Chapter 7: Progress
For a while now, Toph continued to train me properly after Master Yu left.
I guess Master Yu didn't think it fair for me to continue with just the basics with Toph after seeing how promising I was, so he invited me to his school for 25% off the first year.
Obviously, I declined, since I'd rather spend time with Toph, than some money hungry old man.
I told him I want to be with my fiancee and that I don't care for learning any more earthbending.
Master Yu just smiled awkwardly, and regretfully, at my response.
I said this with Toph in earshot.
She just blushed and looked away as usual.
After learning to sense vibrations to a level similar to Toph (to her amazement), we started sneaking to the now empty Earth Rumble arena at night.
Since the first night, I've been losing to Toph in our battles, but I've slowly been getting better.
Just because I have [Limitless Potential] doesn't mean my weak beginner earthbender body can react to the body of a master like Toph, who's been taught by the original earthbenders, badger moles and bending since 5 years old.
I did daily morning exercises to supplement this disparity, and I managed to quickly catch up to Toph.
After a while of fighting almost evenly, I managed to bring my win/loss ratio closer to zero.
That was in half a year.
That's pretty fast, considering it takes a few years for a bender to become an expert, and even longer to become a master.
Just take Zuko for example.
He had a lot of potential as a powerful firebender despite what his father thought of him, but it still took him at least 3 years under Iroh, the greatest firebender alive right now, to get to expert level.
Same with Aang. He had tremendous talent, being the avatar and all, but it took him around 5 years give or take, to become a master airbender that could even make his own move, the Air Scooter.
Katara may be the only exception, though. She trained by herself using a waterbending scroll for a few weeks everyday, then went to the North Pole and was graduated to master by her grandfather after they fought, and she only learned from him for only a few days.
My progress can be considered extremely fast, considering Lu Chen's potential was average at best before the incident.
It could've been faster had I not teased Toph so much while we fought, causing her to get angry and embarrassed enough to knock me out early.
Seeing her cute reactions was worth cutting the training short, though.
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About a year passed since we began training. I've only won 2 times, but the recent months have been a losing streak for me. I'm positive this training with her has made her stronger than in cannon.
"Alright, Toph. Tonight is the night I beat you!"
"We'll see about that, Lu!"
Knowing Toph will wait for my first attack, I crouch down and punch into the ground, causing two rock pillars to sprout to the left and right of Toph.
I bend them towards Toph, using them as distractions in order to get another move ready.
Toph, instead of waiting for them to get any closer, stretches her arms up to my rock pillars, bending rock pillars of her own to destroy mine.
I use these few seconds of distraction to wrap my forearms and hands in rock, similar to the Dai Li, while launching myself into the air.
I plan to stay airborne for now, in order to keep her from seeing me. This'll be the first time I'm using the Dai Li's earth gloves in battle, since I've been practicing how to finely bend earth into a thin coating of armor, instead of the bulky ones you see Aang and Toph use in the show. I'll be using it as part of a surprise attack, but that will only work on Toph once.
Toph narrows her eyes once she can't feel me on the ground. She knows I'm planning something.
I shoot out a few small rocks from my forearms at her, but she hears the sound of the rocks coming off and bends up a wall to shield herself.
Using the rocks still attached to my hands, I force them to the earth, increasing my falling speed, and slam into the ground with both my fists, like the Hulk.
My fall causes a blast wave of earth to launch towards Toph, breaking her shield and shattering the ground beneath her.
Toph stumbles, surprised my how fast I fell back into the ground, not knowing I used earthbending to force the rocks around my arm to increase my falling speed.
Using her stumble to my advantage, I turn the pebbles around her into sand, and force her into the ground up to her neck.
Knowing she can easily escape from this and counter me, I launch a few earth spikes at her, stopping a few centimeters in front of her head.
"Looks like I was the one who wiped the floor with you, this time, Toph."
I walk up to her still buried body and pinch her nose teasingly.
"You just took me by surprise, is all! I'll be ready for your little trick next time!"
Toph earthbends herself out of the trap I made and brushed the sand on her clothes off.
"Seriously, who taught you how to do that falling thing? I know I didn't. I don't like having my feet off the ground, after all."
I shrug my shoulders. I just copied Aang when I remembered him using airbending to force himself to fall faster when dealing with the drill. I just applied that to the earth around my arms to bring myself down faster.
"Eh, I just thought of it myself. Since the roof to this place is pretty high, I couldn't use it to make another rock pillar to launch myself back down, so I just improvised."
"Man, your so cool. If I wasn't so afraid of losing my 'sight' I would've wanted to learn that move too."
"Heh, thanks for the rare compliment, Toph."
Toph seems to brace herself after I said that, then looks at me in confusion after nothing happens.
"What, no teasing this time? You usually do that after I praise you."
...
"Did you want me to tease you?"
"N-no!"
Toph then looks at me in realization and point at me accusingly.
"Y-you just did it right now! You teased me!"
The reverse phycology tactic was successful.
"Hahaha, got you there! Come on, let's clean up and get outta here! People are gonna come in soon!"
Toph and I start cleaning the mess our battle made, since Earth Rumble VI is starting soon and potential contestants are starting to come in early in the morning to participate in the qualifiers.
Toph wasn't planning on participating this year, but I convinced her to do it by saying that I wanted to see the fighting form of my future wife from an outside perspective.
Let's just say I was more injured from the cuteness of her reaction to my words, than from the punches she was throwing at me in embarrassment.
After cleaning up I grab Toph's hand we make our way to our homes.
Despite Toph still hitting me when embarrassed, we've become much, much closer than the day we first met.
Sometimes, when we talk on the bench in her family's garden, she would lean her head on my shoulder. Sometimes feeling up my arm. I guess my daily workouts have shown it's results.
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Once arriving to Toph's house, still hand in hand, she says goodnight, pulls my head down by the collar of my shirt, and kisses me on me cheek.
Since I've grown taller in this year due to exercise, quality food, and the start of puberty, I'm now a few inches taller than Toph. She has to either pull me down, or jump up and grab onto my neck in order to kiss my cheek now.
Going by Imperial standards, I'm about 5'6", which is tall for a 13 year old, and Toph is around 4'11".
(A/N: Everyone in ATLA is extremely short. For some stupid reason, they used Aang's head as a form of measurement, and some fans converted it to regular units. Yes, they are in a time period where everyone is short compared to modern times, but I've increased everyone's height to make it easier for me. 5'6" = 167 cm = 66 in; 4'11" = 150 cm = 59 in.)
We haven't properly kissed yet, since I want to take this part of the relationship slowly, so that Toph doesn't feel rushed. She'll kiss me on her own time. Earthbenders are like that.
What, I should initiate a kiss? No way, dude, I don't want my arm to fall off.
To protect my arm, I'll sacrifice some of my manliness and wait for Toph to do it first.
I say goodnight as well and kiss her blushing cheeks back.
I turn around and head home.