Chapter Text
By the time Sokka and Yue arrived to the oasis with Appa, the two girls had already awoken, and were in a panicked and sorrowful state.
“You did all you could,” Sokka assured them, trying to ease their worries. “Now, we have to do everything we can to get him back. Zuko can’t have gotten far.”
Shiozaki and Katara exchanged guilty glances, but ultimately agreed with Sokka. Their party of four got onto Appa, prepared to start a search party. Momo was left to guard the oasis.
“The blizzard out here is harsh,” Shiozaki shivered, wrapping herself in her veil once more. “It’s not good for my vines.”
“There’s a positive side, “Sokka grumbled, shielding his face with one arm. “With this weather, Zuko is definitely still close by.”
“We just have to find him,” Katara said forcefully. “I won’t lose again.”
~~~
The Fire Navy invasion was not going in the Heroes’ favor. The leading ships began to breach the wall they decimated.
“Their land forces will be arriving soon,” Honenuki gritted his teeth, assembling one final meeting with his colleagues.
“Then we go in and punch them!” Tetsutetsu yelled out.
“Remember the traps Tsuburaba and I set,” Honenuki warned him. “I’ve coordinated with Pakku, so his forces know what areas to avoid. Once the enemy is immobilized, we apprehend them.”
“Right,” Kaminari nodded, equipping his Sharpshooting gear. “I’ve got this baby, so I’m all set.”
Honenuki nodded. “Tetsutetsu and Kirishima will serve as our direct offense. Use hardening to negate fire or add power to your punches. Bakugo, back them up, but avoid too many explosions.”
“I know, Skull Face,” Bakugo exclaimed, exasperated. He seemed to be deep in thought.
“Kaminari, use the Sharpshooting gear to see if you can do anything against bigger obstacles. Slowing them down would be a big help. I’ve talked about it with Pakku; as far as anyone else is aware, the lightning is just because of your gadget.”
“Got it.”
“Then, Tsuburaba, Todoroki, and myself will play support and see if we can disable any other large machinery. It is best for us to stay as reserves.” Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Let’s move out,” Todoroki announced calmly, steeling his nerves.
The group rushed out into the open, prepared to fight. Kaminari sprinted to his target, the first wave of soldiers, which were by the outermost wall. Tetsutetsu and Kirishima were right behind him. They noted the tanks and komodo rhinos decimating the houses. Waterbenders were holding them off from the tops of stable walls, but it wasn’t enough.
A line of tanks reared forward, only for the ground to collapse beneath them.
Tetsutetsu cheered victoriously. “That was one of Honenuki’s traps! That’s what they get for messing with the Hero Course!”
“Now’s our chance, Tetsutetsu,” Kirishima egged his friend on, rushing in head first. “Remember our teachings; force our opponents to fight on our terms!”
Fire Nation soldiers emerged from their now useless tanks, sending flames to the two teens. They weaved around the attack, careful to not reveal their hardening. Once they were level with their adversaries, Kirishima and Tetsutetsu both unleashed a flurry of punches, their hands’ strength increased with steel and stone. In a mere few seconds, they knocked out over fifteen foot soldiers.
“The tanks are still a problem!” Kirishima yelled, suddenly dodging a roaring tank, which seemed intent on running him over. An orange disk suddenly jammed into the wheel, and a stream of lightning disabled the machine.
“It’s hard to get within ten meters of these things without getting swarmed,” Kaminari yelled from a little bit away. “You two cover the small guys, I’ll focus on the tanks!”
“Right!” Tetsutetsu agreed, punching a soldier about to attack Kaminari square in the face.
The battle raged on for several hours, neither side scoring a definitive win. The waterbenders aided greatly, often coming in with a save the trio didn’t know they needed.
“Damn it!” Tetsutetsu cursed, blocking an assault of fire with a last second hardening. “Where’s that Bakugo at? He’s supposed to back us up!”
“I don’t know,” Kirishima called back, struggling just as much. “It’s not like him to skip out on a fight.”
“So why would he bail?”
“Don’t question me, Eyelashes!” Bakugo charged in from beyond the inner wall, enraged at the accusations. “There was a change of plans!” As if to further his point, he unclipped something from his belt.
Kirishima figured out what was happening, and leapt backwards. “Get out of the way, Tetsutetsu, Kaminari!” Bakugo threw the grenade right in front of a tank. Moments later, it exploded.
“They’re not as strong as they would be normally, given how fucking cold it is,” Bakugo announced smugly. “And my aim is purposefully off so I don’t kill anyone. But, my explosives always pack a punch.”
“Sweet!” Kaminari exclaimed, quickly regrouping with him. He whispered, “But, won’t people be suspicious?”
“Icy Hot sorted it all out,” Bakugo whispered back. “As far as these extras are concerned, its just gear, like yours, not any sort of bending.”
“If you’re done chit chatting, let’s go beat these villains!” Tetsutetsu roared, rushing back into combat. The two blond boys gave decisive nods, following suit.
~~~
Night was falling fast, the sun almost dipping past the horizon. The Water Tribe kept getting pushed further back. The heroes were forced to adapt with them. Kaminari, Kirishima, Tetsutetsu, and Bakugo were still doing most of the upfront fighting.
“I’m out of grenades,” Bakugo cursed, chucking his last one at an approaching tank.
Komodo rhinos proved to be the biggest challenge. Kaminari’s disks couldn’t latch onto them, and it would take Kirishima and Tetsutetsu’s combined effort to bring one down, provided no one struck them in the back.
“At this point, they’ll be flooding the main part of the city,” Kirishima growled, striking down another soldier, suppressing his shivering. The cold was starting to catch up with him.
“If that’s the case, then Honenuki and Todoroki will be there,” Tetsutetsu answered, careful to not get too distracted from his skirmish. “And Master Pakku. I’m sure they’ve got something cooked up.”
After a few more minutes of combat, Kirishima’s prediction came to fruition. As the moon rose, Fire Nation soldiers began to flood the inner parts of the city. However, a newfound vigor overtook the Water Tribe, driven by the moon.
“Woah, it’s like they got supercharged!” Tetsutetsu exclaimed, observing two waterbenders sink a tank they previously struggled against.
“Get out of the way.” That was Honenuki’s voice, muffled by his helmet. Tetsutetsu did as he was told, avoiding the softened wave of ice that rushed towards a herd of komodo rhinos, effectively trapping them. A little ways off, Todoroki had summoned another large glacier, immobilizing another section of the intruders.
“With the full moon, waterbending abilities are greatly magnified,” Honenuki explained. That was clearly the excuse he and Todoroki were using to manage more extreme attacks.
“They best use their fire efficiently if they want to avoid frostbite or hypothermia,” Todoroki noted, subtly melting the frost from his body.
Kirishima and Tetsutetsu were reinvigorated by the turning tide, and rushed into battle once more. The other waterbenders weren’t slacking by any means. Kaminari watched Master Pakku summon a massive cyclone of water around him and knock down multiple enemies at once.
“At this rate, it might be better if we help with support and civilian safety,” Kaminari informed Bakugo and Tsuburaba as they retreated from the front lines. “I don’t know how much more electricity I can take, and Bakugo’s fresh out of grenades.”
“Don’t tell me what to do, Sparky,” Bakugo growled, despite seeing the reasoning in Kaminari’s argument. “I can fight with my bare hands.”
“You’d best leave that to the brawlers,” Tsuburaba noted, watching Tetsutetsu take down another soldier.
Todoroki spawned another glouble of ice, looming high over the heads of his enemies. Honenuki touched a gloved hand to it, causing the full mass to cover the soldiers.
“So that move really is effective,” Todoroki mentioned, observing their handiwork.
“Indeed,” Honenuki hummed in response. “I’ll leave that softened for now. That way, they can still escape without major injuries. Even if this is a war, I’d rather not have any deaths tarnishing my record.”
“Agreed.” Todoroki looked off to the side, narrowing his eyes at something.
“That’s Zhao, on one of those rhinos,” he told his rival. “Where’s he going?”
“I thought his ship should have been infiltrated and dealt with,” Honenuki sighed. “I guess that team wasn’t successful.”
“I’ll go after him. Help hold up the front line.”
“Right.”
~~~
“Here for a rematch?”
“Trust me, Zuko. It’s not going to be much of a match.”
With that, Katara effortlessly lifted Zuko into the air on a sheet of ice, before promptly dropping him back down. He was clearly knocked out, not even stirring as Sokka ran over to Aang to untie the rope around him.
“The spirits are in trouble,” Aang told them, breathless and worried. “We have to get back to the oasis.”
“The spirits?” Yue questioned, anxiously exchanging a glance with Shiozaki in the saddle.
Once he was freed, Aang nimbly jumped onto Appa, but looked back at Zuko. “We can’t just leave him here.”
“Sure we can,” Sokka grumbled.
“If we leave him, he’ll die,” Aang retorted, moving back to the fallen prince.
“Aang is right,” Shiozaki said. “A hero must never lower themselves to the level of the villains they are facing. This means we must never claim a life.”
Sokka grumbled again, still not pleased with the situation. He was only appeased when he made doubly sure that Zuko was firmly bound with his own rope. Shiozaki helped reinforce the bond with some thorny detached vines. In her own way, she seemed proud that her powers finally got one up on Zuko.
“Do not fear, Sokka,” she told the teen as Appa began the journey back. “He will face retribution, both in this mortal world and the fires of hell.”
“You can really be scary when you want to be,” Sokka said uneasily. Shiozaki took offense to that.
The moon took on a red tint.
Princess Yue suddenly grabbed her forehead, wincing. “Are you okay?” Sokka asked, rushing to her side.
“I feel faint,” she explained, eyes glossed over. “The Moon Spirit is in trouble.”
Aang nodded from the reins. “I feel it, too. We have to hurry.”
They arrived at the oasis a few minutes, but the scene that greeted them was not a pleasant one. The white fish from the pond was missing, and Admiral Zhao triumphantly held a writhing sack in his outstretched hand. Aang and his allies quickly moved into fighting position, but felt a cool chill rush through them. Ice encompassed the lower legs of Zhao and his guards, rendering them immobile. Zhao, however, seemed unphased.
“I recommend you unfreeze us, Frostburn,” he turned his head slightly to the right, glaring at Todoroki poised at the entrance.
“In that case, you’ll need to free whatever you have in that bag,” Todoroki threatened, looking deathly serious.
Zhao smirked, igniting a flickering flame in his open hand. “I was wondering why we failed to spot you or your little hero group. A group of naive teenagers like yourselves wouldn’t turn away from this. I didn’t realize that you changed your appearances. And now, you’ve revealed another crucial detail about yourselves.”
An odd look passed over Todoroki’s face, so Zhao continued. Aang and his allies didn’t dare interfere, fearing for the Moon Spirit’s life. “Your posse aren’t natural benders. I’ve captured the moon. You’re not supposed to be waterbending. So, once I’ve slain the moon and brought the Water Tribe to its knees, you’re next on the list.”
“Don’t!” Aang called out, finally finding his voice. “Everything depends on balance. Killing the moon will hurt everyone, even the Fire Nation. You have no idea what kind of chaos it would bring.”
“The Avatar is right, Zhao.”
“General Iroh, why am I not surprised to learn of your treachery?” Zhao took his eyes off Todoroki, turning instead to the newly revealed Iroh.
“I am no traitor, Zhao,” the old man said as he removed the hood concealing his face. “The Fire Nation needs the moon, too. Whatever you do to that spirit, I’ll unleash on you tenfold. Now, let it go!” His final line was booming. It wasn’t a request. It was a command.
Zhao, with a look of reluctance, listened, releasing the fish from the bag and into the pond. He was hesitant, if only for a moment, before a look of rage overcame his features, and he aimed a blast of fire at the koi.
Chaos broke out instantly. The moon vanished from the sky completely. Iroh began to carry out his promise, ruthlessly attacking Zhao and his guards, melting the ice containing them as a result. Zhao managed to escape, Todoroki in hot pursuit.
Silence fell upon the remaining group. Iroh kneeled by the pool, cradling the dead koi in his hands.
“There’s no hope now, it’s over,” Yue muttered, a disbelieving look of shock etched into her eyes.
The tattoo markings on Aang’s body began to glow, pure rage radiating from him. “No. It is not over.”
~~~
What just happened?” Tetsutetsu exclaimed, punching a soldier square in the jaw. “The moon was just red, and now it’s gone.” The heroes present at the battle had regrouped once more, back to back, holding off the enemy as much as they could as the waterbenders fell back.
“The waterbenders rely on the moon,” Honenuki answered, horror clear in his voice as he put the pieces together. “That’s why no one can waterbend anymore.”
“What the hell?” Bakugo half whispered. His boisterous demeanor was temporarily extinguished, barely managing to wrap his head around an event this grand in scale. “You mean someone killed the moon?”
“What do we do?” Kirishima growled, blocking another attack. “There’s still too many of them, and if the waterbenders can’t help, I don’t think we can manage such a large group.”
“We can,” Tetsutetsu responded, a determined look crossing his features. “If we don’t hold back.”
The shock was palpable. “But, the Water Tribe will-” Kaminari began.
“Will what?” Tetsutetsu roared. “There’s no time to care about that crap. We’re UA students. If we can’t act like heroes now, then we never will! We have to go beyond! Plus Ultra!”
Without waiting for a confirmation or second opinion, his body became lined with steel, and he charged right into the mob of soldiers. This time, he didn’t bother dodging their fire.
Bakugo smirked, his vigor returned tenfold. “Like the way you think, Tetsutetsu!” He jumped in after his comrade, leaping towards a Fire Nation soldier, sparks dancing in his palms. “My explosions will still do jack shit since it’s so damn cold, but I’ll let loose everything I have!”
Their demeanor was infectious. Kirishima was next to join the fray, going full Unbreakable. Tsuburaba busted out his whistle, using the mini spears of solid air it created to pierce the feet of the komodo rhinos, supplemented by occasional Air Prisons for the guards. Kaminari also joined, returning to his old “Stun Gun” method for close quarters combat.
“Well, if we are going all out this way, I suppose I can lend a hand against those tanks,” Honenuki noted, weaving around a blast of fire. He dived beneath the softened surface of the ice, swimming deeper into enemy territory. Once he emerged, he touched a hand to the wheel of one of the machines, watching it collapse into itself. The effect spread throughout the array of tanks. Within seconds, the whole line of machinery was nothing more than a puddle of liquid metal.
Though this leg of the battle lasted only a few precious minutes before the arrival of the enraged Ocean Spirit, its value wasn’t to be understated. It took them that time to dwindle the forces in that sector down to a quarter of their original number, and it was clear that if their fight wasn’t interrupted, they would have accomplished even more.
~~~
“The disgraced Prince of the Fire Nation and Frostburn, both at the same place at the same time. Your similarities are uncanny.”
Zhao faced Todoroki and Zuko together. Zhao struck first with a blast of fire, which Todoroki gracefully countered with flames of his own. Zuko moved in to attack with three consecutive fire punches, aiming for Zhao’s head. He and Todoroki had no need to discuss a temporary alliance. Zuko desired retribution for the assassination attempt, and Todoroki simply deemed the Admiral to be a higher threat.
It took the duo a few minutes to gain the upper hand, with Todoroki freezing Zhao in a glouble of ice. The casing was very condensed and not easy to burn through.
“Give up,” Todoroki ordered. As he spoke, the moon rose once more. This temporarily distracted all three combatees.
“It can’t be,” Zhao growled in frustrated disbelief. Before he could recover, a wave of water, glistening with spiritual light, rose from beneath the bridge they were battling on. It smashed through the ice prison Todoroki created, grabbing hold of Zhao, intent on dragging him beneath the water.
Zuko quickly reached out over the edge of the bridge, stretching his fingers. “Take my hand,” he called, a hint of desperation in his voice.
Zhao refused, succumbing to his fate as he vanished into the depths of the water. Todoroki and Zuko looked at the scene in disbelief for a moment before making eye contact.
“Wait-” Todoroki tried to call, but Zuko was already retreating, trying to escape the turning battle with his life. Todoroki didn’t pursue him.
~~~
With the Fire Nation in full retreat, rebuilding and rescue operations came into full effect. Todoroki melted ice near collapsed buildings to search for trapped victims. The other heroes, with the aid of the Water Tribe, carried them to safety. Even Bakugo pitched in. The amount of casualties was far smaller than anticipated.
The Avatar and his allies were praised for their efforts, even though the young Heroes were reprimanded for keeping their powers a secret. Most did not question them too overtly, thankful they helped turn the tide of the battle, though Master Pakku still sent them a few occasional glances.
Things were returning to the status quo, but with a few significant changes. Pakku, along with some other waterbenders, decided to go to the Southern Water Tribe to help rekindle the connection. He granted Katara the title of Master, and passed her the duty of instructing Aang. The group was on the move once more, currently sailing with Pakku to a rendezvous point before they were to split ways.
Elsewhere, Zuko and Iroh were floating back to the Earth Kingdom by raft. “I am surprised, Prince Zuko,” Iroh mentioned, offhandedly. “You’re not trying to capture the Avatar at this moment.”
“I’m tired,” Zuko replied, mind too full with the happenings of the siege.
“Then you should rest,” Iroh said calmly. “A man needs his rest.” This time, Zuko listened.
“Uncle,” he turned to ask one more question. “How is it possible for that Frostburn to bend two elements? Let alone waterbend with no moon.”
“Your guess is as good as mine, Prince Zuko,” Iroh answered. Zuko wasn’t satisfied, but too exhausted to argue. He turned away, leaving his uncle deep in thought.
“So, it seems that their powers are Quirks, after all.”