"Just how much wire does one person have?" Mai grumbled as she ducked beneath yet another strand stretched from the ceiling to the wall of the drill.
Ty Lee, already weaving through the web ahead of her, beamed.
"It almost feels like I'm back at the circus! Watch!"
Before Mai could stop her, Ty Lee sprang forward.
She slipped through the maze of wires with grace, twisting and flipping through the gaps before landing beside Azula with her arms spread wide, as though she'd just finished performing for an audience.
"..." Mai let out a weary sigh. "Let's just get this over with."
As Mai carefully picked her way through the trap, Azula stood guard, her gaze fixed on the corridor ahead.
It looked exactly like every other passage they had crossed during the last ten minutes.
A stretch of wire. An open section. Another stretch of wire.
Over and over again.
This corridor was no different. Several dozen paces ahead, another web of wires hung across the hallway.
However... Her instincts were telling her otherwise.
She raised a hand and closed it into a fist.
Both Mai and Ty Lee froze immediately.
Ty Lee shifted into a relaxed fighting stance, while Mai's hands slipped into her sleeves, hidden weapons already poised between her fingers.
Neither of them asked a question as Azula cautiously stepped forward into the open space before her.
On her fourth step, something cut through the constant hissing of steam and the rumble of the drill.
Her eyes snapped upward, and she threw herself backward.
With a screech, a taut wire sliced through the air where her head had been a heartbeat earlier, missing her nose by mere centimeters.
Skidding across the metal floor, Azula slid to a stop.
At the same instant, Mai and Ty Lee burst into motion.
Mai's hidden daggers flashed from her sleeves toward the shadow clinging to the ceiling.
The figure caught several of them midair before immediately hurling them back.
Mai's eyes narrowed as she twisted aside, the blades embedding themselves into the steel behind her.
Meanwhile, Ty Lee sprinted up the nearest wall and kicked off toward the ceiling, her fingers thrusting forward in a chi-blocking strike.
Her jab struck nothing but air.
Before she could recover, a sharp kick caught her in the ribs.
The impact sent her crashing back to the floor with a heavy slam.
Hanging from a pipe, the shadow dropped meters from Azula and her comrades.
"Renji...!"
Standing between them and the corridor beyond, I slowly reeled in the taut wire before wrapping it neatly around my fingers.
"Princess."
I glanced toward the other two. "Hello, girls."
"Hi!"
"Ugh."
"As I expected," Azula said, her eyes briefly sweeping over the intricate web of wires behind her. "Only you would be capable of something like this."
She looked around the corridor.
"So... how do you like my drill? Quite impressive, isn't it? Soon, it will break through Ba Sing Se's 'impenetrable' wall and open the gates to the so-called 'last bastion of the Earth Kingdom.'"
I shrugged.
"It needs more decorating. You should be paying me—I'm making the place look a lot more interesting."
A soft laugh escaped her lips.
"Oh? And who's to say I appreciate your decorations?"
She tilted her head, a blue flame blooming above her palm.
"I believe an artisan should compensate their client when their work fails to meet expectations."
"Maybe in the Fire Nation."
Sparks crackled from my palms as I lowered my stance.
"In the Earth Kingdom, civilized people usually laugh it off and make the best of it."
"I beg to differ."
She smiled, though there wasn't an ounce of warmth in it.
"Such uncultured behavior is only to be expected from a kingdom that has spent centuries without the guidance of our great nation."
I snorted.
"Then do everyone a favor. Get the hell off Earth Kingdom soil and go back to your 'glorious' nation."
"Crass language, how crude." Azula smiled faintly. "Surely you know better than to speak to your betters that way?"
"Betters?" I looked around. "I don't see anyone better than me. All I see are a bunch of teenagers with way too much authority."
"Authority that is recognized and respected throughout my nation." Her smile remained perfectly composed. "And what do you have... butler?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but someone beat me to it.
"Oh. My. Spirits!"
Ty Lee suddenly grabbed Mai by the collar and shook her excitedly.
"Mai, are you seeing this?!"
Mai let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"Yes. Yes, I am."
Her eyes shifted between us.
"The tension is unbearable."
"Either kiss or try to kill each other already. Getting a room works too."
...
My face exploded.
WHAT?!
"Huh?" I spluttered. "What are you even talking about—?"
I barely managed to duck as a blue fireball tore through the space where my head had been a second earlier.
The heat washed over my face.
"..."
Azula lowered her hand, her expression completely unreadable.
"Get him."
============================================
My focus locked in as I shifted my mentality, pushing aside the surprise and embarrassment from earlier.
Right now, I have three opponents to deal with.
My hand moved toward my utility belt—
Only for a hidden dagger to fly toward my face.
I tilted my head just enough for the blade to miss before charging toward Mai, who was already preparing another projectile.
Before I could close the distance, Ty Lee moved.
I twisted my body, my forward leg erupting with flames as I spun into a roundhouse kick. The wave of heat forced her to halt her approach, giving me the opening I needed.
Realizing she couldn't retreat in time, Mai pulled a dagger from her sleeve and raised it defensively.
The blade thrust forward.
I barely tilted my head to avoid the strike, immediately driving my forearm into her chest and forcing her backward.
Before she could recover, I pressed my arm against her neck and dragged her into the nearby wall.
The impact knocked the air from her lungs.
In that brief opening, I reached for the wire tucked inside my utility belt, intending to restrain her against the wall.
Then—
A wave of heat erupted behind me.
I dropped into a crouch as a blast of blue fire tore past, crashing into the wall beside Mai's face. The flames scorched the metal mere inches away from her.
Using the momentum, I swept my leg toward Azula's feet, hoping to knock her off balance.
She reacted instantly.
Her leg intercepted mine, kicking it aside before she raised a fist.
A blue glow gathered around her hand.
I immediately used Explosion Bending to propel myself away just as her strike came crashing down, sending flames spewing throughout the metal ground.
"Hiiiyah!"
My eyes flicked to the side.
Ty Lee had already repositioned herself above us, using the ceiling as a platform before launching herself downward.
A flying axe kick came straight toward me.
I raised my arm above my head to block the strike.
The moment her foot collided with my guard, I grabbed her ankle.
Ty Lee let out a surprised yelp as I swung her around and tossed her toward Mai, who was still recovering from my earlier attack.
The two collided and tumbled into the corner of the narrow passage.
For a brief moment, it was only the two of us.
I raised my arms into a fighting stance.
Across from me, Azula slowly lowered her stance, her golden eyes locked onto mine.
Neither of us moved. eyeing each other's stances in the hopes of finding an opening.
'... I can't find an opening.'
The thought crossed both our minds at the exact same moment.
But if I can't find one—I'll just have to create one!
I reeled my arm back, miniature explosions crackling from my palm at rapid intervals.
At the same time, the princess moved.
Her fingers formed a knife-like stance as she raised one hand upward, already preparing her counter.
"BURST!"
I unleashed a blast that expanded throughout the entire hallway, filling every inch of the narrow passage.
Only for the raging explosion to be forcefully torn apart by an arc of blue fire that soared towards me.
I twisted aside, narrowly avoiding the deadly arc. Using the momentum from my movement, I spun and fired a concentrated bolt of flames through my fist.
Azula calmly rotated her palms in a circular motion, redirecting and dispersing the attack before it could reach her.
Before I could follow up, she retaliated with a counterstrike, firing a diagonal slice of blue fire.
Our exchange continued.
Explosions and blue flames collided throughout the corridor as neither of us gave the other an opening.
My shoulder scraped against the wall as I weaved past another barrage of fire. The brief contact threw off my balance for only a split second.
Her eyes sharpened.
She launched herself into the air, twisting her body into a rapid spin before descending upside down.
Her leg snapped downward.
A whip of blue fire erupted from her foot, curving unnaturally through the air as it chased my form.
I desperately arched my back backward, feeling the intense heat graze just beneath my chin.
The whip of blue fire continued past me, cracking against the wall of the drill, carved straight through the reinforced metal, leaving behind a thin, curved scar in the shape of the attack.
Through the newly created opening, sunlight seeped into the corridor.
Regaining my balance, I immediately moved to the side as a blast of blue fire erupted beside me, the heat washing over my face as it scorched the metal floor where I had been standing.
Propelling myself to a safe spot with my Bending, I quickly took stock of the current situation.
Fighting against Azula had given me a deeper understanding of Fire Bending.
And now I knew exactly what I needed.
Space.
In an open area, I could fight her properly. I could maneuver, counterattack, and use my high mobility with my Explosion Bending to my advantage.
But here? In this narrow corridor, against three opponents at once?
Even if I was confident in close combat, there was no guarantee I could withstand all three of them attacking simultaneously with everything they had.
I had bought Aang and Katara enough time.
... I think.
Time to leave.
With my decision made, I calmly lowered my guard and straightened my posture.
The sudden shift in my stance caught Azula off guard.
She stopped.
"So," Azula said, a faint smirk forming on her lips as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Have you finally realized the difference in our abilities?"
"Surrender, and I will make this considerably less painful for you."
Instead of the fear or hesitation she expected...
"Thanks for the impromptu lesson."
I simply gave her a smile.
"You actually taught me a lot."
Then I turned around and ran.
"..."
Azula stared after me.
============================================
As Team Azula gave chase, Mai briefly glanced back at Azula before returning her attention to the wires blocking their path.
"... She was totally blushing, right?"
Ty Lee whispered, sneaking a glance toward the princess, who was currently burning through the traps without the slightest concern for the damage being done to the drill.
"Oh, definitely," Mai replied flatly. "Her ears were completely red."
"Mai... Ty Lee..."
Azula's voice sent a chill down both of their spines.
The two froze.
Slowly, the princess turned around and stared at them.
Her expression was completely blank, which somehow made it worse.
She turned back toward the corridor and continued walking.
"Once this is over... we will have words."
Neither Mai nor Ty Lee dared say another thing.
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