The Promise Chapter Three

I don't own Digimon or Avatar: Last Airbender

Chapter Three

"Yaah!" Ho-Tun, Penga and The Dark One shouted thrusting their hands towards a metal coin each placed on poles of bamboo.

"Nothing. No movement at all." Ho Tun said sadly.

"How am I supposed to impress Sokka?" Penga whined.

"I hate failure." The Dark One grumbled.

"This is bad! I can't focus on forms with doom coming in two days!" Ho Tun shouted in despair.

"I'm sick of hearing you talk about doom! I'm not practicing with you anymore!" Penga told him.

"I hate...I hate...all of this!" The Dark One said looking away from Penga and Ho Tun.

"So these were the most qualified students you could find?" Sokka asked Toph as he and her watched the three students from another room.

"It wasn't me," Toph said lifting her shirt sleeve up. "It was this,"

"Oh your space bracelet," Sokka said looking at Toph's bracelet. "I remember I gave you that when I finished training with Master Piandao."

"Yup. About a year ago, I noticed that every now and then, when I was in public, my bracelet would shiver the tiniest bit." Toph explained walking out of the school and Sokka followed. "I could only feel it when I was really paying attention. Eventually I figured out that this would only happen around people who were super emotional. So I had an idea, maybe those people who could move my bracelet could also become metalbenders. I started recruiting them to my school."

"So you found Penga, Ho-Tun and The Dark One in Yu Dao?" Sokka asked and Toph nodded.

"I found Ho-Tun in a ramen shop; he had just found a spider-wasp in his ramen...actually more like half a spider-wasp. Penga was in the marketplace arguing over some shoes with one of her family's servants. And I found The Dark One looking at people in a street corner,"

That sounds about right. Katara found out she was a waterbender because the ice would crack whenever I made her mad, I mean super emotional," Sokka said walking back to the school with Toph.

"Yeah, but there's a problem with that method of finding students that way. Think about it, what kind of people get super emotional in public?" Toph asked opening the door to see Ho-Tun, Penga and The Dark One still arguing.

"Crazy people?" Sokka asked.

"Crazy people!" Toph answered. "And even worse the whole thing is just a theory! Nobody in that sorry group of lily livers has moved the smallest piece of metal since they've been here! Not even a coin! Ugh sometimes I wish Daisuke was here, she's a better teacher than I am,"

"Now don't get ahead of yourself. You know I don't like to brag," Sokka said.

"You love to brag," Toph replied.

"Okay, I love to brag, but Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe is just what this school needs," Sokka told her.

"What're you talking about?" Toph asked him before continuing. "You're not a bender of anything, let alone metal,"

"Oh but I am a bender. I may not be able to bend the elements like the rest of the Gaang, but I can bend people's motivation! I'm a motivational bender!" Sokka said proudly.

"That's a stretch." Toph said.

"Hey who led the invasion on the day of black sun? Who started training warriors in his own tribe when he was just a boy? Sokka the Motivational Bender that's who!" Sokka said. "Just explain to me metalbending basics. Then leave your students to me," soon he was standing in front of Toph's three students while holding a coin in his hand. "To be a metalbender you need to not only see the metal, but hear the metal, taste the metal and be the metal!" he told them.

"That doesn't even make sense," Ho-Tun said scratching his head.

"Why should we listen to you? You're not a bender," The Dark One said.

"Hey don't talk to my future boyfriend that way!" Penga shouted defending Sokka who sweat dropped.

"I've already told you guys, I am a bender, a bender of motivation," he said.

"Hey Sokka am I doing this right? I'm rolling my eyes at you," Toph said pointing to her eyes.

"Look people can we just give this a shot? Let's start with the defending-palm technique!" Sokka told the three students who bent their knees. "First take a strong and steady stance just like Sifu Toph taught you. Next, gather your chi deep in your gut, feel your gut heat up like a furnace. Now let your gut furnace refine your senses! Close your eyes and feel the earth around you. Then feel the metal within that earth!" he then tossed three metal coins towards Ho-Tun, Penga and The Dark One. "Now feel the metal coins coming at you and stop them in mid-air! Come on Team Beifong, metalbend!" he shouted but the coins hit the students in their foreheads making them cry out in pain.

"I'm bleeding! My forehead's going to get infected and then-" Ho-Tung said on his knees holding his forehead.

"You'd better buy me some shoes to make up for this!" Penga shouted at Sokka.

"Do I even need to say anything?" The Dark One asked Sokka rubbing his forehead.

"I know The Dark One. You hate me," Sokka grumbled as Toph punched his arm hard.

"Nice going, O great bender of people's motivation! Amazing what a difference you can make," she said.

"You're not very helpful right now," Sokka said rubbing his arm. Meanwhile back in Ba Sing Se, Aang and Katara were sitting in the clubhouse and Aang was demonstrating his Air Scooter to the club members while Katara sat against the wall upset.

"And this is the Air Scooter. It's a technique I invented when I was training at the Southern Air Temple. It's part of how I earned my Airbending Tattoos." Aang explained to the girls.

"Avatar Aang is so dreamy," one girl said and the other girls nodded. Aang began to create small spheres of air in his hands.

"And here's a new technique I've been working on, first I make a handful of Air Marbles...and then I turn them all into Air Scooters," Aang said breathing a gust of wind turning the Air Marbles into Air Scooters which lifted some of the girls onto them and they all gasped in awe.

"Um Avatar Aang," Hei-Wong said walking towards him.

"Good morning Hei-Wong, come join the fun," Aang told her.

"I'd like to like introduce you to somebody. This is my fellow co-president and co-founder Yee-Li, she's wanted to meet you like forever," Hei-Wong said introducing a girl beside her.

"Another co-president and co-founder, how many of you are there?" Aang asked and all the girls in the clubhouse raised their hands.

"It is such an honour Avatar Aang. I want to show you something I bought from a travelling merchant a few years ago," Yee-Li told Aang handing him a flute.

"Wow an Airbender's flute, Monk Gyatso used to have one just like this," Aang said happily.

"I knew it just had to be from the Airbenders, do you know how to play?" Yee-Li asked and Aang nodded taking the flute and he began to play music with it and all the girls in the clubhouse began dancing to the music and Katara grumbled standing up and she grabbed her boyfriend.

"I don't mean to ruin the moment Aang, but didn't we come here to meet the Earth King?" she asked him.

"Oh you're probably right," Aang said. "We should get going." Aang, Katara and Momo walked out of the clubhouse. "Weren't they amazing?!" Aang asked as he stopped walking. "I know it's just a silly fan club, but for a moment there, it almost felt like...Like I was at home again. With my people. Thanks for agreeing to stay there for the night sweetie, it meant a lot to me," Aang told a shocked Katara

"Don't thank my Aang, I don't deserve it," Katara said and the couple walked off. Meanwhile back at the prison, Ozai looked up to see Zuko walk in with some more tea before he sat down.

"I stayed up all night thinking about what you said," Zuko said looking down at his cup. "At the beach, I was overwhelmed by my circumstances because I couldn't decide which side to take. I should have sided with the hawk. It was strong and noble, much like the Fire Nation. It had earned its meal. But I've already done that, father! I'm no longer neglecting the needs of my own people, as I did when I first took the throne! And I still can't sleep!" he shouted.

"You're only partially correct in your assessment. Your sleeplessness does indeed stem from your inability to choose sides, to distinguish what is right. But you're wrong about the hawk." Ozai told him sipping his tea.

"So you're saying I should have defended the turtle-crab? I should have sided with the weaker of the two?" Zuko asked confused.

"What I'm saying is...there is no right or wrong apart from what you decide. Whom you choose to defend deserves to be defended simply because you chose them. You are the Fire Lord. What you choose by definition, is right." Ozai answered with a smirk.

"No! Right and wrong are bigger than me, or you, or even the Avatar! And I believe that the Avatar, the Earth King, and I can come closest to what's right by working together!" Zuko told his father.

"I've heard rumours about this little meeting of yours." Ozai said pointing to Zuko. "Do you think the Earth King, after being humiliated time and time again by our mighty nation and his own incompetence will be reasonable? Do you think he'll treat the remaining Fire Nation colonies fairly? In an attempt to restore his own dignity, he'll send out his army to crush them," Ozai said closing his fist. "If you truly are the Fire Lord, you will defend the Fire Nation citizens of Yu Dao ferociously! Not simply because they are your people, but because they are an expression of your will!"

"I'm going to wait!" Zuko shouted. "And my patience will be rewarded with a peaceful resolution for everyone! Even as we speak, the Avatar is-"

"The Avatar is a relic of a bygone age! He wants to keep the world frozen in time by denying the inevitable victory of the strong over the weak!" Ozai said.

"Avatar Aang is my friend! More often than not, he's been on the side that's right! I trust him!" Zuko said.

"More than you trust yourself? What about your wife? Do you trust her more than you trust yourself?" Ozai asked and Zuko growled and walked out of the room slamming the door behind him and as he left the prison Suki saw him leave and she sighed.

"Zuko...what are you doing?" she thought before walking off. The next morning back at Toph's Metalbending Academy, Ho-Tun, Penga and The Dark One were all in their stances again as Toph stood to the side.

"Look alive, lily livers! Take your horse stance, steady and strong!" Toph shouted. "Make your gut furnace and use it to feel the metal right in front of you, now kick like your life depends on it!" she shouted and her students kicked at the bamboo poles holding the coins but they didn't move again. "Not even a shiver," Toph mumbled frustrated.

"Aren't you going to yell at us?" Ho-Tun asked.

"No," Toph answered walking outside to find Sokka standing there. "Take a break you three and I mean it," she told her students.

"We've taken three breaks today already, the challenge is tomorrow," The Dark One told her but she ignored him and walked over to Sokka.

"You said your students were able to move your bracelet when they were super emotional right?" he asked and Toph nodded. "Well in order to make them metalbenders we just need to make them even more super emotional,"

"How are you going to do that? Wear two headbands?" Toph joked with a grin.

"No it's simple. Remember what you did during your final battle against Ozai? In the cabin of the Fire Nation airship? I need you to do something like that! If only we had a bunch of metal around here," Sokka said.

"There's a bunker full of metal under the school," Toph said leading Sokka down under the school to the bunker and he carried a lamp and a chart.

"Look at all this Fire Nation armour, but who would make armour for kids?" he asked holding a small helmet in his hands.

"A weirdo like Kunyo, that's who," Toph answered, Sokka nodded and tossed the helmet away and held out the chart in his hand.

"So here's what I need you to make with your metalbending powers!" he told Toph who turned and waved her hand in front of her eyes.

"Hello, how many times do I have to remind you that I'm blind?" she asked.

"Right, sorry. How about I just describe it to you?" Sokka answered and Toph nodded and as Sokka described what was on the paper Toph began to work bending the metal and when she was done Sokka grinned. "Toph Beifong, you've outdone yourself this time."

"Just call me the greatest earthbender of all time," Toph said removing the dust from her hands while Sokka laughed. "No seriously call me it,"

"Toph you're the greatest earthbender of all time," Sokka said making her smirk.

"Thank you," Toph said.

"Now how can we make your students metalbend, for Ho Tun it's easy," Sokka said.

"Doom," Toph replied.

"Penga?" Sokka asked.

"Shoes," Toph answered.

"The Dark One is the only one I can't figure out," Sokka said before Toph whispered into his ear making him sweat. "Seriously that's what his parents named him?" he asked in disbelief and Toph nodded. "No wonder he hates everything." Meanwhile back in Ba Sing Se, Aang and Katara were in front of Earth King Kuei.

"Greetings Earth King Kuei," Aang said bowing slightly to the king.

"Avatar Aang, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, I heard it's much too long," The Earth King said with a smile standing up. "I heard you were in the Earth Kingdom dealing with the situation at Yu Dao. Thank you for all your help with the removal of that colony, the remaining few seem to be more difficult than-,"

"That's why we're here, Your Majesty. We'd like to set up a meeting between you and Fire Lord Zuko. Yu Dao...is still there," Katara told the King.

"For now," Aang added making the Earth King frown and rub his chin.

"So then, the Fire Lord persists in denying the movement his support! He wants to keep his colonies!" he said making Aang face palm in frustration.

"Your Majesty, I'm on your side! The people of the Fire Nation don't belong in your kingdom, so the Harmony Restoration Movement has to continue! With a little convincing, I'm sure Fire Lord Zuko-," he said to the King before Katara spoke up.

"Fire Lord Zuko has legitimate concerns about the colonials who still live there! We really need to sit down and talk through our options. Maybe there's something we missed." Kuei frowned in anger not liking what he was hearing. As the meeting was going on Sokka and Toph's students were sitting around a campfire.

"This is bad. Why do we have to be outside? It's so doom-y," Ho Tun said shaking in fear.

"Ho Tun that's not even a word," Sokka told him. "And besides a campfire is the perfect setting for Team Beifong bonding,"

"I think it's romantic," Penga said wrapping her arms around Sokka's who raised an eyebrow.

"No it's not," he replied.

"Where's Sifu Toph? Shouldn't she be here for this team bonding?" The Dark One asked.

"She'll be here soon! She just had to, uh ... Take care of some sifu-ish type stuff first. Hey, do you guys remember that flying boar banner that used to be in the training room? The one Kunyo burned down? Anyone know why it was there?" Sokka asked the three students.

"That's the symbol of the Beifong family," Penga answered with a giggle.

"No! I mean, yes it is, but that's not why the banner was there! Sifu Toph hung that banner up to placate the winged boar spirit that haunts this mountain!" Sokka said.

"Winged boar spirit!?" Ho Tun exclaimed in fear.

"What're you talking about?" The Dark One asked him.

"Yes! The winged boar spirit! The ancient harbinger of doom and eater of fine footwear!" Sokka shouted.

"Doom and footwear!?" Penga and Ho Tun shouted terrified while The Dark One rolled his eyes.

"And now that Kunyo has burned down the banner we can expect the spirit to show up any moment now," Sokka said as a large winged boar made of metal roared and approached the group of four with a lot of shoes in its arm.

"My shoes, how did it find my shoes?" Penga asked terrified as the Winged Boar Spirit began eating her shoes. "No! Not the jade platforms, anything but the jade platforms!" she shouted froth coming out of her mouth as she cried while Ho Tun fainted and The Dark One crossed his arms.

"This is ridiculous. I know that's you in there, Sifu Toph." he said and a hatch opened and Toph poked her head out and smirked.

"Very perceptive, The Dark One! Or should I say ...Moo-Chee-Goo-Chee-La-Poo-Chee! The Third!" she shouted making The Dark One's eyes widen and he fell to his knees.

"By uttering that name...you've lodged a splinter into my soul," he said beginning to sob.

"This is going to be better than I'd hoped! Everybody feel all that emotion coursing through your bodies? I want you to direct it at these coins! Let's metalbend, Team Beifong!" Sokka shouted taking out some coins and throwing them towards the three students but they didn't respond. "Team Beifong?" he asked.

"My shoes...my shoes," Penga whimpered.

"This isn't working like I hoped," Sokka grumbled rubbing his forehead. Meanwhile Aang and Katara were still in the Earth Palace and eating some food as the Earth King walked over to them.

"Avatar Aang and Katara, thank you for giving me the time to ponder our present situation." he told them.

"No problem your majesty. So when should we set up our meeting with Fire Lord Zuko?" Aang asked and the Earth King looked down with regret.

"I'm sorry, but you're not going to like what I have to say. All my life I've been weak - so weak that my most trusted advisor was able to hide a hundred years' war behind a curtain of lies! Well, I'm tired of being weak! It's time for me to be a man!" he said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Katara asked furiously.

"Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Lady Daisuke promised they would see the Harmony Restoration Movement through to the very end. Now they've turned that promise into a lie! Why should I meet with them- So they can tell me more lies?! I will not stand for any more lies! I will order General How to lead my troops to Yu Dao and enforce harmony!" The Earth King answered.

"Are you out of your mind your majesty, doing that will be seen as a declaration of war," Aang told him.

"The Fire Nation residents of Yu Dao will either leave my kingdom peacefully or face the most dire of consequences! That is my decision! If you are not with me, Avatar Aang, then I can only assume you are against me!" The Earth King told Aang before walking off and Aang and Katara shared a look of worry. Back at Toph's metalbending academy, Toph was sitting on the stairs as Sokka walked over to her.

"Hey there you are, I've got another idea," Sokka said.

"You ever think about metal?" Toph asked him.

"Not really all I think about is meat whenever my mind wanders," he answered.

"Metal is just a part of earth that's been purified and refined. But how does it become like that? By getting heated, melted, and pounded. By going through pressure and pain. I discovered metalbending in a tiny metal cell, when Master Yu and Xin Fu were taking me back to my parents. That whole trip, all I could think about was how my parents expected me to be something I'm not. Sure, they wanted me to be helpless, but they also wanted me to be a cultured, well-mannered, soft-spoken little lady. All I felt was pressure and pain. When I brought Ho Tun, Penga, and The Dark One to this school, I expected them to become metalbenders! I was going to make them tough enough to move the most stubborn part of the most stubborn element! I expected them to be something they're not." Toph said and her students who were packing their belongings up heard her speak and they froze. "How is what I'm doing to them different from what my parents did to me? Maybe the Beifong Metalbending Academy is just a way for me to pass all that pressure and pain to someone else." she then stood up and walked into her school. "When Kunyo comes tomorrow I'm going to go up to him and sit down, he can have his school back,"

"Toph wait," Sokka shouted as Toph slammed the door to her school and Sokka looked at the door sadly. The next morning Toph and Sokka were waiting in the school as Kunyo and his students walked through the door with the metal wrapped around Kunyo's head still there with flags with the Fire Nation symbol on them.

"Greetings, enemies of Kunyo! Prepare to be roasted in the flames of your own defeat!" Kunyo shouted.

"Nice headgear," Sokka said.

"I find it a convenient way to carry flags. I can take it off anytime I want. Where are your students, young lady? It's time to begin our deadly match to the ... uh, sit!" Kunyo said.

"I don't know where they are, but it doesn't matter you can have your school back Kunyo," Toph said beginning to sit down making Kunyo laugh.

"I knew it," he said as the door was slammed open by Ho Tun, Penga and The Dark One.

"Sifu Toph don't sit down!" Ho Tun shouted as a metal coin on one of the bamboo poles flew and hit Toph in the leg.

"Ho Tun, did you just metalbend?" she asked her student.

"He figured it out!" Penga cheered.

"Yeah I think he did," The Dark One said.

"Disciples of Kunyo attack!" Kunyo shouted and his three students jumped onto each other and began to fire bend at Toph's students who ran for cover.

"Don't run now Team Beifong, it's time to metalbend!" Sokka shouted throwing coins at Ho Tun, Penga and The Dark One who managed to redirect them at the students with Ho Tun bending two hitting the student on top of the tower in the head knocking them down and Penga metalbent a coin hitting another student.

"This is fun," Penga said with a smile as The Dark One metalbent the rest of the coins hitting the students who threw fireballs but they only heated up the coins making them cry out in pain as the hot metal struck them.

"Stop firebending my fellow disciples we're only making the coins hotter," One of the students shouted.

"Don't stop firebending my disciples!" Kunyo shouted before Toph's student's metalbent the coins at him making him cry out in pain and he ran out of the school with his students following.

"We did it!" Penga cheered.

"Wow I'm impressed," Sokka said with a smile and Toph nodded.

"Sifu Toph. Last night, the three of us were packed up and ready to leave. Then we overheard what you said about us." The Dark One told her.

"But I didn't say anything nice about you at all," Toph replied confused.

"You said you expected us to be metalbenders," The Dark One told her.

"Nobody's ever expected me to be anything other than a ... a ... a wimp." Ho Tun said.

"A brat," Penga said.

"A dark and handsome hunk," The Dark One said.

"Really?" Sokka asked him.

"Why can't people see I'm more than just a pretty face?! I have the soul of a poet!" The Dark One answered.

"Sifu Toph, you're the first person to believe that we can become more than what we are." Ho Tun said and Toph had her back to them and she quickly wiped a tear from her eye before she turned to her students.

"What're you lily livers waiting for, then?! You think getting some coins to fly through the air makes you metalbending masters?! Get back to practice!" she shouted and her students bowed.

"Yes Sifu Toph," they said.

Meanwhile Zuko was standing in his throne room of the old royal palace where he held his meetings and where Daisuke taught children firebending. He stared at the flames in front of his before he sighed and waved his hand extinguishing the flames. "This isn't me," he said to himself.

"You're right it's not you...it's your father," he turned to see Daisuke walking towards him with Suki and Flame behind her, Zuko smiled and he walked over to her when she held a hand out stopping him. "I know about your secret meetings with Ozai, Zuko."

"How did you find out?" Zuko asked her shocked.

"Suki told me. She saw you leaving the prison when I asked her to fill in for a guard who was out sick ," she answered making her husband sigh.

"I'm sorry, you weren't supposed to know," he said looking at the expressionless look on his wife's face.

"Well I did find out and let me ask you this; what the hell were you thinking?!" Daisuke asked making Zuko step back at his wife's tone.

"I needed advice and I didn't know who else to turn to. You were busy with your Firebending academy and uncle is in Ba Sing Se," Zuko told her and Daisuke saw the look of defeat on his face.

"I understand," she said turning and walking away with Suki and Flame following her.

"Where are you going?!" Zuko shouted panic in his voice making his wife turn and look at him.

"I'm going back to my academy," she replied making his eyes widen.

"You're not going to leave me?" he asked her.

"Of course not. You're my husband and I love you but I won't get involved with a war that might be caused by this. Just make sure you do the right thing, I know in my heart that you will," Daisuke answered leaving the throne room and her husband to his thoughts.

"Fire Lord Zuko!" a voice shouted running into the throne room and a soldier bowed in front of Zuko. "A message has arrived from the spies you sent to the Earth Kingdom, your suspicions are confirmed. The Earth King's army now marches towards Yu Dao," the soldier told him.

"Father…you were right," Zuko thought before he clenched his fist. "Daisuke...I promise you that I'll do my best to make this right." The next morning Zuko was on a Fire Nation battleship sailing towards the Earth Kingdom with the rest of the Fire Nation armada and at the same time the Earth King and his army were marching towards Yu Dao with the Earth King in an airship both sides heading to war.

The end of the chapter

Read and review