming joy at getting rid of it?' No response, of course.

"Guess it isn't that easy."

...

"Hey, Blindspot?"

"What?" She asked.

"Just for your information, Sokka already sort of has a girlfriend," I informed her.

"... Why am I supposed to care?" I looked at her meaningfully. I knew she was just putting up a tough-

"Do I need to knock some sense into you?" i stopped looking at her.

...

Toph's POV

Shiiink!

Shiiink!

I woke up to the sound of light ringing. Irritated, I walked out of my closed rock shelter. Going towards the sound, I sensed it came from Elliot.

His breathing was soft as always, his heart steady, and his movements fluid. He was sharpening his sword with a whetstone. He worked tirelessly on honing the blade, and I observed for a while. I didn't know how long he sat there, or how long I had watched.

But eventually, my annoyance came back. Walking up to him, I grumpily said, "Is your skin rock-like from all that cutting already?"

"Toph? You're awake?" he asked cluelessly.

"Yeah. But it's not at all due to the noise you're making, so don't worry!" I informed him, sarcasm lacing my voice.

"Oh. Sorry about that, I'll move further away next time," he apologetically muttered to me.

"Why are you sharpening your sword anyways?" Only after the words came out of my mouth did I realize how stupid they sounded. Thankfully, he didn't notice.

"It's just something to do. I sort of realized that I don't really do much aside from training," he had the gall to say.

"You just figured that out Hustler?" It was rhetorical. I already knew the answer.

"What? Training is fun," he defended himself sheepishly.

"Yeah? And how's it so fun?" I wondered aloud with a dry voice.

"It's... Just imagine being able to feel yourself improve, constantly. Being able to see it, even. I may not improve as fast as Aang, Katara, or even you, Toph, but it's noticeable to me, and I... I love it," he explained to me passionately.

"... You're weird," I told him bluntly.

"Maybe, but that's not the only reason. I... honestly don't really know what to do some times, I'm just going through the motions, you know?"

'I know,' I wanted to say. I knew all too well what it was like to just drift. My parents made sure I experienced that constantly. I was... grateful, to him, that he had pulled me out of there. I had never told him, and I probably wouldn't tell him now either, but I was.

"Training makes me feel in control. It makes me stop thinking about the things I can't control, and it distracts me from negative thoughts, it's nice," he further expanded.

"Isn't there anything else you like to do besides Hustle?"

"There is. It's just hard to... do them out here, camping and all that," he shrugged.

"Cool," was all I commented. Now I felt all awkward, in silence and alone with him. I was acting so unlike my usual self. Where had my confidence gone?

I felt stupid, and yet at the same time, I didn't mind it. Because it felt nice to... feel like a girl sometimes, and not some princess.

...

Elliot's POV

Toph had left to go back to sleep, and I was still sharpening my sword.

[The skills, Honing and Sharpening, have combined into, Steeling!]

[{Steeling} has leveled up!]

"Great," I smiled. I had thought that was the case, that some skills could combine into a more comprehensive/involving one.

Not only was I using this to relax, but also to increase my survivability. Knowing how to keep a blade sharp and maintained wasn't a bad skill to have. I had asked Sokka for some tips, and he was happy to help.

Plus, I had remembered the dishwashing skill that allowed me to increase the integrity of washed dishes. It made me hopeful that I could do the same for my sword. And, well, indeed, I could.

Doing something monotonously as this though, also helped me think. 'Should I kill Azula?' I questioned myself. Honestly, that lady was unhinged. The world would be better off without her, well, even if not that, it'd be easier for me, at least, without her.

'But the comics don't fully show her influence or effects on the timeline in LoK, maybe she doesn't even HAVE that much effect after the comics on LoK,' I contemplated. But then I noticed something, was it weird for me to be thinking about whether I should kill someone while sharpening my sword?

'If that's weird or not doesn't matter, Azula does though,' I was leaning more towards killing her. But I still had enough time before the perfect chance to kill her appeared. It was possibly the only chance before the final battle to get rid of the thorn named Azula.

'Surrounded by Iroh, Zuko, Aang, Katara, Toph, Sokka...' What better chance was there than the situation from Episode 8 of Book Two, Chase?

'Zuko may end up hating me though, Ty Lee and Mai too potentially... Shit,' There was tons of merits and demerits.

The biggest merits being... 'She's the one that prevents the invasion during the eclipse and takes over Ba Sing Se, that probably won't happen without her,' I thought.

The biggest demerit for killing Azula, is Aang not learning Energybending. Or him getting the Avatar State by unlocking his seventh Chakra because of Azula.

Which meant killing/subduing Ozai was only a pipedream unless during the Eclipse meaning Aang would have to kill him. Unless he learnt Energybending.

'I could just guide him to the Lion Turtle, right?' I ruminated.

'Okay, so there's a solution,' I told myself inwardly.

'But, then, since Aang won't be able to enter The Avatar State, he won't be able to break free from Yakone's- wait, no. Scratch that. He'll probably be able to enter it unconsciously since it's a defense mechanism,' I answered my own question.

My head was hurting as I thought deeply about how things would change, or things I already had changed. It was all so much, and yet it happened in less than a year. So little time to prepare.

I could only hope that things worked out. Because I didn't know what to do.

I was no strategist, nor an unhinged genius. All I'm good at was Math, Videogames, and Reading.

'But, well...' I smirked as I stared at my status panel. Since Azula treated this like a game, I may as well beat her at it.

I had to. I would think about the consequences of my actions and the effects of them in the future after Ozai was dealt with. For now though...

'As indecisive as I may be, I think I've come to a decision,' I affirmed to myself.

'Sorry Azula, but you won't be burning anyone else as long as I have something to say about it.' I was determined to snuff such a wild flame.