Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Book 1: Adaption

Aang slowly woke up to the feeling of warm sand on his back. His eyes fluttered open as he began to become more alert. He could hear the rush of the ocean and feel a gentle breeze on his face. As he sat up he began to look around trying his best to remember what happened.

The last thing he remembered was being in the royal palace watching as Katara and Toph sparred with one another. He couldn’t figure out how he had ended up on a beach. What was more puzzling was he was alone. Standing up, Aang began to walk around the beach hoping perhaps his friends weren’t too far away.

“Katara?” Aang called out. “Sokka? Toph? Where are you guys?” His voice rang out across the small beach. 

“Zuko? Azula? Suki?” Aang tried once more. The only thing that answered him back was the wind and… something else. He felt the hair on his arms stand up as he heard a tiny growl following the rush of wind. Aang, frozen by this ominous sound, felt his mouth go dry as he took a step back. As he closed his mouth his heart began to pick up speed as he heard the sound again.

Aang shifted his body moving his right foot forward and placing his left foot behind him. Placing his arms in front of him he took on a defensive waterbending stance as he began to scan the area around him as he heard the noise one more time. 

As he looked around Aang saw nothing; Nothing. The thought strangely echoed through Aang’s mind and soon he realized why. As he looked down at his hands a strange feeling began to overtake him. His hands felt empty of chi; the natural energy in his body that allowed him to bend. Forgetting the odd sound for a moment, Aang turned to the shoreline where gentle waves were lapping against it. He tried to reach out with his chi to push and pull at the waves but he felt nothing. Aang’s eyes went wide as he slowly began to realize that without his chi he was without his bending.

He was about to try and bend the other three elements hoping that perhaps he had only somehow lost his ability to waterbend. He was stopped though by that odd noise, the sound of rushing wind and growling but this time when he heard it he jumped and felt a rush of fear go through him.

Without his chi he was defenseless, and as he heard the noise again he took a few steps back his grey eyes grew wide as he looked around. The only thing he saw was the ocean, the beach, and a sandcastle just to his right. He didn’t see the people who had built the sand castle or any other sign of life near him. 

He turned around and saw behind him a bluff. On top of it was a dense amount of trees causing Aang’s stomach to drop. He began to take a few steps back, his heart beginning to pound. Aang heard the noise again but this time saw something move out of the corner of his eye. Spinning around he only saw the sand castle. Aang continued to look at the sand castle when suddenly it began to move!

More than that, it started to make the noise that Aang had heard earlier as the sand castle swayed back and forth. The more Aang looked at it the more he realized that the sand castle had two eyes and a large gaping mouth.

“Me? You’re trying to get my attention?” The sand castle began to wave the two little mounds of sand on either side of it and Aang realized those must be its arms. In all his time in the Four Nations Aang had never seen anything quite like this. Perhaps he had hit his head really hard and was seeing things. As he thought this, he brought his hand up to the back of his head checking to see if he had been hurt.

Aang didn’t feel any injury just some slight tenderness. Maybe, Aang thought, this was a dream. Or a vision given to him? As he thought this he continued to watch the moving sand castle which seemed to get more excited the more Aang just looked at it. Frowning Aang took a hesitant step forward. He began to examine the creature and finally, his grey eyes landed on top of its head. 

What he saw wedged into its head was a small, plastic, hand-sized shovel. Very carefully Aang took a few steps forward wondering if the creature was asking him for help. Surely for a living sand castle having a shovel in the middle of its head had to be the same for a person having a spear wedged into theirs, at least that’s what Aang thought.

“Do you need my help?” Aang asked trying to sound as soothing as possible. The sand castle continued to bounce up and down and make the odd noise as Aang got closer but didn’t seem like it was going to attack. Aang wasn’t sure how a sand castle would attack him but still remained cautious. He took a few more steps forward before quickly plucking the shovel off the creature's head.

“Got it!” Aang said triumphantly. “Do you feel better now?” Aang wasn’t sure what he had been expecting from the sand castle, but what happened next surely wasn’t it. He watched in horror as the sand castle made itself bigger and began to roar! The sound it was making earlier wasn’t nearly like this; this sounded ten times louder and ten times worse. 

“O-Oh no! What did I do? I was just trying to help!” Aang said stumbling backward. “I’m sorry does it...hurt?” The only response again was another upset cry as the creature began to slither toward him. Aang took a few unsteady steps back when suddenly the sand castle seemed to suck in a large gulp of air before spitting out a dark ball of energy.

Aang’s eyes went wide as he scrambled out of the way. He watched as the energy ball hit the sand causing it to explode. Aang swung his head around just in time to see another energy ball flying right at him. Jumping up to his feet Aang ran towards the bluff. It was only a few feet off the ground if he could manage to climb up the bluff and into the trees he could have cover from the angry sand creature. 

The creature let out another roar a spit another ball of dark energy at Aang. Rolling out of the way, Aang continued to run towards the bluff. He kept looking back at the rolling sand creature dodging its attacks as fast as he could. When he got to the bluff he dropped his shovel and began to scramble up toward the trees. Once he got up he darted toward the closest tree and hide behind it. Gulping he slowly dared to peek around the tree and down toward where he came from.

He watched as the sand creature began to slowly sink down into the sand flattening its body until it blended in with the rest of the sand around it. Aang held his breath as that area of sand began to wither and move until suddenly the creature popped back up! In the center of its head was the shovel Aang had taken out and then all seemed well. The creature began to sway back and forth before retreating away from the trees.

Sighing, Aang turned around and leaned back against the tree vowing to never take another plastic shovel out of the ground again. Pushing himself off the tree Aang began to walk through the woods. The trees were dense and there was no telling what other strange creatures were waiting for him there. Not willing to go back to the beach, Aang pushed forward hoping that he would find a pathway as he walked through the woods. 

Eventually, he stumbled onto a dirt path and as he looked to his left he could see the ocean in the distance. When he looked to his right he saw the path kept going on with forest on either side. Deciding anywhere was better than a place with sand creatures he continued on right hoping there was a town nearby. As he walked he became lost in his own thoughts. 

He stopped briefly to test if he could bend any of the other elements. Nothing. It was like all of the chi in his body had been drained. Aang wanted to meditate and try to connect with his past lives but knew he would first have to get to a safe place and find out where he was. He had decided this wasn’t a dream or a vision; that attack from that odd creature was just too real. 

Taking in a deep breath, Aang continued to walk down the path. The more he walked the more worried he was becoming, and the more questions he had. Why didn’t he have his bending? Where was he? Did someone take him? Most importantly though, Aang needed to know where his friends were and if they were even anywhere close. 

“AGH!” Aang jumped his train of thoughts being interrupted by a scream. Running forward Aang came upon a small clearing to the right of the path. In the middle was a man hunched over with his arms covering his head and face. Above him, a flock of small reddish birds, with a beat red crown on their small heads, took their turns pecking at his arms and hands.

“Hey!” Aang shouted running forward without thinking. His first reaction was to bend at the birds in an attempt to shoo them away but he was quickly reminded of his sudden loss. His next course of action was to start waving his hands and shouting hoping to distract them. It worked, in a sense, half of the flock turned their attention toward Aang and began to fly toward him their beaks ready to attack. 

Not knowing what else to do Aang dropped down in a similar position as the man next to him and covered his head and hands with his face. The birds began to assault him with their sharp beaks. Poking and pulling at his skin and causing Aang to yelp. 

“It’s okay,” the man beside him assured. “Don't worry.” Aang was very worried. This was the second time in a few minutes that he had been attacked by the strange creatures around these parts. The birds continued their attack for a few more seconds before backing away and landing in front of the two.

Both Aang and the man beside him picked their heads up to see the group of birds looking at them threateningly.

“Hurry!” The man whispered sternly as he began to back away. “That first assault was a warning, the second time around we won’t be so lucky. Follow me!” Aang nodded quickly and backed away with the man. The two hurried down the path away from the beach and the group of birds.

“What was that all about?” Aang asked as he looked over his arms and hands. He had a few minor cuts but nothing serious. He suspected that he might be bruised, he had been lucky that those birds hadn’t seriously torn into him.

“Oh my own foolishness,” the man beside him said with a heavy sigh. “You see, I was trying to conduct some research on the Luckrane in this area, I found a nest in that clearing we were just in and got a little too close.” Aang frowned and he turned to look at the man beside him. The man was a few inches taller than Aang. He had a soft round face and a speckle of freckles across his face made him appear to be young. Despite his youthful appearance, however, he had short snowy white hair that stuck out starkly against his olive tone skin and golden eyes.

“Dear, this isn’t good; Luckrane are considered to be a sacred Pokémon in this region,” the man said more to himself than Aang. Aang, however, was hardly paying attention to the ramblings of the man. Aang looked at him bewildered, he had never seen anyone wearing this type of clothing before. 

The stranger was wearing brown boots and brown pants. Attached to his pants were two bright orange pieces of fabric that he had never seen before both going over either shoulder. He was wearing a long white coat and underneath was a white dress shirt with buttons going down the front. Around his neck was a light orange colored scarf.

“Have I suddenly grown two heads?” asked the man. Aang blinked a few times before looking up at the man in confusion. 

“Two heads?” said Aang.

“You can’t seem to stop staring at me,” the man laughed causing Aang to blush.

“I’m sorry it’s just I’ve never seen anyone in the Four Nations dressed quite like you before,” he said causing the man to laugh. 

“I suppose I could say the same for you!” The stranger said with a wink. “It’s not often we get monks here in Mian Town; tattooed monks no less.” Aang nodded and turned to look away from him. 

“How rude of me! My name is Professor Oscar Pine, it’s nice to meet you.” Professor Pine said coming to a stop and turning towards Aang. He stuck his hand out for Aang to take. “Most people in Mian town call me Professor Pine but feel free to call me Oscar, or anything you like.” He added with a kind smile.

“I’m Aang!” Aang said happily as he took the professor's hand. “Most people normally call me Avatar Aang but I would prefer Aang, it’s nice to meet you, Professor Pine.” Professor Pine smiled at him kindly and overlooked the boy. Aang looked no more than twelve and was wearing monk clothes. He was bald which didn’t seem odd but what was a little concerning to the Professor was that the boy was covered in tattoos. 

Blue tattoos ran down his hands and ended in arrows on the back of his hand. There was also an arrow on his forehead and it ran down his neck and probably his spine. If Professor Pine had to guess there were probably tattoos on his legs and feet as well. Professor Pine had traveled all over the world and had met many monks before. He had never seen any with those kinds of markings and if they did have tattoos they were never so young. 

“Why don't you come back to my lab with me Aang,” Professor Pine offered. “I’m no Nurse Joy, but I have a few things that can help bandage those cuts up.” Aang nodded and smiled up at his new friend.

“Sure, maybe you can help me.” He said as they started to walk again.

“I’ll help in any way I can!” Professor Pine said immediately. “What’s the problem?”

“Well, I’m not quite sure where I am or how I got here,” Aang confessed causing Professor Pine’s eyebrows to shoot up in shock.

“That certainly is an issue,” he muttered. “Come we can talk more once we get to the lab.” He said ushering Aang along. They walked a few more minutes before arriving in town.

“Welcome to Mian Town; A Paradise Sanctioned by Nature, ” He said happily as he spread his arms out wide. Aang let out a small gasp as he looked at the town. In the center were a few houses, two buildings, one with a blue roof and one with a red one, and between those two buildings was a large white one. 

On the edges of the town were different trails. A sign next to the trail they had just come from read ‘ Mian Beach and Mian Resort’. There were other signs next to the other trails but he was too far away to read them. As Aang looked around, he could see how this town had been ‘sanctioned’ by nature. They seemed to be in the heart of the dense forest. All around the town was a thick barrier of trees. 

“It’s peaceful,” Aang said as he followed Professor Pine toward the large white building in the center of town.

“A Professor couldn’t ask to be placed in a better location I assure you!” Professor Pine said. “Welcome to my own little slice of paradise,” Professor Pine added wistfully as he opened the double doors of his laboratory. Aang was immediately taken aback as he walked in. Everything seemed so bright and white like the outside of the building.

The tiles on the floor were white and the light from the ceiling reflected off them almost blindingly. As Aang looked up he winced as he looked at the white light coming from the ceiling above.

“Are those torches up there?” He asked causing Professor Pine to peer up confused by the question. A smile broke out across his face as he turned to look at his new friend. 

“Light bulbs,” he said causing Aang’s frown to deepen.

“What’s a light bulb?” Aang asked as he began to look around the rest of the large room. 

“Oh, my,” Professor Pine said softly causing Aang to turn to look at him. “Come here and sit down I’ll get you some water.” He said as he walked him toward the back of the lab. The walls were white and large white shelves lined the floor. They were filled with books, binders, and files. All around men scurried back and forth with their heads in their files as they worked furiously. They were all in large white lab coats much like Professor Pine. There was a large table with a few stools around it and Professor Pine pulled one out for him and Aang to sit on. Aang smiled as he took a seat on the side and thanked him when he came back with water and a small white box with red lettering on it. 

“What’s that?” Aang asked.

“A little first aid kit,” Professor Pine explained popping it open to reveal Band-Aids, bandages, and other packets. He immediately thought of Katara and a sad feeling came over him. “So you don't know where you are and how you got here... D-Do you know the last thing you remember?” Aang frowned as he turned to look at his lap.

“My friends Katara and Toph were sparring together in the courtyard of the royal palace, everything after that is fuzzy...” He muttered as Professor Pine began to put Band-Aids on the cuts along Aang’s hands and arms.

“What are these?” Aang asked with a frown as he poked at the Band-Aid Professor Pine had put on.

“A Band-Aid, you’ve never seen one?” Aang shook his head. “Oh dear, so you remember your name do you remember where you came from?”

“That’s easy, the Southern Air Temple.” Professor Pine frowned.

“Where’s that?” he asked.

“Near the South Pole,” Aang said.

“What region is that in?” Professor Pine asked never having heard of those places before.

“Um, I guess the Southern Region?” Aang said a blush dusting his cheeks. He was embarrassed that he didn’t know the answer. 

“The Southern Region?” Professor Pine asked sounding skeptical. “Well... what region is south of here?... I-I'll just name off some regions; Sinnoh, Kanto, Galar...”

“No, no, and no” Aang said. “Are─... any of those place near the Earth Kingdom? It's pretty big to miss!” Professor Pine put his hands up to stop the back and forth. He felt his head begin to pound as he attempted to make sense of what Aang was saying.

“I don't know what the Earth Kingdom is,” he said after a minute. “What type of Pokémon live there?” He asked thinking that perhaps knowing the native type of Pokémon might help him pinpoint where the young monk was from.

“I’m not sure what a 'Pokémon' is─ you said that word earlier I think... All I can tell you is that mostly earthbenders live in the Earth Kingdom.” Yuu answered.

Professor Pine hummed only feeling more confused. “And what is that exactly?” 

“It’s a─... type of person?” Aang said looking as confused as Professor Pine felt. “Don't you know what a bender is?” Professor Pine shook his head no and Aang began to explain; Professor Pine’s eyes went wide as Aang told him about benders and their abilities. 

“And you can bend all four?” Professor Pine asked causing Aang to nod. “Interesting, I’ve never heard of this before. The only things I’ve heard of having this kind of power are Pokémon.” 

“Can you please explain to me what a 'Pokémon' is?” said Aang. Professor Pine nodded and smiled at his new, odd little friend. 

“Our world is inhabited by creatures called Pokémon. For some people, Pokémon are considered to be pets, others use them to battle, or like me, some people spend their entire lives researching them.” Professor Pine began. “Each region of our world has its own unique Pokémon, and for those ready to embark on their own Pokémon journey with them each region is set with Starter Pokémon.”

“Starter Pokémon?” Aang asked puzzled.

There, Professor Pine walked to a table, and pulled out three spherical red and white balls. There, as they expanded, a magical light came out; something that Aang has never seen! There, as if it was magic, three little creatures materialized in front of him.

“When young trainers impart of their own Pokémon journeys, we as Professors supply them with Starter Pokémon to help facilitate that journey."

"Woah!... H-How did you do that?!... T-They look so cute!" Aang said as he gushed at the little Pokémon.

Professor Pine laughed as he continued. "These are Poké Balls, which safely contain Pokémon!" There, he cleared his throat as he continued to speak. "For the Huoli region, our starters are Kuasho, the Grass-Type starter, Huow Huow the Fire-Type starter, and Elemata, our Water-Type starter” said Professor Pine as he peered into Aang’s starstuck face as he continued to be mesmerized by the three starters before him. “I, a Pokémon Professor, not only am in charge of facilitating this process, but I also spend copious amounts of time researching the development and livelihood of Pokémon in this region."

"You sound very important!" Aang said, finally looking up to the Professor.

"Hehe, I suppose you can say that! My research is a bit more important than me, in my opinion..." Professor Pine said, as he held out the Poké Balls to call back the Pokémon. As they each started to disappear, Aang's mouth practically dropped to the floor!

"T-That... is so freaky!!!" he called out in shock, yet also amazement from what he saw.

"Specifically, I study rare genetic phenomenon. One such phenomenon that has grown popular in this region pertaining to Pokémon called Domestication. Think of Domestic Pokémon as a ‘Regional Variant’- genetic changes in Pokémon due to where they are geographically- as some sort of a species of Pokemon, but has changed so much that it is now a new kind”. Aang looked puzzled as ever as the Professor explained all of this to him

“Urm... C-Cool! Domestic Pokémon… Sounds like wild animals that are tamed to live in houses like pets” Aang said trying to grasp what he is hearing.

“Along those lines. Any Pokémon, if you try hard enough, can be a pet- but it is better understood if you knew more about Pokémon to know the actual differences that transpire specifically in this region’s intriguing phenomenon; the Domestication process seems to be more a ‘man-made’ change but it is a theory... It is involved in tremendous controversy. I have attempted to get other Professors' opinions on the matter- Oak and Magnolia alike- but not many Professors have much to say on this growing trend; I myself go off to ascertain the truth about it- along with all of that, each Pokémon has their own special abilities and moveset. There are also many different species of Pokémon around the world some we haven’t even discovered yet!” Said the Professor.

Aang then scratches his head- attempting to understand it all. “So... The birds that were attacking you... Were Pokémon?” asked Aang. Professor Pine nodded and blushed a little bit.

“Yes, those birds were called Luckrane, and like I said they are a very important kind of Pokémon in this region.” Aang nodded trying to absorb all this information. Then, the sand creature popped into his mind. He explained to Professor Pine what happened to him on the beach causing the professor's eyes to go wide.

“Oh my!” He said with a gasp. “It seems like you were getting attacked by a Pallosand, a very dangerous kind of Pokémon, especially when someone takes their shovel. You’re lucky that you were able to escape alive.” The professor explained. Aang nodded and looked down at his lap. Everything was so confusing and Aang wasn’t sure he still understood everything Professor Pine was explaining to him. 

“I don't understand how I got here still,” Aang finally said. “This place is definitely not my home or… world.” Professor Pine frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Tell me more about your world,” He said still a little skeptical. He wondered if that Pallosand had hurt Aang more than the young boy realized. Aang looked back up at Professor Pine with a soft smile as he began to explain about his own world. He told him about the Four Nations, the end of the 100 year war, and the peace they were trying to reach. 

“Can you bend now?” Professor Pine asked causing Aang to frown.

“No, I tried on the beach to bend water, and later when I was walking along the path I tried to bend the other three elements but couldn’t. I can’t feel my chi and I’m afraid if I tried to meditate to speak to my past lives I might not be able to contact them either.” Professor Pine nodded and was going to suggest taking the young man to the Pokémon Center next door but was interrupted by a gentle knock.

Both Aang and Professor Pine turned to see a young man standing by one of the bookshelves, neither of them had noticed his arrival.

“Yuuyin! How long have you been listening?” Professor Pine demanded causing the young man to smile at him.

“Since you’ve gotten here,” he confessed, and when Professor Pine gave him a displeased look Yuuyin’s easy going smile grew. “Come on Professor you can’t just walk in with a tattooed stranger and not expect me to check out the situation.” 

Aang gazed in awe at the stranger, his attention captivated by the boy's striking blue hair. This new acquaintance appeared slightly older than Aang and matched the professor in height. His fair skin contrasted with his bright green eyes, and his attire was as unusual as the professor's—a sleeveless black shirt adorned with golden trim, coupled with snug black pants and matching shoes. A golden sash encircled his waist, complementing the star-embroidered golden headband in his hair. Golden bracelets added to his luxurious appearance. To Aang, the boy exuded an air of wealth and mystery.

Aang found his gaze repeatedly drawn to Yuuyin's distinctive hair. The vibrant blue locks cascading down his back were a stark contrast to the shorter strands that fell just to his shoulders. Particularly intriguing was the asymmetry in the front, where the right side hung noticeably longer than the left. Upon closer inspection, Aang's attention was captured by the elegant golden headpiece adorning Yuuyin's head, which neatly swept some of his hair away from his face.

“What’s the matter? You’ve never seen anyone with blue hair before?” Yuuyin asked as he walked over to Aang. Aang shook his head no as he watched Yuuyin take a seat on the edge of the table right next to him. “I guess people don't have that kind of hair color in your world, I’m Yuuyin Yuumen by the way but you can just call me Yuu.” 

“I’m Aang,” Yuu smiled as he looked at the younger boy. “I overheard everything that you told Professor Pine. So you’re a hero in your world?” Aang blushed and turned his head away from the other boy.

“I was just following my destiny,” he explained. “Where I come from, the Avatar keeps the world in balance.” Yuu’s smile grew.

“It sounds like you’re being modest!” He laughed. “I guess all heroes have to have some kind of humility about them. I would like to hear more about benders and your ability to control all four elements.” Yuu’s eyes sparkled with interest, but before Aang could oblige him Professor Pine cut both boys off.

“Yuuyin now is not the time for that,” He said firmly. “I think we should get Aang to the Pokémon Center, I think that Pallosand seriously hurt him.” Aang frowned as he turned toward the professor.

“I feel fine. I was able to get away before it did any serious damage.” Aang said. Beside him, Yuu let out a soft sigh.

“I don't think Professor Pine believes your story,” Yuu said as he leaned back on his hands. Aang nodded in understanding.

“It is a little hard to believe,” Aang admitted. “I have to admit; if I ran into one of you in my world and you started talking about things like Pokémon I would want to take you to a doctor right away, but you have to believe me! I’m telling the truth.” 

“I believe you,” Yuu said quickly. “Professor you know better than anyone that there are some Pokémon in this world who have legendary powers! Would it really be that far out of the realm of possibility for one of them to have brought Aang here?” As Yuu finished speaking Aang let out a soft gasp as a flood of memories came rushing back to him; the sky tearing open, being sucked into the sky with all his friends, and that eerie voice rang out in the back of his mind.

“Aang!... are you alright?” Professor Pine asked as he started to move forward.

A sudden realization struck Aang, and he leapt to his feet, his eyes alight with recollection. "I remember now, how I ended up here!" he exclaimed with a surge of excitement. He eagerly began to recount his journey to Yuu and Professor Pine, weaving the details of his memory into a vivid narrative. His words painted a clear picture of the events that had led him to this moment, his voice animated and gestures expressive as he described each twist and turn of his adventure.

As Aang finished his tale, Yuu glanced at Professor Pine, noticing an emerging understanding on his face. Aang's narrative had evidently shed new light on their complex situation.

“Professor…” Yuu started.

Professor Pine responded, “I don't have all the answers, but Aang, your story is compelling. If it's true─”

Aang interjected eagerly, “Then I need to find my friends.” Yuu and Professor Pine both nodded in agreement.

“Exactly,” Professor Pine said. “None of them were with you on the beach, right?” Aang shook his head in response.

“Not that I saw,” Aang replied.

“We could search the area,” Yuu suggested.

Aang looked at Yuu, hope in his eyes. “You’ll help me?”

“Absolutely!” Yuu affirmed. “Your friends might be confused and lost right now. If they aren't on the beach or in town, we need to find them quickly.” Professor Pine nodded, his heart racing at the thought of more individuals like Aang, lost and without guidance, possibly in danger.

“Considering they weren't seen in town, they're likely not here,” Professor Pine reasoned. “Our law enforcement is quite active; they would've noticed. If they landed near here, it wasn't in a place the Police Force could spot.”

Yuu confirmed, “That makes sense. I haven't heard any police sirens all day, and Mian Town is generally safe.”

Aang, unfamiliar with the concept of a 'Police Force,' grasped the logic that his friends might be outside of town. 

There, Professor Pine struck an idea. “The forest around Route 1 is a possibility,” he explained. “As you’ve already experienced, it's not a safe place to be without a Pokémon.” Their discussion had now shifted to a focused plan of action, with the potential whereabouts of Aang's friends narrowing down to the outskirts of their immediate location.

“Then we have to leave right now,” Aang said. 

“That might be a little harder than you expect,” Yuu said causing Aang to frown again as Professor Pine nodded. “I know these parts better than anyone else in town but without a Pokémon, I can’t take you on Route 1 you aren’t allowed to leave out on a journey of any sort without a Pokémon with you, especially at this age.” 

“Well, how do you get a Pokémon?” Aang asked. 

“Unless one is provided, trainers catch one. I fear the issue is not with getting Pokémon, however,” Professor Pine said. “If it is Young Yuuyin who will help you he has not been permitted to yet have a Pokémon.” Aang turned to Yuuyin and watched as an unreadable expression crossed his face.

“Why?” said Aang.

Yuu explained his situation to Aang with a hint of regret. "My mother hasn’t allowed me to start my Pokémon journey yet. Technically, I should've embarked on it four years ago when I turned ten, like most kids in this region. But she's overly concerned about my safety and insists I wait a bit longer," he shared.

Professor Pine chimed in, "That's precisely why Yuuyin is here with me in the lab. He's trying to learn as much as he can about Pokémon, given that he can’t set out on his own journey yet."

Aang, looking for a solution, turned to the Professor. "Why can't we head out to Route 1? Maybe we could use one of the Starter Pokémon you showed me earlier?"

Professor Pine shook his head. "I'm tied up with work here at the lab and can’t leave right now. Besides, those Starter Pokémon are reserved for a group of new trainers arriving soon. It wouldn't be fair to them if I simply handed their Pokémon to someone else."

A look of disappointment crossed Yuu and Aang's faces. But then, Professor Pine added, "That being said, it doesn’t mean I don’t have other Pokémon here at the lab that could assist." This revelation caused Aang to perk up, a glimmer of hope returning to his eyes.

“Great! So that means I can go!” He said. 

“Wait,” Yuu said turning to look at Aang, “You will definitely need someone that knows the ropes on using and taming Pokémon while traversing this region for answers. I want to help you along as you go through Huoli, but my mother won’t let me go on my own journey yet. Perhaps you could help me too?” Aang frowned as he looked at the other boy. 

“I don't understand; how I can convince your mother to let you go out on your own Pokémon journey I don’t even know exactly what a ‘Pokémon journey’ is yet,” Aang said honestly. “And I also don't have time to figure it out either, my friends could be in trouble right now and I have to go and find them.”

“I understand that,” Yuu said quickly. “But if the story you told me about you guys saving the world is true then I’m sure they aren’t in immediate danger against the Pokémon in this area; this is a resort town, so Pokémon here tend to be fairly docile well besides the Luckrane and Pallosand you encountered I guess. It’s either me going with you and guaranteeing a secure trip or you spending time having to learn how to use a Pokémon and keep them waiting regardless. Logically, me going is the fastest option!” 

“How are we going to do that?” Aang asked.

“I’ll just tell her the story you told us,” Yuu said. “About you being the avatar and saving the world trust me she’ll believe you and she’ll know I’m safe with someone who can literally bend all four elements.”

“But I can’t!” said Aang

“But she doesn’t need to know that right now,” Yuu said quickly. “Please.” He begged. Aang took a second to think about what Yuu was asking. Right now, his friends were lost somewhere in the woods filled with creatures who had powers that he still didn’t quite fully understand. There were however six of them and there was safety in numbers. Yuu seemed nice and was willing to help him. 

“...Okay,” Aang said finally. “But we can’t be there too long.”

“I promise it’ll only take a moment,” Yuu said.

“Great!” Professor Pine proclaimed causing both Aang and Yuu to turn and look at him. “Now before you leave, you’ll need to take a Pokémon. I'm gonna take a gamble on you boy and hope that you can convince your mom; I personally would have given you a Pokémon for your own a long time ago" said Professor Pine said.

"T-Thank you Professor!" exclaimed Yuu.

"No worries. Anyways- Be back shortly,” Professor Pine said as he left the room to go get the Pokémon mentioned he had before. 

As he returned, he reached into his pocket to show a small red and white ball in his hand. Pressing the button in the center with his middle finger Aang jumped as the ball expanded three times its size.

“Whoa!” Aang gasped. “What is that?”

“Like I showed you before, this is a Poké Ball ” Professor Pine explained, “To elaborate further on it's machination, this is how we catch our Pokémon.” As he said this Professor Pine tossed the ball forward causing it to land on the ground. The Poké Ball opened and a red light shot out.

A second later a little Pokémon was in front of Aang and Yuu. Aang kneeled down as he inspected the creature. It looked like it could fit in the palm of his hand. It was a little rodent creature with blue spikes all along its back. 

“This is Lingliu, The Hedgehog Pokémon!” Professor Pine said. “Yuu, I think this Pokémon would be perfect for you.” He added causing the blue haired boy to smile brightly. As Aang took a closer look he started to notice it in more detail; it resembled a hedgehog-like creature; fitting their Pokédex entry. The quills that outline their backs took on a blue color, while their bodies have white fur. Their paws and face take on a brownish color.  white/light The spines on their back are actually made out of a special mineral. He knelt down beside Aang and reached his hand out. Lingliu sniffed and began to hesitantly move forward. 

"Really?... hm..." Yuu said, sizing up and down Lingliu, "...I think I might have liked a Kuasho, honestly..." he then thought. There, holding his chagrin in, he asked, "So... what is it's typing?"

“Lingliu is a Rock and Ground-Type Pokémon,” Professor Pine said. 

“Whoa,” both Aang and Yuuyin said. Lingliu slowly moved forward and began to sniff Yuu’s hand. It let out a little happy cry before jumping forward into Yuu’s hand. Yuu smiled and stood up holding Lingliu close to his chest.

“Hi Lingliu, my name is Yuu.”

“Ling-ling!”, the Lingliu shouted at Yuu in excitement. 

“It likes you!” Aang said.

“That’s a good thing,” Professor Pine said. “Now you two better hurry to Yuu’s home, the sooner you talk to your mother Yuu the sooner we can find Aang's friends.” Both Yuu and Aang nodded before bidding the professor farewell and heading out of the lab both determined more than ever to speak with Yuu’s mother.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

Yuu glanced over at Aang as they walked out of Professor Pine’s lab. He could tell that Aang was nervous and thinking about his friends. Reaching forward, Yuu placed his hand on Aang’s shoulder and gave him a gentle comforting squeeze. 

“Everything is going to be okay,” he promised. Aang gave him a doubtful look but remained silent. “Just take a deep breath, focus on our current task and go from there,” Yuu added, this time his words caused Aang to smile. 

“Ling! Lingliu!” The pokémon cried out cheerfully only causing Aang’s smile to grow.

“Yeah your right,” he said softly. “We need to stay focused on convincing your mom to let you take me to Route 1, dwelling too much on anything else might only make that task harder.” Yuu nodded and gave Aang’s shoulder one last squeeze before he dropped his hand.

“Come on, my house is just up this path,” Yuu said leading them towards another path that lead away from town. Unlike the long path that leads from the beach to Mian Town, this path was steep and winding. Around them, the wind began to pick up blowing Yuu’s hair around and ruffling the boy's clothes. 

As they continue up the path, the trees began to clear and Aang could see a large mansion sitting upon a hill. As they got closer Aang could see that the large mansion was surrounded by a tall and unwelcoming black fence. At the top of each metal bar was a dangerous looking spike that looked lethal to fall on. 

In the center of the fence was a large elaborate gate towering over Yuu and Aang. In the center of both gate doors was the letter ‘Y’ engraved in blue metal a design motif that was replicated throughout the grounds.  Posted at either side of the gate was a tall intimidating guard dressed in heavy blue armor with a pike in either hand. They reminded Aang of the Imperial Guards in the Fire Nation palace. Past the gates was Yuu’s home; It was huge taking up a considerable amount of their view in their horizon, and vastly looming above them. The walls were white, and the roof and doors were blue. Aang took in Yuu’s home with a bit of awe.

“Ling…” Lingliu muttered the Pokémon’s eyes going wide as it took in the grandeur of Yuu’s home.

“This place is amazing,” Aang said with excitement and glanced over at Yu who looked a bit sheepish. The older boy blushed when the guards bowed to them before opening the gates. 

A paved promenade cut through a large lush green lawn leading up to the large front door. Yuu lead them up the pathway and into his large home. Like the outside, the walls inside were white with blue trimming; doors accenting this theme were spread throughout the mansion as well. Against the walls were long tables that held expensive looking vases, and framed pictures hung next to paintings on the walls. Some were portraits of varying important looking people and some were of odd looking creatures that Aang had never seen and assumed must be Pokémon. In front of them was a large staircase that lead up to the second floor. 

“Well… This is my house,” Yuu said tucking his hands into his pockets as he turned his head away from Aang who was looking around with wide eyes. This certainly wasn’t the first time Aang had stepped foot in a nice house, but Yuu’s seemed different than the royal palace of Caldera or the palace in Ba Sing Se. It didn’t even seem like Toph’s home which was probably more on par with Yuu’s.

Aang felt like he was in a place of extreme wealth, but unlike the wealthy homes of the elites in his world this home felt different, however, Aang didn’t know why yet. Suddenly, Lingliu jumped on top of Aang's head before craning its own head up to gaze at the ceiling causing Aang to nearly jump out of his shoes.

“Ha, you scared me a little guy. Whatcha lookin’ at?” Aang asked after coming to. Aang mirrored Lingliu’s actions and looked up to see a large chandelier; one that Aang had never seen hanging from the ceiling in that fashion before. It was huge, like most things in the space around them, and looked as if it was made from crystals! As light refracted off its shards it resembled the flickering flames of candles but without his bending, he couldn’t sense if there was a fire there or not like he normally could; this saddened Aang. 

“Yuuyin!” A voice shouted so suddenly, causing both Yuu and Aang to turn. As they did, they glanced upon a small woman coming from around the corner the sound of her heels echoed against the walls as she approached them. As she came into view Aang was taken by her beauty; she was a short plump woman, with a round happy looking face, and dark blue hair, the same color as Yuu’s, with one white streak in it. She was wearing a long blue skirt the same color as her hair, and a tight suit jacket that matched. Around her neck was a string of pearls and she was wearing a pair of white gloves.

“Mom!,” Yuu said with a happy smile. “Perfect timing, you are just the person we were looking for,” Yuu’s Mom’s face lit up at his words and she chuckled.

“Oh my, I wasn’t expecting you home so early,” she said as she approached Yuu and Aang, “And who is this you brought with you? it's not often you bring back company. I haven’t seen you around Mian Town before, are you a trainer passing through? Your clothes are… intriguing," Her eyes drifted up from Aang to the Lingliu sitting on top of his head as she spoke.

“Not exactly,” Yuu said before Aang could think of something to say. “This is Aang and… Well to say he isn’t from around here is a bit of an understatement."

“Hiya! I’m Aang it's nice to meet you!” Aang said not trying to say too much too soon. Yuu sighs at Aang’s demeanor.

"So tell me Yuu, why did you bring Aaron here?" Yuu's mother asked with a kind smile. Hearing his name misspoken thrown Aang off a bit.

Yuu sighed. "Aang... And, I wanted you to meet him, and hear what he has to say, you might want to sit down for this.” Yuu’s mother frowned as she listened to her son speak. He sounded nervous and a little uncertain something that was quite unusual for him

“I see... Fine. Let’s go to the den, and we can talk over tea. I’m feeling parched for some Gold Berry Leaf Tea. It’s only found in the rarest parts of Johto!” Yuu’s mom said and she turned and started to walk down another hallway. Yuu started to follow.

“Come on, the den is this way it’s not that far I promise,” said Yuu to Aang.

There, Aang smiled. “Great!” he said as he followed both Yuu and his mother.

In the den, a snug and secluded room designed for confidential discussions with Huoli's elite, Yuu's Mom prepared tea in a maker beside her. She then settled comfortably into an armchair, attentively listening as Yuu narrated everything Aang had confided to Professor Pine – the details of his dimensional travels, his role as an Avatar, and his current predicament of missing friends. Throughout this recounting, Aang remained silent, his gaze fixed steadily on Yuu.

“...So, you see why it’s crucial for Aang to find his friends, and I believe I’m the only one who can help him in this Pokémon filled world! The years of being Pine's assistant prepared me for this!” Yuu concluded. Yuu's Mom, having absorbed the extraordinary tale, reclined in her chair, pondering in silence. The gravity of the story, with its remarkable and almost unbelievable elements, demanded her contemplation as she processed all that her son had shared.

“...Is this true?” She finally asked turning to Aang. He seemed surprised to have her address him but quickly nodded his head.

“Yes ma’am, every last word,” Aang said. “I need your son's help to find my friends.” Again Yuu’s mother stayed quiet for a moment or so before speaking again.

Yuu's Mom, with a hint of curiosity in her voice, asked, "So, you've really triumphed over a great evil in your world?" Aang nodded in affirmation. She reclined in her chair, her hand thoughtfully stroking her chin. "And you can control all four elements? That's a level of power I've never heard of... It's like something from a Mythical Pokémon tale," she pondered to herself.

Aang, not fully grasping the Pokémon references, still nodded. "It's a bit overwhelming, being in a place so unfamiliar. I had no knowledge of Pokémon before coming here," he admitted, his smile faint but genuine. Yuu watched this interaction, offering Aang an encouraging smile before turning back to his mother, waiting for her response.

She paused, her expression contemplative. "I remember saying that I'd only let you explore beyond the town if we met someone with powers akin to a Pokémon," she reminisced, looking at Aang. "And now, here you are, fitting that exact description. What an incredible coincidence," she remarked, her tone a mix of amazement and contemplation, reflecting on the serendipity of Aang's arrival.

Yuu, considering his next words carefully, was cautious not to misrepresent Aang's abilities, especially since he himself harbored doubts about Aang's claimed powers, having not seen them in action. "...You can ask Professor Pine; he is the one that found him, not me.: Yuu finally answered. There, Yuu's Mom spoke once more to Aang.

“... If you truly stopped a war, and if you can bend all the elements, then why would you need Yuu’s help?” She asked. 

"Um... Good question...?" Aang said, turning to Yuu; truly, he actually didn't know why he needed his help; in the back of his mind, he would find his friends whether Yuu came or not. Yuu then sucked his teeth in contempt of Aang's expression.

"Mother, I'm the most suitable guide for Aang through Route 1," Yuu began, leaning forward to emphasize his point. "He's not acquainted with being a Pokémon Trainer, and my experience here gives me an edge."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "You see, the extensive surveys I've conducted for the lab on Pokémon habitats have given me a deep understanding of the area. It's an advantage that can't be overlooked."

Yuu concluded his argument with a sense of urgency, "Given that our town search for any sky-fallen individuals was fruitless, I'm clearly the most qualified to guide him in exploring the region." His words were well-thought-out, emphasizing his unique ability to assist Aang on this new journey.

"We looked?" Aang interjected, surprised. Instantly, Yuu nudged him and shot a stern glare that silently said, "Be quiet!"

In response, Yuu's Mom took a moment, her expression thoughtful yet concerned. "You're aware of the dangers in Huoli, Yuu," she started, her frown deepening. "Your experiences are limited to supervised travels on Route 1 or within safe settlements, always under the protection of highly trained guards."

She paused, her tone shifting as she continued, "These guards are adept in Pokémon battles, hand-to-hand combat, and safeguarding treasures often more valuable than their own lives. And as for me," she added with a touch of bravado, "I'm akin to a multitude of such treasures!" Her statement, a blend of concern and self-importance, drew a nervous laugh from Yuu.

Yuu's Mom, still mulling over the situation, expressed her reservations. "I'm apprehensive about letting you go off with a complete stranger from another universe, someone who claims to have saved their entire world. And it's so early; our tea isn't even properly hot yet." Her words reflected a mix of maternal caution and her own exaggerated sense of self-worth, typical of her manic and narcissistic personality.

Aang started to change his thoughts on Yuu’s mom all but slightly; one to a woman that seemed too overprotective of his son thinking, “ Wow, she won’t even let him leave town alone?... ” Aang then turned to look at Yuu seeing a face of annoyance.

"A stranger whom I, and Professor Pine, trust implicitly," Yuu countered, maintaining a calm and even tone. Beside him, Aang, unsure of how to contribute, chose silence, allowing Yuu to navigate the conversation with his mother. "Furthermore, Aang's capabilities surpass those of any guard here. He's more than capable of handling any Pokémon in the forest or other dangers. And his friends, most of whom are elemental benders of Fire, Water, and Earth, will provide additional protection once we locate them," Yuu explained, although his mother's expression grew increasingly skeptical.

Yuu's mother listened attentively, giving her son the space to express his thoughts fully. She seemed to weigh his words carefully, but ultimately, she began to shake her head, signaling her disagreement, which made Aang sigh in disappointment. Yet, Yuu appeared undeterred by her reaction.

"That's a point of contention for me," she said softly, turning her gaze to Aang with a gentle look. "I'm not accusing you of dishonesty, dear, but the abilities you claim to possess are unprecedented in our world. While I can entertain the idea that a Pokémon's power brought you here, the notion that you and your friends have powers akin to Pokémon is harder for me to accept" she explained further, causing Aang to feel a sense of unease, his thoughts flashing back to an earlier conversation with Yuu.

Aang looked surprised. "So, you do believe that I come from a different world?" he inquired, to which she nodded affirmatively.

"Yes, indeed," she began confidently. "Our world is home to mysterious and powerful Pokémon whose full capabilities are still unknown to us. There are even Pokémon that haven't been discovered yet!" She gestured animatedly, raising her right index finger. "It's entirely possible for one of these Pokémon to possess the ability to warp time and space, bringing you here. But even with that," she added thoughtfully.

Yuu sighed, "But you're still skeptical about a human having Pokémon powers..."

"I'm sorry, dear," Yuu's mother replied softly, yet her voice carried an undercurrent of concern. "We must remember the reality of our world, especially with the presence of groups like Team Vekros within Huoli."

Yuu, exasperated, pleaded, "Mom, can we not go through this again?" He had grown tired of this repetitive caution every time he expressed a desire to venture out.

Her response was one of disbelief. "Not go through this?" She exclaimed. "You, of all people, should understand the threat posed by Team Vekros!" At the mention of Team Vekros, Aang tilted his head, visibly puzzled.

"But you never let me forget it!" Yuu countered. "Every time I mention starting my Pokémon journey, you bring them up as a reason not to go."

"Team Vekros?" Aang interjected, but his voice was lost in their heated exchange.

Yuu's mother insisted firmly, "It's necessary to remind you. You seem to forget the privilege of your upbringing, Yuu. You're not just any child; you're destined to inherit our family's legacy. How can I let you out into a world where threats like Team Vekros roam free?"

As the argument unfolded, Aang began to grasp the underlying dynamics of Yuu's situation. It was apparent that fear, perceived by Yuu as overprotective and unnecessary, was what restrained him from pursuing his aspirations. Reflecting on his own experiences of facing danger to save the world, Aang realized that while he needed Yuu's guidance in this new world, Yuu equally needed his help to break free from these constraints.

Seizing the moment, Aang interjected with conviction, "Please ma'am, at least give it some thought!" He could sense that without intervention, Yuu and his mother might remain locked in this circular argument indefinitely.

“I’m sorry but no,” she said with a shake of her head. When she saw the crushed look on Aang’s face she sighed, and her tone became more gentle as she went on to explain her thoughts. “Aang, you seem like a nice boy and I know you need help but I’m afraid my son cannot be the one to help you. You can see we aren’t your normal run of the mill kind of folk, it’s too risky to send him out there alone with his level of nobility.” 

“But he won’t be alone,” said Aang with desperation now creeping up along his spine. His mind began to flash to his friends believing they are alone, and surrounded by Pokémon in an unfamiliar forest, without any bending, or knowledge of what was around them. Aang began to silently panic at the mention of terrorists being loose in Huoli. If Yuu was his only lifeline to finding his friends, his family, then Aang wasn’t going to be taking no for an answer, he had to convince Yuu’s mother.

“He’ll have me,” Aang continued on, his voice filled with a new kind of conviction, “We’ve been doing a lot of talking but if you don't believe my words then I can show you, I am the master of all four elements and I’ll prove it you!” 

“Ling! Ling!” Lingliu cried out happily. The small Pokémon on top of Aang’s head had been silent since they had entered the sitting room; even Aang, who had it on top of his head, had forgotten it was there.

“W-We’ll have Lingliu too!” Yuu said quickly, “Professor Pine gave him to me preparing me for this task!” 

Yuu's mother observed Aang with a discerning gaze, her tone dripping with a sense of entitlement. "I had been puzzled about that Pokémon following you. I simply assumed it was some unfortunate stray from Professor Pine's collection that you were babysitting..." She paused, her affluent mindset evident in her dismissive assumption.

Her expression then shifted as she considered Professor Pine's involvement. "So Pine, of all people, has a stake in this, despite my usual indifference to his insights..." The room's atmosphere subtly shifted as she exchanged a meaningful glance with Yuu. "Given that Pine is the esteemed Pokémon Professor in Upper Liyi, perhaps there's more to this than I initially thought," she mused, her voice betraying a hint of respect for Pine's authority.

As she began nodding, a calculative glint appeared in her eyes. Aang's smile broadened with hope. "If Yuu were to encounter any trouble," she pondered aloud, "the responsibility could fall on Pine and the Pokémon League. The potential for a substantial legal claim..." Her thoughts clearly drifted towards the financial and legal leverage she could hold over them, reflecting her inclination to measure situations by their monetary and litigative benefits.

Yuu, while not fond of his mother's financially motivated thinking, recognized an opportunity. Her realization that she could potentially hold Professor Pine and the Pokémon League accountable, with a lucrative lawsuit as a possible outcome, seemed to sway her towards permitting Yuu's involvement in Aang's journey.

Aang, seeking confirmation, cautiously inquired, "So, you're agreeing to let me assist Yuu on his quest?"

"I'm agreeing to let my son assist you," she corrected him. Before Aang could express his thanks, she added a condition, "But first, you need to demonstrate that you truly possess mastery over all four elements." The room tensed at her demand.

Yuu inwardly groaned, "Oh no…"

Aang, eager to prevent any further skepticism, promptly agreed, "Okay, I'll show you some bending."

Yuu's response was one of sheer disbelief. "H-Huh?" He was internally panicking, "Uh, Aang, did you forget that you CAN'T BEND?!..." Despite his anxiety, he managed to ask his mother, "And h-how much of a demonstration are you expecting?"

Yuu's mother, embodying her affluent lifestyle, replied nonchalantly as she crossed her legs and reclined in her chair. "Oh, nothing too grand. Just conjure up a rock wall, perhaps a small wave of water, or even a gentle breeze. And while you're at it, a flame to hasten the heating of my tea would be lovely. This tea maker is dreadfully slow," she remarked, a tone of extravagance in her voice.

Yuu couldn't help but chuckle nervously at her extravagant yet casual request. Meanwhile, Aang subtly nudged Yuu's leg, trying to reassure him amidst the growing tension.

Aang responded with feigned bravado, puffing out his chest. "That's it? Ha! I can do all of that in my sleep!" But beneath his confident exterior, he was grappling with anxiety, his throat tightening at the unexpected challenge laid before him. Internally, he longed for the support of his familiar companions. "I wish someone like Sokka or Azula were here," he thought to himself. "They always seem to have a knack for swiftly navigating through tough situations like this..." His mind raced for a solution, trying to emulate the resourcefulness of his friends in this tricky predicament.

“Hm. I like your tenacity,” she said with an intrigued look in her eyes, clearly she still didn't believe that Aang could bend at all and was trying to call his bluff. "If you can manipulate one element, that would suffice for be believing the others" Yuu and Aang were shocked hearing this.

“So... you’re making it easy for him,” Yuu said happily, “Good, we’ll head outside and Aang can show you what he’s made of.” His mother smiled.

“Fine, I’ll meet you boys out there. If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the little lady’s room before we proceed,” Yuu’s mother said blushing a little. “Yuu honey why don't take Aang outside and I’ll be with you in just a moment.” Both boys nodded and Yuu hurried Aang down the hallway.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

I can’t believe we’re actually doing this!” said Yuu. “You’re crazy for this idea!”

“What else was I supposed to do? At least we have a chance at convincing her now!” said Aang with a worried look.

“L-Look, I have an idea...” Yuu said quickly once he was sure his mother was out of earshot, “My mother only needs you to show her one element right? It seems like picking air would be the easiest one out of all four.” Aang couldn’t help but agree.

“So what’s your idea?” Aang asked as Yuu lead him into the kitchen which lead towards two large double glass doors that lead out into the backyard. 

“You see those bushes over there?” Yuu asked, “You go stand by them and look like your meditating and I’ll be right back.” Yuu said before taking off at a sprint in the opposite direction. Nodding to himself Aang moved down the steps of the patio and hurried over to the bushes Yuu had directed him towards. 

The backyard itself was huge and seemed to go on for miles. It was made up of mostly a grassy field but had a varied array of sculpted bushes, a pool, a garden, and a stage for performances. Feet away from where Yuu had instructed Aang to stand was a small pond surrounded by stones big enough to sit on. Aang could see in the distance that the backyard was fenced off by large trees and shrubs allowing for a decent amount of privacy.

“ Gosh… I wonder how many trees were cut down to build this property, ” Aang thought; he had a feeling that there was nothing but more forest behind those trees and felt like whoever had built Yuu’s home had just taken out a huge section of forest to build this property. The thought made Aang’s heart ache but he had no time to ponder the thought as Yuu was running back over towards him with something large in his hand. His face was bright red and he was panting heavily by the time he stopped in front of Aang.

“I-told-you-to-meditate.” Yuu struggled to speak as he sucked in a breath between each word.

“Um, sorry,” Aang said. “What’s that in your hand?”

“A fan,” Yuu said after a second or two of regaining his breath, “Cordless too, aren’t we lucky? I found it over in the shed. I remembered seeing it in there a few months ago when I was in there with the groundskeeper.” He added with a bright smile. 

“That thing’s a fan?” Aang asked with a frown. The fan had three large flat blades that were attached to a circular metal piece in the center. The blades were kept in a round wire cage and two larger metal pieces were attached to the bottom of the contraption keeping it upright. Aang had never seen anything quite like it. 

“Yep,” Yuu said, “It’s old, but I tested it. And it still looks like the batteries work.”

“The what?” questioned Aang.

“We don't have time,” Yuu said waving his hand impatiently. “This thing is loud so when I turn it on you’re going to have to shout and-”

“Wait, I’m confused what exactly is this plan you have?” Aang demanded.

“Simple; I hide in the bushes and turn this fan on while you pretend to airbend!” Yuu said gleefully, “It’ll push out air, and if you make the right movements then it’ll look like you’re controlling the wind.” 

“What movements will I have to make?” asked Aang.

“Well, the air that comes out of a fan can only go forward in whichever direction that it’s facing,” Yuu explained. “So I guess you’ll have to make it look like you're moving the air forward with your hands, or legs, or both.” 

“I can do that,” Aang said with a nod.

“Good, now like I was saying this fan is going to make a lot of noise so you’ll have to be speaking loudly over it,” Yuu said. “We can try to keep my mom on the patio so she’s not so close, but still she’ll probably be able to hear it from there if you just stay quiet. Now I don't know how this bending works but-”

“Don't worry I have my own idea,” Aang said causing Yuu to smile. “Good, make sure to shout as loud as you can. Also, I was thinking that we should start on the low setting and then go up to medium and then high.”

“A setting? What’s that?” Aang asked scratching his head. Yuu frowned as he tried to think of the best way to explain it. 

“Okay, do you see this tiny switch on the back of the fan here?” Yuu asked pointing at the dial. “Every time you turn it in one direction it will go a different speed, the higher the speed the louder the fan will be. For example ‘low’ is the slowest the fan will go and ‘high’ is the fastest. A new speed is a new setting.”

“Okay, I understand!” Aang said eagerly. “If your plan is to switch the settings we’re going to need a word that will trigger to switch them.”

“Good thinking,” Yuu said.

“How about every time I say the word ‘wind’ you move it from lower to higher and when I say the word ‘return’ you turn the fan off completely,” Aang suggested causing Yuu to nod.

“Alright, I can do that,” said Yuu. Suddenly, his face immediately fell. “Oh wait, no no no! I can’t do that!”

“What why?” Aang asked moments before the same realization came to him as well. “Your mom, she’s going to be expecting you to be there with her.” Yuu nodded quickly.

“If I’m not there she’s going to suspect something.” Said Yuu. Both boys frowned.

“Ling! Ling!” Lingliu chirped jumping from Aang’s head to his shoulder, and then to the ground. They watched as Lingliu jumped onto the fan and began to tap on the switch. Suddenly, they realized their problem was quickly solved by the Pokémon.

“Ah! Lingliu! You want to control the fan little buddy?” Aang asked causing Lingliu to smile and nod ‘yes’.

“Haha! That’s perfect!” Yuu said relaxing a little, “Why didn’t I think of that before?” 

“He seems like he can understand fine,” Aang said with a sigh of relief.  

“Yea, Pokémon are very intuitive and intelligent especially once they start to pick up on your personality, ” Yuu said as he began to kneel down to Lingliu, “Alright, remember when you hear the word ‘wind’ turn on the fan, and every time you hear the word ‘wind’ afterward you turn the setting higher and when Aang says the word ‘return’ you turn the whole fan off altogether.” 

“Ling!” Lingliu said happily. Reaching forward both boys took a hold of the fan and carefully, with Lingliu still on it, moved it over to the bushes.

“The fan won’t be strong enough to blow branches or leaves out of the way will it?” Aang asked, “She won’t be able to see it will she?” 

“Don't worry her eyesight isn’t good enough to see it from the patio,” Yuu whispered. Suddenly, he glances to see his mom exiting the house. “Speaking of, you better get into whatever position you need to be in.” Yuu continued as he pointed to his mom. They both looked to see Yuu’s mother walking down the steps of the patio, she had put on a pair of sunglasses and a sunhat before coming outside to join them.

“Alright!” said Aang.

“I’ll go back to make sure she stays up there,” Yuu whispered. Aang watched as Yuu moved forward quickly and met with his mother. 

“Oh, Yuu! I apologize for taking so long, I thought that watching supernatural activity would go great with wearing my Myu Myu sunhat, and it is awfully bright out you know about my sight issues,” said Yuu’s mom. Suddenly, Yuu took a hold of his mother’s arms ushering her back onto the patio. 

“It will be safer up here; I don’t wanna risk you getting hurt,” said Yuu.

“Oh? Well, ok.” Yuu’s mom said as she went along with Yuu onto the patio clutching her sunhat as she went.

“Anytime you’re ready!” Yuu called out. Aang nodded taking in a breath.

Bringing his hands together Aang tilted his head up towards the grey sky. He took in another deep breath before shouting loudly.

“OH, GREAT AVATAR YANGCHEN I CALL UPON YOU NOW FOR GREAT GUIDANCE!” Aang’s voice rang out around the backyard as he invoked the name of the airbending avatar who had come in the cycle before him. Typically, Aang would have a connection to each of his past lives, but along with this bending, this connection had disappeared as well. Normally when it came to bending Aang would not need to call upon the spirit of one of his past lives but Aang had to say something to cover the noise of the fan. Subconsciously, Aang had hoped that perhaps by calling out to Yangchen that she and the rest of his past lives might hear him and that he would feel the familiar swell of chi through his pathways and again be able to bend. He swallowed the feeling of disappointment when this did not happen and continued to bellow up towards the sky. 

“I ASK FOR YOU TO BESTOW UPON ME THE ELEMENT OF AIR,” Sliding his left leg forward Aang brought his right arm up as he continued to speak, “I SUMMON WIND TO MY SIDE IN THIS HOUR OF NEED!” Aang said jutting his arm forward just as Lingliu switched on the fan. On the lowest setting, Aang couldn’t feel much of a breeze as he continued to shout out nonsense. He then slid his right leg forward.

“-WIND-” Aang said as Lingliu switched the setting. He jutted his arm forward as he began to feel the wind rushes from behind him. Noticeably, the grass around him started to move, and leaves rustled. Yuu’s mother tilted her head in intrigue as she saw the grass move around Aang. Aang however, didn’t dare look up at Yuu or his mother but instead focused on his hand.

“-WIND -” Aang shouted thrusting both hands forward this time as Lingliu switched the setting once more. Aang felt a jolt of hope as his clothes began to press against his back at the force of the fan and the grass around him flattened. 

Aang began to twist around in the breeze of the fan twining his arms in a circular motion as he continued to shout. He slipped into a detailed pattern of movements that he would use when actually airbending. The breeze from the powerful fan managed to reach even the patio blowing the mother’s hat off her head which was unnoticed by both Yuu and his mother.

“I CAN FEEL THE PRESENCE OF AVATAR YANGCHEN BESIDE ME NOW!” Aang bellowed as he got to the last few movements. “SHE IS SPEAKING TO ME! USHERING ME TO RETURN THE GIFT BESTOWED ON ME BACK TO THE HEAVENS!”  At the word ‘return’ the fan behind him switched off as planned. Aang then placed his hands together and bowed his head touching his chin to his chest. He didn’t look up again until he heard thunderous applause from the patio. 

“Magnificent! Magnificent! Oh Avatar Aang, I’m sorry I ever doubted you!” She cried as she and Yuu hurried over to him; overzealous by the display of something unimaginable. “You truly do have a gift… I was wrong to not believe you in the first place.” Aang laughed as she pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

“It’s okay!” Aang winced not just from the hug but his voice was raw and horse from all the screaming he had done, “You had every right to be skeptical of course!” Yuu nodded and smiled as Lingliu quietly scuttled from behind the bushes, and ran over to him. Bending down, Yuu scooped up the small Pokémon and placed him on his shoulder. 

“Does this mean that I can go with Aang?” Yuu asked hopefully. 

“I am a woman of my word,” she said gently. “You may go with Avatar Aang to help his friends. I believe you’ll be safe with an Avatar, and if Professor trusts you… then perhaps it’s time I start to as well. I’ve held you here for four years after all...” She said softly. Yuu’s mother embraced Yuu in an apologetic hug but as he did Aang could see a brief flash of discomfort in Yuu’s eyes at his mother’s mention of trust. Their ruse had an important purpose but it was still a ruse nevertheless. Aang hoped, however, that if she ever found out she might understand and not be too mad at Yuu. 

“Come, I’ll pack your traveling bag! Oh, I wonder what clothes one would need for a Pokémon Journey? You surely cannot walk around looking unkempt like a Gossipuwei. Oh and I'll fill it with some snacks for the road! If only the chef could prepare a five-course meal and compartmentalize it in your carry on such short notice, oh I guess you’ll have to do without…” Yuu’s mom said with a disappointed sigh.

She looked over to Aang’s confused face and Yuu’s embarrassed one,  “M-My apologies I’m sure Professor Pine is eagerly waiting for you, so we better get you three on your way.” She sounded almost excited and overzealous for the opportunity Yuu now had thanks to Aang. She began to lead them towards the house but then stopped. “Oh my in my excitement I hardly noticed that my expensive sunhat has fallen off right my head and onto the ground!… Aang darling do you think you can summon some flame to burn it?”

Aang laughed nervously and waited for her to laugh with him at the joke, but his eyes widen when it became abundantly clear that she was being serious!

“M-Mom, please!” Yuu said with embarrassment touching his tone, “Can we not do this in front of a guest?” Yuu’s mom, however, shrugged and stepped over the offending sunhat before leading them back towards the patio. 

“I suppose some lucky Haricus can have it as supper come let’s go,” said Yuu’s mom causing Yuu himself to scoff and roll his eyes. Uneased, Aang followed close behind Yuu’s mother who began to ramble on about Aang’s display of bending, and how impressed she was with it; hardly noticing Yuu dashing off to put the fan back in the shed, and returning to them. She then turned around hearing Yuu panting heavily from running.

“Hm? Are you okay sweetheart? If you are getting overheated I can summon the house nurse to escort you to the infirmary.” 

“N-No mother, I’m just excited is all,” Yuu said with a pained breath. She smiled and hurried back inside with them. 

Once in the kitchen, she commanded the house chef to prepare snacks for Yuu to carry for their journey. During this time, Yuu showed Aang around their mansion; showing him they had another pool inside, two more kitchens, a music hall where his family would put on concerts or practice music, a separate wing for guards and butlers, his mother’s boudoir, as well as his pristine bedroom.

While Yuu was in his room he changed his clothes; putting over his black outfit blue shorts and a jacket. He also changed out of his black shoes and put on knee-high red shoes.

While he changed, Aang was so lost in all the decor that momentarily all his worries faded away, and he became just a kid again in glee over all the amazing things Yuu owned. By the time they made it back down to the kitchen Yuu’s mother was done preparing Yuu’s traveling bag, and lead them to the front door. Yuu’s mom turned to them and began to speak.

“Alright now remember-”

“Before you say it we’ll be careful, we’ll watch our backs, and we’ll stay together,” Yuu said. His mother smiled and Aang turned to look away when she became misty-eyed.

“Oh...you really are growing up,” she sniffed before pulling him into another hug. “Alright, then you two be off good luck to both of you and your friends!” She said giving Yuu one more hug and Aang one more as well before sending them off. They waved at her until they reached the front gate, and headed back on the path that lead back to town. 

“Are you okay?” Aang asked once Yuu’s house was out of sight.

“Yeah,” Yuu said with a bright smile. “I just can’t believe that worked.” 

“Me either,” Aang said clearing his tender voice. 

“You really were amazing,” Yuu said clapping his hand on Aang’s shoulder. “And so was Lingliu! For a second I almost believed you were airbending.” Aang smiled and Lingliu let out another cheer. The rest of the walk into town was quiet as both boys contemplated what had just happened and what might happen next.

Once back in the center of town, they saw Professor Pine waving to them. He was standing in front of his office was a bag in his hand.

“Aang! Yuu! I suspect everything went well from the look on your faces.” He said happily as they both approached him.

“It went better than we thought it would, she gave me permission to go with Aang Professor!” Yuu said with a bright smile. 

“Good, now before you go I have some items for you to take; Potions, and Poké Balls in case you run into a Pokémon you want to catch. I would also advise you to teach Aang how to catch one.”

“Is that really important right now?” Aang asked.

“I believe so,” Professor Pine said with a kind smile. “Who knows how long you’ll be here? You’ll find life is much easier and safer with a Pokémon companion at your side, but nevertheless, you don't have to! Also, I have this,” Professor Pine said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a red rectangular-looking device. 

“You’re giving me a Pokédex?!” Yuu said with wonder his eyes lighting up.

“I am,” Pine said, “You’ll find this tool helpful when you're out in the forest and run into a Pokémon you might not recognize. It has many features that I’m sure you will learn to use with ease!” Yuu took the item quickly while Aang watched never seeing such a thing before in his life. Aang jumped when Yuu popped it open and peered over his friend's shoulder along with Lingliu who looked equally as interested. The front part of the Pokédex opened and inside revealed different colored buttons and another black rectangle. 

“I’ve always wanted one,” Yuu explained his voice filled with awe.

“You’ll certainly have time to use them while out in the forest,” Professor Pine said. “You two better get moving!” Yuu nodded and shut his Pokédex before slipping it into his pocket. Yuu took the rest of the materials from Pine, thanked him, and placed them in his bag. Saying their goodbyes, Yuu eagerly lead Aang beyond Pine’s office, beyond the other homes and buildings, and towards a well-beaten path at the very edge of town, next to the path was a sign read Route 1. Yuu turned to Aang and smiled wider than Aang had seen him do yet. 

“Let’s go,” Yuuyin said before taking the first step onto the path. 

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

Route 1 spread out in front of both Yuu and Aang as they began to walk down the path toward the forest. Lingliu, nestled on top of Yuu’s head, took in the new area with widened eyes. The road they were walking on was wide and even and on either side were open areas of tall wild grass. To the right of them was more forest that stood alongside the road.

Admiring the vast wilderness in front of them as Huoli opened up for them Aang could see why Yuu’s mother was nervous, between the tall grass and the forest there seemed to be plenty of places for a Pokémon, or a person, to be lurking. Even now as they walked Aang could see the grass rustling in various places, and could hear odd cries coming from inside the forest. He began to pick up his pace as the thought of his friends again crossed his mind.

Beside him, Yuu seemed to be in the best of moods no doubt excited to finally be allowed to go out on his own. In his hand, the bag his mother had given them was swinging back and forth. Yuu started to notice Aang’s worrisome mood and gave him a pat on the back. Aang looked up at Yuu, realizing his intention, and smiled. Suddenly, a question popped into Aang’s mind.

“Professor Pine said he has given us some Poké Balls and Potions in case we ran into some Pokémon we wanted to catch, correct?” Aang asked causing to Yuu nod, “I know we use Poké Balls to catch Pokémon with, but how exactly is a Potion supposed to help?” Yuu smiled and reached into the bag to pull out one of the small purple spray bottles that Professor Pine had given him. 

“Potions are used to help heal your Pokémon when they’re hurt,” Yuu explained. “There are three different types of Potions, this one is the most basic kind which will only restore some of a Pokémon’s health, but there are others. Super Potions restore a moderate amount of a Pokémon’s health, whereas Hyper Potions restore a considerable amount of a Pokémon’s health. The best ones out there are Full Restores they basically make it like the Pokémon never even got hurt with how much health they restore but are expensive. The difference between them is just the potency of the medicine inside. ”

“Oh, that’s good!” Aang said. “That way we can heal Lingliu in case we do end up running into trouble out here. Do these work on people?” Aang asked his mind immediately going to Katara, without her waterbending she wouldn’t be able to heal them if they got hurt by a Pokémon it would be helpful to have something like this as a substitute. 

“Not that I know of,” Yuu said making Aang frown and sag his shoulders, “But these aren’t only useful for just Lingliu. I think Professor Pine is right you should try to catch a Pokémon while you're out here. I mean like he said we have no way of knowing how or when we can get you back to your home,” Said Yuu.

“Ahh…” Aang sighed.

 “To my mother’s credit, some things she said are essential, Huoli isn’t the safest place to be right now, it only makes sense that you have a Pokémon companion by your side to help protect you and the rest of the group.” Yuu continued on. Aang nodded as he couldn’t help but agree with Yuu’s words.

“Yeah, before when Professor Pine suggested it I was in a hurry to find my friends, and thought it might be a waste of time,” Aang said with a frown, “But now I realize how short-sighted that is, without our bending we really our defenseless.” Yuu nodded in agreement.

“Don't worry though along Route 1 there are a ton of easy and good Pokémon to catch,” Yuu said with a promising smile, “Even now, you can see the grass moving and can hear the Pokémon out in the forest.” 

“Yeah”, said Aang with a smile, but suddenly Aang remembered something. “But there was something that you had said a moment ago that caught my attention. I don't quite understand why we would need to use a potion on a Pokémon that we catch...” Yuu turned to look at him with a confused look.

“Ah, I keep forgetting you don't know this stuff,” Yuu said with an apologetic smile, “I should have explained. So, in order to catch a Pokémon, we have to battle it an-”

“W-Wait, you mean hurt it?” Aang asked with wide eyes making Yuu pause and look deadpanned by his reaction, “I don't understand, why are we hurting something we want to be friends with?” Yuu was a little taken aback by the statement. 

“Well we can’t just go up to a wild Pokémon and ask it to be our friend,” Yuu said with a bit of a chuckle, “In order to catch it, we first have to prove that we deserve to catch it.” Aang was starting to become a bit irritable by Yuu’s passive response to something he thought was fairly serious. 

Noticing this, Yuu then grabbed a Poké Ball from his bag and tried to explain it in a more technical fashion. “Well, you can’t just throw a Poké Ball at any Pokémon and expect it to be caught- well I mean you can but unless it’s a very specific circumstance that doesn’t work. Like I said before catching a Pokémon is all about proving yourself to it in a sense,” Yuu said as he went on to hand Aang a Poké Ball, “In order to do that we need to battle and prove that we are worth capturing it.” Aang’s eyes went wide and a look of disgust crossed his face. 

“You mean you beat these Pokémon into submission?” Aang said as he took a step away from Yuu and dropped the Poké Ball near Lingliu who had jumped down to Yuu’s feet, “That’s horrible how could anyone do that? How could you do that?” Aang demanded. Feeling as if he wasn’t getting through to Aang Yuu frowned.

“Well... When you put it like that it sounds a lot worse than what it really is,” Yuu said quickly and a bit defensively. 

“I don't really know how you could make it sound better!” Aang said his face twisting into a scowl, “You viciously attack a Pokémon over and over again until it’s forced to come with you!?” Yelled Aang. Yuu bit his lip as he tried to think of a good response. Yuu then started to think,  “ There had to be a good way to explain this to Aang... ”. 

“Listen, Aang. Most of the time when a trainer encounters a wild Pokémon it’s because the Pokémon is initiating some type of exchange between the traveling trainer, like a battle.” Yuu said, “Pokémon are very intelligent creatures. Look at Lingliu he just helped us with our little fan rouse and convincing my mother that you still have bending.” As Yuu said this, Aang looks down at Lingliu as he looks confusingly at Aang and Yuu as they argue, a bit startled by never seeing such a thing before between two humans. 

“Aang, when and if a Pokémon challenges a trainer to a battle it is aware of the chance that it can get caught,” Yuu said as he picks up the Poké Ball near his feet. “In fact, there are many Pokémon who want to get caught by a trainer, and the battling and catching process is the means by which the Pokémon decides if that’s the right choice for them. I also think that maybe you’re thinking of the process of catching Pokémon in only a negative context-”

“Is there any other way to think of it?” Aang said looking completely flabbergasted by Yuu’s statement. 

“Of course, there is, a Pokémon’s choice to end up caught by a trainer is very situation specific it might ‘give in’ so to speak because the Pokémon thinks the trainer is really strong. Or, it might just like the trainer and want to join their team-”

“Or it might be scared, and want the fight to end, so it submits to stop the attacking!” Aang said angrily cutting off Yuu, “Are you going to sit here and try to tell me that’s never happened?”

“Aang think about what I just said for a second!” Yuu said as he places his hands on Aang’s shoulders, “If a Pokémon is submitting to a trainer that it challenged then it could be for a variety of reasons not just because a trainer has proven their own strength, but the Pokémon could understand the trainer's intentions. Like I told you at my house Pokémon are very intuitive and can pick up on people’s energy.” Aang brushed Yuu’s hands off his shoulders and took a step back.

“Yuu lis-”

“Before you say anything else consider this for a moment,” Yuu added cutting off Aang as he opened his mouth to speak, “In this type of world, which is much different than your own, being caught is a much more preferable option for many Pokémon.”

“Now it just sounds like you’re talking nonsense,” Aang said angrily, “Do you mean to tell me a Pokémon would prefer to be held in those tiny little Poké Balls and forced to battle against other Pokémon than live out in the wild?” He demanded. 

“That’s exactly what I mean to tell you,” Yuu said as calmly as possible, “Look at it like this: in the wild, a Pokémon has to fight for its life to survive. It fights for territory, it fights for food, and it fights not to get eaten. If a Pokémon is caught by a trainer it doesn’t always have to endure those things. It has a home, food, and love, and can still battle and train which in general Pokémon like to do."

“Hmm…”, Aang pondered Yuu’s words.

“Not to mention, trainers don’t just have one Pokémon, usually Pokémon form a family dynamic with its party members and trainer. When a Pokémon submits to a trainer it's because it understands the trainer is strong enough to provide all of those things.”

“And they don't mind being stuffed into those tiny Poké Balls? It doesn’t bother them?” Aang asked with a frown. Yuu then immediately started to nod his head.

“Poké Balls aren’t tiny cages,” Yuu said reaching down to scoop up the Poké Ball Aang had dropped to the ground, “In fact, the inside of a Poké Ball is very Pokémon friendly and made for comfort. Here hold it and don’t drop it this time, please?” As Aang was handed the Poké Ball he turned away from Yuu, and glanced down at the Poké Ball. He was quiet as he thought about everything Yuu had said. Slowly Aang began to shake his head.

“... I understand what you're saying, but I still don't agree with it- it just goes against a lot of my principles that I grew up with,” Aang said gently.

“I get that but Aang please consider the situation we're in!” Yuu pleaded as he walked closer to Aang, “You said yourself that you and your friends are defenseless without your bending! For your safety, it is in your best interest for you, and perhaps your friends, to catch and train Pokémon in order to protect yourselves against all kinds of threats that can and most likely will appear on our journey! I have to travel far for the Pokémon League, and you will have to potentially to uncover your bending issue. And let’s not forget already you’ve been attacked by two Pokémon attempting to get to Mian Town, what do you think is going to happen once we start traveling for longer distances to more dangerous places?” Aang squeezed his eyes shut and began to shake his head again.

“I’m sorry Yuu, but I’m just not comfortable with catching Pokémon this way,” Aang said softly as he looked down, “Please understand that...”

“I do,” Yuu said after giving Aang a moment to collect himself, “It’s not for everyone and that’s fine. If you don't want to catch a Pokémon you don't have to I can be the one protecting us with them if anything. Or,  maybe your friends will get Pokémon too and they can help protect us as well, but just remember I can’t always be around, and obviously, neither can your friends. That might be something you consider before you swear off not catching any Pokémon altogether” said Yuu. Aang worried his lip for a moment considering Yuu’s words. 

“Maybe...” Aang mumbled under his breath causing Yuu to smile.

“Come on we should probably keep going,” said Yuu. Aang nodded in agreement, and the two continued to walk in silence both thinking about the conversation they had just had while Aang fiddled with the Poké Ball still in his hand.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

Suddenly, a movement in the corner of Aang’s eye caught his attention. Aang looked to the side, and saw something; something so alarming Aang had to do a quick double take as he came to a sudden stop. 

“Aang?” Yuu asked coming to a stop as well, “Is everything okay?” Aang however, didn’t answer as he watched a small Pokémon dart down a branch of a nearby tree. 

“Momo?” questioned Aang as he looked at the Pokémon. For a second, Aang had thought he had seen Momo, his beloved Winged Lemur, but quickly realized it wasn’t him. This doppelganger like Pokémon to Aang was a little smaller than Momo, and was predominantly white with pink paws, pink accenting its white face, and pink on the innards of its ears.

“Huh? yeah, it’s just that Pokémon over there reminds me of Momo,” Aang explained somberly. Yuu frowned as he heard the sadness in his friend’s voice.

“Momo is a friend of yours I assume,” Yuu said gently. 

“He’s a Winged Lemur,” Aang said with a frown. The more Aang thought of Momo and soon Appa the sadder he got. “...He and my Flying Bison Appa were left back in my world...” said Aang in a soft tone. 

This fact was true; Appa and Momo had not been in the training yard when they had all got taken from their world and thrown into this one. The moment Aang had woken up on the beach he had been so concerned with trying to figure out where he was and where his friends were that he hadn’t had a moment to think about his other companions. And now, as Aang was looking at the little Pokémon, he couldn’t help but think of the other things he had left with no way of returning to them. It made his heart feel heavy with sadness a slight tear ran down his face as he looked down. Suddenly, Aang’s face was caressed by a soft white handkerchief; one that Yuu pulled out of his bag. As Aang held the handkerchief in shock he looked into Yuu’s eyes, and Yuu smiled as he squeezed Aang’s shoulder unsure exactly what to say. 

“Hey… If that reminds you of your friend maybe it might help you feel better if you caught this Pokémon,” Yuu suggested tentatively. Aang turned to look at Yuu with a conflicted look; Aang wanted Momo with him but knew that was impossible. 

“Perhaps having this little Pokémon with him might help Aang… ” thought Yuu.

“I don't want to have to hurt it in order to catch it...” Aang said standing his ground, “I’m not going to force the Pokémon to be my companion so I can feel better…” Hearing Aang say this, Yuu frowned and took his hand off Aang’s shoulder. 

“... Unless we can catch it without hurting it,” Aang said as his face lit up with a little hope as he turned back to look at the Pokémon. As they talked, the lucrative Pokémon had jumped onto a tree with oddly shaped fruit on it and was picking some off the branches. 

“If that is what you want then we can try,” Yuu said with a small smile. “I can’t promise we’ll catch it considering we won’t be battling it,” Aang nodded and felt himself smiling a little. 

“Okay, so how should we go about catching it?” Aang asked. Instead of answering right away, Yuu reached into his pocket and pulled out the Pokédex that Professor Pine had given them. 

“First things first: let’s find out what Pokémon we’re trying to catch,” said Yuu. Flipping the Pokédex open Yuu took a few steps closer to the Pokémon in question and pointed the Pokédex in his hand at it. Nothing happened for a moment and it started to worry Yuu.

“ Huh? Am I using this thing correctly? I don’t have much experience with these things… I don’t wanna look stupid in front of Aang… ”, thought Yuu. Suddenly, the device began to shake in his hand.

“Is that supposed to happen?” Aang asked as the shaking became more violent. 

“Not the last time I checked!” Yuu said. Then, in a completely strange matter to Yuu and Aang, the Pokédex jumped out of Yuu’s hand and began to float in the air. It began to spin so quickly that Aang thought he could be sick just watching it, and dropped the Poké Ball in his hand once more. 

Yuu’s eyes went wide as he watched the scene; he didn’t have much experience with a Pokédex but he was almost positive this wasn’t how they acted! As it stopped its sporadic movements they saw it had transformed into an anthropomorphic creature. In the upper area of the screen, two light-blue eyes formed, and a face started to become apparent to Yuu and Aang on the Pokédex itself as they observed it. The Pokédex zoomed over to Yuu, and stopped right in front of his face; the screen flickered on as a bluish circle formed. Yuu watched as the circle began to bounce back and forth.

“User Registration Initiated. Name?” the Pokédex said completely stunning Yuu and Aang. 

“Huh?!”, said Yuu. The Pokédex got closer to Yuu’s face. 

“I think it's asking you your name…” said Aang a bit startled.

“Uh… Y-Yuuyin. Yuuyin Yuumen.” Suddenly, the Pokédex started to make weird sounds, as ‘0%” appeared on the screen. It slowly rose in number until it read ‘100%’.

“New user, Yuuyin Yuumen, registered!” The Pokédex said. 

“Wh- what...?!” Yuu stammered pointing at the floating Pokédex with a shaking hand. Aang, speechless, stood there silent not exactly sure what was happening, “The Pokédex- it- how?!” Yuu exclaimed.

“Professor Pine didn’t tell you?” the Pokédex said, causing Aang and Yuu to nearly jump out of their skin, “I’m not your average run of the mill Pokédex! I’m Rotom Pokédex!” it said happily spinning around once after delivering the information. 

“A Rotom Pokédex?! I’ve never heard of such a thing! Why didn’t Professor Pine ever mention this to me?...” Yuu asked himself.

“I still don't even fully understand what a normal Pokédex is or does...” Aang muttered more to himself than Yuu. 

“I’m better than an average Pokédex!” Rotom Pokédex said happily, “I’m a Pokémon called Rotom! And I have taken over your Pokédex to aid in supporting your trainer's journeys. This technology of combining me with a Pokédex hails from his first unveiling in the Alola region.  Rotom like me have the ability to take over normal everyday appliances, and using this can extend the capabilities of the average Pokédex. Professor Pine programmed me to be able to speak your language as well!” As the Rotom Pokédex said this Yuu and Aang thought it was very fascinating and was a fact that Yuu didn't know and certainly neither did Aang.

“Oh…” Yuu and Aang said as their mind’s now raced a mile per minute. 

“Wait so I’m technically talking to a Pokémon right now? And I had you in my pocket this whole time?” Yuu questioned. Rotom Pokédex smiled and spun around excitedly again.

“Taking over the Pokédex has given me the ability to speak! And technically yes, since I was dormant in the Pokédex this whole time, I was in your pocket walking with you! More and more Pokémon trainers like you are using Pokédex like me every day as this process spread from Alola to Unova, Kanto, and Galar, and has finally reached Huoli!” Rotom Pokédex said happily as it landed in Yuu’s hands, “Unlike normal Pokédex, I have many interesting new features like a camera and a map. I also have the ability to give you helpful tips when battling or trying to capture Pokémon!” 

“Well that’s good,” Yuu said his confusion turning into excitement. “We need your help now, can you please tell us what that Pokémon over there is?” Yuu said pointing to the Pokémon sitting in the tree still. He was surprised that it hadn’t run off with all the commotion. The Pokemon, however, didn’t look bothered, in fact, it seemed to be interested in them as it watched their whole ordeal play out while it ate its piece of fruit. 

“Sure!” Rotom Pokédex said as it floated toward the Pokémon. It scanned the Pokémon before turning back to Yuu and Aang. The screen in the middle of the Pokédex had changed and was now showing a picture of the Pokémon sitting in the tree. “ This is Lemaki, the ‘Lemur Pokémon’. When they are not out collecting fruit, they often cling to their parent Pokémon’s backs. Because of their nocturnal behavior and their slender bodies, they often are mistaken for ghosts.”

“Wow…” said Yuu amazed by Rotom Pokédex’s commentary.

“Lemaki is a Normal-Type Pokémon, so it would greatly benefit you to battle it using Fighting-Type moves, and do not use Ghost-Type moves on it,” Rotom Pokédex added helpfully. 

“Wait what do you mean by a Normal-Type I remember Pine saying Lingliu was a Ground-Type as well right?” Aang asked, making Rotom Pokédex confused by the question.

“Oh, I don’t think I really explained types to you,” Yuu said taking the chance to answer before Rotom Pokédex could, “Every Pokémon has what we call a Typing! Types have weaknesses, resistances, and something its strong against. For example, Fire-Types are strong against Grass-Types but weak to Water-Types. But, Water-Types are weak to Grass-Types So, if you were battling a Water-Type with a Fire-Type it might be best to switch to a Grass-Type, if you have one, as they could deal out a type of move your Pokémon is weak to. Or, simply a Pokémon that isn’t weak to Water-Type moves would suffice. In total, there are 18 different types,” Yuu explained. 

“The moves Pokémon can do also have Types- if that wasn’t clear!” Rotom Pokédex said as he flew into Aang’s face showing a diagram on his screen of the 18 types, “When Pokémon battling, it’s very important to consider what types of moves will affect your opponent the most, but also what kind of moves the opposing Pokémon might have that can do a good deal of damage to the Pokémon that you’re battling with,” said Rotom Pokédex reiterating what Yuu had just said.

“Not all moves are damage dealing though,” Yuu said interjecting Rotom Pokedex, “Some moves are used in order to boost your Pokémon’s defense, attack or speed.” 

“I see...” Aang said taking in all the information like a sponge. 

“There’s a lot of strategies that go into a Pokémon battle,” Yuu said carefully hoping that the statement wouldn’t set Aang off into another tirade. Aang simply nodded his head relieving Yuu.

“But we aren’t battling Lemaki in order to catch it,” Aang said turning back to Rotom Pokédex his words seemed to surprise it, “You said that Lemaki likes to collect fruit right?”

“Yep!” Rotom Pokédex said smiling, “Lemaki loves to collect and eat fruit!”

“Maybe that can be a way we catch it,” Aang suggested.

“Sure there’s a ton of berries on the ground from the trees above,” Yuu said moving closer to the trees as he picked up the Poké Ball on the ground once more and slipped it back into his bag. Aang followed Yuu and knelt down on the ground right below Lemaki. Reaching forward he picked up a fallen berry. It was tiny, red, and had a long twisting stem.

“That’s called a Cheri Berry,” Rotom Pokédex said as Aang examined it. Meanwhile, Lingliu moved away from Yuu’s side to take a fallen berry for itself. Yuu smiled as he picked up a handful of berries that all varied in shape and color. 

“... and that’s a Pecha Berry,” Rotom Pokédex said When Aang picked up a pink berry with white spots. As the group collected berries each time any of them would pick up a new one Rotom Pokédex would helpfully inform them of the berries name. “And that is a Mago berry!” said Rotom Pokédex when Yuu picked up along twisted pink berry with a yellow tip.

“Here Lemaki, do you want a berry?” Aang asked reaching up to show the Cheri Berry to Lemaki. As he did, the Lemaki tilted its head to the side and leaned forward to look down at the fruit offered to it. It took a moment but Lemaki wrapped its tail around the branch it was on to anchor itself as it hopped forward and reached out for the berry Aang had offered it. 

“Whoa, it’s quick!” Aang said as Lemaki took the berry and quickly moved to stand on the branch once more.

“Lemaki’s are very fast Pokémon,” Rotom Pokédex said. 

“Here take these,” Yuu said handing Aang the berries he had been collecting. “Since Lemaki is going to be your Pokémon you should be the one offering it the berries.” He said. Aang nodded and turned back to the Lemaki who was holding the Cheri Berry close to its chest. 

With cupped hands, Aang stretched his arms out again offering all the berries up to the Lemaki whose eyes went wide with wonder.

“Le...Lemaki?” Lemaki didn’t move from its spot as it continued to look at the pile of berries in Aang’s hand. 

“For you,” Aang said with a kind smile. Lemaki shifted on its paws before scampering down the branch and tree trunk. It moved forward and stopped in front of Aang who knelt down in front of the Pokémon. Placing the berries on the ground Aang pushed them forward as an offering. 

“Lemaki Lemaki,” The little Pokémon said as it was looking up at Aang inquisitively. 

“I guess it isn’t often that humans offered it two handfuls worth of berries.” Aang thought. His mind went back to what Yuu said about wild Pokémon having to fight for food often to survive.

“Take them,” Aang encouraged but still the Lemaki seemed hesitant about the idea. 

“Ling! Lingliu!” said Lingliu causing Lemaki to jump a little as Lingliu hurried forward. Aang, Yuu, and Rotom Pokédex watched as the two Pokémon began to speak. “Lingliu! Ling Ling,” Lingliu said seemingly excited as it gestured to Aang as it spoke. Aang smiled softly before he began 

“I wanted to give you these berries because I hoped that we could become friends,” Aang said taking over for Lingliu, “I would like you to come on my journey with me and my friends, please?” Lemaki seemed to consider what Aang had said before taking one of the berries in its hand and showing it to Aang.

“Le-Lemaki?” it asked. Aang immediately understood what the tiny Pokémon was asking.

“If you come with me I'll help you collect all the berries you want!" Aang promised excitedly, “And we can play together and help each other.” Yuu couldn’t help but smile as Aang spoke. He sounded so innocent as he promised Lemaki all of these things. 

“Lemaki!” the Pokémon said.

“That Lemaki seems very trusting,” Yuu said to Lingliu as he came scampering back over. Yuu was still looking at Aang and Lemaki interacting with each other with a smile on his face. Reaching into the bag his mother had given him, Yuu fished out the Poké Ball Aang had dropped on the ground twice. 

“Here Aang,” Yuu said causing Aang to turn around. “It's the one that you kept dropping, it's only fitting you use it to catch Lemaki. Here, hit the button in the middle and it’ll expand you’ll be able to catch it then.” Aang nodded and took the Poké Ball out of Yuu’s hand doing as he instructed.

“Wow,” Aang said as he pressed the Poké Ball and watched it grow in size. “So what do you say Lemaki do you think you might want to come along with me and be my friend?” Aang asked showing the Poké Ball to the small creature. 

“Wait Aang, take a step back so you can-” before Yuu could finish his sentence Lemaki snatched the Poké Ball from Aang’s hand and began to sniff it as if it was a berry. Before either boy could react Lemaki’s nose bumped against the button in the middle causing the Poké Ball to open. Aang’s eyes went wide as it looked like Lemaki turned into red energy before being sucked into the Poké Ball. 

“W-What just happened?!” Aang asked as the Poké Ball closed. 

“That’s normal how a Pokémon goes into a Poké Ball although normally you would throw the Poké Ball.” Said Yuu.

“Oh no maybe Lemaki won’t be caught because it thought I had another berry,” Aang said sadly. Yuu shrugged and they all watched with bated breath as the Poké Ball wiggled once before there was a loud click. 

“Don’t worry my bald lad, You caught it!” Rotom Pokédex said happily spinning around faster than it had before as it cheered. Yuu, being astonished as he wasn’t sure that would work at all, cheered on as well. He couldn’t help but smile as Aang happily scooped up the Poké Ball. 

“I caught it!” Aang said jumping to his feet.

“Lingliu Ling!” Lingliu began to jump with excitement. 

“Do I press the button to get Lemaki to come out?” Aang asked as he examined the Poké Ball in his hand.

“Actually if you just-” 

Suddenly, Aang just pressed the button instinctively cutting Yuu off. It opened again and blue energy sprang out right onto Aang’s face. Yuu watched with wide eyes as Aang fell backwards releasing the Poké Ball from his hand with Lemaki clinging to his face.

“Aang are you alright?” Yuu asked as he and Lingliu hurried over. He was relieved when he heard Aang laughing. The younger boy sat up and pulled Lemaki off his face holding it up above his head. 

“Hey there! Guess that means we are buddies from now on!” Aang cried out with joy. 

“Lemaki!” Aang laughed again before standing up.

“Here, why don't we collect your berries,” Aang said placing Lemaki down on the ground. He and Lemaki walked over to the berries and began to collect them together. Lemaki placed the ones it picked up in Aang’s hands and when it was finished it climbed up his back and onto his shoulder. 

“Don't forget its Poké Ball,” Yuu said as he placed Lingliu on top of his head. “That’s Lemaki’s home now.” 

“Hm, I’d rather keep it out of its Poké Ball would you prefer that Lemaki?” asked Aang. However, Lemaki just shrugged its shoulders as if it didn't care either way. Lemaki then grabbed another Cheri Berry from their berry pile. Aang had made a makeshift bowl out of the bottom of his shirt and was now carrying the fruit in it. 

“Well I guess you can do that, but you need to keep the Poké Ball with you that's how the Pokémon stays yours. The Poké Ball is like a tag, so people cannot try and catch your Lemaki because the Poké Ball tags that as its home. Also, it’s important to keep safeguard of it so it isn’t stolen.” Yuu explained.

Aang nodded in agreeance, and with his free hand, he picked up the fallen Poké Ball which had shrunk back down to the smaller size. He slipped it into his pocket before taking a large blueberry and handing it to Lemaki.

“That’s an Oran Berry,” Rotom Pokédex said. 

“I’m going to get some berries for Lingliu before we leave,” Yuu said moving to collect some.

“Lingliu Ling!” Lingliu cried out pleased with Yuu’s idea. 

Aang and Yuu finished collecting the berries they could and stuffed them carefully into Yuu’s bag.  Lemaki stayed perched on Aang’s shoulder eating more and more berries. Before long it had to start sneaking more out of Yuu’s bag when it ate all the ones collected in Aang's shirt.

“I’m really surprised that worked,” Yuu admitted as he and Aang continue to walk down Route 1. Aang saw Lemaki try to reach for another berry without Yuu and him noticing, and Aang pushed its hand away and grabbed more for him. 

“Here Lemaki. And yeah, I’m happy it did,” Aang said feeling a warmth spread through his chest as he looked at Lemaki. It felt as if he was carrying a little part of his home with him. Yuu smiled and couldn’t help but feel happy for his friend.

They walked for a little while longer before they came upon a sign that pointed toward the woods. All it said was ‘Mian Forest’ and beside it was an old-looking path that branched off of Route 1’s road and into the looming forest.

“Come on, it’s time to find the rest of my friends,” Aang said taking the first step forward. With a new Pokémon and his goal in mind, Aang felt much more confident as he moved toward the entrance to the woods. Yuu took in a deep breath and followed Aang into the forest.

-Chapter End-

Chapter Text

“We have to be very careful while we walk through the forest,” Yuu said quietly as the two boys began to make their way down the old beaten path. “There are so many different types of wild Pokémon here, we have to constantly be on the alert.” Aang was barely paying attention as Yuu spoke as he looked around the forest. Instead, his attention had been pulled up to the long twisting trees as a group of Lemaki swung from the gnarled branches that hung above their heads by their tails, in their arms were clusters of different types of berries.

 “Wow! There are so many Lemaki here! Kinda wish I could take ‘em all,” Aang said in awe as they hurried off to who knows where within the forest disappearing in the thick canopy of the trees. 

Soon after, a high-pitched trill echoed around Aang, and Yuu, “Pi-Pidove!” chanted a bird as it flew passed Aang’s head. Aang turned his head and watched as two little grey birds landed on the ground in front of him and Yuu. 

“They have hearts on their chest!” Aang said with a bright smile while Lemaki, still on Aang’s back, watched uninterestedly as it ate the berries in its hand. 

“These are Pidove, the ‘Tiny Pigeon Pokémon’!” said Rotom Pokédex as it zoomed out in front of both boys and began to speak, “This very forgetful Pokémon will wait for a new order from its Trainer even though it already has one.” As soon as Aang and Yuu got a little close both of the Pidove flew away. 

“Dang… So close” said Yuu disappointedly. They soon continued down the path as they continued to search for Aang’s friends. As they walked, Aang caught a glimpse of purple-colored snakes slithering into bushes and along the path before quickly disappearing.

“Rotom, what are those over there?” asked Aang.

“Those are called Ekans,” Rotom Pokédex explained. Aang walked closer to the rustling bushes craning his head to get a better look, “This is a Poison-Type Pokémon, so don’t get too close! This snake Pokémon sneaks through grass soundlessly, and strikes oblivious prey from behind.” 

“Wha-?! Well, I definitely don’t want my behind to be preyed on…” said Aang causing Yuu to laugh out loud. Suddenly, an Ekans peaked its head out from the bush and hissed at the two. Yuu and Aang exchanged a worried look but before either could make an audible comment a loud series of shouts from this distance took their attention. They both jumped and spun in the direction it was coming from.

“Wohh, what was that??” asked Aang concerningly.

“It sounds like someone’s hurt!” said Yuu causing Lingliu to tense up, “Come on, let's go towards it!” Yuu started dashing forward towards the sound of the shouting. As the voices kept going Aang started to have a realization he recognized the voice!

“Wait Yuu- I think I know whose shouting!” Aang said excitedly. 

“Really?” Yuu replied with lit-up eyes.

“Yea, trust me, I know that shouting anywhere. That sounds like my friend Zuko!” 

"That’s great! But also not great! He might be in trouble!” Yuu said with concern. Aang’s face fell a little hearing that, and they quickened their pace. 

The sound's origin seemed deep within the woods. They had to go off the trail through the thickets of the forest to get closer to it. As they ran, they both scratched their arms as they pushed aside the branches in front of them, and fought their way through bushes before breaking out into a clearing. Aang’s eyes lit up when he saw a group of familiar faces his face first panning to Zuko, as he stood in the middle of the clearing rubbing his eyes and grunting.

Aang felt a sense of excitement deep within him when he realized he had been right! Beside Zuko, Suki was holding onto his shoulder with a worried expression looking like she was trying to get a better look at his face. Standing by a tree close to Aang and Yuu was Azula who didn’t seem concerned by her brothers yelling in the slightest and was instead preoccupied with examining the tree she was standing by. Startled by all the people, Lemaki and Lingliu scampered toward Yuu and quickly hid in his bag.

“Zuko! Suki! Azula!” Aang shouted happily causing them all to turn towards him and Yuu who was trailing not far behind.

“Aang?!” Suki and Zuko said together as they rushed over to him. 

“Is everything alright?” Aang asked, once he got closer to Zuko Aang’s noise scrunched up once he got a whiff of his friend, he smelled like rotten eggs and old garbage!

“You might not wanna get too close too quickly, Aang,” Azula said in this distance causing Yuu to look back at her as he froze in his tracks from seeing so many people. He then turned his head back to see Aang’s friend Zuko his eyes immediately jumped to the scar that branded Zuko’s face before quickly averting his eyes.

“We were looking for you in the forest and suddenly heard you hollering!” said Aang. Zuko pointed to the tree his sister was standing by and began to explain what happened a few minutes prior.

“Azula, Suki, and I wandered into this clearing and found this weird-looking bug resting on that tree over there. I was just inspecting it because I never saw any bug like it and suddenly it sprayed me!” Zuko shouted as he waved his arms around spreading the pungent odor further toward Aang and Yuu’s noses causing them to gag at the smell well Azula started to chuckle.

“Zuko started throwing a temper tantrum, and attempted to firebend but like with so many things he tries to do he failed,” Azula said causing everyone to turn and look at her, “I suppose that we should be grateful, considering how close he had been to the tree at the time it would have no doubt caught on fire.”

“I was scared!” Zuko snapped, “I mean we woke up in this weird forest, I hardly remembered what we were doing before we got here, and this place is filled with all these weird creatures and noises. I just freaked out and started to react!”

"Zuko, just ignore Azula she’s only trying to get further under your skin,” Suki said gently. She turned to Aang and Yuu and continued to explain what was happening. “The point is that he can’t bend for some reason Aang! Azula tried as well, and she wasn’t able to produce any flames either.” As Suki detailed Azula’s inability to bend Azula scoffed and looked away.

“I know, I woke up on a beach a little ways away from here. I’m not able to bend either,” said Aang. Zuko and Suki frowned and exchanged a frightened look as they heard this. “Listen, there’s a lot of things that we still need to explain but right now we have to find Katara, Sokka, and Toph.”

“So, you know what’s going on?” Azula asked.

“All I know is that for some odd reason, we don't have our bending and that we’re in another world, I know that might be hard to wrap your head around…” Aang began to slowly trail off when he caught a look at his friend's faces.

“Wait, what?!” said exclaimed with wide eyes.

“What are you talking about?” asked Azula as she became visibly concerned.

“Listen, I know there’s a lot you want clarity on, but we can have that conversation once we find everyone else,” said Aang trying to refocus everyone. As Aang talked Suki started to look toward Yuu, who was just quietly standing there. Yuu and Suki caught glimpse of each other and Yuu waved nervously to her. Aang, seeing Suki look behind him, turned around.

“Oh! By the way, this is my friend Yuu, he’s going to help us uncover our current issue!” Suki, smiling, approached first Yuu while Azula and Zuko looked on both taken at Yuu’s peculiar appearance.

“Hey there! My name is Yuuyin, but you all can call me Yuu,” he said watching Suki walk towards him.

“I’m Suki, nice to meet you!” Suki said reaching forward with her hand out. Yuu smiled and shook her hand firmly. “Are we really in a different world?” asked Suki as her face contorted with confusion and fear awaiting the answer. Yuu, seeing this, wished he could give her some comfort.

“I’m afraid you all are,” Yuu said softly as he panned his eyes from Suki back to Zuko, “Don't worry though, we’re going to figure out how to get you guys back home.” 

"I hope so,” Zuko said when Yuu turned to him. Zuko searched his hand out to take Yuu’s but realized they were a bit dirty. Seeing this, Yuu reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. Zuko blushed and graciously took it. “Thanks. I’m Zuko,” he said in response. 

“Nice to meet you,” said Yuu. Yuu turned to Azula and began to walk over to her. When he got closer he saw what she had been staring at, a bug-like Pokémon about the size of Yuu’s palm resting on the tree.

The Pokémon was like a colorful sting bug Pokémon with a yellow and black striped exoskeleton, highlighted by striking blue and red details. It has large black eyes and long antennae, suggesting keen senses. Its clear wings feature red and white patterns, and its slender legs are designed for agile movement. The overall look is eye-catching and suggests a creature capable of both intricate flight and precise navigation. There, Rotom Pokédex, hiding within Yuu’s bag from all the new faces, took that moment to zip forward causing Suki, Zuko, and even Azula to jump in shock.

“W-What the hell?” Zuko said with round eyes. 

“That’s a Rotom Pokédex,” Aang said softly, “Before you ask I don't fully understand it either.” 

“This is a Halyodor,  the ‘Odor Pokémon’. These Pokémon produce a pungent odor from its glands. You can tell if this Pokémon trusts you if it’s never startled by your presence.” Rotom Pokédex said. Suki let out a shaky breath as she looked at Rotom Pokédex. 

“We really are in a different world...” Suki said. Rotom Pokédex continued to zip around them, and all Zuko, Azula, and Suki could do was watch. 

“Wait, it called it a… Pokémon?” asked Zuko.

“Listen I swear that this will all get explained to you guys soon but I think we should focus on finding your friends,” said Yuu.

“I don’t know what is more preposterous; these weird creatures with abilities I have never witnessed before in my life, or this boy with blue hair with a flying… I don’t even know what that was that just came out from his bag, ” thought Azula as she ponders her surroundings. Suddenly, Azula saw a hand reach out of Yuu’s bag attempting to grab a berry that was hanging from it and shouted in a surprise.

“Huh? What’s up?” asked Yuu.

“What is that arm coming out from your bag?!” asked Azula. As she said that, Yuu looked, and was surprised to see Lemaki in his bag. He soon shook his bag on his back causing both Lemaki and Mingliu to jump out.

“Don’t worry guys they are friendly!” said Yuu encouraging the Pokémon to meet them. Linglie and Lemaki jumped out and Zuko, Suki, and Azula became alarmed.

“Is that Momo?” asked Zuko as he squinted his eyes.

“I wish…” said Aang as his face frowned, “But it’s a friend of mine nonetheless. It’s a Pokémon.”

“I think I remember seeing one like that a bit ago swinging from the trees,” Suki said.

“That one right there is blue just like your hair,” Zuko observed as he compared Lingliu and Yuu’s aesthetics. Azula, looking over to Zuko thought, “ Hm, so he thought of his weird hair color too... ”.

“Listen as much as I would love to sit here and talk about hair we better get moving,” Aang said as he approached Yuu, “We need to find the others as quickly as possible.” Everyone, refocused on the task, agreed, and Aang and Yuu began to lead them back toward the path.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

As they walked, Yuu and Aang tried to explain what little they could as they simultaneously searched for the rest of their friends. The most Zuko, Suki, and Azula understood was that all the unique creatures in this new world are called ‘Pokémon’ and that they are unlike anything they ever have seen before. Suki, very amused by the Pokémon with Yuu and Aang, started to smile at Lemaki as it ate berries.

“I’m not surprised that you’ve already made a friend, naturally you just do that Aang. And that little thing on your shoulder really does look a lot like Momo,” Suki said causing Aang to look at Lemaki with a smile.

“Its name is Lemaki,” said Aang.

“And these things are all called Pokémon right? Even that stinky bug?” Zuko asked. 

Yuu nodded. “Yup though I don’t think I’ve ever gotten that close to a Halyodor. Pokémon are the creatures that humans share this world with.” As Yuu explained the shared existence of humans and Pokémon, a small, red-capped figure suddenly emerged from the brush. Its distinctive cap, resembling a shiitake mushroom and adorned with unique circular patterns, bobbed with its movement. Just the light pink of its protruding eyes could be seen, with the rest of its visage mysteriously concealed beneath the cap. Encased in a rugged shell formed from the surrounding foliage and earth, it varied in texture and color, indicative of its habitat. With root-like appendages serving as limbs, it maneuvered nimbly across their path, a testament to the diverse and adaptive nature of Pokémon.

“Okay, please tell me that I’m not the only one who sees that mushroom running,” Suki said. Rotom Pokédex proudly flew forward to identify the new Pokémon. 

“Ahh, that right there is-”

“Ling! Lingliu!” Lingliu shouted as it hopped off of Yuu’s shoulder to the ground cutting Rotom Pokédex off in the process. Lingliu then ran after the little mushroom Pokémon who started to run away. 

“Lingliu!” Yuu called out with wide eyes, “Hey come back here!” Yuu then took off after Lingliu and the others quickly followed.

“Why is Lingliu chasing after that mushroom?” Zuko asked sounding very confused. 

“No idea,” Aang said. Rotom Pokédex took that opportunity to fly forward again this time finishing what it was going to say. 

“That’s because that’s a Tiaomogu the ‘Mushroom Pokémon’. These Pokémon are very loyal and work together in groups. Tiaomogu and Lingliu are natural enemies and never miss an opportunity to fight each other” said Rotom Pokédex. 

“But, they aren’t fighting now,” Zuko pointed out, “Why is the little mushroom running away?”

“Didn’t you just hear that thing say it works better in groups? It’s probably running to a bigger group of Tiaomogu,” Azula said as if she was talking to a child. Zuko blushed as he realized what Azula said made sense. Not wanting to sound foolish again, Zuko didn’t say anything in response. 

“I think I’m dreaming…” Suki muttered to herself as she looked up at the floating Rotom Pokédex, it was hard to wrap her head around everything that was happening. In front of them, Yuu kept calling for Lingliu, but his little Pokémon barely heard him. 

The Tiaomogu hurried around a bend in the path with Lingliu closing in on it. When they rounded the corner they all came to a quick halt upon the sight they saw. The bend had led to a small semi-circle of trees that created a small alcove. Within the alcove stood the Tiaomogu that Lingliu had begun to chase, and behind it about twenty more were standing in identical positions, each one ready to attack as they noticed the hedgehog Pokemon. 

“Holy moly,” Yuu muttered in shock. At the same time, both he and Lingliu took a step back. 

“That’s a lot of mushrooms,” Aang said.

“Tiaomogu,” Rotom Pokédex corrected as Lemaki hopped off Aang’s shoulder, and stood beside Lingliu ready to fight. Behind them, Suki and Zuko exchanged a look unsure what to do while Azula stood by quietly and observed the situation. 

“Oh no, it looks like we got ourselves in a mess they clearly all want to fight! How are we going to defend ourselves against this many Pokémon?” Aang asked with wide eyes. The truth was Yuu wasn’t completely sure.

“I guess we’re going to have to figure it out as we-”

“Why don't you morons just relax,” an abrasive voice said from the crowd of Tiaomogu. Suddenly, Aang and others recognize the voice 

“Toph?!” Aang, Zuko, and Suki said at the same time. Aang hopped forward causing the Tiaomogu to form a tighter formation around the spot Toph’s voice had come from making a wall with their bodies. Azula then realized that Toph was on the other side of the wall formation. The Tiaomogu began to say their name threateningly and continued to glare. Aang took a step back with a frown.

“Um... Toph, is everything okay?” Aang asked confused as to why these little Pokémon seemed to be guarding his friend. 

“Actually nothing is okay, thanks for asking! You guys can relax these idiots are actually my friends,” Toph said attempting to call off the Pokémon. The Tiaomogu exchanged weary looks but did shuffle out of the way revealing Toph. She was laying on the ground with her arms tucked behind her head and one leg crossed over the other as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

“Toph, thank Kyoshi we found you!” Suki said with a sigh of relief. Aang, Zuko, and Suki moved forward hesitantly watching the Tiaomogu with one eye as they approached. Lingliu snarled and snapped at the mushroom Pokémon, but stayed relatively close to Yuu. Azula remained rooted in her spot completely unimpressed by their find, and Yuu remained in his. Due to being unfamiliar with Toph, he kept a familiar distance. 

“So, what the heck happened?” Toph asked turning her head in the direction their voices were coming from as she leaned up from her position, “I can’t remember much after my spar with Katara, I woke up in this weird forest, without my bending, surrounded by these little things. All they keep saying ‘Tiaomogu’”.

“It’s a long story, but we’re in another world and none of us have our bending. We’ll explain everything once we get back to Mian Town. It’s a town not far from here that is safer than this forest,” Aang said with a bright smile. 

“Sure, whatever,” said Toph clearly annoyed and confused.

“By the way, this is my friend Yuu he comes from this world and he’s going to help us uncover our problems,” Aang said turning to look at his blue haired friend. 

“Hello. Nice to meet you Toph,” Yuu said waving at her but then immediately felt foolish when he saw her milky white eyes. 

“Whatever- look I’m-”

“Blind!” Zuko exclaimed with wide golden eyes as he realized Toph’s situation. Behind them, Azula rolled her identical eyes.

“Well spotted brother,” said Azula. Zuko shot her a glare.

“You know what- Agh. I mean without your bending your-”

“ Actually blind,” Toph said finishing Zuko’s thought, “Yeah I'm painfully aware."

“Oh no, I didn’t think of that,” Aang said his face going flush with shame for not thinking of this before. In his rush to find his bendingless friends, he hadn’t once stopped to think that without her earthbending Toph was left completely in the dark. 

“Oh, Toph...” Suki said gently causing Toph to scowl.

“I’m blind Suki not dying. This isn’t the end of the world,” said Toph. As they talked Yuu watched on with confusion.

“So... losing your bending caused you to become blind?” Yuu asked trying to keep up with the conversation. 

“I was born blind,” Toph said with a blunt tone. Yuu flinched and around them, the Tiaomogu started to become more agitated. “But, with my Earthbending, I can detect vibrations in the ground that lets me see objects and people around me. So, without it-”

“-You’re nothing more than a hindrance,” Azula said causing everyone to turn to her shocked.

“A-Azula don't say something like that!” Suki snapped.

“Toph isn’t a hindrance!” Aang added before turning back to Toph, “You aren’t a hindrance.” Zuko turned and began to walk over to Azula. She took note of her brother's fast approach as she focused on Toph. 

“What is your problem?! Don’t you see how problematic this situation already is, and you go say that!?” Zuko shouted.

“Don't coddle her it’s not going to help us in this situation and you all know that,” said Azula; her voice was sharp and matter of fact. Around them, the Tiaomogu began to shift and point their harsh looks at Azula. 

“Oh my god…” said Yuu with a hushed tone.

“What are you trying to prove in saying this right now?” asked Aang.

“It’s apparent that we will have to search above and beyond to uncover where our bending went, and why we are here. Well, Specifically why Aang is. When that weird, dark thing sucked us all up didn’t you notice that it seemed to gravitate to and only want Aang initially? The rest of us happened to be in the world place at the wrong time and got brought along with him,” said Azula making Aang’s eyes light up, he hadn't thought of that before.  "There has to be a purpose for him being here and we have to deal with it to get back what we lost. The last thing we need is a crutch along the way. You're actually blind now-”

“-And so are millions of other people!” Toph shouted jumping up to her feet. “They get along just fine.”

“That’s because they’ve adapted to their blindness, they didn’t have a cheat like you've had your entire life,” said Azula as she picked up her left foot and began to wiggle it around. Yuu watched with wide eyes as Azula spoke, he had never heard someone speak that way so bluntly and rude. However, internally Yuu was also trying to understand Azula's side as well as being someone that wasn't biased and often thought things through. To Yuu, perhaps there was a truth to Azula’s words, but there had to be a better way to say them and a better time. Yuu wanted to say something to help the situation but found he was speechless. Zuko, on the other hand, was not.

“What is wrong with you!?” He shouted his voice drowning out all others. 

“This isn’t productive at all…” said Aang with disappointment in his voice. Suki, in awe herself starts to back up as she witnesses the Tiaomogu around Toph get more angered.

“Listen here you Lightningbending psychopath, just because I don't have my bending doesn’t mean I can’t kick your face in!” Toph threatened as she took a step forward. As she did the Tiaomogu stepped forward as well. Azula laughed cruelly.

“How will you see it to kick it in?” Azula taunted.

“I’ll follow the sound of your nauseating voice!” Toph replied as the Tiaomogu glared menacingly at Azula. To that Azula said nothing, as if to prove a point. Toph scowled, but before she could yell at Azula anymore she was cut off by the sound of furious shrieking. 

“LUCKRANE!” echoed throughout the forest. This shout was followed by screaming and shouting. This shocking sound was enough to stop their dispute as they all turned their heads in the direction of the sound. Aang walked over to Toph and offered her hand to guide her. 

“Here, Toph. Grab my hand” he said.

“I don't need your help, I’m not useless.” Toph snapped.

“I never said you were Toph...” Aang replied sadly. Toph ignored him and began to get up herself without any assistance. Toph moved a couple of steps away from Aang and seemed to be doing fine on her own until she tripped over a rock and fell to the ground. Suki and the Tiaomogu rushed to her side. Seeing as Suki had her, Aang focused his attention to the bustling sound that seemed to be heading straight for them, and Aang, Yuu, Azula, and Zuko braced themselves for whatever was approaching them. 

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

Suddenly, out from the trees running at full speed were Katara and Sokka racing down the path running from a flock of Luckrane! Aang’s face lit up as he immediately recognized it as the type of Pokémon who had attacked him when he first met Professor Pine. 

“Katara!” Aang hollered running towards her, with Lemaki quickly rushing after him. 

“Aang?!” Katara said out of breath.

“Wait, is that Sokka I heard, I can’t see past these Pokémon!” yelled Suki in the distance.

“Help us!!” wailed Sokka as tears run down his face.

“We have to help them!” Zuko said quickly he reached forward and grabbed a good size rock from the ground. 

“Hey, stop it!” Yuu said when he saw what he was going to do, “Are you insane?!”

“We can’t bend, and our friends our being attacked, get out of the way!” Zuko snapped. 

“In this world, Pokémon fight Pokémon we don’t hurt them. Only bad people hurt Pokémon. Plus, they are super strong and would easily wreck you. We have Pokémon with us, just stay there while Aang and I handle it,” said Yuu. Zuko’s eyes burned with fury hearing Yuu’s words implying Zuko was useless against a bunch of birds, Yuu barely gave him a second thought as he ran towards the Pokémon. The Luckrane started to change the formation around the group. This gave Katara enough time to run to Aang, embracing him in a hug, as some of the Luckrane came back down and was closing in on Sokka. Scared out of his mind he picked up speed as one of the Luckane’s sharp talons were only seconds away from ripping into his shoulders. Quick on his feet, Yuu started to think.

“Rotom Pokédex, what moves does my Lingliu know? I never stopped to ask that before,” said Yuu in a hurry. Rotom Pokédex flew in front of Yuu. Seeing this shocked Sokka and Katara.

“Ah, that is a good question. I am built with an Attackdex, which lists moves Pokémon can use,” said Rotom Pokédex as he flew to Lingliu showing Lingliu through his monitor to Yuu as he hovered in front of his face. “Luckrane, the “Red-Crown Pokémon”. Due to their size and unique redness, Huolian humans often think of them as a treasure of some form of royalty. As such, the bird's evolutionary line is hailed and celebrated throughout the region. Is a Normal and Flying-Type Pokémon, meaning using moves that are of the Rock, Ice, and Electric-Type will deal the best damage! Let’s see what Lingliu has…”

Rotom Pokédex’s screen then showed various stats and numbers as the display showed characteristics of Lingliu. “Currently, it has 3 moves you can get familiar with them very soon! For now, I would recommend telling Lingliu to use Rock Throw!” explained Rotom Pokédex.

“Okay! Lingliu, Quickly use Rock Throw!” Yuu hollered. Lingliu rushed forward and reared up. Above him, sharp dagger like rocks materialized before it, and a split second later shooting the materialized rock at the Luckcrane closest hitting it square in the chest. It gave Sokka enough time to put distance between himself and the enraged Pokémon. He ran to Katara’s side putting himself between her and the Luckrane. 

Azula analyzed Lingliu’s attack like a hawk, thinking, “It’s like it is earthbending… ” As the Luckrane was hit the other Luckrane following got scared away all except the one tailing Sokka. As it recovered from the blow it grew a determined face. Suddenly, this Luckrane’s attention was now on Lingliu and Yuu. 

“LUCKRANE!” The Luckrane shouted as it sped forward attempting to slam its glowing beak into Lingliu. Lingliu jumped out of the way quickly dodging the attack. 

“Lingliu, try it again. Rock Throw!” Lingliu prepared another rock and hurled it towards Luckrane connecting with its wing with a blasting force causing Luckrane to stagger. “Okay, let's strike ‘em out! Let's do another one!” shouted Yuu as Lingliu went for a third Rock Throw, however despite this staggered Luckrane, it managed to dodge the attack.

“Damn it,” Yuu grumbled under his breath. Katara, still out of breath from running, averted her eyes from the battle to Aang.

“Aang, what is going on?? Those birds were doing things that I’ve never seen before!” Katara said as Aang turned to her seeing Katara with large confused eyes. But, before she could ask Azula jumped in.

“No bending. New world. He’ll explain later, just shut up and watch.” Katara, annoyed by Azula’s demeanor turned to glare at her, but Azula paid her no attention. She was staring intently at the battle unfolding in front of them. Aang, silent, was a bit taken aback at watching what essentially was his first Pokémon Battle. A mix of emotions swelled up within him as his want to not hurt animals mixed with his want to quell the Pokémon to ensure his friend’s safety. He looked down to Lemaki, who was staring at the Luckrane as well, believing it was ready to jump in if needed.

Flying up, Luckcrane began to pump its wings powerfully sending huge gusts of wind at Lingliu. It tried to dodge but the attack covered too much ground. The force of the attack caused Lingliu to become air bound for a moment before hitting the ground hard. 

“L- Lingliu...” Lingliu muttered as it struggled to stand. 

“Lingliu!” screamed Yuu as he rushed over as quickly as he could. Long scratches appeared on its body, and its body started to glow red in a pulsating fashion. It looked back up at Yuu but fought to keep its eyes open. 

“That is like airbending… ” thought Azula.

“How did it take so much damage?” Aang asked turning to Yuu. 

“That’s the weird move all those birds were doing! How can it create so much wind like an airbender?? That bird must be strong,” Katara said.

“Or the Lingliu is weak,” Azula said alternatively. Rotom Pokédex floated forward at that moment gaining the same wide-eyed looks from Katara and Sokka as it had gotten from the others when they first saw it.

“That move was Gust, a Flying-Type move where the Pokémon creates a current of wind to attack the opponent. And, what you see before you is Lingliu’s ability, Life Clinger. When Lingliu gets hit with any move that makes contact with it will then enter a critical state. Lingliu will most likely be knocked out if it gets hit even one more time unless you intervene and heal it, or time passes and the critical state wears off. Its red pulsating body tells you when the state is active. When in this state, Lingliu gets a considerable boost in its power, however, so many trainers can use this disadvantage to their advantage,” said Rotom Pokédex. They watched as Lingliu began to flicker red and get back up to its feet. 

“Well if that’s not a double-edged sword I don’t know what is,” said Zuko.

“T-That’s a pretty weird ability for it to have if it needs to fight,” said Sokka.

“We have potions to heal it with,” Aang said.

“But Lingliu is significantly stronger and faster; if Lingliu can avoid being hit then I can end this battle quickly. It’s a gamble, but one worth taking. What do you think Lingliu?” Yuu asked. The little Pokémon nodded and looked at the Luckrane with determined eyes. The Luckrane again flew up in the air in a high arch. It flipped around and began to fly toward Lingliu with a force, torpedoing toward the smaller Pokémon. Suddenly, Rotom Pokédex flew in front of Yuu showing him the Attackdex on Lingliu once more.

“Its body is very strong in this state, perhaps using another move more suited might help? Take a look,” Rotom Pokédex said. Yuu analyzed the data in front of him and memorized the moves Lingliu knew. 

“Okay, Lingliu. Let’s try this one. Use Homing Attack!” said Yuu. As Lingliu heard this, it rushed forward running faster than he had before. It jumped in the air with momentum, carrying Lingliu forward in a curved fashion seemingly deadlocked onto Luckrane’s position, and headed straight for it. The two Pokémon crashed into each other with all their strength sending the other flying in the opposite direction and causing it to fall to the ground with a hard crash.

“Lingliu!” yelled Yuu as it rushed forward toward his friend, but by the time he got there, Lingliu had already passed out. Luckrane was also knocked out. Yuu reached forward and scooped Lingliu into his arms.

“You did well,” Yuu said softly before taking Lingliu’s Poké Ball out and returning him. Reaching into his bag, Yuu pulled out another Poké Ball and moved toward the fallen Luckrane.

“You’re going to catch it?” Aang asked. Yuu nodded and expanded the Poké Ball preparing to throw it.

“Luckrane is a strong Pokémon, and I think it would benefit to have him on my team. I mean, while all the other Luckrane ran this one stayed and fought,” Yuu threw the Poké Ball and it hit the Luckrane’s chest. They watched as Luckrane went into the Poké Ball, and watched as it wobbled on the floor before they heard it click the telltale sign that a Pokémon caught. Smiling Yuu walked over and picked the Poké Ball up.

“Am I dreaming?” Sokka asked in confusion. 

“No, but now that everyone is together we can properly explain what’s going on,” Aang said feeling relief rush through him. 

“What happened? why were you guys being chased by Luckrane?” Zuko asked. 

“My sister tried to pick one of them up  that was resting on the ground, and then a swarm of them came outta nowhere!” Sokka said annoyedly as he looked to Katara, “And where is Suki?” 

“I’m sorry! I thought it was a baby who was lost and I felt bad for it,” Katara said defending herself,  “It was a mistake, I tried to waterbend when it started to chase us but I couldn’t.”

“Join the club, none of us can bend,” Azula said just as Toph came stumbling onto the path with Suki and the Taimogus following.

“Suki!” Sokka cried happily. 

“Sokka you’re okay! I knew I saw you earlier you ran past us!” Suki said forgetting Toph for the moment and rushed over to him. The two met in a tight embrace.

“Toph, what happened?!” Katara said as she moved past Aang and hurried toward her friend. Toph’s feet were cut and forming bruises, and her hands had been roughed up as well. 

“Nothing I’m fine!” she snapped. 

“She wouldn’t let me help guide her,” Suki explained as she looked back at Toph, “No earthbending…” As Suki said this Katara nodded realizing the situation and approached Toph carefully.

“Give me your hand,” said Katara.

“I told Suki and I’ll tell you Sugar Queen I don't need help!” Toph demanded. Katara scoffed.

“Toph, your hands and feet are really bruised, just give me your hand for now at least until we get out of this forest,” said Katara. Toph clenched her jaw but after a moment of debate, she snatched Katara’s hand in her own. The Tiaomogu all gathered near her one nudging at her toes. 

“Thanks for the company, but I’ll be okay from here. I won’t forget about you all and how you guys comforted me we will meet again soon enough don’t you worry!” Toph said her harsh tone softening a little. The little Pokémon, a bit saddened, nodded as the ultimately understood before retreating back into the small alcove. 

“Come on, we need to get back to Mian Town now so we can talk. I know a place where y’all can recuperate. We have a lot to go over.” Yuu said.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“Oh my! Aang, when you said that you were going to find your friends I did not imagine you meant this many,” Professor Pine said with a nervous laugh as he saw the group standing outside his lab. Pine was standing at the front door while Aang, Yuu, and the others waited outside politely. “Well, come in everyone! Hurry we have much to discuss. My name is Professor Pine by the way. It’s lovely to see all of you safe and sound.” 

Professor Pine lead them all toward the back of the lab and began to quickly gather as many chairs as he could. Katara, Aang, and Yuu helped him place the chairs around the table while everyone else looked around the lab with curious eyes never before seeing technology that looked so advanced. 

“Alright, everyone take a seat,” Professor Pine said with a bright smile. Professor Pine only had seven chairs so he, Zuko, and Sokka stood while everyone else took a seat. 

“Can someone please tell us what’s going on now?” Katara asked. 

“I’ll start,” Aang offered, turning to look at her as he spoke. He retold the story of the mysterious voice he had heard before waking up on the beach, finding Professor Pine and Yuu. When it came to telling them about what happened at Yuu’s mother's house Yuu helped to retell the story as well. They went over briefly what happened while catching Lemaki, not going too far into detail about the disagreement they had as to not rekindle a fire that didn’t need to be lit at this moment. When they were done, Professor Pine explained to them what he had explained to Aang earlier about Pokémon and the world of Huoli, as well as his role in aiding Aang and Yuu. No one spoke for a long time after that trying to absorb everything they had just heard. 

“So... how are we going to get home?” Suki asked breaking the stony silence. 

“I’m not completely sure,” Professor Pine said kindly, “In truth, I’m not sure how much more help I can provide you at this point beyond what I can give you. The greatest guess I have is that the voice that called out to Aang was that of a powerful Pokémon seeking help but beyond that, I am just as lost as all of you are.” 

“How can something have that much power? To take us all from one world to another, not even the Avatar can pull a feat like that!” Zuko exclaimed.

“Pokémon are very powerful creatures some more so than others. The Luckrane and Lemaki you encountered pale in comparison to things such as Legendary Pokémon- which are extremely rare and powerful Pokémon that are often sought after by evil organizations for their world-influencing powers- that are hidden within this region for instance," said Professor Pine. 

"Legendary Pokémon..." thought Azula. Many in the group take a moment to reflect on what he said, and the overarching power that dwells within the world. Professor Pine notices the air shift in the room and clears his throat.

"We still don't fully understand the capabilities they have, and Pokémon Professors such as myself help in aiding the solution to all life’s mysteries we have on Pokémon. Although, I will say if that Pokémon can bring you to this world then it can certainly take you back to yours. Perhaps your own personal journey will entail finding this Pokémon" said Professor Pine. 

“... So then what are we going to do?” Sokka asked as he leaned up against the table, “I mean the Pokémon didn’t tell you its name, where to find it, or what it wants us to do. We’re sitting turtleducks here, and we might never find it! What if we’re stuck here forever?!” 

“Now, now calm down Sokka-” 

“Don't tell my brother to calm down!“ Katara shouted as she stood up from her seat quickly cutting off Professor Pine’s response, “If ever there was a time not to be calm it's now! We've been dragged to an entirely new world, we no longer have our bending and are now completely defenseless surrounded by creatures with powers beyond anyone's imagination!”

“Completely defenseless Katara?” Suki asked with a quirked eyebrow. Katara blushed realizing quickly the misstep she made. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean that non-benders are defenseless,” Katara said as she lowered her tone. Azula narrowed her eyes as she glanced down at the table for the moment, and held her tongue. 

“There’s also friendly and helpful Pokémon to make up for any defensive issues you might have as well,” chimed in Yuu as he looked towards Lingliu and Lemaki in the distance laying out in a Pokémon playpen with berries galore. Professor Pine nodded his head.

“I do have a suggestion to add onto that about Pokémon that might help you a lot,” Professor Pine said clearing his throat and regaining everyone's attention, “Here in our world each region has a Pokémon League- which Yuu knows plenty about."

"Yes, I do" responded Yuu.

"Normally, in most regions, there are eight Pokémon Gyms where trainers challenge a Gym Leader residing in it to a Pokémon battle as a test of merit, strength, and the bond of your Pokémon. There, your goal is merely to defeat each Gym Leader and collect 8 badges. That permits you to take part in the Pokémon League Conference which is a championship tournament of other trainers who have managed to do the same in that fiscal year. In Huoli the only main difference is that we have 16 Gym Leaders due to various reasons that I don't have to get into right now but basically, it's 'cause the region is so big! Those who win the Conference can then challenge the Elite Four 4 trainers handpicked by the current sitting Champion of the League, and those who win can face the Champion in a quest to usurp their throne! And, the current sitting Champion is immortalized across this entire region!” said Professor Pine.

“That sounds interesting Professor, but why are you telling us this?” Zuko asked.

“I’m sure if you let him finish he’ll tell us,” Azula said as Professor Pine cleared his throat before speaking again.

“Gym Leaders, and those well versed such as myself, have a great wealth of knowledge. Perhaps, if you go and seek out help from one, they may aid or guide you to your answer and there are many along the way! I’m sorry I myself do not have all your answers- as I mainly focus on my research on Domestic Pokémon. And sadly that's my bread ad butter not phenomena like dimensional transportation from another universe!" said Professor Pine

"Huh... Well, it is understandable," responded Aang. Professor Pine then walks over to a map of the wall of Huoli and points to a specific area on the map.

*****

*****

"I would believe the closer you get to the Pokémon League situated on the Renwu Archipelago here you might get closer to your answer. It is a bit of a roundabout trip, but it is worth it in my opinion. The reason being is many strong trainers, some of who have traveled the whole world will be there!” Professor Pine said as he then moved his finger to another portion of the map, “This is where we are, right here on this lower section of Liyi Island, in Mian Town... Although, Mian Town is considered to be in 'Upper Liyi'... Anyways, as I said before, here in Huoli there are sixteen Gym Leaders but to participate in the Cup you only need eight badges, which is the same in any region you might come across. So, you have free reign to travel around, and essentially accomplish both tasks at once; doing the Pokémon League whilst gaining intel.” Professor Pine said as he started to cough from a dry throat.

"That's... a lot of information..." said Sokka as he rubs his head.

"It is a lot to take in but I think it can help!" said Yuu.

"Are you sure?... We don't need to be participating in some sporting event to get our bending back..." said Katara

“I agree,” said Aang.

"But we don't know how to get our bending back,” Toph said as she placed her bare feet on the table, “We literally have no idea what to do or where to go. This seems like our only lead at the moment.” 

“We?” Azula rolled the word around on her tongue, “Toph, with all due respect- I don't think you should include yourself in this we. In my opinion, you shouldn’t be coming with us if we decided to do this stupid cup thing or not; your disability is only going to get in our way as I mentioned-” 

"Where do you get the nerve!” Katara shouted cutting Azula off as the whole room started to an uproar. Azula listened patiently as everyone, with the exception of Yuu and Professor Pine, hollered similar sentiments. 

“I already told you princess; I’m not useless! I can adapt without my seismic sensing just fine!” said Toph.

“That’s right! Toph won’t get in the way. She is a valuable member of our team, and will only help us as she always has,” Katara hollered as she stuck up for her friend.

“You can all get huffy if you want, but you said it yourself Katara we are without our bending, without real direction, and surrounded by powerful creatures that can attack us at any moment. We have no idea how long it will take Toph to get use to walking around freely without one of us babysitting her. It’ll be safer if she stays here with the Professor, I’m sure he won’t mind watching her while we find a way out of this situation,” said Azula. As she said this, the professor started to hum to himself in thought. 

“I’m not a baby! Or a child! I’m not useless either! I can and will learn. I don't care what you say or think I’m coming with you guys and that’s final!” Toph exclaimed so loudly her voice rang off the walls. 

“Toph has always been a part of our team and will continue to be,” Aang said in a gentle but firm tone, “I know she can learn to navigate this world without her sight. Toph is strong, and will learn to adapt.” 

“Fine; but if she gets herself or one of us killed don't start crying,” said Azula.

“Isn’t that a bit too harsh?” asked Yuu but his question went ignored by those around him.

“She won’t. I don't want to have this conversation again Azula. If you are worried about your own safety you can stay with Pine,” said Aang.

“Suddenly, I watch over Pokémon and humans now?” Professor Pine said out loud.

“And what gives you the authority to make that decision?” Azula asked challenging Aang.

“He’s the Avatar!” Katara snapped.

“Is he?” Azula questioned as she turned to Katara, “Or is he just a little boy now without his bending?” 

“A little boy who kicked your dad’s butt and saved the world,” Toph said.

“Yes, when he could bend all four elements,” Azula responded. Aang then got up from his seat in annoyance.

“I don't need to bend the four elements to still be the avat-”

“-But that’s exactly what you need!” yelled Azula cutting off Aang.

“Alright! Alright enough!” Yuu said finally reaching his limit, hearing him shout Lingliu jumped, “Please we haven’t even left yet and we’re already at each other’s throats.”

“Azula is the one at everyone's throat. We normally get along fine.” Sokka corrected. 

“Whatever. Listen, we aren’t going to make it out of this lab if we all don't settle down,” Yuu said as he got up out of his seat, “I know you don't like it Azula, but it seems like we all agree that Toph should be here along for this journey. However, I do think your safety is something to take into regard while we are traveling Toph. Her thoughts might be a great asset on what to do, especially since Pokémon took such a liking to her already. What we need to do is figure out where we go from here,” Yuu let out a deep breath as he finished speaking. 

“And I have the solution for that if you all would listen up,” said Professor Pine attempting to get everyone’s attention. 

“I’m sorry Professor, please what do you suggest?” asked Yuu as the group silenced themselves to allow Pine to speak once more.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“Right. Well now that we have that ugliness settled my suggestion for you all is that I would make my first stop in Youchuan Town. It’s the neighboring settlement to Mian Town and is a port town. It’s often thought of as the ‘Home of the Yachts’. The headquarters of Lequ Inc. is situated there, and I’m sure you can hop on a boat that will take you to any gym you please or any section of the region you want; in the event, you do not want to participate,” Professor Pine explained he shifted from one foot to another as he spoke, “So, what I can do is register Yuu for the league now that he has the ability to leave for the Gym Challenge and has a Pokémon as well. I suppose if you lot make up your mind you always can register at any Pokémon Center along the way" said Professor Pine.

“Hmm…” Azula muttered to herself.

“A Pokémon journey…” Zuko said getting Yuu’s attention.

“Careful, we might end up Pokémon rivals if you wanna take on the league with me!” said Yuu with a smile. Zuko glanced at him and took on a small smile himself.

"I see," said Zuko.

"Well for now- we should focus on progressing with our search and worry about that stuff later," said Katara.

"Right; we don't even know much about Pokémon or the league to just jump in now. We can decide that later" said Sokka.

"So you are thinking about joining?" Suki asked.

"Well, it seems appealing. Not sure what about you?" Sokka asked.

"I don't know either..." said Suki.

"Guess it's good that we can do it any point then," said Aang.

"Right! Now, for the next town just follow Route 1, and you’ll end up there. Also, as I suggested to Aang a while ago before he and Yuu left to find you all, I believe you would all benefit from catching at least one Pokémon for protection. It doesn’t mean you have to go on a journey but since there is a lot of you, and seemingly you all are battle savvy, it will be in your best interest," said Professor Pine. 

"Right; after the encounter I had I can see the reason why we should have some on our side..." Katara said.

"I wonder which Pokémon would fit right with me..." Zuko wondered out loud.

"Probably one as trite as you," said Azula.

"Hey!" shouted Zuko.

"Well that might not be accurate to what you might find in the wild; most Pokémon are very unique," responded Yuu.

"Yea! And who knows maybe we will find a Pokémon as bitchy as you!" said Zuko.

"Say that closer to my face," said Azula egging Zuko on, causing Professor Pine to laugh nervously.

“Okay well before another fight breaks out let me start gathering some more Poké Balls and supplies for you lot. You’ll be able to carry more now that you have more people, so I’ll be right back and I can send you on your way. Oh! Give me your Rotom Pokédex as well.” said Professor Pine.

"Huh? Okay..." Yuu said as handed him his Pokédex, and Pine moved away from the group quickly happy to be away from the awkwardness for a few seconds.

“So, are we going to Youchuan Town?” Suki asked once again being the breaker of heavy silence.

“I think that’s our best bet,” Zuko said. 

“Agreed,” Yuu said. 

“I don’t mind carrying the brunt of the load I’ve got a strong back!” said Sokka.

“Hehe, yes you do! 💖” said Suki heart-eyed causing Azula to roll her eyes.

*****

Time passed, and the crew all familiarized themselves the best they could with their tasks and surroundings as they get ready to leave. Zuko was given a serum that aided with his odor issues, while Toph was tended to with bandages and Potions by Katara. Meanwhile, Azula looked over the map of Huoli while Sokka and Suki spoke quietly together in the corner.

Aang and Yuu were still sitting at the table. Aang was beaming happily while Yuu observed his friends. Leaning forward he whispered to Aang.

“Your friends are rather interesting." Aang laughed and nodded. “I’ve never met people who are so…brazen. I will admit Azula’s willingness to unleash the truth in such a scathing manner certainly has taken me back a little.” Aang nodded.

“Azula tends not to hold back her thoughts. At least when it doesn’t benefit her too,” Aang said quietly so as not to provoke another outburst. Yuu hummed and found what Aang said to be interesting. He decided to keep that information about Azula in mind for the future. 

“So both Azula and Zuko are firebenders. They’re brother and sister too, right? Who’s older and who’s younger?” Yuu asked curiously.

“It might not seem like it usually but Azula is actually Zuko’s younger sister. They’re also royalty, Zuko is the prince of the Fire Nation, and Azula use to be the princess but is now the Fire Lord.” Aang explained. Yuu found himself surprised by this. By the way, everyone in the group acted around Zuko it was certainly hard to imagine he was a prince. 

“Ow!” Toph hissed pulling her hand away from Katara, “That hurt!”

“Sorry,” Katara said apologetically. “I’ll be gentler,” Toph grumbled something under her breath before reluctantly letting Katara take her hand once more. 

“And… Toph is an earthbender, correct?” Yuu asked. Aang nodded and a bright look came across his face.

“Yes. You know I actually thought a lot about Toph when I first arrived at your house. The home she used to live in with her parents is very similar to yours.” 

“Is she royalty as well?” questioned Yuu.

“Like Zuko and Azula? No, she’s just from a wealthy family from the Earth Kingdom.” Yuu nodded and again found himself shocked. To Yuu, the way Toph dressed alongside her personal hygiene, didn’t give off the appearance of wealth as Yuu knew it. 

“And Katara, Sokka, and Suki?” Yuu asked.

“Sokka is Katara’s older brother, they both come from the Southern Water Tribe. Katara is actually the last waterbender in her tribe.” As Aang spoke a tinge of sadness colored his voice. “Their father is the chief.”

“So they’re highborn as well?” Yuu asked as he became increasingly more interested in the background of the gang.

“I suppose you could think of it that way; really it’s not thought of like that where they come from. Suki comes from a small island in the Earth Kingdom called Kyoshi Island. She’s the head of a group called the Kyoshi Warriors named after another avatar who went by the name Kyoshi. They fight with fans as she did and adorn the same face paint she wore in order to honor her.” 

“I see, I suppose it’s safe to assume that the island Suki comes from is named after this avatar Kyoshi as well,” Aang nodded enthusiastically causing Yuu to smile a little.

As much as Aang and his friends had to learn about Yuu’s world Yuu also felt as if there was still a lot he had to learn about them and where they came from to get a better understanding of his new companions. Although for now, Yuu felt like he did have a better picture of this new group he was thrust into.

After a while, Professor Pine came back with supplies; various Pokémon related items which Professor Pine handed to Yuu.

“Yuu, among this pile, is a bunch of Poké Balls; I'll leave 'em all to you, and you can disperse them amongst those that want them,” Professor Pine said pulling Yuu to the side as he gave him the rest of the load, “I have also programmed your Rotom Pokédex with additional functions such as a map my apologies for not telling you about it in the first place. Also, take the time to introduce Rotom to your team! That’s all I can do for now to prepare you a lot for your journey, just stay safe, and between me and you watch over Toph… I am concerned for her wellbeing, but know that her resolve is set. Stay in contact as you head off, this Pokédex is also like a phone as well! But, there is also plenty of Pokémon Centers along Huoli! Feel free to send back here any Pokémon you encounter! Perhaps you might run into your friend along the way as well!”

“Okay, Professor! Thank you for everything you've done for me these past few years, they all accumulated to this moment!” said Yuu. 

“It’s all a professor can do. I took a chance on you; hopefully, the time you waited to go on a journey was not spent in vain. I mean without it, you would not be here to help this lot. Anyways, here let’s get you and your friends going.” said Professor Pine as he walked back towards Aang and company, “Come on guys, let's see you all off!” They all stood and followed Professor Pine toward the front of the lab. Katara carefully lead Toph to the front with them while Sokka got himself his own bag and filled it with other materials such as potions, so both he and Yuu both carries supplies for the gang.

“We really appreciate all the help you’ve given us so far,” Aang added before reaching forward and pulling Pine into a tight hug. The Professor laughed and patted his back awkwardly.

“Yes of course! May the Huoli lands fare you well!” said Professor Pine said as he waved them goodbye. Yuu nodded, and they all said their goodbyes before departing. 

*****

Off in the distance, in the sky was a hot air balloon. One, with a giant red “R” on it. Within that balloon rested two humans, one man and one female, and a Pokémon. They look down on Mian Town as one of them observes the group leaving.

“Wait, I think that is them!” the male says.

“Huh? The ones that you claim fell out of the sky? Stop playing around with me James, that doesn't make sense,” said the female.

“I swear Jessie! We were traveling from the Galar region back to Kanto to see the boss and along the way, I saw some rift in the sky!” said James.

“Agh and you flew in closer just to look at a bunch of twerps walking?” asked Jessie.

“I know what I saw… I think…” said James feeling unsure.

“Well, we came all this way why not look around for some Pokémon to steal to give to the boss!?” said the Pokémon with them as it hops onto the ledge of the balloon basket, “I don’t think we have ever heard of this region before! So, there has to be new Pokémon!”

“Well, I guess we can for a little while, Meowth. This beach does look pretty nice!” said Jessie.

“Yes, it does- agh!!!” screamed Meowth as it slipped off the ledge of the basket, and fell off!

“Meowth!” yelled Jessie and James, as they try to grab onto an airborne Meowth leaning over and hopping on the ledge. However, at the same time as they both grabbed Meowth, they leaned over too far from the basket causing it to sink below their feet which cast them off as well. 

“Ahhhh!” They all screamed as they fell into the Mian Beach waters below. 

“Hm? Did I hear something just now?...” asked a puzzled Professor Pine as he glanced around the area of his lab, “... Like people screaming and falling to their doom? Hm… Oh well! Probably just people having too much fun at the beach. Welp, time to go back inside and do more research!”

This is the start of Aequus and the start of Yuu and Aang’s journey.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

As the group found themselves walking back along Route 1, a growing amount of tension could be felt between them. The center of this tension, Azula, walked beside her brother quietly staring down at her hands as they continued along the path. She was not oblivious to the ill feelings of her friends, every few seconds Zuko would clench and unclench his jaw in frustration attempting to hold his tongue for the time being. Katara would periodically throw her a dirty look, while Toph was uncharacteristically silent as she clung to Katara’s arm.  Sokka and Suki, hand-in-hand, walked at a distance from Azula as they silently looked around Route 1 as Yuu and Aang led the way ahead. It was these nuanced actions that caught Azula’s eyes however, she remained indifferent. Yuu, sympathetic even to her own feelings at this moment, looked on with a frown at the state of the group.

Aware of all of this, Azula was not surprised; she had known that the conversation she provoked in Professor Pine’s lab would cause her soft-hearted companions to get their backs up. However, Azula knew she couldn’t keep her thoughts to herself. With every step, she took she was reminded of the dire situation they were in.

“Huoli is such a large and unknown place to us…” she thought her mind turning back to the large map she had been observing in Pine’s office. “None of us can bend, no one knows why Aang has been brought here, and we’re all just fumbling in the dark. I’m not going to coddle Aang or Toph or anyone at the risk of my own life.” Azula thought. 

While Azula was deep in thought Yuu too was doing some thinking of his own. He walked quietly beside Aang musing about something he had been curious about since hearing Aang’s story in Professor Pine’s lab.

“So, how did you guys get your bending in the first place?” He asked turning towards the rest of the group. 

“Hm? Oh, I don’t think I ever told you that,” said Aang. Katara then turned to Yuu.

“Well, you’re born with the ability, but not everyone can in our world,” Katara explained sounding somber as she spoke. “And it feels absolutely horrible to be without it...” she added sounding more miserable the more she spoke gaining the attention of everyone around her. This brought the group into a similar thought process; up until now those with the ability to bend never really had a chance to process the life of being without it as they had been constantly in a state of fight-or-flight. Yuu glanced over to Suki and Sokka those who couldn't, and then to Katara and Toph, those who could. A thought arose in his head as he noticed the different reactions on their faces as they adjusted to the settlement in his world.

“...What does it feel like?” Yuu asked with a small frown, “I would assume it would be like me, whatever me feels like, but I have never had a power taken from me.”

“It’s hard to explain to someone who's never bent before; I feel so much the same but so much different as well,” said Katara as she looked at her hands. As she spoke Zuko and Azula began to monitor their own bodies in tandem.

“... It is actually something I wondered myself but I couldn’t think when to bring it up,” said Suki.

“I thought to ask Katara when she was freaking out about it earlier,” said Sokka. Causing Katara to become embarrassed by his words.

“S-Sokka! Agh, it just was something I couldn’t explain why it was happening, the loss of my bending, and I panicked. When Sokka and I were running away from the crazed birds I kept trying to bend in order to protect us… but I couldn’t command any of the water that was nearby,” she said her voice becoming sad as she spoke. Aang frowned and reached forward to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

“It’s okay Katara, we’ll get it back.” He promised softly, Katara gave him a small smile and nodded softly. 

“So, you physically feel fine?” Yuu said his tone lifting with interest. 

“Some of us do,” Toph corrected causing a ripple of uneasiness to go throughout the group.

“Toph-” Katara began but before she could start apologizing Toph began to wave her hand back and forth to silence her friend.

“It’s fine,” Toph said quickly ushering in a moment of horribly uncomfortable silence. It was Azula who broke it and continued to answer Yuu’s question as if the brief interruption hadn’t happened.

“It was the first thing I attempted to confirm to myself before running into my brother. I attempted to lightningbend, but nothing came from my fingertips, despite my form being immaculate. It felt like... almost akin to being chi blocked, only with the ability to move still,” Azula explained causing Yuu to frown with confusion. His eyes momentarily snapped over to Toph and Katara; he worried his lip for a moment wanting to comment on Toph’s status but instead, he asked the question that immediately popped into his head upon hearing Azula’s words. 

“... What does ‘chi blocked’ mean?” He asked.

“It’s when the flow of your chi is blocked,” Aang said in an attempt to explain. Yuu’s face dropped as he turned to look at his young friend.

“Oh thanks, that explains everything, ” Sokka, Suki, and Zuko began to laugh and even Toph managed to chuckle after a moment's hesitation. Katara relaxed only slightly as she turned to explain to Yuu in more depth.

“In our world, Chi is the natural energy that flows through every living thing. Benders, people like myself, Zuko, Azula, and Aang all have the ability to channel this energy, and with it bend one of the four elements; or in Aang’s case all four.” Yuu nodded as he took in this information.

“Chi flows through a pathway throughout your body,” Azula cut in, “Along that pathway are different points. If one or more of these points are hit with enough force it can cause a block in that pathway and cause a temporary loss in bending and for the part of the body that got hit to become paralyzed.” 

“Interesting. That method is similar to a move Pokémon can learn Embargo. It stops Pokémon from using a move they just used; that’s like chi blocking then...” Yuu said more to himself than the group at large. Azula, hearing Yuu talk about Pokémon terminology she didn’t understand, brought her mind back into alignment about Pokémon related thoughts she had prior. 

“Actually Yuu, I was wondering if I could pick your brain for a moment,” Azula said now that she saw a free moment to change the topic. “I’ve been thinking about the battle you and your Pokémon had against the Luckrane that attacked Katara and Sokka in the forest. I was wondering if you could explain to me in detail how catching a Pokémon works.” Yuu nodded and began to speak enthusiastically. 

“Okay, I’ll tell you anything you want to know,” said Yuu 

“Tell me everything,” said Azula unusually enthusiastic which alerted Zuko. Yuu nodded and began to explain to Azula, as well as the rest of the group, everything he had told Aang earlier about what it took to catch a Pokémon. As he spoke Azula, Zuko and Sokka seemed to listen the most intently out of everyone in the group giving Yuu their full undivided attention. As Yuu continued with his explanation Aang seemed to become anxious and more interested to jump in.

“So... When it comes to catching a Pokémon, the main goal would be to prove your worth to it through a battle of some sort?” Azula asked in an attempt, to sum up, everything Yuu had said. However, before Yuu could speak Aang saw his opportunity. 

“Not always! I caught Lemaki by giving it some berries,” he said pointing to the Pokémon still clinging to his back. Lemaki, docile and calm, was watching with a great deal of disinterest as it popped berries into its mouth. 

“Yes, there are some special circumstances in which a Pokémon can be caught.” Yuu explained with an awkward smile, “But the standard is to battle and catch as you saw me do with Luckrane.” 

Azula nodded in response, but as Yuu spoke a thought came into her mind; “ How are we supposed to battle to catch when we don't have Pokémon of our own…” Her eyes drifted over to Lemaki for a moment before she spoke again. “I see, we should all keep everything both Yuu and Aang said in mind. I think it’s smart we all keep our eyes open for Pokémon we might be interested in catching,” As Azula spoke Yuu and a few others found themselves agreeing. 

“Yea! The more Pokémon we have the stronger we’ll be as a unit, Huoli is huge and unknown to us. Considering we have no idea why we’re here, we need to be as prepared for any kind of fight or encounter that might come our way,” said Sokka.

“Agreed,” Zuko said. 

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

As they continued down Route 1 both siblings and Sokka kept their eyes focused on the tall grass and the trees. Meanwhile, Katara kept her attention on Toph who was clutching onto Katara’s wrist tightly. Katara helped Toph around rocks or other objects along the road while praising Toph for how well she was doing.

“I’m not a baby Katara,” Toph finally snapped after the fifth sugary compliment from her friend. “I don't need my butt kissed for walking.”

“I’m just trying to be encouraging,” Katara sounded put out as she spoke.

“I still feel like I’m dreaming,” Suki said quickly, trying to get ahead of an argument before it could start. Yuu was grateful when it seemed to work, after what happened in the forest and in Pine’s lab he wasn’t sure if he could take another fight. “Are we really in another world?” 

“You really are,” Yuu said with a bright smile. “Although from what Aang told me you guys are used to going on grand adventures like this.”

“Yeah, in our own world where the stakes are clear,” Katara said with a frown. “Who even knows if we’ll ever get back home? Who even knows what’s going on back home now? Aang, The Fire Lord, The Fire Lord’s brother, and all of the Avatar's closest friends have suddenly disappeared…” Aang frowned as Katara’s voice began to shake, he reached forward to place his hand on the small of her back trying to give her some comfort.

“Katara I’m sure everything is okay, Iroh is still in the Fire Nation I’m sure-”

“Aang you can’t say everything going on back home is okay,” Katara snapped, causing Yuu to wince. A part of him wanted to stand up for Aang but he understood that what Katara was saying was true and her fear was valid.

“Katara is right,” Azula said, shocking just about everyone in the group. “You can’t say everything back home is okay because you don't know what’s going on back home, and logically with your second disappearance, I’m sure everything is being thrown back into chaos, that however doesn’t matter right now. We can’t afford to harp on what might be happening back in our own world, it’s not productive. We need to focus on the task at hand, everything else will come later.”

“Yeah, we’ll just drive ourselves crazy thinking about the many ‘could ofs' and what ifs’,” Sokka said, turning to his sister. “Let’s just focus on what we can do now.” Katara nodded and found herself relaxing a little.

“Well said Sokka,” Suki said with a loving smile. Reaching forward she took hold of his arm and wrapped both of hers around it, pulling Sokka closer to her. Toph rolled her eyes and made a gagging motion causing Aang, Katara, and Yuu to snicker.

Azula came to a sudden stop as the group continued to move forward for a moment until Zuko noticed his sister was no longer by his side. He stopped and turned to see she was looking at the tall grass.

“Azula-”

“Shush, shush,” Azula said softly, motioning with her hand for Zuko to lower his voice. Zuko turned to see what Azula was looking at and noticed that what looked like a bolt of lightning was sticking out of the grass. The bolt of lightning was twitching back and forth. Everyone else in the group stopped and turned to see what was happening. 

“What are you two morons doing?!” Toph demanded, her loud voice causing the twitching bolt of lightning to freeze.

“Shush!” Zuko whispered harshly as he made the same motion for silence. Rotom Pokédex floated over to the siblings and stopped beside Azula. A second later the lightning bolt disappeared and Azula found herself scowling. She was about to say something snide when the grass rustled and out popped the Pokémon! What came out from hiding was a reddish-yellow creature, with yellow cheeks, and a little tuft of hair sticking out between its long ears. Its lightning bolt-looking tailed twitched as it looked up at both siblings.

“Hey… is that a Pikachu?” Yuu inquired out loud, “It’s a bit rare to see one around these parts, Pikachu are native to the Kanto region I believe… I remember learning from Professor Pine that Kantonian Pokémon are special finds outside of the region.” 

“Pika! Pika!” The Pikachu had jumped out of the bushes on all fours and looked ready to fight. Its little black eyes were filled with determination as it stared at Azula and Zuko. Rotom Pokédex swung forward to scan the Pikachu. 

“This is Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon,” Pikachu relaxed for a second and watched Rotom Pokédex with curiosity. Suddenly, Rotom Pokedex's eyes lit up as if it just realized something. “Oh! This Pikachu is actually a Regional Variant as well!” Rotom Pokédex explained further. 

“Oh, yea! Aang, I believe Pine mentioned that to you when I was eavesdropping on your conversation with him earlier,” said Yuu a little bashfully. 

“I think I remember that…” Aang tried to remember what Pine had told him. 

“Well, basically, for those who don’t know, they are just Pokémon, known to be from other regions, that undergo some characteristic change in a new region's climate. The ‘normal’ Pikachu are Kantonian, and that one must be Huolian!” said Yuu with a smile. 

“Exactly! Pine taught you well!” said Rotom Pokédex.

“So… what’s the difference?” asked Azula. 

“Huolian Pikachu are said to have formed due to the weird magnetic fields in Huoli causing it to generate too much heat within its body due to its electric charges. This gives them a unique Electric/Fire typing! They are aesthetically different from Kantonian Pikachu by the color of their body and cheeks! Huolian Pikachu have yellow cheeks and a reddish body, like they are sunburnt, while a Kantonian Pikachu has the opposite being yellow with red cheeks.” said Rotom Pokédex.

“Pika?” It said as Rotom Pokédex spun around and floated back toward Azula. 

“That’s the perfect kind of Pokémon for you Azula,” Katara said thoughtfully.

“Yeah you should try and catch it,” Sokka said excitedly.

“Azula might not be the only person interested in catching it,” Zuko said quickly.  

“I don't think you can handle a Pokémon like this,” Azula said as she very slowly knelt down and carefully reached her hand out for it to smell. Pikachu’s ears twitched and it turned to look back at Azula, the Pikachu looked at Azula’s outstretched hand and picked itself up so it was standing on two feet as it began to sniff it.

“You don't know that!” Zuko said. Azula ignored him and kept her eyes trained on the Pikachu in front of her causing Zuko to silently seethe at being so easily pushed aside by his sister.

“How are you going to catch it?” Suki asked, causing Pikachu’s curiosity to drop and the fire in it quickly returned.

“Pika! Pika! Pikachu!” It cried, pulling its little hands up into fists and raising them up. “Pika! Pikachu! Pi!” It began to sound very proud as it flexed its arms.

“This Pikachu must be proud of its power!” Rotom Pokédex said.

“Which means I’m not catching it with berries,” Azula said, causing Yuu to giggle. The laughter quickly died in his throat when Aang gave him an unamused look, however.

“Sorry,” Yuu said softly.

“So, you’re probably going to have to battle it like Yuu battled that Luckrane,” Katara said. 

“Well, how the hell are you going to do that without a Pokémon?” Toph asked.

“Aang and Yuu have Pokémon, you can probably borrow one to fight this Pikachu,” Suki suggested but Sokka was shaking his head. Before he could voice what he and Yuu were thinking Azula spoke their thoughts.

“Yuu said that a part of catching a Pokémon is by proving to it your strength,” Azula said. “I’m not really proving my own strength as a trainer by using someone else’s Pokémon, not to mention Yuu and Aang’s Pokémon might not answer to my command.”

“I agree. I guess you’re going to find another means of catching this Pikachu like Aang did,” Yuu said.  Azula nodded and watched as the Pikachu moved so it was facing a large rock at the edge of the road.

“I wonder what it’s doing?” Aang asked. The Pikachu promptly answered by taking a deep breath.

“Pikachu!” It cried out as lightning exploded out of its cheeks and hit the rock it had directed the attack at.

“Whoa!” Sokka said jumping back at the display, this reaction seemed to please the Pikachu as it again flexed its arms. The grass by the rock began to rustle but everyone's attention was still on the Pikachu who hopped back over to Azula.

“It just used Thunderbolt!” Rotom Pokédex said excitedly.

“Pika! Pikachu!” It said as it pointed to her.

“Very interesting,” Azula said to Pikachu. “I see you’re a very strong Pokémon, if I had my bending I would show you what a real thunderbolt looks like. Until then I suppose I’ll have to show you my strength in some other manner.” The little Pikachu looked like it had fire in its eyes as it watched Azula stand up and move toward the center of the road.

“What’s your plan?” Yuu asked as Azula motioned for Zuko to join her. Yuu noticed as he asked the question that something in the group changed and suddenly he felt like he was the only one in the group who didn’t know the answer.

“I’m going to prove my strength,” Azula said simply. Yuu seemed to understand as Azula planted her feet firmly on the ground and lifted her hands in the air. Zuko took an identical position as his sister. “You're clearly interested in catching Pikachu as well, fight me and whichever one of us wins the spar will catch it.” Zuko’s eyes lit up at the challenge.

“No games, Azula,” Zuko warned.

“Zuzu, I never need a trick to beat you,” a sharp smile cut Azula’s face in two and for one second she looked feral.

“Pika-chu!” Azula was the first to move, darting forward with such speed that it caught Yuu and Zuko off guard. Launching herself forward, Yuu watched as she flew in the air and landed a square kick in the middle of Zuko’s chest. The older sibling let out a pained grunt as he stumbled backward.

“Azula got the first hit, a kick,” Katara said softly to Toph. 

“Why am I not surprised?” Toph asked with a roll of her milky white eyes. Yuu continued to watch as Azula advanced on Zuko with little mercy. She began to throw a series of sharp jabs that Zuko could only manage to block. Yuu was impressed that he managed to block most of his sister's punches, seemingly predicting where she was going to direct her hit and when. 

“Do they spar a lot?” Yuu whispered to Aang not taking his eyes off the fight for a moment. Spending most of his time in Mian Town or traveling with his mother who was opposed to this kind of fist to cuffs Yuu had never been exposed to this kind of fighting before. “Zuko seems to be able to know where she’s going to hit next.” 

“She’s doing that on purpose,” Katara said, answering for Aang. “I’ve sparred with her enough to know what she’s doing, and I can’t believe Zuko is falling for it.”

“I can,” Toph said although what they were referring to Yuu wasn’t sure until a few moments later when Azula made it look as if she was going for a punch to his right side and when Zuko moved to block she quickly switched, and delivered three brutal punches to the left side of Zuko’s rib cage.

“She feigned him, didn't she?” Toph asked as she heard Zuko let out a sharp cry.

“Yep,” Katara said with a curt nod. While they were talking Zuko reeled from the attack giving Azula enough time to step back. Yuu watched, mouth agape, as Azula spun around and delivered a sharp kick to Zuko’s jaw causing him to recoil.

“This doesn’t look like the airbending you were doing in my yard,” Yuu whispered, surprised by the violence displayed between both siblings.

“That’s because this is firebending without the fire,” Aang explained. “Each bending has a different style. Firebending, for instance, is made up of a lot of quick and powerful bursts of movement.”

“I can’t believe there’s normally fire at the end of these attacks,” Yuu whispered but then his eyes went to the large scar that took up most of the left side of Zuko’s face and he decided that he could believe it.

“Oh Zuzu, that last attack looked like it hurt a little,” Azula mocked as her brother cradled his face in his hands. “I hope I wasn’t being too rough.”

“Pika! Pika!” The Pikachu sprinted forward so it was standing at Azula’s side. Zuko dropped his hand from his face and looked up at his sister with a hard look. Bringing his fists up he planted his feet apart and gave Azula a slow nod. She smiled and took an identical position. 

Again, Azula was the first to move forward running quickly with Pikachu right on her heels watching. Pushing herself forward into the air Azula did an elaborate flip and thrust her left foot out to kick Zuko right in the face. Yuu thought Zuko was going to block again, but instead, at the last minute he snatched his hand out with a quickness that he didn’t seem to possess before and grabbed Azula’s ankle.

Using all of his weight he threw Azula to the ground and for a moment Yuu thought he might have gained the upper hand. But then Azula twisted and landed on her hands and feet, sliding through the dirt before coming to a stop right at the edge of the path on Route 1 they were on. The Pikachu, who had been right by Azula, had slipped underneath her and was standing by her right side looking up at her with anticipation.

“Come on if you're coming,” Zuko taunted, waving his hand for her to come at him. Azula’s eyes narrowed and an unreadable expression passed across her face. A moment passed and Yuu felt he was holding his breath. Then Azula moved and Yuu felt his heart racing against his chest as Azula formed a tight fist with her left hand and moved to throw it at Zuko’s stomach. A punch that Zuko managed to catch.

Sokka and Suki gasped, Aang’s eyes went wide and a smile broke across his face, while Katara leaned down and whispered what had happened to Toph. No one, however, looked as surprised as Azula did.

“Shocked?” Zuko asked with a cold smile.

“More like impressed,” Azula said without any mocking tone, she sounded truly sincere. Yuu watched as Zuko’s superior look dropped and he let his guard down an inch as a look of shock and something else crossed his face.

“R-really?” Azula smiled. But not kindly.

“No,” Azula said before taking a tight hold of his wrist and twisting his arm painfully. Zuko shouted as Azula ducked underneath his arm and spun him around. She twisted his arm more tightly and took hold of his opposite shoulder pushing him down to the ground easily.

“Submit.” She commanded. Yuu watched with a frown as Zuko’s face crunched in pain as Azula continued to twist his arm, not giving him a chance to answer. 

“I- I- I submit,” Zuko panted. Azula smiled and let go of him before cruelly kicking his rear end and sending him down into the dirt on his face. 

“Making a smart decision for once,” Azula chuckled, crossing his arms over her chest with a proud look on her face. “Now that we’ve had our fun, it’s time for business.” Azula then turned away from her brother and towards the Pikachu who looked very pleased by the battle that just took place.

-Chapter End-

Chapter Text

Yuu frowned when Azula turned away from him and moved towards the Pikachu. “She’s not even going to check to see if he’s okay?” Yuu thought as Zuko rolled over to his side to catch his breath. 

“Pikachu! Pikachu!” Pikachu began to dance back and forth before punching its fists in the air. Azula smiled pleased that her idea had worked.

“Someone hand me a Poké Ball,” Azula instructed holding her hand out for one. Yuu moved forward and fished one out of his bag. He handed it over to Azula and instructed her how to throw the Poké Ball. She moved backwards until she was far enough to get a good throw. Planting her feet apart she took aim and waited for a beat before throwing.

Yuu watched surprised as she threw the Poké Ball perfectly. It hit the Pikachu square in the chest and the Pokémon was sucked into the ball. It clicked almost immediately and Aang let out a little cheer.

“Azula caught the Pikachu,” Katara said to Toph softly. 

“You caught it!” Aang cheered.

“Congratulations Azula!” Suki said with a bright smile. “You make it look so easy.”

“That’s because for me it is,” Azula said as she inspected the Poké Ball in her hand. 

“Are you okay?” Yuu asked turning to Zuko who was still sitting on the ground. Azula snorted and answered for her older brother.

“It was a simple, bendingless sparring match he’s perfectly fine.” Yuu scowled as he looked at her.

“I was asking him, not you. Besides, he took a lot of hard hits-”

“If the prince of the Fire Nation is so easily shaken by such a tame fight, then we have much bigger problems on our hands,” Azula said sharply. Yuu opened his mouth to argue but Zuko pushed himself up to his feet.

“I’m fine!” he snapped. 

“How do I release the Pikachu?” asked Azula.

“Oh you mean you don't know how?” Katara said mockingly to Azula, “I thought you knew everything.”

“Despite what you might think my dear Sugar Queen I am not omnipotent,” said Azula. Katara scowled at the use of the nickname while Toph snickered. 

“What’s omnipotent mean?” Aang asked.

“All knowing,” Azula said while Zuko stalked over to her and past Yuu. Yuu wanted to say something more to Azula, but as Zuko stood beside his sister he decided to remain quiet. 

“Just throw the Poké Ball, and Pikachu should come out,” Yuu said softly. Azula nodded and did as she was instructed. Everyone watched as she threw the Poké Ball and released her new Pokémon.

“Pikachu!” it said happily as it hopped over to her. Azula knelt down and held her hand out for her new Pokémon to smell. While everyone watched Azula and her new Pikachu as the grass beside the boulder Pikachu had demonstrated its thunderbolt on earlier began to rustle softly. The movement caught Zuko’s eyes and he turned to look over at the spot.

He watched with wide eyes as a new Pokémon walked out of the grass. This surprised Zuko as he had never quite seen anything like it. The Pokémon walked on four legs, and its body was covered in steel armor-like fur, with red and gold spots around its neck and tail. It donned a steel-like helmet in the shape of a cone, with small holes pierced into it that resemble a muzzle. Eye slits were carved into it which showed small portions of its feline face. It approached Zuko slowly, and as it did Zuko backed away.

“What is that?” Zuko asked causing everyone to pick their heads up and turned toward what Zuko was looking at.

“Hm, I don’t think I’ve seen that Pokémon before!” Yuu said his interest piquing as he looked at it. Lingliu then crawled near Yuu’s feet and started to become defensive, altering Yuu. But as Lingliu looked at the Pokémon they shared a look. Suddenly, Lingliu backed off. “Hm? Lingliu?...” asked Yuu as Lingliu became more docile as if it realized this Pokémon was no threat to them. Before anyone could react Rotom Pokédex zoomed forward in order to scan the new Pokémon. 

“Well, I’ll solve everyone’s troubles!” Rotom Pokédex said as he started to scan the Pokémon, “This is Matoic, the ‘Honor Pokémon!” As this Pokémon’s information started to be shared with the group everyone, with the exception of Zuko and Yuu, broke out into laughter. Zuko started to scowl as everyone clearly was laughing at the similarity between Zuko and the Pokémon.

“What an odd thing!” Sokka exclaimed between his laughter. “A perfect Pokémon for Azula appeared, and now a perfect one for Zuko comes out right after. I wonder if all of us will be this lucky!”

“The perfect one for me?!” yelled Zuko.

“I don’t know Sokka I don’t think there is a ‘Twinkle Toes’ Pokémon!” said Toph as she laughs.

“Hey!” said Aang in response as she chuckles.

“What is so funny!?....” snarled Zuko as he folded his arms and blushed.

“I don't get it...” Yuu said with a frown as he looked from one person to the next. An awkward feeling came over him as he realized clearly they were laughing at some kind of an inside joke between them about Zuko. “ … they are making fun of him... I wonder why this is so funny,” thought Yuu.

“Let’s just say my brother has a strong sense of honor,” Azula said with a teasing smile. When Yuu continued to give her an owlish, perplexed look, she opened her mouth to further explain. “I would assume that Aang told you a little bit about our world. Well, when Aang and his friends were running around trying to get him to learn all four elements our father, Fire Lord Ozai, sent him on a quest to capture Aang in order to regain his honor .” 

“It caused an obsession within Zuko, and he couldn’t go five seconds without screaming about ‘regaining his honor’!” said Sokka as he laughed more. Yuu frowned as a thought came into his head, he recalled Aang briefly glossing over Zuko chasing after him, but nothing in great detail. Certainly, he never mentioned anything about regaining honor or having an obsession with it. 

“But-” Yuu was quickly cut off by Zuko who spun around to give Azula a piercing look.

“Thank you Azula, perhaps you guys can stop laughing at me so that Rotom Pokédex can finish speaking!” said Zuko as he tensed up. 

“Oh don’t get mad!” said Toph as she falls on her back laughing. Matoic, eyeing everyone laughing, starts to shake its head in disappointment. Lemaki, still eating berries while riding on Aang's shoulder, looks off to the Pokémon with a cocked head noting the disappointment the Pokémon was feeling. Rotom Pokédex started to frown as it saw everyone get riled up.

“Come on guys, the Pokémon is just standing there watching us, so it seems fairly docile. Let’s find out about it,” said Yuu.

“You are right, sorry,” said Aang as he tries to muffle his laughter. The group all calm their laughter and look towards Rotom Pokédex. However, Yuu’s attention drifted towards Zuko who looked like he was about to lose it. 

“I can’t blame the poor guy. First, he loses a fight with his little sister, then he loses the Pikachu to Azula, and now he’s being laughed at by all of his friends who didn’t even check to see if he was okay after Azula gave him some hard hits. I would be ready to explode as well. ” Yuu thought with a frown. 

Well now that that is over this Pokémon and your friend might have a lot in common!” Rotom Pokédex said before it continued on with its explanation. “As I was saying this is  Matoic, the ‘Honor Pokémon’. It has a strong sense of self-discipline and morals. This Pokémon is highly intelligent and is not deceived easily. It likes to cut off its claws so as to not accidentally scratch its trainer, and keeps them in its visor.” 

Zuko watched as Matoic began to slowly move towards him. He felt his heart begin to pick up speed as the Pokémon began to get closer and closer. 

“It seems interested in you,” Azula said, stating the obvious. 

“I wonder why,” Katara questioned softly. 

“Perhaps it saw the fight and is interested in Zuko like Pikachu became interested in Azula,” Suki said thoughtfully. 

“For losing?” Toph asked with a frown. “I thought it was the Honor Pokémon, not the Pokémon who likes losing.” Zuko’s face, if possible, got redder as Matoic came to a stop in front of him. 

“Actually, maybe it can sense how honorable Zuko is,” Aang said causing everyone, save for Zuko, to turn a give him a bewildered look. “When I was with Yuu at his mother's home he told me that Pokémon are intuitive and can sense certain things about people.” Aang provided with a sheepish look. 

“It’s true,” Yuu said as he confirmed Aang’s statement to the group. “Furthermore, it’s possible that, as Suki said, the Maotic witnessed the fight and saw how Zuko upheld himself and decided to submit instead of pulling a dirty trick to win.” 

“Why don't you just ask it?” Sokka asked.

“Ask it?” Zuko said with a frown. 

“Yeah I mean obviously Pokémon can understand humans. How about instead of theorizing between ourselves, you just ask the Pokémon itself,” Sokka said with a confident look. Suki sighed dreamily as she looked up at her boyfriend.

“That’s such a good idea Sokka! Agh, you are so smart!!! 💖” she said with a broad smile. Sokka nodded and blushed when Suki reached up and placed a chaste kiss on Sokka’s cheek. Zuko slowly knelt down and looked at the Matoic. 

“Is it true? Did you see my fight with Azula? Did you sense honor within me?” asked Zuko. Matoic slowly dropped its head down and brought it back up as it nodded. 

“What happened?” Toph asked when no one said anything. 

“The Matoic just nodded,” Katara told her. 

“So, what’s that mean?” Toph demanded.

“Maybe Matoic wants to be your friend,” Aang said his grey eyes lighting up as he spoke. 

“You mean like perhaps it wants to be caught by Zuko?” Azula asked. 

“Only one way to find out,” Yuu said reaching into his bag for a Poké Ball. 

“Ask it!” Suki said as Yuu dug around his bag. She glanced at Sokka who was smiling, rather proud of himself. Zuko’s blush deepened as he cleared his throat.

“Do you want me to catch you?” asked Zuko. Matoic slowly nodded again just as Yuu produced a brand new Poké Ball.  

“Here,” Yuu said handing it over to Zuko as the older boy stood up. Yuu gave Zuko the same instruction he had given Azula a few minutes prior. Nodding Everyone moved out of the way to give Zuko enough room. He took a few steps back, planted his feet apart, and cocked his arm back as he took aim.

Zuko threw the Poké Ball hard and everyone watched as it sailed over the Matoic’s head and landed on the ground behind it. Azula and her Pikachu snickered, but Zuko ignored them. Yuu went to go and retrieve the Poké Ball before handing it back over to Zuko. Zuko took the same stance but this time threw the Poké Ball a lot gentler. This time it landed a few feet in front of Matoic.

“Ugh!” Zuko huffed in frustration. 

“Matoic?” The Pokémon cocked his head to the side. Meanwhile, behind Zuko, a few others joined in with Azula as they giggled. Katara, who saw no humor in Zuko’s failure, said nothing to Toph. She knew her little friend would only add fuel to the flames and further upset Zuko. 

This time it was Zuko who retrieved his Poké Ball. He tried for a third time, and Zuko was sure that it would have landed on Matoic only the Poké Ball veered off to the left a little bit. 

“By Agni,” Azula muttered invoking the name of the Fire Nations patron spirit. “Do you want me to throw it for you big brother?” Pikachu outright laughed at that, no longer hiding behind snickering.

“No! This will be my Pokémon, and so I will catch it!” Zuko snapped.

“Matoic!” The Pokémon said, pleased by Zuko’s response. Again Zuko got the Poké Ball and tried again. This time the Poké Ball went too far to the right. 

“Here, try standing like this. Pay attention to my body,” said Yuu as he demonstrated the proper stance and way to aim.

“Like… This?” asked Zuko as he mimicked it.

“Sorta. Try it now,” said Yuu.

Now the fifth time throwing Zuko took in a deep breath and pulled his arm back. He threw the Poké Ball not too hard and not too soft. He watched as the Poké Ball hit Matoic’s shoulder! The Poké Ball opened and sucked the Matoic into itself. The Poké Ball wiggled once before clicking and everyone cheered. 

“Good job Zuko,” Katara said kindly before turning to Toph and explaining what happened.

“Congratulations, you have a new friend now!” Aang said. Lemaki, still clutching onto Aang, looked over with a slightly less enthusiastic look. Lingliu cheered on with the rest of the gang as it jumped about.

“Now I have to catch a Pokémon,” Sokka said punching his fist into his hand determination clear in his eyes. Suki smiled at him and began to rub circles against the small of his back.

“If Azula and Zuko can, you can as well!” She said. Zuko threw his Poké Ball and released Matoic. 

“Mato mato!” the Pokémon cheered.

“Hello,” Zuko said with a small smile. “I’m glad to have caught you.” He added politely causing Yuu to smile softly. Azula was smiling as well, but it was much sharper. She glanced down at her Pikachu who looked up at her with a similar look.

“Zuzu,” she began causing her brother to frown. “It would seem we both have a Pokémon now. It gives me a bit of an idea, let’s see who has the stronger Pokémon.”

“You mean like a fight?” Toph said.

“A Pokémon Battle to be more precise,” said Yuu.

“That’s exactly what I mean,” Azula said. Beside her, Pikachu nodded eagerly and hopped forward so it was standing in front of Azula. “Let’s battle,” she continued. Zuko narrowed his eyes at Azula before glancing over at Matoic.

“No.” It was Katara who answered.

“No one asked you, my dear Sugar Queen,” Azula said not taking her eyes off Zuko.

“I don't care,” Katara said firmly as she walked over to Azula. “Well, I’m sure you two would further enjoy measuring each other up and fighting, the rest of us would like to continue on. Fight each other later.” Azula finally pulled her attention over to Katara. Azula however, didn’t like her comments.

“Who are you to speak for everyone else? No one but you is complaining,” said Azula

“I don't care, I’m taking over executive control for the time being,” Katara said in a tone that left no room for argument, “You’ve already done enough fighting for one day, battle your animals later.”

“Pokémon,” Yuu corrected softly. 

“Whatever, let’s go,” Katara said spinning around and tugging Toph forward.

“Hey!” Toph exclaimed as she stumbled forward.

“Sorry, Katara has spoken. I don't think I want to get on her bad side,” Sokka said before following his sister with Suki in tow. Aang smiled at the siblings sweetly before hurrying after Katara. 

“Well, I guess we are going let’s go Lemaki,” said Aang as he patted his Pokémon. Lemaki, unbothered, just ate another berry. Zuko and Azula exchanged a look before giving up and following the rest of the group. Matoic and Pikachu, both new to the group, simply followed their new trainers.

“What just happened?” Yuu asked blinking a few times as he turned to look at Lingliu who ran up to rest on his shoulder.

“Ling Ling?...” the Pokémon said sounding just as confused as Yuu who realized he was being left behind and quickly moved to catch up with everyone.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“Here we are,” Yuu announced coming to a stop along Route 1. They stood on top of an incline, and below them, Youchuan Town spread out. Yuu smiled softly as he placed his hands on his hips.

“Whoa, it looks bigger than Mian Town!” Aang said with wide eyes glancing over at Yuu. From here they could see a few clusters of houses with brown roofs, and in the center of town was a behemoth fountain. In the distance, they could see a giant factory with the words ‘Lequ Inc.’ written across it in giant letters. One thing that caught some of their attention was the dampness of the town. It was very marshy; forestation littered the buildings around, and the ground beneath the townsfolk looked wet as if it had just rained. All throughout the town were wells and fountains that sprinkled out water. 

However, what drew their attention the most was the harbor attached to the gulf of the town, with large boats docked along the pier and water irrigation systems that carried water from the gulf to the factory across town like blood through veins. Yuu, having only been to this town on rare occasions in the company of guards or his mother, was excited to finally be here without his mother’s guiding influence.

“Come on!” Yuu said excitedly as he began to hurry down the path with the group following him eagerly. 

“Welcome to Youchuan Town, the Home of Yachts,” Sokka read aloud as he squinted to read the large sign posted at the front of the town's entrance. “What’s a yacht?” He asked, turning to look at Yuu for clarification. He pointed towards the piers.

“Those boats over there. They’re luxury ships.” Yuu explained.

“Luxury ships, I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Katara said. 

“Let’s go and take a closer look,” Aang said excitedly. 

As they walked through the town they passed by the small, nice-looking homes. They saw a few people walking along the cobblestone streets, some leaning out their windows as they spoke with their neighbors, and some hanging clothes on a line. They had even caught sight of small children playing outside near the buildings in the center of town with a few Zigzagoon running between their legs. 

“This seems like such a sweet little place,” Katara said with a bright smile. 

As they made their way to the pier, their eyes grew wide with awe at the sight of boats docked there. From a distance, they had looked already big, and now that they were up close the boats seemed larger than life. 

“Whoa! These are ships people use for luxury?” Sokka asked. 

“Yup,” Yuu answered.

“I’ve never seen ships so large before, aside from the Fire Nation of warships of course,” responded Sokka. This particular Yacht that caught Sokka’s eye was a few stories high, and in the harbor was one of the smaller boats docked.  

“You must need immense wealth in order to own one of these,” Azula said as she craned her head up to look at the boat. 

“Pika pi,” Azula’s Pikachu muttered as it craned its head up as well. 

“It sounds like there are no yachts in your world,” Yuu began as he turned to look at the rest of the group, “I’m guessing there’s not an equivalent either.” Katara shook her head.

“Like Sokka said, the largest ships we have are the Fire Nation warships,” Katara began as she turned to look at Yuu. “But those are… what’s a good way to describe them…”

“They’re more industrial,” Azula chimed in finishing Katara’s statement, “They’re about the size of some of the larger boats in the harbor, but I wouldn’t use ‘luxury’ in the same sentence as those ships. Of course, considering their use, luxury is not something that was taken into consideration when crafting them.”

“We have sailboats too, I’ve seen big ones but nothing on this scale,” Suki said.

“Can we see what the inside looks like?!” Aang asked swinging his head over to Yuu excitedly. On his shoulder, Lemaki gave him an annoyed look, as his sudden movement almost caused a berry to drop from its hands.

“These are actually private ships, We can’t just walk into one on a whim.” Yuu laughed.

“If we don't get caught I see no harm,” Zuko said with a mischievous smile, “And this one is so big I can see us easily going undetected if there does happen to be someone inside of it.” 

“W-We can’t!” Yuu stammered with a blush. Both he and Lingliu looked shocked at the suggestion of breaking and entering.

“Don't worry, Zuko is only joking,” Katara said both she and Matoic turned to give Zuko a pointed look. Zuko smiled and put his hands up in surrender while Azula, Sokka, and Pikachu inspected the side of the ship quietly, to see if there was in fact any way to sneak in. 

“Toph, are you okay?” Suki asked a worried look crossing her face as she realized Toph was being oddly quiet. 

“Oh sorry, I was just lost in this amazing view,” she said in mock reverence as she held her hands out as if she was beholding the boat in front of her. Suki pulled her bottom lip back as she looked away from her friend, happy Toph couldn’t see her reaction. 

“Hey, guys look!” Aang said pointing out at the glistening water, “There’s another yacht coming this way.” They all turned to see a very large yacht pulling in on the opposite side of the dock they were standing on. 

“That one looks a little...” Sokka trailed off as he took in the state of the incoming ship. 

“Dented up,” Yuu finished. The yacht in question was filled with dents and scraps and moved across the water lethargically. 

As the boat pulled in, they all watched as the anchor dropped. A few moments later a ladder dropped from the lowest story of the boat, and a few crewmen came scrambling out. They went to work quickly tying down the boat to add extra security. 

As they watched this, a plethora of people came thundering down the dock, causing it to shake. They swarmed around the edge of the dock like flies and held up cameras. Immediately, they began to start snapping photos, the sheer amount of cameras caused a blinding effect as so many flashes went off at once. 

“Oh my god!” one camera flickering person yelled.

“The rumors were true! The Fashion Monster is rolling up to town in her recently trashed luxury ship! Make sure to get closeups of the haul!” another camera person shouted. Another female, holding up a mic and notepad, started to cue her cameras, and style her hair.

“Guys, be ready to go live in 5! We are going to try and get an interview with one of the best designers in Huoli!” the woman exclaimed. Hearing all the commotion got the gang very confused as camera shots took pictures of the ship.

“What in the world is going on?!” Suki asked with large eyes.

“I’m hearing a bunch of… clicking…” said Toph.

“It’s from those things that the group of people in front of us are holding. What are those things causing that light?” Sokka asked with large eyes. 

“Cameras,” Yuu said distractedly, “They’re used to taking pictures. Those people are called ‘paparazzi’; they take pictures of famous people... but I have no idea what kind of celebrity would be coming out of a boat in that kind of condition that would attract such press...” He said with a frown. 

Then, down the ladder came multiple men with black suits huddled around someone, each man was holding a black umbrella. As they made their way down the crowd of people intensified as they tried to get as close as possible to the people walking down, but the bodyguards pushed them back.

“Excuse me! Excuse me!” A soft voice cut through the crowd, prompting people to make way for a young woman whose presence seemed to shine. Golden-yellow eyes sparkled with warmth and playfulness beneath her vibrant pink hair. She wore an eye-catching dress of plastic that flowed like silk, splashed with blues, pinks, yellows, and greens in an abstract dance of colors. Light blue sleeves billowed from her arms, and a high slit in the dress revealed a black anklet. Her look was completed with whimsical, large circular earrings and a solid blue choker. Amidst the flurry of cameras and the crowd's cheers, her tiredness was evident, yet she radiated an infectious, vibrant energy.

Yuu squinted as he watched her trying to see if he recognized her or not. As he was trying to figure it out, the young woman picked her eyes up and noticed immediately the group standing in front of her. Her mouth fell open as she took them in.

She said nothing but stuck her hand out and pointed at them. Flipping her hand over, she curled her finger towards herself a few times making it clear she wanted them to come forward and approach her. As she did this the mob around them took note and turned all of their attention to Aang and his friends.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“This just in! The Fashion Monster has been spotted on the docks of Youchuan Town with a group of strange looking teenagers!” The reporter from earlier said loudly, her voice cutting through the chaos going on. For a second, the group stood frozen as all the attention that had been on the woman who had exited the boat was now turned on them. 

“What in the world is going on?” Suki asked covering her eyes as the blinding lights of cameras continued to flash right in her eyes. 

“Ah!” shouted Katara as she got temporarily blinded.

“W-What’s going on?” asked Toph.

“They're flashing those things right at us!” said Zuko. Suddenly, one female reporter motioned for the cameraman to pan to Aang and the group.

“It seems that this odd looking group of kids is being wanted by the Fashion Monster!? Just WHO are these kids have they attracted her attention suddenly or are acquainted with her?!” proclaimed the female reporter.

“They seem to be intrigued by us,” Azula said somewhat interested in their focus on them.

As the reporters focused on Aang and the group, the strange woman started to approach them as she motioned for her bodyguards to go away. Walking through the reporters, the woman’s aura changed; prior, she had been radiating an endearing energy, but now one of intent and resolve came wafting off of her. This almost commanded the reporters to back away from her as if they were intimidated by her. As she walked towards them, the flashes of light grew in velocity instantly as the reporters captured photos of them all in a frame. They started to circle around them closing them in which scared Suki, Katara, and Toph.

“I-It sounds like we are being surrounded! What’s going on!?” shouted Toph. Katara reached down and grabbed Toph’s hand.

“Don’t worry we're fine,” said Katara. Toph scowled at Katara's attempt to console her and pushed away from her friend.

“If we're fine, don’t start to baby me!” said Toph as they become flustered with all of what is going on at the moment.

“C-Can we not do this right now?” asked Suki as she starts to cling to Sokka.

“You all need to calm down,” said Yuu as he tries to rally them all out of their confusion. As this was happening, a reporter tried to stick a mic in Aang’s face.

“D-Do you know The Fashion Monster? And what is with that arrow on your bald head?” asked the reporter. Aang frowned before he pointed up to his head.

“My arrow? Oh, that is because I’m an air nom─” Aang began before he was interrupted by Yuu hitting his side. As Aang groaned in pain Yuu then gave him a look that read, “You can’t say that! ” right now, it was best not to give anyone the impression they might be from another world. At this look, Aang understood what he almost did.

“You are a what, sir?” asked the reporter.

“I am─ uh… an arrow fanatic!” exclaimed Aang. Katara, Yuu, and Zuko slapped their foreheads upon hearing his answer. 

In all of this, the group was still confused as to the sudden interest they gained. Unknown to them, just this woman motioning to them made the paparazzi correlate the two together, thus making the paparazzi believe they had to be something noteworthy to grab this woman’s attention. Noticing their panic, the infamous woman approaching started to chuckle.

“Such… Unique looking folk. Say, the scenery here is nice, don’t you think? But... Perhaps we should be changing locations soon…” said the woman as she started to walk off. As she walked the paparazzi were split, those taking her photo, while the rest still photographing the group. She walked a few feet from them before she turned back around, and noticed they were not following. Somewhat confused, she then pointed to the roadside ahead where bodyguards waited in front of a blackened vehicle.

“She… Wants us to follow her?” questioned a confused Yuu.

“Huh? W-Why does she want us to follow her? I mean, who even is 'her'?” Katara asked, pulling Toph closer to her side despite her objection prior. Analyzing the crowd’s unending interest in them, and this woman giving them a way out, Sokka started to form resilience against the crowd.

“Who cares?! She seems to be able to command this crowd! Look how easily she's walking through them!” Sokka said taking a hold of Suki’s wrist, “It’s either follow her or we get hounded by these people! Come on Suki!” He pulled Suki forward and started to walk toward the woman. Suki started to blush at her boyfriend's assertiveness and quick thinking.

“Sokka, the way you just deduced a solution to our problem in the heat of the moment is so sexy! Ah! Only you could do that! 💖” said Suki.

“What? Anyone could have come up with that,” said Azula.

“But guys, should we be following a complete stranger?” asked Katara.

“Yuu, you said she's well known, do you know her?” asked Aang. "I would feel better following her if you did."

“Nope. Don’t follow social media much, growing up I had obligations that took much of my time,” said Yuu. 

“Social… media?” asked Zuko. Yuu just sighed.

“Let’s talk about that another time for now, Sokka and Suki are getting away, and the crowd is closing them in!” said Yuu as he noticed that as Sokka and Suki walk forward the paparazzi start to surround them.

In an attempt to save them, the group with the expectation of Toph who was being grabbed by Katara, rush in to meet back up with them, and with a combined effort push through the crowd to the mysterious woman. The woman then turns around once more seeing them behind her and smiles as she leads them to a long black car with tinted windows. However, seeing the car sparked confusion with the group.

“What’s that?” Aang asked with wide eyes.

“A limousine,” Yuu responded. The woman then entered the limo as the bodyguards opened the doors for her. 

“Get in,” said one of the bodyguards as they motioned for them to follow the woman. Behind them, the crowd was coming in close, and in a quick decision, they all entered the limo. The bodyguards closed the door behind them before they went to enter the other vehicles that were parked behind the limo. 

The inside of the limo contrasted the black exterior with a very abstract interior; various fabrics and prints littered the inside, and near the partition of the limo sat the woman as she sipped on lemonade through a metal straw. Seeing their confused looks, the woman took a break from sipping to speak.

“You know… metal straws are good for the environment in that it produces less wasted material,” said the woman.

“Metal straw? That makes no sense! Can someone please explain what in the world is going on?!” Toph demanded. 

“It’s not a metal straw, Toph. Straws are little funnels that people use to drink with,” said Yuu. The mysterious woman said nothing as she lowered the partition, and peeked her head through it.

“Head to Hotel Scwalea,” she said politely before rolling the partition back up. Yuu then gets shocked.

“Sc-Scwalea?! That’s like one of the most exclusive hotels to book a night in all of Liyi! J-Just who are we in a limo with?!” exclaims Yuu. The woman then turned back to them and gave them a beaming smile. 

“Well, I’m sure that was a very interesting experience for you lot!” the woman said as she laughed. Yuu, somewhat taken aback by her aloofness, sat back in his seat. 

“Y-Yeah… It sure was…” Yuu responds. The limo then started to drive away from the crowd around them. The woman then turned her full attention over to Yuu.

“Your jacket has design patterns I recognize… They’re of Sinnoh origin correct? Did Hermione design these?” asked the woman.

“Y-Yes, actually. This was imported from one of her most recent collections. Well, at least from what my mother said,” Yuu explained, slightly thrown off that the lady knew that.

“Ah. Poké Chic is catered to women, but I see that she isn’t shying away from upping up the flare for men…” said the woman as she starts to pan across to the others, “But I do not recognize any of the designs on their clothing… What region do they come from?” she asks. instantly, the mood in the limo suddenly became tense.

“Excuse me?” asked Yuu. 

“Their clothes. Where did they get them? I have seen fashion designs and catwalks from all over the world, from Kanto to Galar, and I’ve never seen those. I know that I’m not going insane, these are clothing pieces I have never seen before. Be it they are a little smudged…” the woman said as she looked them up and down bringing notice to the dirt on their clothes. That is what gravitated me to you all. Unless these are from underground designers, or you are out of this world there is no way I couldn’t have seen these,” continued the woman. Hearing her statement caused even more tension within the group as she brushed against the truth. They all fell silent as the woman noticed the mood shift.

“Oh my, where are my manners… I'm asking such invading questions, but I do not know who you are or even your names! And, from how un-starstruck you are, I’m assuming none of you know who I am; this is quite an interesting turn of events. May I ask your names, and offer contents in the bar?” asked the woman as she opens up the fridge to a bunch of beverages. Seeing this, Sokka, Aang, and Yuu’s eyes light up.

“Woah! Those look tasty!” said Sokka. He went to reach for one, but Katara quickly pulled him back.

“Sokka!” said Katara causing the woman to laugh.

“Such an interesting name,” said the woman. Yuu then clears his throat.

“My name is Yuuyin Yuumen. These are my friends Aang, Katara, Toph, Suki, Sokka, Zuko, and Azula. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” said Yuu going down the line showcasing everyone to her before he reached out his hand for her to shake. 

“The Yuumen name… I have heard that before… anyways, the pleasure is mine, I can assure you,” The woman said taking Yuu’s hand firmly in her own. “My name is Jyajy,” she continued. 

“My family is pretty well known in the music industry,” said Yuu.

“Oh! Perhaps that!” said Jyajy. Yuu smiled politely as he tried to place her name. She was clearly a celebrity, but try as he might he did not recognize her face or her odd sense of fashion.

“They called you the… Fashion Monster back there?” asked Yuu.

“Oh yea that was kinda weird...” said Aang causing Jyajy to laugh again.

“Well, you have an arrow on your head so… I guess we can relate to weirdness,” said Jyajy making Aang feel a bit self-conscious, “But fear not I celebrate the oddity! I construct the provocative! You all ooze such energy.” 

“Ooze?” asked Zuko with a blush.

“She’s probably talking about your odor,” said Azula. Suddenly, Zuko shrunk into himself as if trying to get his smell to shrink in with him.

“What?! Y-You can still smell me?...” asked Zuko worried. Yuu then turned to Azula

“He doesn’t smell anymore, stop it,” said Yuu. Jyajy looked confused by all this but still smiled.

“Well, the only thing I smell is the aroma of mystery emanating from all our souls and sewn together donning the unique garb of your fashion. Which brings me to what I wanted to speak about!” exclaimed Jyajy.

“And that is?” Katara asked her voice tinted with suspicion.

“Ah! We can talk about that at length at our destination. We should be there soon,” said Jyajy as she points out the window. It’s tinted, but in the distance, a large building could be seen. They all looked on in awe, awaiting their destination while everyone but Toph, who sat in silence hiding her somberness...

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“Here we are,” Jyajy said as the car pulled up to the front of the large hotel. “Come, come let’s get out and head up to my room so we can speak!” Azula popped the door open, and the moment she did Pikachu, who was sitting on her lap, hopped out of the car and darted forward. She quickly got out followed by everyone else. As they look up at the hotel they were mesmerized by the sight around them. A tall royal looking, white building adorned with a fountain garden out front, with a water tunnel going straight through it underground. Jyajy then faced the group noticing their fixated looks.

“This hotel celebrates the Legendary Pokémon Scwalea's architecture of swales as the Pokémon was known for making them. In fact, the entire Hotel is one!” said Jyajy. Yuu took notice of her statement.

“You sure know your Pokémon lore,” said Yuu.

“That weird long word is a Pokémon?” asked a confused Aang. Suddenly, Yuu became shocked.

“Aang!” said Yuu as he hits Aang’s side. Jyajy looks on confused, unsure of what Aang meant. In Yuu’s eyes not knowing that name was a dead giveaway. “He’s such a jokey person you know! Haha!” continued Yuu humming as a distraction as he pulled Aang close to stand by him. Lemaki was still hanging off his shoulders as it plucked berries in its mouth. Jyajy shrugged her shoulders and continued forward.

“Well, I wouldn’t expect new Pokémon Trainers to know all the lore of the vast region that is Huoli why it has to be one of the biggest! However, I’m more interested in designing than storytelling,” said Jyajy assuming they were all Trainers. 

“Y-Yea! Haha,” Yuu laughed nervously. “ ’ll have to explain some lore to them later… ” He thought with a small sigh.

“This looks like a nice building,” Aang said happily. 

“Follow me!” Jyajy said quickly zooming past everyone. “If we hang around for too long that crazy mob of paparazzi will show up again.” Her words were enough to spur the gang into walking faster as they hurried towards the front doors of the hotel. As they approached the hotel men standing on either side of the entranced opened the doors to let them through. They walk into the lobby a large, decorated room, with marble floors and plush chairs. A smaller fountain stood in the center of it with two golden Magikarp fountain tops spitting out water. Once inside the lobby of the hotel, Jyajy went to the main desk while everyone stood in the distance behind her.

“Hello. I’m here to check in,” said Jyajy. 

“Ah! I’m glad you have made it here safely. We got the call about your arrival and have already set up your VIP suite,” said the receptionist woman. 

“Great. I’ll have my people fill out any paperwork, I have a separate group of people coming with my bags as well, so just send them up to my room when they arrive,” said Jyajy.

“Great! And, are those people behind you also staying with you as well?” asked the woman as they both look back to Aang and the group. 

“Well, who knows what might happen. For now, keep 8 rooms open for me as well as anticipated Pokémon accommodations,” said Jyajy. 

“I will do so Miss Jyajy!” said the woman cheerily before motioning for everyone else to follow her, “Now if everyone will come this way this elevator will take you to your floor!” Besides Yuu, reluctantly Aang and the group all climbed in. Jyajy hit the button for her floor, causing it to light up which immediately caught Sokka’s attention. 

“What do those buttons do?” He asked as the sleek doors slide shut. 

“Takes us to our floor?” Jyajy said slowly as she gave him an odd look. Sokka blushed and ducked his head while Suki gave the other woman a not so kind look.

“He was just joking,” Yuu said quickly. “Sokka tends to do that a lot,” Jyajy, believing Yuu, smiled and nodded as the elevator began to pull them toward the top floor. Suki scoffed and looks at Sokka.

“Don’t worry Sokka your slight blunders are what make you human!💖” said Suki causing Sokka to giggle as they attempted to kiss. However, Zuko quickly stopped them.

“Hey! No making out in such a closed space!” said Zuko causing Jyajy to laugh.

*****

“This way,” Jyajy instructed as the doors opened, and everyone quickly got out and spilled into the long white hallway. Jyajy hurried to the last room on the right side of the hallway. Once there, butlers waited outside the door, waiting for the moment to unlock the door to usher them all inside. She then handed both of them stacks of cash as a tip and nodded her head at them as a thank you for their service. Yuu quietly takes all of this grandeur into consideration as he watched her closely. 

They make their way into the suite and to Yuu, it’s as immaculate as Yuu's own house is; the room was an extensive one. Plush white carpet covered the floor and a huge circular bed stood in the center of the room with nightstands on either side. Mounted to the wall in front of the bed was a huge curved T.V. and under was a long white dresser. The back wall was made up of windows that stretched from the window to the floor, giving them a nice view of the docks and boats below. To the right of the front door was an equally as large bathroom and to the left of the T.V. were two slatted doors that lead into the walk-in closet. To the right of the T.V. was a nice-sized desk and a large armchair tucked in against it. 

“Take a seat wherever you wish,” Jyajy continued as she shut the door behind Zuko and Matoic who were the last two to enter the room. 

Katara lead Toph to the side of the bed facing the front door and carefully sat them both down. Aang quickly took the spot next to her, and once he was sitting down Lemaki hopped off of his shoulders and rested against the pillows of the bed. Suki moved to sit at the desk while Azula leaned against the edge of it. 

Zuko plopped down on the floor and Yuu followed his lead taking the spot beside him, Lingliu jumped from his head and curled up into his lap while Matoic lay at Zuko’s feet. Only Sokka and Jyajy remained standing. Naturally, Azula was the first in the group to speak.

“Enough dancing around the topic, what do you want from us?” She demanded as she crossed her arms over her chest. Pikachu, who was standing next to her, mimicked her action. 

“Straight to the point,” Jyajy chuckled seemingly unfazed by Azula’s assertive gaze, “I like that, I won’t mince my words then. The moment I laid eyes on you lot I was simply taken aback by your odd state of dress.” As she spoke her voice lowered, changing just as her energy started to as well, it almost sounded as if she was in a trance. 

“All of this over our clothes?” Katara asked with a scowl while everyone else, with the exception of Toph, began to examine their state of dress once more; Zuko and Azula were both wearing near identical red silk tunics with golden trim that was common in the Fire Nation. Sokka and Katara were wearing similar looking tunics only theirs were a little thicker and dark blue with white trim. Suki was wearing a burgundy tunic while Toph was wearing a green one and Aang was still in his yellow and orange monk clothes.

“You lot are so uniquely dressed, and I knew I had to bring you here to speak with you the moment I laid my eyes on you,” Jyajy said. Katara scowled as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“You think we’re uniquely dressed? Look at you!” She said referring to the odd state of dress their host was in. Katara had never seen a bulkier looking dress or the odd colors that the fabric was made out of it. 

“I’m not really sure that’s even fabric if I’m being honest…” said Yuu. Jyajy then smiled wide.

“And that’s why I needed to speak with you! You must let me model clothes after the fashion you are all wearing! Oh, the fashion community will die when they see these designs!” said Jyajy. This seemed to catch the group off guard and sensing this Jyajy further explained. “Fashion is what I live for, I spend most of my free time constructing new unique clothes out of non-conventional materials. A few years ago, I decided to start my own fashion line,  Myu Myu, and I love to pull inspiration from the places society is least looking. And when the whole world was looking at me I was looking at you all," Hearing this caused a thought to spark in Aang.

“Yuu…didn’t your mom say that word before?” asked Aang. Suddenly, a light went off in Yuu’s head.

“Oh! Her sunhat that she burned…” said Yuu.

“Excuse me?” asked Jyajy as she twists her face hearing this.

“Uh- nothing! But wait- if you own that fashion line then… oh my… you are more famous than I initially thought,” said Yuu. 

“I suppose in the peninsula of Liyi it’s isolated, so perhaps my work isn’t as accessible. However, I do love this hotel… anyways, I’m off track. The point is I want to feature your clothes in my line!” said Jyajy. Katara began to ponder the idea.

“A fashion line… It does sound a bit fun…” said Katara slightly warming up to the idea.

“What’s in it for us?” Toph asked with a scowl.

“Toph,” Aang said with a frown, “Shouldn’t helping someone be enough?” 

“If we are so good looking for her that she wants to model clothes after our own then we should get some kind of compensation,” said Toph. Jyajy chuckles as she hears this.

“I’ll let you keep whatever I make of course,” Jyajy said as if Aang hadn’t spoken at all, “No charge, I can even let you model the clothing in some photos. Just as long as you understand the designs will be under my name but I give credit where credit is due,” said Jyajy.

“Well… I wouldn’t really say that I made my outfit…” said Aang.

“Oh? Then who? It was an underground artist, wasn’t it? I don’t wanna steal the work of someone else,” said Jyajy. Yuu then sighed at the new problem they were in. Suddenly, Azula started to speak.

“He means that we didn’t make them; we have had people create garments inspired by us, tailored for us, and gifted to us. So, for what matters we own what you are seeing,” said Azula. Jyajy, seemingly satisfied by her response, smiles.

“Well, okay! If you all would agree to be my muses the only thing is I will have to require you all to do something for me to make it happen...” said Jyajy as she trailed off into thought. Azula then raised her brows. 

“If we agree we’re allowing you to make clothes for us, isn’t that enough?” asked Azula.

“Pika, Pika,” Pikachu said with a quick nod. Zuko had to fight the urge to laugh at his sister's words while Yuu outright rolled his eyes. Jyajy then sighed with a slight grin. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and as it opened Jyajy’s bodyguards brought in the rest of her bags.

“Ah, here are my materials. Let me show you some,” said Jyajy. She then went to unzip some bags, and get out outfits and raw materials for outfits, some that fall far from conventional outfits that any of them would wear. Just the small samples she pulled out started to give clarification to her title ‘The Fashion Monster’ to the group. She then brought out a bunch of colored containers that looked fairly empty and busted. She looked a bit annoyed as she then sifts through another bag and pulled out shoes and accessories that were damaged. She then turned back towards them.

“Well, hear me out since I'm also certain you are wondering why I came out of a damaged ship. I like to search for materials for my designs across Huoli and the world. I take this so seriously that I often take expeditions to dangerous places to get unique material. I ventured out to the dangerous Huoli Whirlpool, and needless to say, I didn’t make it back unscathed,” said Jyajy. Yuu became shocked.

“That place is very chaotic!” said Yuu.

“What is that?” asked Aang.

“Basically about southwest of here, there is a portion of the sea that is extremely bizarre, and a whirlpool constantly roars and never stops. It’s so dangerous that no normal routes lead anywhere near it and it is supposed to be annexed from even visiting by the Pokémon League…” said Yuu while Jyajy laughed.

“That does sound really deadly but she thinks it’s a joke. Sounds like you could have died!” said Suki.

“But wouldn’t you think the most untouched materials rest in the depth of that area? It fascinates me so!” said Jyajy weirding out the group, “Anyways, when I tried to escape the pull of the whirlpool it messed up the ship I was on and in doing so ruined a lot of my materials. And, in order to make those clothes I first need to collect berries in order to make the dye which I ran out of,” Jyajy explained. Lemaki’s head perked up and it looked over toward her. 

“Berries?” asked Sokka.

“Again I make stuff with non-conventional material, and I like to make my dyes using organic materials. One of you also commented on my outfit, no, it is not actual fabric it’s made out of recycled plastics; people throw away perfectly good plastic all the time, so I take it and literally wear it! Anyways with your Lemaki, it will be so easy to do that. So, please just this one thing, and I’ll make you all a brand new outfit.” continued Jyajy.

“We’ll help you,” Aang said quickly as he pushed himself up to his feet.

“ That was fast,” said Toph.

“If all we have to do is find berries I mean we already did that for little Lemaki!” said Aang as he pets Lemaki who looks very happy at the idea, “So, I think we should do it. Thank you for offering to make us these clothes. We appreciate your kindness.” 

“Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get new clothes…” said Zuko as he looks at what he is wearing.

“I agree,” said Suki.

“I should always be adorned in the best, so I will go along with this,” said Azula.

“Well I can’t see anything, so my vote won’t count,” said Toph.

“Nonsense! I think all of our opinions matter! I for one can roll with the idea,” said Sokka. Jyajy then walks over to Toph.

“Someone once told me that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To me, eyes that see no prejudice see the most beautiful creations; for the greatest eye is the mind,” said Jyajy. Hearing this, Toph got shocked.

“W-Wha-!...” uttered Toph as she started to blush. Jyajy then giggled. 

“Well, I think my vote kinda doesn’t count either since I am dressed differently than you all, but I agree with the idea. Toph, don’t you?” asked Yuu.

“S-Sure…” muttered Toph.

“Well, then it’s settled! We are going off” said Aang. Hearing Aang’s words, Jyajy beamed at him.

“Oh thank you! If I were you I would suggest heading over to Route 2; I know there are plenty of vibrant berries along there.” Aang nodded while Lemaki excitedly scrambled up to his shoulders. “Don't take too long now; even though I don’t have the dyes I already have cool designs in my head! I need to get to drawing! Guards! Please help me set up my on-the-go station!” she continued as the bodyguards began to move around quickly. Aang and the group then get up as well.

“Let’s go, guys!” Aang said leading everyone, somewhat reluctantly, out of the room as Jyajy waved goodbye to them. 

*****

Once outside Yuu took the lead and they all moved towards the elevator again. As the doors slide shut behind them Sokka happily pressed the button to the lobby under Yuu’s instruction. Suki smiled at his glee as he began to press every button bouncing as he watched each one light up, subsequently making the elevator ride back down much longer as it stopped at each floor. 

“Am I the only person who thinks this is a giant waste of time?” Katara demanded after a while of being on the elevator. “Shouldn’t we be putting our efforts into finding out what happened to our bending? I mean I found getting new clothes before I knew we had to go on a whole expedition,” Toph then scoffs.

“This might be more beneficial than you think. I mean obviously, I have no idea just how much we stand out, but it’s enough for some chick to point us out and gush over how much different we look from everyone else. I think her making us clothes might be good for us in the long run, we won’t stick out so much.” said Toph.

“Well look at that your opinion changed drastically!” said Sokka. Toph scowled and punched him in the gut.

“Ow!” Sokka shouted.

“Quit it!” shouted Suki attempting to protect Sokka.

“Like when we were in the Fire Nation and we all ‘borrowed’ those clothes to fit in better,” Aang added reminding them of their time spent blending in while in enemy territory during the war. 

“I guess you have a point,” Katara conceded. 

After that, the ride was relatively quiet until they got to the lobby. Once they were excited, they were witness to a much busier scene than it had been upon coming in. A few tall, muscular men were directing and helping five Machamps move in large pieces of luggage. The group all marveled at the magnificent looking Pokémon. 

“Look how many arms they have,” Suki said with a bright smile, “They look so strong.” She added as they passed one. 

“Ma! Machamp!” The nearest one said, flexing its top pair of arms causing Suki’s eyes to grow even wider with wonder.

“I wonder who all of this stuff belongs,” Yuu said. 

“Most likely Jyajy since she just got her bags sent to her room,” Zuko said.

“Yeah, but look how many bags there are; surely this can’t be for one person,” Katara said with a hint of disapproval. 

“I mean she did say she owned a whole fashion line, so it makes sense,” Sokka pointed out with a shrug.

The group headed out of the front doors of the hotel and began to make their way toward Route 2 their conversation tapering off as they began to think of their new task and the reward at the other end of it. Unknowingly, as they walked off they passed a man and woman, who were dressed head to toe in black clothing, and a strange insignia on their chests... 

“What a group of people that just walked out of the hotel,” the female said to her companion, “I’ve never seen anyone dressed like that before.” 

“Jyajy is in town, I would bet anything that they’re with her.” The man said with a soft frown. 

“Do you think we should follow them?” she asked.

“It might be worth checking out,” he said with a shrug. Making their decision, the pair followed Aang and the rest of the group as they made their way to Route 2... 

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

The path along Route 2 was much like the roads and walkways in Youchun Town were; muddy and dotted with puddles both large and small, deep and shallow. The grass on either side of the path grew darker and became dense as they came closest to more forestation in the distance. They headed into the forest on the sides of the Route looking for berries for Jyajy, grey twisting trees stood tall on either side of them which donned long dropping branches covered in different berries of varying shapes, sizes, and colors. There were also clusters of bushes covered in berries as well, giving the gang a large selection to choose from. 

“So, what berries should we take from?” Suki asked as she looked around at the trees and bushes. Before anyone could answer, Lemaki jumped forward and began to head towards the nearest bush, its large eyes focused on the berries there.

“Maybe we should focus on berries closer to the colors of what we’re all wearing, since that's what she'll be modeling the clothes after,” Aang suggested with a warm smile.

“I think that's a good idea. Lemaki seems to have gotten a head start!” said Yuu with a wide smile.

“So... we should look for berries that are blue, red, green, yellow, and orange then!” Sokka said taking Aang’s idea and running with it. Suki started to squeal at Sokka’s words.

“Ah! What a good idea our harvest is going to be just as colorful as your heart, Sokka💖!!!” Suki responded Azula started to scoff hearing this and Yuu started to frown. 

“Actually Suki, that was Aang’s suggestion...” Yuu pointed out with a small smile, “But I think we should follow Lemaki’s lead, why not pick a whole bunch of different berries to give Jyajy a wide selection?” suggested Yuu.

“That actually seems like a good idea," said Katara. “She’s the artist after all, she would probably appreciate it if we gave her more to choose from than just limiting her to a smaller selection.” 

After they all came to an agreement on what they should do, they began to break off into small groups in order to cover more ground. Aang, Yuu, and Lingliu headed over to Lemaki, and began to pick the Cheri Berries on that bush and the bushes around the spot Lemaki had chosen to start.

Zuko, Azula, Pikachu, and Matoic went over to one of the large trees and began to collect large, round Oran Berries that were hanging over their heads. Sokka, Suki, Katara, and Toph all went to the bushes across from where Aang and Yuu were and began to pick the lush Apicot Berries there. 

Despite the fact that she was unable to see, Toph still wanted to help. Reaching forward carefully, she began to brush her fingers along the dark, green leaves of the bush slowly feeling around for the berries. Katara smiled proudly at Toph but remained silent, not wanting Toph to snap at her again.

Meanwhile, Azula and Zuko were both carefully examining the berries that they had collected. 

“Do you know what these are?” Zuko asked turning to Rotom Pokédex who was hovering above the sibling's head. Rotom Pokédex had been watching Pikachu zip up and down the branch picking berries before playfully throwing them down into the pile it and Matoic were creating at the base of the tree. Rotom Pokédex spun around and quickly scanned the berry in Zuko’s hand.

“These are Oran Berries; they help restore a small portion of a Pokémon’s health.” Rotom Pokédex informed them helpfully. Once each person in the group had collected a decent amount of berries they would carry it over to the large, joint pile of berries in the center of the general area they were all in. 

Lemaki, out of everyone, had picked the largest variety of berries. So far it had collected Pecha Berries, Mago Berries, Fig Berries, and Lum Berries just to name a few! For every three berries Lemaki had picked it would eat one. Aang and Yuu watched on with delight, beside them Lingliu picked some berries off the bush and carried them back to the growing pile as carefully as possible not wanting to damage the fruit. 

“Look at Lemaki go! It’s really good at collecting berries!” Aang said as he watched his Pokémon. Hearing Aang’s praise Rotom Pokédex zoomed over to float above them. 

“That probably has something to do with Lemaki’s ability, Pickup!” Rotom Pokédex said excitedly, “Lemaki can pick up an item of an opposing Pokémon during battles, and outside of them it makes for a useful gathering ability!”

“Wow! Lemaki, you can do that?” asked Aang as he looked at Lemaki with endearment. Lemaki, indifferent to the conversation, looked back and shrugged before it continued to gather berries. Aang laughed awkwardly and turned his attention back to picking berries.

“Don’t worry Aang, I’m sure Lemaki is just really focused on its task,” said Yuu.

“Yeah…” said Aang.

As the group happily went on their task the grass closest to Sokka, Suki, Katara, and Toph began to rustle. None of them notice as they continued on collecting, however. After some time passed, they began to move down the muddy path to start collecting off different bushes and trees. As they went up Route 2 the grass rustled some more, but still, no one seemed to notice as they continued their task.

Time passed, and Suki was taking her small pile over to the larger one in the center. As she headed over in that direction she came to a sudden stop. At the edge of the main pile sat a Halyodor! Cautious, she stayed as still as possible before she turned around and quickly went back over to her group.

“Guys we've got a problem,” Suki whispered as Sokka turned to look at her. This got Katara’s attention and she turned to Suki as well. “Right at the bottom of our main pile is that… bug that made Zuko smell like death warmed over earlier.” Both siblings' eyes widen as the memory of just how badly Zuko smelled earlier rushed back to them. 

Sokka and Katara both slowly turned around to look at the main pile and saw the black and red bug chewing on one of the large berries they had collected. Toph who hadn’t noticed the mood change with her friends, and had no idea what was going on continued to quietly pick berries. Katara noticing this leaned over to whisper to Toph deciding to clue her in.

“The Pokémon that sprayed Zuko earlier is right behind us on the big berry pile,” Katara said in a hushed tone,  She watched Toph’s face slowly morphed into a grimace.

“Ugh, the thing that made Zuko smell like rotting butt?” asked Toph. 

“Yes, we need to figure out a way to get it away from us and our berries,” Suki whispered. 

“Maybe Rotom Pokédex can help us. It might have a way to shoo this thing away without making it spray that horrible smell,”  Sokka suggested.

“Spirits Sokka you are so smart! Thank goodness you’re here with us 💖!” said an excited Suki. Katara and Toph both rolled their eyes, but said nothing more as Sokka blushed. Turning in the direction of Zuko and Azula, Sokka began to wave his hands to get Rotom Pokédex’s attention. 

At the same time that Sokka began to wave his arms back and forth, Lemaki had turned around to place more berries into the large pile it had gathered on the side of the path. As it did so the motion of Sokka waving his arms back and forth caught the Lemaki’s attention for a brief moment and it stopped to stare at him before seemingly becoming uninterested and turning back to its task of harvesting berries. As it turned Lemaki caught sight of the Halyoder who was slowly crawling around the main berry pile in search of a new fruit to eat. 

Lemaki’s dark brown eyes grew wide and it dropped the berries in its arms onto the path. Aang, Yuu, and Lingliu all turned to look at Lemaki. 

“Le-” Aang was cut off as his Pokémon took off across the path as fast as possible.

“LEMAKI! LEMAKI!” It screamed at the top of its lungs causing everyone to turn and look at it and startling the bug sitting on the berry pile.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“Lemaki what are you doing?!” Aang asked completely shocked by Lemaki’s sudden change in demeanor. He scrambled up to his feet before quickly running after Lemaki with Yuu and Lingliu following him.

Azula, Zuko, and their Pokémon moved forward as well interested in getting a closer look at the battle. Meanwhile, Lemaki rushed forward and extended its long, sharp claws as it lashed out at the Halyodor with Fury Swipes! 

However, Lemaki’s attack missed as the Halyodor quickly scuttled away. Lemaki’s claws sliced the berries that Halyodor had been resetting on, only further enraging Lemaki as it ruined its favorite treat.

“Lemaki! Lemaki!” It shouted and in a fit of rage picked up the nearest unruined berry and used Fling at its opponent. The berry hit Halyodor but dealt little to no damage. Reaching forward Halyodor snatched up the berry and began to quickly eat it.

“We need to do something!” Aang said with wide eyes as he watched Lemaki spring forward. Before Yuu could react Halyodor moved quickly and jumped back before hitting Lemaki with Belch. 

“Lemaki!” It squealed before stumbling backwards.

“Lemaki!” Aang cried as he ran forward toward his Pokémon.

“Aang no!” Reaching forward Yuu wrapped his arm around Aang’s wrist and pulled him back towards him. “It’s too dangerous to get close to two battling Pokémon!” He explained. As this was happening Lemaki let out a frustrated holler as it advanced on the Halyodor! Leaping forward, Lemaki used Fury Swipes again, this time its attack landed.

Lemaki raked its sharp claws against Halyodor’s back twice before Halyodor released Poison Gas causing Lemaki to scramble back. Halyodor scrambled away from Lemaki, and towards the area of grass that Sokka and his group had been earlier. 

“Halyodor!” It cried out. 

“Lemaki! Lemaki!” Lemaki shouted as it bound forward. 

“Hal! Halyodor!” It shot back before releasing String Shot towards its opponent. Lemaki dodged by jumping to the side though its movements seemed a little more sluggish than before. As before Lemaki continued to hop forward jumping from side to side as Halyodor continued to shoot String Shot at it. 

Bearing its teeth, Lemaki leaped forward and buried its sharp fangs into Halyodor’s front, left leg using Bite as hard as possible. 

“Halyodor!” It shouted before using Belch again and causing the other Pokémon to release its leg and stumble back a little. Suddenly at that moment, when Lemaki was rearing up to attack again, there was a rustling from the bushes. Everyone’s attention turned to the sound, even the battling Pokémon.

“Now what?” Yuu asked with a frown. Suddenly out of the bushes came out a swarm of Halyodor led by a larger bug Pokémon! This Pokémon was brown and had triangular white and red points outlining its entire body. 

“Hal! Halyodor!” The Halyodor that Lemaki had been fighting called out to the new group of Pokémon that appeared. 

“What is that thing leading those Halyodor?” Sokka called out to Yuu. He was kneeling on the edge of the path a few feet away from Lemaki and Halyodor, he had one arm wrapped around Suki’s shoulder holding her close and the other pinching his nose. 

“I don't know!” Yuu called back at the same time Rotom Pokédex zoomed forward to hover over the new Pokémon.

“This is a Halystungent, the ‘Paralyzing-Stench Pokémon’ and the evolved form of Halyodor!” Rotom Pokédex exclaimed, “Refining the paralyzing chemicals of its odor glands, this Pokémon’s odor mist is now paralyzing losing its poisonous nature and gains a nervous system stunning property. Due to the charge constantly in its body, it can conduct electricity that currents through its exoskeleton; despite this, it still can use poison attacks!”
As the gang looks at the Pokémon, they notice its sturdy, oval abdomen with a metallic gleam and a green, leaf-patterned design, perhaps for stealth. Its small head features sharp red eyes, signaling its readiness. They're particularly struck by its antennae, crackling with electricity, ready to unleash powerful shocks. Its sleek, segmented limbs end in sharp, blade-like points, showcasing its dual aptitude for swift movement and battle. This Halystungent seems like a highly adaptive bug-type Pokémon, primed for defense or to take charge of its surroundings.

"Wait- Pokémon can evolve? That bug was once the other bugs?" asked Suki.

"Yes; just like human evolution or genetic changes over a long period of time- when Pokémon get to a certain point in their life journey they also can as well at a more accelerated rate to other species of Pokémon," said Rotom Pokédex. Suddenly, Yuu grunts.

“Great! Now we’ve got a whole mess on them on our hands!” Yuu said with a frown. Yuu counted four Halyodor along with the Halystungent that lead them. He watched as the Halyodor that was dueling Lemaki spoke to the new Pokémon on the scene. The Halystungent and other Halyodor quickly hurried over to the wounded Halyodor’s side. “Looks like we’ve got a fight on our hands here, I’ll take care of the Halystungent, you guys-”

“I don't think so,” Yuu and Aang jumped at the sound of Azula’s voice. They had forgotten that she and Zuko had come forward to witness Lemaki’s fight. “You three take care of these Halyodor, Pikachu and I will take care of their leader.”

Yuu frowned at the concept. “Azula I’m not sure-”

“Pikachu and I can take care of it,” Azula said firmly cutting off Yuu, “You’ve had most of the battles anyway, give some others a chance.” Yuu narrowed his eyes at her reasoning but stayed quiet. They didn’t have time to sit here and argue. 

Yuu scoffed. “Fine but-”

“We won’t,” Azula said breezily, cutting Yuu off for the third time. Pikachu nodded as it looked up at Azula with fire in its eyes. 

“Pika! Pi!” It exclaimed as it raised its fists high in the air. Azula motioned for it to follow her and the two began to approach the Halystungent slowly. Yuu rolled his eyes before looking over at Aang and Zuko.

“Aang, now’s a good time to go to Lemaki. Here, take this,” Yuu said reaching into his bag and pulling out a potion. Aang nodded and quickly took the potion out of Yuu’s hands before hurrying over to his Pokémon.

“Come on Zuko, let’s see if we can run the rest of these Halyodor out of here!” Zuko nodded and so did Matoic. Yuu, along with Lingliu and Rotom Pokédex, began to rush two of the Halyodor causing the bug to start and scuttle backwards and back into the woods. Zuko ran for the other group with Matoic trailing behind him attempting to keep up as much as possible. The Halyodor they were after as well hurried back into the woods, however, they veered off in a different direction than the others splitting up from the other Halyodor. 

Back near the large pile, Aang was spraying the potion Yuu had given him on Lemaki while the Halyodor it had been fighting hurried over to the Halystungent. Smirking Azula decided not to waste any more time.

“Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on the Halystungent,” she commanded remembering the move that Pikachu had used when it had first appeared earlier. 

“Pika! Pikachu!” It cried out before releasing its attack. Two bolts of lightning jumped from Pikachu’s cheeks and straight for Halystungent. It hit the other Pokémon causing it to stun temporarily, before shaking off the electricity!

"Hm? That looked as if it didn't do much..." Azula muttered.

Overhearing, Rotom Pokédex came over to mutter, "That's because Halystungent is a Poison and Electric type! Electric moves won't do much good against it!" 

"Tsk, should of said that sooner..." Azula replied back annoyingly. At that time, Halyodor jumped back too and hurried away from Azula and Pikachu. At that same time, the wounded Lemaki watched on as the other Pokémon picked up its slack; which made it feel slightly inferious.

“Le...Lemaki,” Lemaki growled as it pushed itself up to its feet.

“Lemaki don't,” Aang said reaching forward to stop his Pokémon. It pulled away, however, its eyes trained on the Halyodor. 

“Lemaki! Lemaki!” It shouted as it prepared to attack again. Frowning, Aang realized that he wouldn’t be able to stop Lemaki from fighting. Taking a deep breath he stood up and decided to take part in the battle as well instead of being a bystander. 

“Alright, Lemaki… let’s do this!” Aang said trying to sound as confident as possible. Lemaki turned back and gave him an odd look before nodding. Planting all four paws on the ground Lemaki prepared to attack once more. 

Meanwhile, beside them, Azula and Pikachu watched as Halystugent hurried backwards. Instead of hitting Pikachu with a counterattack, it used Charge preparing to use a more powerful electric attack. 

“Use Thunderbolt again,” Azula instructed. Once again lightning came from Pikachu’s cheeks but this time Halystugent was prepared and quickly dodged. This quickly became a cycle over the next few minutes. Instead of attacking, Halystungent continued to Charge while now easily dodging Pikachu’s Thunderbolts.

“Haly! Halystugent!” It cried out as it dodged another Thunderbolt. This time however it didn’t simply use Charge again but used Charge Beam! Halystugent released a concentrated bundle of electricity from its center and aimed it directly at Pikachu.

“Dodge it!” Azula said but Pikachu was already jumping out of the way. Pikachu was quick but Halystugent was quick as well! Aiming for Pikachu again it quickly released another Charge Beam. Pikachu jumped out of the way again but the Charge Beam still managed to graze the side of its leg.

“Pika! Pikachu!” it hollered as it stumbled a little. Azula narrowed her eyes as she glanced down at her Pokémon. Next to her Aang was trying to figure out his next move as well. He cleared his throat before giving out his next command.

“Lemaki, attack the Halyodor with your claws as you did before,” he said. Lemaki was moving immediately taking off towards Halyodor. The opposing Pokémon began to scramble backwards, both Pokémon moving slower than they had at the beginning of their fight. Reaching forward, Lemaki’s first swipe missed but its second Fury Swipe sliced Halyodor’s front right leg. 

“Halyodor!” It cried before using Belch once more.

“Lemaki get out of the way!” Aang said and immediately Lemaki jumped back to avoid the attack. “Alright, Lemaki bite it!” Lemaki launched itself forward. Halyodor wasn’t fast enough to dodge this time and Lemaki landed on its back and sunk its teeth into the other Pokémon in a few different places.  Aang frowned as he watched the Halyodor run back and forth attempting to throw Lemaki off of its back. 

“Hal! Halyodor!” It cried. After a minute of attempting to get Lemaki off of its back, Halyodor managed to dispel the other Pokémon. Lemaki landed on its feet and was immediately rearing up for another attack but Aang stopped it.

“Lemaki wait a moment,” he commanded. Lemaki halted and they both watched as Halyodor swayed one way and then the next before collapsing to the ground and passing out. Lemaki immediately let out a happy cheer and Aang let out a sigh of relief. 

"Now that is over, let's handle this Pokémon here for good Pikachu," said Azula. 

“Pikachu,” Pikachu said lowly as it stared down the Halystungent. It was on all four of its paws and looked frustrated by its Thunderbolt's lack of hitting its opponent. Around Pikachu, the air was beginning to heat up as it prepared to use a new attack. Halystungent let out a cry before rushing forward.

Rearing its head up Halystungent charged at Pikachu using Megahorn! Pikachu made no move to dodge the attack as wisps of flames began to surround its body. As it ran and got closer and closer to its opponent the flames around it grew larger and hotter until they were covering its body. The two Pokémon met in the middle of the battlefield! 

As they clashed Pikachu slammed its body into Halystugent, causing the Halystungent to go flying back and hit the ground hard. The Halystungent landed on its back with its legs pointing up toward the sky. While no one was aware of it, the move it just used was fairly significant!

“Hal...Halystungent…” it whimpered before passing out. 

“We both won!” Aang cheered.

“Lemaki!” it cried out happily.

“Naturally,” Azula said folding her arms behind her back. Something occurred to Aang just then though as he looked towards the trees that Zuko and Yuu had disappeared through. 

“Do you think maybe we should go and help them?” Aang asked with a frown.

“No,” Azula said immediately as Pikachu hopped over to her with a pleased look on its face. “They can take care of themselves, I’m sure they’re wrapping up their battles now and will rejoin us soon.” Aang nodded and turned back to look at Lemaki before he began to softly pet the top of its head.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

While Azula and Aang were in battle, Yuu and Lingliu were chasing away the Halyodor they were trying their best to keep away from their pile from Jyajy. They saw the Halyodor flutter away through a thick bush. 

“Lingliu! Let’s not lose sight of them! We don’t want to have them get back to our pile!” said Yuu.

“Gliu, Ling!” said Lingliu. Yuu and Lingliu proceed through the thick underbrush and suddenly broke through the line of trees and into a small round clearing. Yuu and Lingliu, stopping momentarily, attempted to search around for the Halyodor but didn’t know where they were initially. They barely had time to catch their breath before a String Shot attack was thrown in their direction! They both jumped out of the way as the thick, stringy substance hit the tree behind them with a dull ‘thud’. Only one Halyodor was standing in the center of the clearing chattering angrily at Yuu and Lingliu. 

“What? Where did the other one go? Agh who cares. Let’s just make sure this doesn't go any further behind us and hope the others are doing the same!” said Yuu.

“Ling! Lingliu!” It shouted as it moved forward getting into a battle position. Taking a few steps forward, Yuu shot his hand out in front of Lingliu to block his Pokémon. 

“Actually Lingliu- I want to sit this battle out,” Yuu said as he glanced down at the little Pokémon. 

“Ling?” Lingliu questioned as it looked up at Yuu with a confused look. Yuu glanced down at his Pokémon with a comforting smile. 

“I’m going to use Luckrane this time buddy,” Yuu said as he reached down and plucked Luckrane’s Poké Ball off his belt. Lingliu nodded and moved to stand a little bit behind Yuu to watch from the sidelines. Lingliu watched intently as Yuu clicked the button in the middle of the Poké Ball causing the device to expand. 

“Let’s go Luckrane!” He called out as he threw his Poké Ball out. It opened, and Luckrane appeared! 

“Luck! Luckrane!” It cried out as it stretched out its wings. 

“Alright, Luckrane let’s make sure these Pokémon stay as far away from our berries as possible!” Yuu said, turning his attention back to the Halyodor, “Use Tackle!” He instructed. 

“Luck! Luckrane!” shouted Luckrane. Yuu watched with shock as Luckrane shook its head, not moving forward as it hovered in place. 

“Why isn’t it using tackle?” Yuu thought with a frown. He remembered clearly from his battle with Luckrane that it was able to use both tackle and gust. 

“Luckrane, use Gust!” Yuu said wondering if perhaps Luckrane just didn’t want to use tackle for whatever reason. However, the moment that Yuu commanded Luckrane to use gust it did the same thing as before.

“Luckrane! Luckrane!” It shouted shaking its head once more. Just then, Halyodor moved and shot out String Shot right at Luckrane! Before Yuu could command Luckrane to dodge, it did so on its own; quickly moving out of the way.  

“Luckrane... Why aren’t you listening to me?” Yuu demanded as Halyodor shot String Shot at Luckrane once more. Luckrane moved again, dodging the attack for a second time. 

“Ling Ling! Lingliu!” Lingliu shouted as it bound over to Yuu’s side. Yuu understood Lingliu’s intent and nodded. He didn’t have time to argue with Luckrane at the moment; whatever the reason it was being disobedient he could figure it out later. 

“Alright, Lingliu it looks like you’re up!” Yuu said. Upon hearing this, Luckrane flew away from the Halyodor and landed down in the spot that Lingliu had been occupying before. Luckrane watched with critical eyes as Yuu and Lingliu began to battle. 

“Lingliu, use Rock Throw!” Yuu commanded. Lingliu nodded and reared its back up ready to attack! Above the Halyodor shards of rocks began to materialize before shooting forward. The Halyodor was quick though and easily dodged Lingliu’s first attack. 

“Lingliu, use Homing Attack!” shouted Yuu. As Lingliu heard this, it charged towards the Halyodor with full force leaping into the air. As the Halyodor saw Lingliu charge forward, it suddenly released a pungent aroma from its glands. A yellow-tinted aura shrouded the area near it, and as it approached Lingliu started to gag at the nauseating smell causing it back up.

“Lingliu?” Yuu asked uncertainly for a moment why Lingliu was refusing to attack. “Lingliu, use Homing Attack!” shouted Yuu once more. However, this time Lingliu jittered around in place; wanting to move, but not wanting to approach any closer. Yuu was increasingly confused as to what was happening. However, as the faint remnants of the aroma hit Yuu’s nose- he suddenly realized.

“W-What?!That smell is horrible!” Yuu cried as he plugged his nose, “Way worse than what Zuko smelled like!” Luckrane, perched next to Yuu, covered its beak in disgust as it started to smell it as well.

“Ling! Lingliu!” Lingliu cried as it backed away from the opposing Halyodor. 

“I guess we’re just going to have to tough the smell out…” Yuu said with a deepening frown, “You don't want to go near it, do you?” Yuu asked.

 Immediately, Lingliu shook its head ‘no’. 

“This is due to Halyodor’s ability, “Odor”  produces a smell so repugnant that its opponent doesn’t want to physically attack it!” Rotom Pokédex said as Lingliu began back further and further away from the Halyodor.

“Well if we can’t use Homing Attack then let’s go back to using Rock Throw!” Yuu said causing Lingliu to nod before using Rock Throw once more. Again shards of rock began to form above the Halyodor before shooting forward but unlike before this time the attack hit Halyodor center in the back.

“Halyodor!” It cried out as it stumbled back.

“Use Rock Throw again!” Yuu said taking advantage of Halyodor’s momentary stumble. 

“Lingliu!” Lingliu cried out before using Rock Throw again! Once more the attack hit Halyodor directly causing it to fall to the ground.

“Hal… Halyodor…” It cried before passing out. 

“Ling!” Lingliu cheered as it turned back to Yuu.

“Good job!” Yuu praised as he knelt down to pat Lingliu’s head as it came running up to him, “You did amazing,” Yuu continued. 

“Luck, Luckrane...” Luckrane called as it hesitantly flew back down towards the pair. Yuu frowned as he turned to look at his other Pokémon.

“Luckrane…” he said with a frown his victory becoming dampened as he looked at his second Pokémon and remembered how it had disobeyed him. While Yuu was distracted by his disobedient Luckrane, in another part of the forest Zuko and Matoic battled against their own opponents...

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

Zuko and Matoic hurried after the two Halyodor they were chasing- trying their best to keep up with the quick-moving bugs. However, Matoic who was moving considerably slowly was causing them to fall behind. Not too long after entering the thicket of the forest, Zuko and Matoic lost sight of the Halyodor as they entered a clearing within the forest. Zuko looked around intently but still could not find the Pokémon they were chasing away.

“Damn it!” Zuko snapped as he and Matoic came to a stop, “I don't think I saw which way they- whoa!” Zuko exclaimed as the Halyodor came flying out of the bushes right at him. Zuko and Matoic both ducked, and when they picked their heads back up they saw both of the Halyodor had landed on the ground. Forebodingly, the Halyodor are now facing them; chattering angrily. Zuko, tired of the games, started to grunt loudly.

“Alright, Matoic- looks like they want a fight, so let's give them one!” Zuko said, balling his hands up into fists and taking a step forward. Matoic nodded and took a step forward as well. The Halyodor in front of Matoic began to shift back and forth as it chatted at Matoic. 

“Ma! Matoic!” It cried as it began to lumber forward. Zuko watched with wide eyes as the Halyodor, instead of dodging the attack, moved backwards towards a bush of berries that sat near the edge of a stream that outlined the area in the clearing. Zuko watched as Halyodor grabbed one of the berries on the side of the path, and began to quickly eat it.

“Matoic, move faster!” Zuko commanded as Halyodor quickly turned back around and began to rush forward! Matoic, due to its armor-like skin, was moving slowly as it approached the Halyodor; this is something Zuko noticed. This contrasted greatly with Halyodor who moved vastly quicker. Rushing forward, Halyodor used belch.

“Matoic!” It cried out as it was hit with the shockwave attack, causing it to stumble backwards.

“Matoic!” Zuko shouted concern etching his face as he saw Matoic get hit, “Are you alright!?” He called out as Matoic slowly steadied itself. 

“Matoic! Ma!” It said with a nod of its head. Zuko could see its fighting spirit unwavering by the onslaught, and with that Zuko smiled.

“Good! Let’s try using Feint now,” Zuko said. Matoic nodded, and again began to move forward towards Halyoder once more; at this same time, Zuko watched as Halyodor charged just the same! As it started to move forward, Halyodor began to release a malodorous gas from its glands, activating its ability Odor. A yellow-colored gas began to spread throughout the field, and as Matoic got closer it inhaled the foul scent. Matoic, feeling the effects of Odor course through its body, started to stall in its movement not wanting to approach. Seeing Matoic stop, Zuko became alert.

“Matoic? What’s wrong?” Zuko asked. Zuko, unaware of Halyodor’s Ability, wasn’t aware that it was starting to make Matoic react by not attacking. However, almost at the same moment Matoic stamped its paws on the ground and donned a determined look on its face.

“Matoic!” Matoic shouted as it became very angry. Suddenly, began to charge forward continuing Feint! At this moment, Matoic’s own Ability activated! Matoic’s ability ‘Fair Play’ took precedence; which in itself is an embodiment of its honorable temperament. This Ability allows Matoic when hit with any move, or Ability that gives it a status ailment or alters its stats to reverse its effects! Pushing through Halyodor’s disgusting scent, Matoic was able to continue his attack taking Halyodor by surprise! The Halyodor fell to the ground as Feint collided with it. Zuko, unaware of the whole exchange, looked towards Matoic with praise.

“Good job Matoic!” Zuko cheered as Matoic landed a hit on Halyodor and caused it to fall backwards. “Keep up the good work and attack that stinky bug again!”

“Matoic! Matoic!” It cried as it began to lumber forward again. As Matoic advanced Zuko saw a blur out of the side of his eye. He snapped his head just in time to see the second Halyodor running towards them! 

“Matoic!” He called out in an attempt to warn his Pokémon but he was too late. The second Halyodor used String Shot- wrapping Matoic up tightly in a silk binding. “They are ganging up on it! What kinda fair fight is that?!” continued Zuko. However, as String Shot binded Matoic, it still attempts to triumph through the move’s effects to stall its Speed!

“Matoic!” It roared as it struggled against his restraints. However, as it attempted to release itself, the Halyodor hit with Feint suddenly jumped back to its feet and used Belch again as the second approached rapidly. Zuko watched helplessly as the second used Belch on Matoic as well. Matoic was attempting to break the tight silk around it but it was difficult with the oncoming assault from both sides. 

“Stop it!” Zuko shouted, not sure what to do as he watched his Pokémon get ganged up on. Looking around, he desperately searched for something to throw despite Yuu’s scolding earlier in the forest. This would prove to be a hard task for Zuko however; Route 2 was soft and marshy, not filled with many rocks or hard things to throw right away. Zuko turned back to the battle and watched as Matoic tried his best to back away, but it was too slow. Halyodor, with this superior Speed, caught up every time Matoic tried to back away and escape. 

“Matoic…” Zuko said as a feeling of shame began to well up within him as he watched from the sidelines helplessly. His chest clenched as Matoic let out a strangled cry. Zuko couldn’t take it anymore and he rushed forward towards the two Halyodor. 

“Stop hurting it! Go away!” shouted Zuko as he flailed his arms about. He was expecting them to turn their barrage of attacks on him. The Halyodor froze for a second before they began to rush forward. Zuko raised his fist up, prepared to fight but was surprised when the Halyodor zoomed past him. One between his feet and the other brushing against his ankle.

Spinning around, Zuko watched as the Halyodor disappeared underneath the thicket of the forest. Zuko scowled and tightened his fist until his knuckles turned white and his palms began to ache from his nails digging into his skin. Anger welled up on him as they escaped, but his attention was quickly diverted back to his Pokémon at the sound of Matoic letting out soft pained noise. Zuko hurried over to the spot where Matoic was laying in the grass. Zuko quickly knelt down beside his Matoic- who was groaning softly on the path. Reaching forward, he began to take off the silk bindings. 

“Ma...Matoic…” Matoic groaned in pain

“I know... You tried your best, but you just could not land a hit on those quick little bugs… But you never gave up” said Zuko as he started to pet Matoic, “I know that it doesn't feel good… I know you value your honor, and being a part of such an unhonorable fight must have you feeling pretty down,” continued Zuko. Matoic looks up at Zuko and nods its head. Quietly, Zuko continued to gently run his fingers against Matoic’s body. 

“I still think you fought well,” Zuko said kindly. “And with honor, I’m proud of you.” Matoic let out a soft noise that sounded much like a purr. 

“Here, why don't you return to your Poké Ball,” Zuko said as he fished out Matoic’s Poké Ball from his pocket and expanded it. “We’ll head back to the group and get some of those potions Yuu has to heal you up.” He promised as Matoic returned. Sighing, Zuko pressed the button in the center of the Poké Ball before slipping it back into his pocket. Standing up Zuko turned around and began to head back the way he had come…

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“Zuko! Yuu! You’re back!” Aang called out happily when both boys emerged from the forest at the same time. As they proceeded back, they both looked a bit disheveled from chasing the Halyodor throughout the forest. “How did everything go?” Aang asked a little bit more wearily when he caught the look on Zuko’s face.

“...Not so good,” Zuko said honestly as he crossed his arms over his chest. “We lost our battle with the Halyodor… They ganged up on Matoic and he was just so slow that he couldn’t really counterattack."

“Sorry to hear that Zuko...” Suki said softly. 

“Though we’re not surprised,” Azula mocked. She and Pikachu were standing beside Aang and Lemaki, and she and her Pokémon looked rather proud of themselves. Zuko scowled at his sister before snapping at her.

“Matoic still fought well and with honor!” He informed her. 

“I’m sure he did,” Yuu said gently, trying to calm the other boy down. “My battle with Halyodor wasn’t an easy one to win; they’re fast little Pokémon and let out strange smells to throw off their opponents. The one I fought let out some kind of gas that seemed to make Lingliu fearful of it.”

“Ling! Lingliu!” Lingliu cried, nodding in agreement.

“My fight with Halyodor was tough too!” Aang said, causing Zuko and Yuu to look at him. “Lemaki had to put up a heck of a fight in order to defeat it as well!” Aang said.

“Lemaki!” Lemaki said with a nod of his head. 

“I’m glad I’m not the only one,” Zuko said, feeling slightly better about the outcome of his battle. He felt embarrassed to be the only one who lost. 

“I find it hilarious that while you three were bumbling around struggling to pull out a win, Pikachu and I easily defeated the Halystungent a much stronger opponent,” Azula said, causing Pikachu to snicker. Aang and Yuu both frowned while Zuko gave his sister a nasty look. 

“Oh, stop boosting as if you easily defeated Halystungent,” Katara scoffed with a roll of her eyes. “I was watching your battle very closely, Azula, and if I recall- you and Pikachu had to do a lot of dancing and dodging. Pikachu could hardly touch Halystungent before it charged in with that finishing fire move.” Azula and Pikachu’s arrogance drained away for a moment and was replaced by looks of annoyance.

“Pika! Pikachu!” Pikachu shouted as it pointed its finger at Katara. Narrowing her eyes, Katara scowled at the Pokémon. 

“Oh! Pikachu did a Fire-Type move, and I missed it? Dang. It sounds like it used Flame Charge then... You know what’s interesting; only Huolian Pikachu can use Fire-Type moves,” Yuu said as he turned to look at Pikachu.

“Is that not normal?” Azula asked.

 “For your Pikachu, it is,” Yuu said with a nod of his head, “In the Kanto region, where Pikachu originates from, those Pikachu can not learn Fire-Type moves.”

“But your Pikachu is a Huolian Variant!” Rotom Pokédex said excitedly as it flips out of Yuu’s possession- and into the luscious air of the forest.

“I see,” Azula said as she turned to look down at her Pikachu with a newfound interest. Pikachu looked up at Azula with a puffed-out chest and a proud look in its eyes. 

“That's so cool that a Pikachu’s move pool can change from one region to another,” Sokka said, looking at Pikachu with interest as well. 

“Not just Pikachu,” Yuu said, turning to look at Sokka with a small smile. “There are many different types of Pokémon in Huoli that are variants from their original regions. There are variants that aren't just restricted to move type either, but the typing of a Pokémon can be subject to change as well; this phenomenon isn’t just restricted to Huoli either.”

“Really?” Aang asked, turning to look at Yuu with wide eyes.

“Yes. In this world, there are other regions, and in two of them specifically, Galar and Alola, they also have regional variants as well,” Yuu said as he turned his attention back to Aang. 

“That sounds so neat,” Aang said with a sweet smile. 

“It certainly is interesting,” Azula said. 

“Yes, yes well as informative as this has been,” Katara began- getting everyone else’s attention. “I think it’s about time we head back and get these berries to Jyajy.” 

“That’s probably for the best,” Suki said with a small smile. As everyone else agreed with the idea, they all began to prepare to head back to the hotel to bring Jyajy back her requested berries. 

*****

After that, everyone agreed that they had enough berries, and action for the moment and that it would be okay to head back to the hotel. First, though Zuko released Matoic from its Poké Ball before asking Yuu for a potion. He sprayed Matoic down as he promised, causing the Pokémon to sigh in relief. As they headed back towards the hotel Yuu and Aang led the group as they softly talked about their battles. Behind them, Sokka, Suki, Katara, and Toph took up the middle while Azula, Zuko, and their Pokémon pulled up the rear. 

“So something weird happened during my battle with Halyodor,” Yuu said, his thoughts going back to Luckrane and its disobedient behavior. 

“What?” Aang asked as he glanced up at his friend.

“I lead with my Luckrane- deciding to use it in a battle for the first time, but try as I might, it wouldn’t listen to any of my commands,” said Yuu. Aang frowned.

“That’s odd… Maybe it just isn’t used to battling yet,” Aang suggested. 

“It seemed to battle pretty well against Lingliu. I don't understand why it wouldn’t listen to me” Yuu said.

“It probably just needs some time to adjust to you,” Aang said softly. 

“Maybe...” Yuu agreed softly. The rest of the walk was peaceful as they made their way out of the forest. They were just about to head back into town when there was a lot of rustling in the bushes. Yuu came to a stop and tensed up expecting a wild Pokémon to jump out! He was in for a big surprise when two people, one man, and one woman, clad in back with odd insignias on their chests jumped out instead!

“We hate to stop you,” the man said with a small smile. “You seem to be in a hurry and all but we were wondering if you folks could stop and talk with us for a moment.”

“About what?” Aang asked with worry. He was getting a bad feeling from the pair in front of them.

“While you see we were just passing through the forest and so happened to stumble upon you all,” the woman said. “You didn’t notice us but he certainly noticed you oddly dressed lot and your talented Pokémon.”

“Your point…” Yuu asked as he stepped in front of Lingliu. 

“Our point is,” the man said, stepping forward. “We noticed that Lemaki was pretty good at collecting berries and good at battling to protect em’ too. We also noticed that Pikachu has a… A fiery attitude that we could make use of.” He added, causing Azula to lift her eyebrows.

“In fact we were thinking,” the woman said, stepping forward as well. “That we would just save you all the trouble...and take all of your Pokémon off of you!” 

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“T-Take all of our Pokémon?!” Aang exclaimed with a frown as he took a step away from the mysterious pair. Reaching his hand up, he grasped Lemaki’s fur protectively. Yuu, becoming cautious as he started to form a realization over the logo on their clothes; a purple prism with a black line on it, forming a 'V', that sticks out off of their black and purple clothing. Suddenly, Yuu frowned and took a step forward as he eyed the man standing in front of him. Beside him, Lingliu took a step forward as well. 

“We don't want any trouble,” Yuu said as calmly as possible.  

“But we do,” the Male Grunt said sweetly as she batted her eyes at Yuu.

“You two… You’re a part of Team Vekros the organization that goes around stealing other people’s Pokémon, aren’t you?” Yuu said as his attention shifted from the Female Grunt to the Male Grunt in front of him.





“That’s right! We go around taking Pokémon as we please and all of these Pokémon are going to be our next victims!” the Male Grunt declared as he took a step closer to Yuu.

“Wait─... where have I heard that name before?...” ponders Aang.

“From when we were talking with my mother when she warned us of our journey,” responded Yuu.

“It’s nice to know our exploits are so popular that we are in safety talks!” said the Female Grunt.

“These guys sound like a bunch of phonies!” proclaimed Toph.

“Suki! Stand back!” said Sokka as she grabbed Suki, and hid her behind him, away from the Vekros Grunts in front of him.

“Oh, Sokka! You are like my Hero💖! Please, Protect me!” said Suki.

“W-Well, I don’t have Pokémon…But I will protect you with my body!” responded Sokka.

“Yes, please!💖” said Suki as she blushes.

“Agh, please, can someone steal her?” asked Azula as she shakes her head in annoyance.

“Sorry, we only steal Pokémon I’m afraid. But we might make an exception for you if you hand over your Pokémon!” said the Male Grunt. Seeing this interaction play out, Aang started to feel worried.

“Katara, please stand behind me as well; I can protect you with Pokémon!” said Aang finding new meaning in having the Pokémon with him for situations like this.

“I’m not helpless! I will fight them if I have to!” said Katara.

“O-Oh, okay…” said Aang, feeling embarrassed. He then looks over to his docile Pokémon still chewing on berries even at a time like this. “L-Lemaki, let’s protect our friends!” Lemaki looked over and sighed heavily.

“Lemaki…” said Lemaki as he hops off Aang’s shoulder, and down to the ground to fight.

“Woah! Watch your mouth, bitch!” said the Female Grunt.

“Yea! We will mess all you guys up!” said the Male Grunt.

“Excuse me?!” said Katara as she begins to walk forward. However, Yuu stopped her.

“Well, in case you haven’t noticed there are more of us than there are of you. You are not taking anything from us,” Yuu said.

“I don't care how many of you brats there are; my partner, and we do plan on taking those nice little Pokémon from ya.” the Female Grunt said, giggling as she looked at the Male Grunt.

“Now; we can do this the easy way, which is you hand them over to us with no fuss or we can do this the hard way and we can battle for em,” the Male Grunt offered with a bright smile plastered across his face. 

“We are very accustomed to doing it the hard way, so make your decision wisely before you get in too far over your head.” the Female Grunt added with a wink. 

“So you two idiots make it a habit of stealing?” Zuko demanded as he and Matoic moved from the back of the group to the front to stand beside Yuu and Aang. Behind him, Azula and Pikachu followed quietly.

“No need to call us names!” the Male Grunt said his smile grows wider as he caught sight of Zuko. 

“It’s not a habit!” the Female Grunt said turning to look at Zuko with a similar smile, “This is our job, silly boy!” 

“You sound so proud for a thief,” Katara spat as she looked at the pair in front of them with disgust. 

“We won’t let you take these Pokémon,” Aang said his frown deepening. “If we have to do it the hard way then we will!” The man let out a shrill laugh causing a shiver to run down Yuu’s spine.

“Don't say we didn’t warn you!” the Male Grunt bellowed as he pulled out a Poké Ball. “Let’s go, Haricus!” As the Poké Ball opened up it revealed a small Pokémon that resembled a hare. It was covered in black, brown, and white fur.

“Whoa look at those Pokémon, I don't think we’ve seen them before,” Suki said. Suddenly,  Rotom Pokédex flew forward out of Yuu’s pocket, and his screen changed to show Haricus’s picture and a reading of its stats.

“This is Haricus, the ‘ Little-Hare Pokémon ’ Haricus are thought of as the Earth’s ‘little helpers', assisting with their little tasks such as making dens or fathering berries for those needing or hurt humans and other Pokémon. It is a Normal-Type Pokémon.” Rotom Pokédex said.

“Come on Lingliu!” Yuu said, the moment he spoke Lingliu jumped forward and jumps down to meet Lemaki.

“Matoic. I know you just battled, but we gotta do this again! You ready?” asked Zuko to his Pokémon.

“Ma! Matoic!” responded Matoic.

“Hehe looks like fun!” The woman said as she then took out a Poké Ball. “Come on Gossipuwei it’s time to play!” the Female Grunt cried as she produced a Poké Ball of he own and threw it out.

“Wait… That looks familiar...” said Yuu.

“This is Gossipuwei, the ‘Poison-Dew Pokémon’. The cotton it produces is wet; secreting a liquid similar to dew on the grass. This dew is often brewed into certain teas in Huoli after the pollutant component is separated out of it. Often found around tea houses, it is good at storing information and makes great gossipers,” said Rotom Pokédex as he displayed the Pokémon on his screen for the gang to see. 

“This Pokémon… I think… It is a Domestic Pokémon, correct?” asked Yuu.

“Yes! It traveled across the lands on the western winds from Galar to Huoli, and initially were Gossifleur!” said Rotom Pokédex as it zoomed around towards Yuu. 

“Yes… I knew it. Gossipuwei I think I have seen in Pine’s notes… If the books are as accurate as I believe it’s an old Pokémon of study for Professors and Domestication aficionados alike," said Yuu as he starts to ponder a thought in his mind, “It’s said to have laid dormant on Liyi Island as Gossifleur, however, due to the pollution levels of the area, it changed itself molecularity to adapt. At least that is the theory,” he continued. Yuu continues to observe the peculiar Pokémon as he continues to point out the differences between it and the more familiar Gossifleur; its yellow flower is now black, and its red leave-like hair is a teal color. Its green canopy-like body is now black. However, his train of thought was interrupted by Aang, chiming in suddenly.

"Theory?" asked Aang.

"It's mainly because the pollution, compared to other regions, is not that big of a difference... So... I wonder what caused the change..." Yuu wondered.

“Well, I thank you for the Pokémon lesson you fucking know-at-all, but getting an 'A' in Pokémon School ain’t going to stop you from getting poached!” exclaimed the Male Grunt. 

“I never thought I would say this, but I agree with the people trying to rob us. Step forward, Pikachu” Azula said. 

“Pika! Pikachu!” Pikachu said confidently as it rushed forward. 

“You to Matoic,” Zuko said, Matoic nodded as it began to move forward slowly. 

“Alright Haricus let’s see what you can do,” the Male Grunt said menacingly.

“You too, Gossipuwei!” said the Female Grunt.

“Goss! Gossipuwei!” It cried out cheerfully.  

“What, don't know what your own Pokémon is capable of?” Zuko taunted causing the man to laugh.

“Well Haricus is a new addition to the team after all!” the Male Grunt said turning to look at Zuko with a broad smile, “We took it off some kid back in town just like we’re going to take your Pokémon!” Yuu narrowed his eyes at the man as he took another step forward.

“Bastard,” Yuu said under his breath, “You’re going to return that Haricus to its rightful owner!”

“Well, why don’t you take it back with your own hands?! Or are you all talk no action you blue-haired lab rat?” the Male Grunt asked with a mocking smile. 

“W-What?... Why you… Then I will” proclaimed Yuu.

“Well, are we going to stand here all day, or are we going to battle?!” The Female Grunt questioned demandingly. “The chit-chat is over! Matoic!” yelled Zuko.

“Pikachu, ready yourself,” said Azula.

“Lemaki! Let’s go!” said Aang.

“Let’s show ‘em what we are made of, Lingliu!” shouted Yuu. The trainers all prepare their own battle stance as their Pokémon all chant out ready for battle.

“Gossipuwei use Dark Pulse on Matoic!” said the Female Grunt. 

“Gossi! Gossipuwei!” Gossipuwei cried as it released a dark energy that went straight at Matoic! Before Zuko could give his Pokémon a command the attack hit Matoic directly, causing Matoic to stumble back.

“No!” shouted Zuko.

“Don’t give up yet, Zuko!” said Yuu- cheering him and Matoic on.

“M-Mato!” said Matoic as gets back up, and widened its stance. Seeing Zuko struggle so early on, Azula scoffs.

“Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt attack on Gossipuwei now!” Azula said. Pikachu nodded and lunged forward before releasing Thunderbolt from its cheeks. Gossipuwei quickly jumped to the side just barely missing Pikachu’s attack. 

“Haricus quickly, use Hyper Fang on that Pikachu!” the Male Grunt said. Haricus quickly ran towards Pikachu baring its fangs. Lunging forward, Haricus sunk its sharp fangs into Pikachu’s left leg.

“Pika! Pikachu!” It cried out in pain as it pulled away from Haricus and jumped away.

“Lingliu quickly use Rock Throw on Haricus!” Yuu shouted. 

“Matoic, use Feint on Haricus as well!” Zuko called out. Lingliu reared up as rocks began to materialize above him. A second later, the rocks shot forward right for Haricus! Haricus jumped back, missing Lingliu’s Rock Throw, before quickly dancing away from the slow-moving Matoic.

“Damn it,” Zuko whispered under his breath.

“You got this, Zuko!” cheered Katara. Hearing all of the cheers from the others Zuko steeled his motivation as he starts to contemplate another method of attack.

“Gossipuwei, use Foul Play on Pikachu!” The Female Grunt hollered. 

“Gossi! Goss!” It cried before charging forward right at Pikachu! Gossipuwei slammed itself into Pikachu causing it to tumble to the ground.

“P-Pika…!” Pikachu groaned as it pushed itself back to its feet.

“Oh no! Pikachu took a big hit!” said Suki.

“That’s because Foul Play uses the power of the target Pokémon against it; if Pikachu took that big of a hit then that means it’s the stronger Pokémon of the two,” said Yuu.

“Oh really… Hm…” said Azula as she ponders what she just heard, “Pikachu, use Flame Charge!” Azula commanded Pikachu began to charge forward as flames began to surround its body. Gossipuwei moved but not fast enough and Pikachu slammed its body into Gossipuwei as hard as it could.

“Gossipuwei!” It cried out as it hit the ground. 

“Damn you, you little brat!” The Female Grunt shouted as Gossipuwei hit the ground and fainted.

“Whoa! You knocked out that Pokémon in one hit!” Zuko said with wide eyes. 

“That’s because Gossipuwei is a Grass/Poison type Pokémon!” Rotom Pokédex said zooming between their siblings, “And Fire-Type moves are super effective against Grass-Type Pokémon!”

“No- it’s because my Pokémon is superior,” said Azula indifferent to Rotom Pokédex‘s words.

“Pika~... Pika...~” Pikachu groaned as it stumbled backwards, and purple lines appear underneath its eyes...

“Wait… Something is wrong with Pikachu…” said Yuu.

“It looks like Gossipuwei left your dumb little Pikachu a gift!” the Female Grunt shouted angrily. “Your Pikachu has been poisoned! An effect from Gossipuwei’s ability Poison Cotton; it causes any Pokémon that physically attacks Gossipuwei to become poisoned!” the Female Grunt continued as she withdrew her Pokémon. 

“Shit...” Azula said under her breath.

“Here, Azula! I’m sure my mom packed an Antidote in my bag somewhere…” said Yuu as he goes inside his bag. Suddenly, he pulls out a yellow canister and runs over to Pikachu. "Aha! You can always trust a mom to give you things you don't really need- until you really need 'em..." Yuu continues.

“What is that thing?” asked Azula

“It cures Pokémon of being poisoned; you just spray it on them, and the chemicals inside rid the poison from the Pokémon’s body,” said Yuu as he uses the Antidote on Pikachu. As the spray enters Pikachu’s body the purple lines underneath its eyes start to fade gradually.

“Really? That works similarly to the healing properties of my waterbending,” said Katara.

“Well, I’ll take your word for it,” said Yuu.

“How do you feel, Pikachu?” asked Azula as she gazed into its eyes. Pikachu looks back up and gave Azula a thumbs up as it smiled.

“P-Pika~...” it said in a satisfied tone. As this happens, however, the Male Grunt yells in annoyance.

“That damn Gossipuwei of yours is useless! You know that?,” the Male Grunt said snapping at his own partner.

“What?! Tell that to the higher-ups that give us these shitty stolen Pokémon!” responded the Female Grunt.

“Higher ups?...” said Azula.

“Stolen?! So, none of those are yours!?” asked Aang.

“Haha! Team Vekros is a terrorist group; you think we go around wasting time actually catching Pokémon?” said the Female Grunt.

“Supervoid often supplies us with their newest catches but Grunts like us get the bottom of the barrel! Fuckin’ sucks!” said the Male Grunt.

“Supervoid?...” said Yuu, taken aback by the name they said. He attempts to trace faint memories within his mind to ascertain where he has heard that name before but cannot seem to figure it out whatsoever

“Whatever I can take these brats on my own! Haricus quickly kick that Pikachu while it’s down with False Swipe!” Haricus quickly lunged forward toward Pikachu and raked its claws against Pikachu’s chest not once but twice.

“Pika! Pikachu!” It cried out as it stumbled backward. 

“Lemaki, quickly use Fury Swipes on Haricus!” Aang said. Lemaki jumped forward, and slashed its claws into Haricus!

“Yes, Aang!” cheered Katara.

“Haricus!” It cried out painfully.

“Your foe is weak, Lingliu quickly use Rock Throw!” Yuu commanded. Lingliu nodded and reared up again for a second time. Once more rocks began to materialize above it before shooting forward and hitting Haricus directly. 

“Har… Haricus…” it whimpered before falling forward and fainting.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“You stupid useless Pokémon!” the Male Grunt shouted as he thrust his arm forward with Haricus’s Poké Ball and returned it back to its Poké Ball, “You lot think you're so smug?"

"Well, let's see how well you do against this! Drizzard, let’s go!” The Male Grunt hollered as he pulled out a second Poké Ball. The Pokémon that came out resembled a green lizard-like Pokémon; having a lighter green shade around parts of its body such as its upper lips, its arms and legs, and parts of its back. The underside of their mouth is white. They have brown/yellow spike-like flesh that hangs off the top of their heads and glaring black eyes.

“A second Pokémon?!” exclaimed Suki.

“That thing looks like a dragon! B-But, like a small version of one…” said Sokka. As he says this, Rotom Pokédex whipped over to read the Pokémon.

“That is Drizzard, the ‘Drizzle-Lizard Pokémon’. Their scales can call upon the rain, and can often cast week long rainstorms if many Drizzard are around,” said Rotom Pokédex.

"Wait long rainstorms?” Aang said. Suddenly above them all, dark rain clouds began to collect quickly and moments later rain began to pour from the sky.

“It’s raining?!” Sokka said with a frown as he looked up at the sky.

“Geez- thanks, captain obvious,” Toph snapped as she crossed her arms over his chest. 

“That’s Dizzard’s ability!” Rotom Pokédex said helpfully, “Drizzle; when a Pokémon with this ability comes onto the field, it causes it to rain. And the phenomenon of rain boosts Water-Type moves but makes Fire-Type moves weaker.”

“Lovely…” Azula said with a frown as she looked down at Pikachu.

“This isn’t good for Lingliu…” said Yuu.

“Why?” asked Aang.

“Ground-Types and Rock-Types don’t mix with Water-Types; Water-Type moves are super-effective to Ground and Rock-Type Pokémon. And, Lingliu is both… so…if you can connect the dots…” said Yuu.

“Double-super-effective?” suggested Aang.

“Yes…”  Yuu said. “Lingliu come back, there’s not much more you can do right now!” Yuu called out, Lingliu nodded as it hurried back to Yuu’s side right as Yuu began to reach for Luckrane’s Poké Ball.

“Go Luckrane!” He called out as he threw out Luckrane’s Poké Ball! 

“Luck…” Luckrane muttered, appearing skeptical as he looks around the battlefield at the incoming rain. Luckrane wiggled its wings trying to brush off the excess water.

“You can switch out as many Pokémon as you like brat, but the result will be the same!” The Male Grunt promised with a wide mocking smile, “Dizzard, use Water Pulse on Luckrane now!” The Male Grunt shouted.

“Dri! Drizzard!” Drizzard shouted before opening its mouth and let out a forceful stream of water right in Luckrane’s direction, hitting it and knocking it to the ground!

“Luck! Luckrane!” It cried out.

“Shoot! That was a powered-up Water-Type move… don’t worry Luckrane you got this! Use Gust on Drizzard!” Yuu commanded. However, Luckrane shook its head, and instead of using Gust like Yuu commanded it rushed forward and used Tackle instead slamming its body into Drizzard and causing Drizzard to stumble backwards. 

“T-Tackle?! But I didn’t tell it to…” said Yuu astonished by Luckrane’s actions.

“Well, I can see what you meant by it not listening to you…” said Aang.

“Yeah…it is not uncommon for newly caught Pokémon to just be completely complacent with you but it is not like I maliciously caught it…is there something I'm missing?” questioned Yuu.

“During my journey in my home world, one thing that I've tried to stick by is trying to understand what other creatures are thinking; it really helps with working together,” said Aang.

“Huh… understanding what my Pokémon is thinking…” Yuu said softly to himself as he looks over to Luckrane.

“It’s not just you, Yuu all of us are still on the journey of understanding our Pokémon better, I'm just now grasping how they change us too! Just look at how enthused Lemaki is at battling now!” Aang exclaimed with a smile. Lemaki, however, looked back at Aang looking anything but what he described.

“Lemaki…” it said thinking it would rather be doing anything but battling right now but was doing it for the sake of its trainer.

“Speak for yourself Pikachu and I are a well oiled machine," Azula informed Aang.

“Pika!” shouted Pikachu confidently.

“Matoic and I have a good understanding of how we both feel… we both have a sense of-” Zuko began only to be cut off.

“Honor?” Toph suggested causing Sokka and Suki to chuckle.

“Yes but you're making a joke about it!” Zuko shouted. Suddenly, the Male Grunt growls loudly.

“Well as much as we would love to hear all about how much you all suck as trainers, I think I might steal that stupid bird from you as well!” The Male Grunt said. Suddenly, Luckrane looked over at the Male Grunt.

“Luck!” said Luckrane with an annoyed tone. Suddenly, Luckrane used Gust on its own toward Drizzard!

“Drizzard, dodge!” shouted the Male Grunt.

“Driz!” shouted Drizzard as it evaded the attack.

“H-Hey! Luckrane is moving on its own!” said Suki.

“I don’t know much about Pokémon but I feel like that isn’t supposed to happen,” said Sokka.

“Please don’t remind me…” Yuu huffed as he sucks his teeth.

“Yuu, let’s worry about that another time! Lemaki use Bite!” Aang said, Lemaki quickly dashed forward and lunged at the Drizzard.

“Drizzard counter with Aqua Jet!” The Male Grunt said quickly. Drizzard began to charge forward as water surrounded its body! Drizzard hit Lemaki at full force knocking Lemaki backwards. 

“Le- Lemaki!” It cried as it hit the ground soaking wet. 

“Matoic quickly-” 

“Dizzard, use Water Pulse on Matoic before its bratty trainer can give it a command!” The Male Grunt said heatedly. Drizzard nodded, turned towards Matoic, and released a strong stream of water from its mouth hitting Matoic right in the face. Matoic let out a pained cry as it fell over. 

“Can you still battle?” Azula asked turning towards Pikachu.

“Pi-... Pika!” said Pikachu shaking any doubt from its head as it stood upright. 

“Then use Thunderbolt!” Azula said. Pikachu nodded and released Thunderbolt from its round cheeks right towards Drizzard.

“Shit! Drizzard get out of the way!” the Male Grunt shouted just as Thunderbolt hit Drizzard causing it to cry out as it hurled backwards.

“That’s super-effective!” shouted Rotom Pokédex.

“Drizzard get up now!” The Male Grunt said quickly. However, as the Drizzard attempted to stand back on its feet it suddenly collapsed!

“It fainted!” Yuu shouted.

“Hmph! See? Even after being poisoned my Pokémon still came out on top,” Azula said proudly.

“Pika!~” said Pikachu in reverie as it rubbed its head, feeling flattered over Azula’s praised

“Damn it!” The Female Grunt cried, “We lost!” 

“Worthless!” The Male Grunt snarled as he returned Drizzard back to his Pokémon. “Come on, let's get out of here-”

“Not so fast,” Yuu said taking a step forward as he cut off the Male Grunt, “That Haricus doesn’t belong to you”. As he said that, the Male Grunt gritted his teeth as he narrowed his eyes at Yuu.

“Fine damn thing isn’t worth anything in the first place.” The Male Grunt said as he took out Haricus’s Poké Ball and threw it at Yuu, “Come on let’s get out of here!” 

“No, wait!” Aang said taking a step forward towards the Grunts but before long they both disappeared into the thicket of the forest around them.

“Leave them Aang Team Vekros are terrorists, after all, we might have had a joint victory right now but there's no telling what following them could lead to…” said Yuu.

“Fine…” Aang sighed heavily feeling annoyed that they were just letting The Grunts getaway.

“We need to attend to Haricus and the other Pokémon,” Yuu said as he moved forward to kneel beside the wounded Haricus. Yuu then began to rummage through his bag as the others gathered around. He pulled out a Potion and began to administer it to the hurt Haricus.

“Har~” it moaned as the Potion stung its wound. However, it started to show a more relaxed expression as the pain began to subside. Yuu then handed Zuko and Aang a Potion for their Pokémon as well. Yuu then looked over to Luckrane who steadily watched Yuu as he holds onto Haricus endearingly. Luckrane, who still felt resistant to being with Yuu, starts to wonder about what kind of person his new trainer was.

*****

“I’m glad you guys were able to get rid of those creeps,” Suki said as she inched closer to Sokka. “Didn’t you say they were a part of some group that steals Pokémon Yuu? Gosh how many other people have they done this to?” she asked. 

“Yeah I did,” Yuu said as Haricus began to heal, “And historically way more... you can be sure they’ve done this to lots of people. Like I said earlier those two weren’t just some random thugs wandering around the forest they’re a part of a group of people named Vekros and they're terrorists”

“I remember your mom bringing them up when we were at your house,” Aang said turning to look at Yuu.

“Yeah, mother warned me about them,” Yuu said softly thinking back to his mother's words.

“Well, just how bad are they? I feel like we should know more about them…” Katara said.

“Well I think it would be best to speak with Professor Pine about them… he might know more than me,” said Yuu.

“Why him? I thought he just focuses on Domesti-whatevers” said Sokka.

“Domestic Pokémon” Yuu corrected.

“Right those!” said Sokka.

“Anyway, the reason why he would know is because of something really sinister… something tied with Team Vekros that is also connected to an outbreak that has been happening recently,” said Yuu.

“Huh? An outbreak?” questioned Aang.

“I didn’t wanna talk about it much- to not deter you from journeying with me... but sometimes Pokémon go rampant, as if they went mad, and kill trainers too weak to fend them off,” Yuu said quietly.

“Gosh- that sounds horrible!” Suki said with a frown.

“I know. And that phenomenon is tied to Team Vekros…” said Yuu.

“So that’s what you mean by how they do way more than just steal Pokémon…” Azula said.

“It's starting to make more sense as to why your mom was so worried… we definitely need to know more about them,” said Aang.

“When we return to Youchuan Town, we'll contact Professor Pine,” said Yuu.

“Right," Aang said.

“And in the meantime, those people could just be anywhere? Oh, we definitely all need to have a way to defend ourselves for sure!” Suki exclaimed.

“This must be one of the reasons why Professor Pine advised us to all have Pokémon…” Katara said causing Yuu to nod in agreement.

“I don't like that you're hiding stuff from us,” Toph said with a scowl. "This should have been one of the first things you told us."

“N-No! I’m… it just has taken so long to go on this journey and this kind of info is what has stopped me. I don’t know much but I’m sorry I have not properly warned you of the dangers that face us,” Yuu said feeling guilty.

“Don't feel too bad about it,  without you we wouldn’t have the manpower we have currently and we wouldn't have been able to get this far,” Zuko said as he looked over to Matoic, “And if we do happen to run into them once more, we’ll take them on again- and win,” concluded Zuko. Hearing this, Yuu started to smile.

“Thank you,” said Yuu.

“I like that idea Zuko!” said Sokka.

“It will be smart to steel yourself as well as we gain more knowledge,” said Katara.

“I wonder what Pokémon I’ll find for myself…” Suki said.

“One just as beautiful as you!” responded Sokka with a slight blush.

“Ah!!!!💖 No Pokémon could be as handsome as you~💖” Suki gushed.

“Agh! The funk of their flirting is super-effective toward me… I’m fainting…” said Zuko as he starts to sway back and forth.

“Zuko! I’ll carry you if you are feeling woozy,” Aang said worryingly.

“N-No, I was just joking…” Zuko stammered as his face began to turn bright red.

“That was a joke?” asked Azula.

“I thought it was funny,”  Yuu chuckled as he began to stroke Haricus’ fur softly before gently scooping up the somewhat frightened Pokémon into his arms, “Come on, let's get going before we can get ourselves into any more trouble,”  he continued, the group all agreed.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

The group headed back into Youchuan Town, feeling relieved to finally be back from their encounters on Route 2. Yuu leads them all toward Hotel Scwalea with Haricus in his arms. As they headed back toward their destination, Yuu kept his eyes open for anyone who might be looking for a missing Pokémon. 

“Haha! the Hotel is in sight!” Sokka said excitedly as the large hotel came into view, “I’m glad to be back, all that action on Route 2 really built up a big appetite in me!” he continued. Suki giggled as she glanced up at him. 

“Yes- because sitting around on the sidelines is so hard and hungering,” Azula said with a roll of her eyes. Beside her, Pikachu giggled while Azula’s comment caused Sokka to blush. 

“Oh don't listen to her Sokka,” Suki said quickly before cutting her eyes at Azula. “You gave a lot of good moral support on Route 2.” She promised before leaning up and giving Sokka a gentle kiss on the cheek. 

As they got closer to the hotel the loud sound of crying cut through their idle conversing. They all came to an abrupt stop, and immediately their attention was pulled to a little boy standing on the side of the road, sobbing into his hands. 

“Oh I wonder what’s wrong,” Katara asked with a frown at the sight of the child. Katara let go of Toph’s hand and carefully began to approach him. “Hey, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Katara knelt down in front of him and spoke as gently as possible.

“They- they- they-” The little stammered through his tears as he attempted to get a sentence out. “My- my Hairy!” he hiccuped causing Katara to frown. Behind her, in Yuu’s arms, Haricus began to wiggle.

“What do you mean?” Katara asked. 

“Hairy! They took my Hairy!” The little boy shouted out. 

“Oh!” Yuu said with wide eyes now understanding. He moved forward and knelt down beside Katara. “Would you happen to be talking about this Haricus?” Yuu asked. The little boy dropped his hands from his face as he looked down at the wiggling Haricus in Yuu’s arms.

“Hairy!” The boy cried out happily. “You’re back! You’re really back!” Yuu smiled widely as he carefully handed Haricus back over to the child. The boy squealed in delight and hugged his Pokémon tightly.

“Har! Haricus!” Haricus said happily as it nuzzled its cheek against its owner. 

“After the mean people took him, I never thought I would see him again!” The child said with a bright smile.

“Don't worry those people won’t bother you or Haricus again,” Yuu promised as he tussled around with the boy's hair, “Now why don't you and Haricus head back home now, quickly before you lose him again,” Yuu suggested.

“Yes, I will! Sorry I don’t have anything to give you, Mister- but thank you!” said the little boy before running off with Haricus in his arms. They all watched him go, Luckrane, in particular, watching with a feeling of homesickness as the boy and his newly united Haricus headed back to their home.

“Well that was a nice thing to see happen.. being connected with someone you love and thought you lost… it makes me think of home…” said Katara as she started to get in her head and think of all the people they were missing from being in a new world. A slightly negative energy fell over the group as Toph, Azula, Zuko, Suki, Sokka, and Aang all start to think something similar. 

"Yea…” said Aang- as he shares the same sentiment. Suddenly, Sokka clears his throat loudly.

“A-Are you guys all ready to head back?” Sokka asked through a sniffle.

“I think so...” Yuu said with a nod as he pushed himself up to his feet and began to lead the group back towards the hotel again.

*******

“Welcome back!” Jyajy greeted them happily as her butler lead them into her room, “Did you get me a lot of berries?” She asked sweetly. 

“We sure did,” Yuu said as he handed the bag full of berries over to Jyajy. “It was definitely… an interesting experience gathering them.” He added as Jyajy took the bag out of his hands. 

“Ahh! Look at all of them! Oh, all the neat color combinations I can do! And I’m sure we can talk about all that went on later,” Jyajy said with a smirk, “For now though I need to get started on making these outfits; I’ll have them ready by tomorrow morning. Rest assured I’ll be working through the night to get this done with no distractions so butlers please be quiet as well!” She explained. 

”R-Right, ma’am…” said one of the butlers at the door as sweat rolled down their faces.

“I can’t wait to see them!” Suki said excitedly.

“Oh! I almost forgot! I made arrangements for you all to have your own rooms for the night, help yourselves to anything you want in the hotel! My treat!” Jyajy said with a smile. 

“Oh really!? Our own rooms? In such a luxurious place like this?” Sokka asked ecstatically.

“Of course, why anything less?” questioned Jyajy. She then turned to Yuu.“Yuu your room will be across the hall from this one, and Aang your room will be right next to his. Zuko you’ll be next to Aang and Azula you’ll room will be next to Zuko. Katara your room is across from Azula’s room and Sokka your room is next to Katara’s. Suki, you’ll be in the room next to Sokka, and Toph you’ll be next to Suki’s room.” She explained before handing each of them a key to their individual rooms.

“Awesome!” said Aang.

“We can do whatever we want?” asked Zuko.

“Just keep the money tab to under 500,000 dollars,” said Jyajy.

“Uh… Is that a lot of your people’s money?” Zuko asked Yuu.

“Yea but I mean it's nothing I’m not really used to being around,” said Yuu. Suddenly, Aang starts to smile.

“Yuu’s totally rich! His house is so big! Not as big as this hotel though…” said Aang.

“Are you… not familiar with our currency?” asked a skeptical Jyajy as she peered at Zuko. Katara, Yuu, and Aang's eyes all went wide as they started to panic at Zuko's obvious mistake.

“N-No! He’s just uh… uh…” Yuu stammered as he attempted to think of a good excuse for Zuko's question.

“Has a very hard time counting to high numbers,” Katara explained quickly. "He was never given a proper education."

“Hey!” Zuko said with a blush as Toph and the others began to snicker.

“Oh dear, I'm sorry to have asked in the first place. Well, even if you go over I won’t care because the looks I’m about to make for you will be priceless in comparison!” said Jyajy.

“Sounds neat!” said Aang.

“I’ll see you all tomorrow morning,” said Jyajy.

“Alright! We’ll see you then!” Aang said with a wide smile of his own. Everyone else said their goodbyes as they headed out of the room, the butlers closing the door behind them all as they gather in the hallway.

“Come on, let's go check out our rooms!” Sokka said excitedly. 

“Yeah, it’s probably a good idea to know what rooms we’ll be staying in before we head out to the Pokémon Center to speak with Professor Pine,” Yuu said with a nod of his head.

“Quick question and I have been meaning to ask this for a while but, what is a Pokémon Center?” asked Aang.

“I would assume a center for Pokémon,” said Azula.

“Oh! Is that where Pokémon go to play?” asked Suki.

“Not exactly, Pokémon Centers are actually multi-functional. In essence, they are where people and Pokémon can go to get treated for injuries. The healing of pokémon are done by the nurses who are stationed there who heal your pokémon, some also have assistants who are Pokémon to help them. You can also rest in some like hotels, others even have dining areas!” said Yuu.

“Oh sounds cool,” Sokka said.

"They are basically in every city, and they are a hub for trainers alike to congregate to when they are in need,” said Yuu.

“That's really thoughtful and organized,” said Katara.

“And needed let me tell ‘ya. There's one even in Mian Town but I would hardly visit it because it would remind me of how I didn’t have a Pokémon…” said Yuu as he suddenly started to pout. "But never mind that, Let’s check out our rooms!”

“Right! I’m dying to see mine!” Sokka exclaimed.

They each headed to their designated room, with the exception of Katara who took Toph to her room first. After a brief separation as everyone looked around, they one-by-one started to open back up their doors. Sokka was full of laughter as he opened his own.

“My room looks just like Jyajy’s!” Sokka cheered as he poked his head out of his open doorway.

“Mine too!” Suki said as she poked her head out of hers. 

“Most hotels are designed that way,” Yuu said with a small chuckle as he walked out of his room and shut the door. 

“The bed looks pretty comfy,” Aang said as he walked out of his room as well.

“It’ll definitely be nice to sleep on,” Zuko agreed as he came out of his. Thereafter, Azula, Toph, and Katara came out of their rooms each sharing a similar sentiment. Suddenly, one of the butlers standing outside Jyajy’s door clears their throat loudly

“Miss Jyajy was very nice to rent out these rooms for you on such late notice, I suggest you not attract any noise complaints from others on this floor!” The butler advised.

“Of course,” Yuu said with a nod.

“I'm just excited to be staying somewhere so nice!” Sokka said with a sheepish grin.

“And to think it's all thanks to our tattered outfits and some berries,” said Azula.

“Well, all that aside now that we know where our rooms are we can head out to the Pokémon Center,” Yuu said with a small smile.

"Agreed,” said Aang. With everyone else agreeing with Yuu they all began to make their way out of the hotel and head towards the Pokémon Center. 

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

They arrive at the Pokémon Center, and as they walk through the doors, they, with the exception of Yuu, were amazed at the sliding door mechanic of the Pokémon Center. As they entered the Pokémon Center the group's attention was immediately grasped by a beautiful woman standing in the middle of the room as she bowed towards them.

“Hello, welcome to the Pokémon Center, my name is Nurse Joy,”  she said as she raised herself back up behind the counter. Nurse Joy had pink hair that was worn in two individual loops. She wore a pink dress with a white apron over it and a white cap with a blue plus sign on it. “And this is Meowstic, my helper.”

“Meow! Meowstic,” The Pokémon said, it was standing on the counter beside Nurse Joy. The Pokémon had blue and white fur patterns around its body.

“How can we help you?” Nurse Joy asked.

“Hello, Nurse Joy,” Yuu said as she greeted her with a smile, “We’re here to use the Rotomi.” 

“I see! Well, the machine is to my left” said Nurse Joy as she pointed to the Rotomi. “If you need any assistance we’ll be here to help,” Nurse Joy continued with a slight bow of her head.

“Meowstic! Meowstic!” Meowstic said happily as they passed the counter. 

“That’s an interesting looking Pokémon,” Katara said turning her head to look at Meowstic as she and Toph walked by. Rotom Pokédex immediately zoomed toward Meowstic and began to scan it. A second later its picture popped up on Rotom Pokédex’s screen. 

“This is Meowstic, the ‘ Constraint Pokémon ’; When faced with trouble, Meowstic will raise its ears and create enough Psychic energy to demolish a ten ton truck. Its appearance varies, depending on gender.” Rotom Pokémon said.

“What? A Pokémon with that entry is the aid of someone that heals Pokémon?...” questioned Zuko causing Yuu to chuckle.

“Huoli customs are a bit weird. In Huoli, Pokémon that are proper examples of ‘conductivity and decorum’ often are praised or idolized; apparently, the forefathers of our region took a liking to Meowstic, and would often go head-to-head with other Pokémon such as Delcatty. The logistics aren't important, and I’m aware you don’t even understand half of what I am saying, but what is relevant for us is that while they can be fairly indifferent or somewhat unfriendly they are actually very content, faithful, and regal Pokémon. And, their Psychic abilities aid in picking up the slack for Nurse Joy.” said Yuu.

“Well, it does look kinda cute!” said Suki.

“M-Meow~...” said Meowstic while it blushed. As Yuu explained this all to them, Zuko started to hum to himself.

“Its appearance changes depending on gender… so, is that a male or female Meowstic?” Zuko asked as he glanced at the small Pokémon. 

“A male! They're mainly blue while female Meowstic are mainly white.” Rotom Pokédex explained.

“Well if you like them so much to be this interested, you'll be delighted to know that you will find male and female Meowstic at pretty much every center. Now come on let’s use Rotomi,” said Yuu as he lead the crew over to it. The Rotomi was standing in the corner of the room near the counter where Nurse Joy and Meowstic were standing. It was a tall, sleek machine with a large screen in the center. Sitting on top of the machine was what looked like something similar to Rotom Pokédex. 

“So, what exactly is a Rotomi?” Sokka asked.

“A Rotomi is a type of computer that lets Pokémon trainers access its functions,” Yuu explained as he clicked the machine on. 

“What’s a computer?” Azula asked.

“A computer is a device that electronically stores and processes information,” Yuu said as the screen began to light up. “The Rotomi also allows you to transfer Pokémon you catch over to the Professor, it also allows you to pick up Poké Jobs, and communicate with other people.” 

“How can you use this to transfer Pokémon?” Azula asked as she looked over Rotomi. 

“Like this. Rotomi, I would like to make a Pokémon transfer.” Yuu said turning to the Rotomi.

“Making a Pokémon transfer. Where is the transfer going?” Rotomi asked as the screen changed. On the far left of the screen was a red square with a white P in the center of it that indicated the Pokémon Center. A white line was going across the screen and at the other end of it was an X indicating where the transfer would be going. At the same time this happened, a metal plate underneath the screen slid open to reveal a compartment inside. There was a small round plate on the bottom and above on the top of the compartment another round plate.

“This is where you would place the Poké Ball,” Yuu said pointing to the round metal plate at the bottom.

“Where is the transfer going?” Rotomi asked again. Yuu ignored the question as he continued his explanation. 

“Once you place the Poké Ball there you would give Rotomi a location to transfer it to like another Pokémon Center, trainer, or a Professor. After that, the Poké Ball will change into the same red energy you see when a Pokémon gets returned to the Poké Ball. Then you place the Poke Ball into the chamber and then it’s taken to the location.” said Yuu.

“I think I understand,” Zuko said as he peered inside the compartment. 

“Interesting,” Azula hummed softly.

“Rotomi you can cancel the transfer,” Yuu said.

“Cancelling transfer,” Rotomi said.

“Yuu, I was wondering about something else you said, what exactly is a Poké Job?” Aang asked. 

“People post jobs they need help with, and any trainer who sees it can choose to send one of their Pokémon out to help with that job. Your Pokémon will be gone for a certain amount of time before coming back to you. And, the money you make varies from job to job.” Yuu explained.

“You all aren’t asking the most important question!” Sokka exclaimed with an annoyed huff, “How are we going to use this to talk to Professor Pine?!” Sokka asked.

“Professors tend to be on the hotline for trainers to contact for Pokémon related services. Let me show you,” Yuu said as he then turns over to Rotomi. “Rotomi, can you please call Professor Pine?” Yuu asked the machine. 

“Calling Professor Pine,” Rotomi said. Suddenly, a phone icon appears on the screen as it switches to a dual-screen setup. The machine began to beep a dial tone as they waited for Professor Pine to pick up. A few moments passed and soon enough the screen changed and Professor Pine appeared. 

“Hello, this is Professor Pine, and oh! Well if it isn’t Yuu and everyone else! Hello!” Professor Pine greeted them with a large smile. 

“Hello!” Everyone greeted back. 

“How has everything been going since leaving Mian Town?” He asked.

“Interesting to say the least,” Yuu said with a sheepish smile.

“Well I do like to hear interesting things so why don't you guys fill me in?” Professor Pine asked.

“Not too long after we left your lab I caught a Pikachu,” Azula said proudly. 

“And I caught a Matoic!” Zuko was quick to say.

“Excellent I’m happy to hear that!” Professor Pine said pleased to hear the news. 

“We made it to Youchuan Town safely,” Yuu explained to the Professor. “And once we got here we met this nice woman named Jyajy,” Yuu said.

“Really?” Professor Pine said surprised to hear the news. 

“Yeah she was really taken with Aang and his friends- more particularly the way they dress,” said Yuu.

“She invited us back to her hotel, and offered to make us clothes; turns out Jyajy is a big fashion designer, and she’s actually in the process of making our new clothes right now!” Aang said excitedly.

“Wow! It seems you lot ran into quite the interesting individual!" Pine said with a bright smile.

“That's an understatement," Yuu said with a small smile. “Anyway before she could actually make their clothes she needed us to gather berries in order to make different dyes, she asked us to go fetch the berries for her and we headed to Route 2. We collected a good amount of berries and attracted a group of Halyodor and Halystungent! We managed to run them off!” Yuu said.

“Oh! Those Bug-Type Pokémon are fairly common in the forests in these parts,” said Professor Pine.

“Yea. However, that unfortunately was not the only encounter we had before coming back to Youchun Town...” Yuu said lowering his tone slightly.

 “Oh. Well, I don't like the sound of that,” Professor Pine said with a frown. 

“On our way back from Route 2 and we encountered two people who work for Team Vekros,” Yuu explained. Hearing this, Professor Pine’s smile dropped into a frown.

“Oh, dear…” Professor Pine said as he leaned closer to the computer screen. “Tell me everything that happened." Professor Pine peered into Yuu’s eyes, eager to hear more of their encounter. 

“We encountered Grunts so it wasn't as bad as it could have been, they told us that they wanted to steal our Pokémon,” Yuu said as he looked over to the rest of the group. “Aang, Zuko, Azula, and I all managed to defeat them in a Pokémon battle and run them off, and after the battle, I shared with everyone what little I know about them. But, I request that you share with us all that you know about Team Vekros since our journey might have us going head-to-head with them again." Yuu continued. 

“Yuu was telling us about an outbreak tied back to them…” Suki said with a frown.

“Ah yes,” Professor Pine said with a heavy sigh. “Well… I can understand wanting more information on them, it is something that all trainers should be well educated on but I had hoped you would not meet them to need to know about them. I honestly should have told you about Team Vekros before you left but I didn’t want to discourage your journey by plaguing it with danger.”

“That is similar to what Yuu said,” Azula pointed out. Hearing this, Yuu dropped his head as a wave of guilt came over him. 

“I see. Well, I will share with you what I know but keep in mind it’s merely what I was able to dig up myself,” said Professor Pine as he rubbed his chin, “Team Vekros is as lucrative as they come, being affiliated with the black market and I’m shocked you ran into them along the Liyi peninsula."

“The black market?...” questioned Suki.

“That would be anything pertaining to illegal transports and deals,” said Yuu.

“But, why would that be shocking to run across them on the Liyi peninsula?” Zuko questioned. Professor Pine hummed as he thought of a way to answer Zuko’s question.

“It’s just an area not often visited by other people and not much has happened here recently that would warrant their interest. Sure, you would think having a mass of wealthy people would attract terrorists but they seem to not like this area as the Pokémon around here are not necessarily the most extravagant selection compared to other parts of Huoli. However, that is a theory…” said Professor Pine.

“They do tend to target unique Pokémon, that is why they wanted Lemaki and Pikachu,” said Yuu.

“Which that in of itself is interesting as Lemaki really are extremely common here… then again one factor of that group is their unpredictability and chaos within their own ranks,” said Professor Pine.

“This sounds all nice but I don’t think their infamy just comes from them just trying to steal Pokémon around a bunch of rich people... “ Azula said as she narrowed her eyes at Professor Pine.

“R-Right…” said Professor Pine before he cleared his throat, “You see Team Vekros is a very dangerous terrorist group whose activity in the region has been steadily growing in the past couple of years. Just 4 years ago, there was a major incident around in the dense forests of Liyi- near a place called The Land Bridge. There many Pokémon in that area started to go ballistic; killing other Pokémon and humans who went near them. Pokémon who would come in contact with these rampaging Pokémon would soon rampage on their own. And, since this incident, we have been noticing a decrease in Pokémon. The cause of this phenomenon is a trend we like to call the Vekros Virus.” Professor Pine continued. Hearing the phenomenon's name sent an eerie feeling across the group, Yuu especially as he starts to recount reports of the Vekros Virus in his mind.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“The Vekros… Virus?” Aang questioned as a shiver went down Yuu's spine.

“That outbreak… I think it was the main thing that scared my mom into not letting me on my journey,” Yuu said softly.

“So Pokémon were infected with a virus, and they went mad?” Toph asked.

“That is the theory yes. We have no idea how to really prove its origin or its contents but we know it exists, and we know that Team Vekros distributes it." Professor Pine explained.

"Who is this 'we' you keep speaking of?" Azula asked, raising her eyebrows slightly as she did so.

"Those in places of power in the Pokémon League of Huoli,” said Professor Pine in a hushed tone.

“Why would Vekros want to do that to Pokémon?” asked Sokka.

“That is a very good question that we have been trying to figure out…” said Professor Pine as he rubbed his chin, “The outbreak was so massive that it spread to almost every corner of Liyi Island. It is often called the Outbreak of The Land Bridge because that was where the epicenter was said to be."

“So, is the land bridge still contaminated? Will we encounter this virus if we need to cross over it?" asked Katara.

"I would expect an area like that to not be accessible by normal citizens," Azula said turning to a worried looking Katara.

“The land bridge isn't cut off, It’s not a dangerous area- at least anymore... It’s just a very unfortunate event took place there,” said Yuu as he turned to look at both girls.

“Right. The land bridge is safe to cross now,” said Professor Pine as he starts to fumble around with some papers in front of him, “It was only with the merciless efforts of Lumos that thousands of lives were not lost in neighboring settlements of Hualhai, Longchime, Gongdao, and Liutan City. Oh, where are my notes on this? I know I have more information about that specific event…” he mumbled.

“Lumos?” questioned Sokka- feeling like he has never heard of that word before, "What's a Lumos?".

“Oh! Right of course you wouldn't know who Lumos is... Well, if you turn around there is a promotional flyer for people to join their covenant,” said Professor Pine. Suddenly, the group all face the other direction. There, they saw a white and yellow colored flyer. On it was a symbol of a yellow hexagonal figure, within it was a white cross which divided it with slightly bigger spaces on the upper right and slightly off center to the left, and had triangles on the four ends of the cross. Inside was a yellow circle, and within it was the letter ‘L’ in White.

“Yea, Lumos. They are a big conglomerate in our region; basically, the epicenter of religion and religious practices” responded Yuu. relig

“Religion... I'm unfamiliar with that word,” Suki said around her the others, with the exception of Yuu and Pine, began to nod as well. Yuu and the Professor shared a bewildered look before Yuu cleared his throat.

“In layman's terms, a religion is when a group of people comes together to worship a higher power,” said Yuu. "People come together to perform certain rituals and praise said power. For different religions that higher being is different and so are the rituals and means of worship."

"How many religions are there?" Sokka asked.

"Many, too many to name right now," Yuu said with a soft smile.  "In our world, we have Pokémon legends; these are myths about how our world has come to be. Most people often worship these Pokémon deities of old. Because of this, 'religion' spawns in various ways and ideologies. I guess you could consider the Pokémon History of all the regions to be the one 'main religion' because humankind revolves around them. But, even in Pokémon History are there deities that are hailed that are 'myths'..” he continued as he contemplated his thoughts about the matter.

“Lumos would be an entity within Huoli that spews their own ideology to the masses,” said Professor Pine injecting himself back into the conversation, “And, their ideology is heavily intertwined with the current state of our region. You see, there is a legend of  ‘The Ancient Ones’; massive creatures who used to carry civilizations of old on their backs when the world was young and fragile. Special entities were able to ‘command’ such creatures in tales, and guide humanity in the right direction; these were The Chosen Ones among The Sacred Families of Huoli. How this relates to Lumos is that in more recent times, and are set on upkeeping the ancient rituals of old Sacred Families through their practice. The Sacred Families are the last remnants of those who 'piloted' The Ancient Ones. It is also said that when the Pokémon League started in ancient times, the Champion would also be someone to pilot these ancient Pokémon." Professor Pine continued.

“Woah... They all sound really important,” said Zuko.

“And controversial...” Yuu said gently.

“Huh? Why?” Katara asked.

“There used to be many families who were chosen to mount The Ancient Ones. However, in current times, there are only 3 Sacred Families; the Huateng, Qianye, and Beihe Families. How this number dwindled is littered in mystery... Some say they naturally died out, others say they all fought in wars with other nations. In some texts, the disappearance is due to Pokémon- but in others, it was the Sacred Families themselves that caused it. One such family is ‘aligned’ with Lumos; the family that resides in Hualhai, the Huateng. You might also hear them called The Royal Family because of their status above the others, and their wealth. I don’t know much as to the history between them, but basically, Lumos allied with that family and they do weird rituals in the name of ‘The Ancient Ones’. These 'rituals' they uphold are not something cute and nice” Yuu explained.

“Like?” asked Sokka. Professor Pine frowned as he turned his head away from the group.

“They take rampaging Pokémon or Pokémon that are 'impure’ and they 'cleanse' them, that energy is then offered to The Ancient Ones. However... the methods which are done are a bit questionable. Some say this energy is merely absorbed from them, others say they are killed” said Professor Pine. The girls in the room gasp as they hear this.

“T-This is starting to get weird…” said Toph.

“Huoli customs tend to be,” Yuu said with a deadpan expression.

“But, to be fair, the 'rituals' are not too different than how our modern day Gym Challenges work, however,” said Professor Pine as he pulled out a sheet of paper, “Here look, this is a Pedestal,” he continued. On the paper was a design of an abstract column, with a podium at the top with a spherical orb resting above.

“And that is?” asked Aang.

“Oh! I remember that! Let me explain Professor!” said an excited Yuu.

“Sure, go ahead!” said Professor Pine.

“Okay, so Gym Leaders are fought in Temples, which are converted into Gyms- and are specially made power spots. They were used in ancient times to offer energy to Pokémon battles fought back to the earth in a ritual cycle. Gym Leaders would also have trainers complete Gym Trials to prove their worthiness to face the leader. During battles, the energy expended would be stored in Pedestals which would harness the energy to help power cities, as well as be a beacon of energy for Pokémon. That ‘energy’ from battles would often be offered to The Ancient Ones in Rituals,” said Yuu. 

“Lumos tweaked this mechanic, and use it to purify Pokémon. This relates to the outbreak because it became a huge fight over the energy these objects collect as well; two factions wanting the energy for two different reasons...” said Professor Pine as the group start to slowly piece together all the information they are being told. However, the group has a long way ahead of them before they truly understood the world around them, and as they start to think about it slowly they form their own opinions on the matter...

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“Well, when you think about it, what Lumos is doing doesn't actually sound that bad,” Katara said thoughtfully as she thought of everything that had been just explained to them.

"Yeah, I agree,” Suki said turning to look at her friend. 

“I dunno; sounds kinda weird to me," Toph said as she shrugged.

“I never said Lumos was bad so to speak, just controversial,” Yuu said softly.

“But I don’t really get the issue with them in the first place,” Sokka said as he glanced over to Yuu.

“Me either,” Zuko said turning to look at Yuu as well.

“Me three!” Aang said causing Professor Pine to laugh. When he calmed down, he cleared his throat before speaking again.

“Many Huolian citizens far from Lumos’ stronghold in Hualhai City think that their ideology on The Ancient Ones is- well, for a lack of a better word, stupid. ” Professor Pine explained.

“Ahh…” Aang, Zuko, and Sokka said all at once causing Azula and Katara to roll their eyes and scoff at their reaction. Turning away from the boys Azula looked back at a still smiling Professor Pine.

“Well all of this information is interesting, but I'm struggling to understand how any of this connects back to Vekros?” Azula said.

“Because Vekros rose up in opposition of Lumos and the Sacred Families- opposing Lumos’ practices. However, they cause more bad than good,” said Professor Pine.

“Team Vekros also attempts to steal the energy that Lumos gathers, as well as create chaos that disrupts the harmony of the ritual process. It’s just a lot of religious and spiritual mumbo-jumbo,” said Yuu with a shake of his head.

“Why does Vekros want that energy?” asked Zuko.

“Your guess is as good as mine. However, I think that their collection of that energy tied to the Vekros Virus ties to Domestication,” said Professor Pine.

“How so?” asked Aang.

“Well, I have to reiterate that this is all just a theory… But I mentioned to you earlier that I think the process of these Pokémon’s creation is ‘man-made’... I think that whatever they are doing using that energy creates them. Or... I don’t know… agh, that is the part I don’t get… can such energy be used to create a virus?” Professor Pine questioned softly as he turned away from the rest of the group. A scowl set upon as features as he thought over his own question.

“And this energy collected… what exactly is it?” asked Suki.

“...Uh... Like... Pokémon Energy...” The Professor said; his voice shook slightly as he spoke.

“You sound… Unsure Professor,” Yuu said with a slight frown. 

“I just research Domestic Pokémon! Not the collection of Pokémon energy, although, it is unique enough to warrant it!” said Professor Pine, a soft blush beginning to color his cheeks.

“I see…” Suki said softly. "...I think?"

“Pokémon have been used as a source of power in many regions, however, so this is not something that is a foreign practice; perhaps the method but… Regardless, it is not something very unique that needs direct study really in my opinion; every living thing has energy, and in various ways that energy can be harvested and utilized” said Professor Pine, causing the group around Yuu to nod their heads in understanding.

“And the Pedestals is one method to do so,” Azula said softly.

“Exactly,” Professor Pine said with a nod.

“All this talk about Pokémon, It sounds similar to chi, the spiritual energy that flows through all living things in our world," Katara said thoughtfully saying what all of her friends around her were thinking. Though as Katara spoke Toph began to frown deeply.

"So... When a Pokémon loses all of their energy, does that mean..." Toph trailed off. Professor Pine cleared his throat once more before finishing Toph's thought.

“That… Would result in their death,” said Professor Pine.

“Oh…” Aang said a sad look passing over his face. A heavy silence fell over the group, it was Yuu who broke it.

“And in Gym battles, that same energy is harvested?...” Yuu asked with a conflicted look on his face.

“The Pokémon energy that is expelled as battles go on, yes. It is the only energy that has already been used, and is collected in the Pedestal; it's not siphoned from Pokémon or anything.” Professor Pine explained causing Yuu to relax.

“That sounds a lot better,” Aang said with a sigh of relief.

“All this information is starting to make my head hurt, I thought we came here just to learn about a virus…” Sokka groaned as he rubbed his head. Katara scowled at him as the Professor chuckled.

“It is all connected Sokka,” Professor Pine promised. 

“Sokka this is a brand new world to us, it's good to get as much information on it as we can," Katara said as she scolded her brother. "Don't worry Professor Pine, the rest of us are following you and we're happy to learn." 

"Good," Professor Pine said as he smiled at Katara and the rest of the group.

“Professor Pine I have a question; Is the Pedestal technology that is used in Gym Temples and used for Lumos rituals to collect their energy for their religious practices that same technology now is stolen by Vekros to use for their exploits, could all of that be connected?” asked Yuu.

“That is another theory yes. Again I am not familiar with where this energy comes from or why it is even collected for these ‘Ancient Ones’... Domestication is not something in historical documents like the Gym Temples and the energy collection is,” said Professor Pine.

“Really?” asked Yuu.

“Really. Domestication is something that has happened, I would say in the last 100 years, which to you is a lot of time, but in evolution, it is not,” said Professor Pine as he goes through his notes once more. Suddenly, he pulled out a picture of a man, “Regional Variants and Domestic Pokémon are fairly similar but their method of creation is not. I came to Huoli as a Pokémon Professor after traveling with another Professor, Professor Sycamore, in Kalos who I am in his picture with.” he continued. They all then leaned into the monitor as they all looked at a fair-skinned man with black oddly curled hair, and gray eyes, wearing similar clothes to a younger Professor Pine.

“Awe! You look so cute! When was this taken?” Suki asked. Professor Pine blushed while Sokka began to pout at Suki's comment.

“I-It was some time ago…” Pine stammered. "I was much younger then."

“And how old are you now?" Zuko asked with a bemused look.

“25,” Professor Pine said his face red hot from all the attention now on him.

“You seem a bit embarrassed Professor Pine, are you young for your position?" Azula asked with a smirk. 

“Most Pokémon Professors, especially the ones that are most respected, have studied their field for many, many years... Professor Sycamore has studied another phenomenon in his Region Mega Evolution, that happens in Kalos to certain Pokémon; which is basically a phenomenon where Pokémon temporarily evolve into a unique form using stones and the bonds with their trainers. I was interested in following him because what interested me was Genetics in Pokémon which lead me to Huoli when I heard of a rare genetic phenomenon of Domestication from other Scientists and Professors in the area,” Professor Pine explained.

“So, they didn’t think it was essential to focus on where these new Pokémon were coming from, and what would happen to them as a result of them being there?” asked Yuu. Professor Pine scratched his head at the question.

“It’s not that new Pokémon just came out of thin air… Oh dear, how do I explain this… Domestic Pokémon existed long before people realized it was a thing, and by then they were so similar to Regional Variants that many didn’t understand the difference; many still don’t. Some Pokémon in our region might be Domestic Pokémon, and we do not know.” said Professor Pine.

“Interesting…” Azula said softly.

"Confusing..." Zuko said at the same time.

“You said you fought a Gossipuwei correct? That was easily recognizable as a Domestic Pokémon, and not a Regional Variant of Gossifleur, because of what was physically in its body; there’s energy and molecules within their body that… you just would not find in a Pokémon.” said Professor Pine. Hearing this aloud, the mood suddenly changed amongst the group; as if the air was thickening around them.

“Oh," Yuu said.

At this moment, Yuu started to open his mind on all of the things in his world that he truly has been sheltered from; much of this had only been things that he heard of- but many of these instances involved real people, and the Pokémon turned rampant- the same ones that held his own journey- were once harmless Pokémon like the ones around him that are now his friends. As Yuu thought of this Professor Pine started to clear his throat to speak more...

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“I apologize; I didn’t mean to make these so drab, it is just the reality of the region around you…” said, Professor Pine.

“N-No, Professor! This is valuable information to know!” said Yuu.

“I agree,” said Aang.

“Gathering as much information about the anomalies of this world might be for the best since the entire reason we are here is an anomaly in of itself,” said Azula.

“I think so as well,” said Zuko.

“And this is an ongoing research for you… Is it hard because not many pay attention to it?” asked Katara.

“Very …” said Professor as he sighs and rubs his head, “And since the research goes hand-in-hand with Team Vekros I have to be very careful in what I say; since I also proctor new up-and-coming trainers, you do not want to use your knowledge to run someone else's dreams,” he continued. Suddenly, everyone turns to Yuu. Seeing the spotlight on him, he suddenly connects the dots and starts to blush.

“All this time I studied under you since I could not leave due to Team Vekros- but you chose not to keep me ignorant about them… But, you also didn’t tell me all of your research for a reason...” said Yuu.

“Sorry if I ever intentionally didn’t… I am also sorry your mother could never be convinced otherwise. In truth- when the outbreak happened, she came to me and wanted to know everything, ” said Professor Pine.

“R-Really?” asked Yuu.

“Yes. And, that knowledge is what kept you from leaving. I regretted it. So, that was also part of the reason I wanted you as my student; how could I live knowing my own influence caused a trainer to not go on a journey?...” said Professor Pine as he lowers his head.

“Wow…” said Sokka.

“To think a group could affect someone's life so much without them even meeting once until now...” said Katara.

“I didn’t know that all of that was happening behind me…” said Yuu. Suddenly, his mind trailed off to a specific thing she said once; ‘ even after all my conjectures against it... ’

“Professor… She must have believed that I could finally fend off for myself, but that decision had to be also due to her guilt”. Suddenly, Professor Pine sighs.

“Please do not resent her because of me; it isn’t like I didn’t think similarly. But, I wanted to prepare you for whenever she allowed you to. So, I give thanks to your group- because I wonder if that would have been possible without your intriguing story,” said Professor Pine.

“Hehe, who knows… But, I am glad I could help out even if it was a little” said Aang as he laughs nervously.

“So- with all of that said… How should we go about our journey with Team Vekros?” asked Katara.

“I would hope that you never have to run into them again; you are lucky that it was just some Grunts who just wanted to steal Pokémon; I can tell that the higher ups in Supervoid have more in store. But if you do- well, two choices; either fend them off and secure your safety as best as you can or hope that Lumos is there to save you,” said Professor Pine. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Yuu’s mind.

“Oh yes! The Grunts also mentioned Supervoid. Professor, Who are they again?” asked Yuu.

“From what I know, they are the highest functioning and most dangerous group- within Team Vekros; anyone with that title assigned to them you must evade at all costs for your own safety,” said Professor Pine.

“What do they do specifically?” asked Zuko.

“I am not sure… They just spearhead a lot of the heinous activity under the Vekros name. I have never encountered them but when crimes are committed by specifically Supervoid, they make sure their name is heard. What I can tell you is that they seem to not really have Pokémon Trainers as their main targets- but often involve them in their exploits, ” said Professor Pine.

“Well, perhaps along our journey- with figuring out this whole bending thing- we can help you with your research, Professor!” said Yuu.

“Hehe, well- it would be nice to have some on-site personnel to help discover the connection between Team Vekros, and Domestic Pokémon. I wonder if it could be correlated to your bringing to our world… Huh… If you can help at all I would not turn that down!” said Professor Pine.

“Well learning more about this seemingly unknown virus would help us as well,” said Katara.

“Right. And again those within the league would probably know more about this subject than I would- so seeking out their knowledge might be imperative when the going gets tough” said Professor Pine.

“Sure I just hope whatever conversation we have with them won’t be as long as this one!...” said Sokka. Suddenly, Katara elbowed Sokka’s side.

“Sokka! Manners!” shouts Katara.

“Ow!” shouts Sokka.

“Well, I am sorry for the really long explanation- but I’m glad that you all now have the knowledge,” said Professor Pine

“Don’t mind the dunderhead, Professor” Toph said.

“Guys; this is all information that we should not forget; we don’t want more innocent Pokémon to rampage if we can do something about it too!” said Aang.

“Just like the Avatar to want to save every living creature he comes across,” said Azula as she smirks.

“Well, the thought of Pokémon being forced into something so tragic… It makes me a bit mad. What if Lemaki or Lingliu get turned to viruses?...” questioned Aang. Suddenly, Yuu starts to consider the same idea- as well as Azula and Zuko with their respective Pokémon.

“Lingliu…” says Yuu as he tilts his head down to the floor- contemplating what he would do if such a thing happened. Seeing the dramatic shift in the air once more, Professor Pine goes to clear his throat once more.

“S-So... Has anyone else decided if they want to take part in the Pokémon League alongside Yuu yet or all you all still deciding?” asked Professor Pine. Suddenly, Azula perked her head up and faced the Professor.

“Actually I’ve become interested in signing up,” Azula said.

“Me too!” Zuko said. 

“I- I was actually thinking of signing up as well,” Sokka said a little sheepishly.

“Really, Sokka?” asked Katara.

“Yea; seeing you all battle is kinda cool! I think at least signing up and seeing where I go with it wouldn’t hurt,” said Sokka.

“Then I’ll be your number-one fan!!!💖” said Suki as she hugs Sokka.

“Awe~... Thanks, babe” said Sokka.

“Uh… I think I’m good for now” said Katara.

“Me too; probably not a good idea for me to be Pokémon battling right now anyways…” said Toph.

“N-Nonsense! The bond between you and your Pokémon can guide you to victory!” said Yuu.

“That may be true, but if I can’t see moves happen- I can’t guide Pokémon accurately,” said Toph.

“T-True...” said Yuu.

“Well, I like my Lemaki and all but I don’t think I want to participate. It still is a competition where you make Pokémon battle each other… But, I don’t mind watching you all try,” said Aang.

“Well compared to what you were saying when we started, I will take that,” said Yuu.

“Well, brilliant!” Professor Pine said as he folds through his papers once more, “I can sign up all up from here! Now remember if anyone else wants to sign up you can do so at any point- just contact me through Rotomi and I can do it for you.” As Professor Pine said this he pulled out some documents that will be used to sign Azula, Zuko, and Sokka up. When he was done he turned his attention back toward them. 

“Now for the issue of your Pokédex I’ll have to make my way to Hotel Scwalea to deliver them to you; I was meaning to head that direction for research purposes anyways so it is convenient for me,” Professor Pine said.

“Oh really? Anything exciting, Professor?” asked Yuu.

“You will find out soon enough, hehe. Just field studies on theories that I do not have enough info to accurately speak on them yet; nothing that you should be putting your little nose in for now my boy!” said Professor Pine as he chuckles.

“W-Well, I was shadowing you for 4 years Professor; if I had the want, I could very well be a Professor in your wake!” exclaimed Yuu. Hearing this causes Professor Pine to laugh.
“Perhaps, Yuu, perhaps,” said Professor Pine.

“Why do we need our own Pokédex? Shouldn’t we be fine with Rotom Pokédex?” Sokka asked.

“Well, as long as you’re with Yuu then you probably won’t have much use for them, but every Pokémon Trainer participating in the Gym Challenge should have their own Pokédex; you never know when you’ll need one.” Professor Pine explained. 

“So does that mean we’ll each have a Rotom Pokédex?” Zuko asked. 

“Well actually no,” Professor Pine said with an apologetic smile. “I ran out of Rotom to place within them so you’ll three have to make do with the older models I have here at my lab. I was also thinking of hopping on the new trend I have been seeing from Galar and fusing them in phones- but I think a Rotom Pokédex, for now, is alright. Anyways don't worry; they’ll still hold all the same information that Rotom Pokédex does,” Professor Pine said. 

“Well okay, Professor. Well, we have to be in town for another day anyways since we still have more Jyajy-related things to do. When will you be here?” asked Yuu.

“I should be there tomorrow,” said Professor Pine.

“Great! We will see you then!” said Yuu.

“Good. Now, if you guys don't need anything else, I’m going to need to be going now and prepare to head to Youchuan Town; Professors can’t get much done just chattin’ on the phone!” Professor Pine said. 

“Alright, we’ll speak with you soon!” Yuu said. They all bid Professor Pine farewell before clicking the Rotomi off.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

The group headed out of the Pokémon Center and back towards the hotel where the gang all loaded into the elevator to head back up to their floor. Just as the elevator doors opened, Sokka’s stomach let out a loud growl.

“Is that your Pokémon Cry?” asked Yuu, joking with Sokka.

“Sorry!” Sokka said with a slight blush as everyone glanced at him. “I’m just really hungry!” 

“I could eat something as well...” Katara said as they all stepped out of the elevator and into the hallway.

“Food sounds pretty good right about now,” Zuko said, beside him, Azula silently nodded in agreement. 

“Food does sound good right about now,” Yuu agreed as his stomach let out a small growl as well. “Hey! I have an idea; let's order some room service!”

“What’s room service?” Aang asked.

“When you stay at a hotel you can have food ordered up to your room,” Yuu said with a small smile. “And I have a feeling that a hotel as nice as Scwalea will have some pretty tasty food! Each one of our rooms should have a menu and a phone to call down to the front desk.”

“I would rather share a meal together than eat by ourselves,” Aang said with a sweet smile. 

“That actually sounds really nice,” Yuu said softly as he motions to his room. “Come on- why don't we head into my room and I’ll order the food.” Yuu offered as he started to walk towards his room. 

“Awesome! Let’s go!” said Sokka. 

“I’m so gonna eat all of Yuu’s food!” said Toph.

“Toph- I think it’s food complimentary of the Hotel; so, you would be eating all the Hotel’s food,” Katara corrected.

“Ahh- I get it…” said Toph. As the rest all start to follow Yuu, Yuu began to feel like they were all pleased with the idea of a group meal. With that in his mind, Yuu opened the door to his room and had everyone settle down around his space. 

“Please- sit anywhere!” said Yuu. Sokka and Suki sat on the edge of Yuu’s bed while Toph took a seat at the desk chair, Katara sat down on the floor beside the desk and Aang took a seat beside her. Azula and Zuko stood together and leaned against one of the walls of the room. Walking over to the nightstand Yuu picked up the room service menu left there.

“Let’s see what we have here,” Yuu said as he looked over the menu. “Ohhh! They have burgers with fries, pizzas, nachos, steak... Ohh they even have steamed Krabby legs… Oh man, all of this stuff sounds really good!”

“What should we eat?” Yuu asked as he looked up at them.

“It all sounds good,” Suki said, turning to look at Yuu. “But I’m not sure what some of that stuff is! What’s in a burger and fries?” Yuu laughed at Suki’s question. 

“Well a burger is a piece of meat between two buns, you can put anything on it but usually it comes with lettuce, tomato, and onions. And fries are chopped up potatoes fried in oil.” Yuu explained. “And a pizza is a round piece of dough that’s been flattened out and baked with a topping of tomato sauce and cheese, it typically has meat or vegetables added.” 

“What’s a nacho?” Aang asked causing Yuu to laugh again.

“Nachos are corn chips with melted cheese on top. And steak-” 

“We have steak in our world,” Azula said- cutting Yuu off. Hearing this, Yuu starts to nod.

“And Krabby legs sounds like a dish we have in our world as well. It’s called Turtle crab legs, it’s a dish that’s really popular in the Fire Nation.” Zuko said.

“A Turtle crab?” Yuu said turning to Zuko with interest.

“It’s a small animal that lives on the beaches of the Fire Nation,” Zuko said with a puffed-out chest, he was excited to be the one explaining things to Yuu for a change. “It’s a crustacean with a large green shell on its back.”

“Oh wow,” Yuu said as he tried to imagine what that animal would look like.

“Can we get back on the subject of what we should be eating?” Toph demanded cutting through Zuko and Yuu’s conversation.

“Well... From what Yuu explained it all sounds good. I’m not sure I can decide!” said Katara.

“Jyajy said to help ourselves to anything we want,” Azula pointed out. 

“Within reason,” Aang was quick to remind the princess. “She did ask us to keep the money tab under a certain range.” Yuu looked at the prices on the menu and began to add them up in his head.

“Well, if we theoretically ordered everything on the menu we would still be well under the money tab of 500,000,” Yuu said as he looked back up from the menu.

“Then let’s just order the whole menu!” Toph suggested. 

“I second that idea!” Sokka chirped happily.

“Hmm well… I guess Jyajy did give us her blessing,” Yuu said with a small smile before picking up the phone on the counter and calling down to the front office. While he was on the phone everyone settled down and began to relax. 

*****

A little time passed and eventually, a knock came at the door.

“Room service!” A man called from the other side of the door. Hearing this call, Yuu answered the door. Suddenly, five butlers came in pushing large, cloth-covered carts with a multitude of trays covered with silver dome lids. The butlers all uncovered the tray to show a different variety of foods- and under one tray were bowls filled with Pokémon food. 

“Thank you!” Aang said to the butlers. 

“Of course sir,” one said before leading the other four out of the room. 

“Food! Finally!” Sokka said as he jumped up to his feet once they left. “Where do we start?!” He asked as he looked at all of it laid out in front of them. 

“Anywhere you want,” Yuu said as he reached forward and took two of the bowls filled with Pokémon food off the trays. He placed them down on the floor before pulling out Luckrane and Lingliu’s Poke Balls.

“Come on out you two it’s time to eat!” Yuu said as he released them from their Poke Ball. The moment the two saw the food in front of them they hurried forward toward the bowls.

“Ling! Lingliu!” It cried as it began to eagerly eat.

“Luckrane Luck,” It said as it looked down at the brown cylinder shape pieces of food. Leaning forward Luckrane plucked one out of the bowl and its eyes went wide with how good the food tasted. It flapped its wings in delight and puffed out its feathers.

“It tastes good huh?” Yuu asked with a small smile.

“Luck! Luck!” Luckrane said as it continued to eat. Azula and Zuko imitated Yuu’s actions and placed the bowls down in front of the floor before releasing Pikachu and Matoic from their Poke Balls. Both Pikachu and Matoic eagerly hurried towards their food and began to eat as well. 

“Hmm, I wonder what their food tastes like...” Zuko said as he watched Matoic eat. 

“Matoic! Matoic!” Matoic said happily before nudging its bowl forward for Zuko to try. Zuko shrugged and threw caution to the wind as he picked up a piece of food and plucked it into his mouth. A moment later Zuko’s face began to turn green and he choked on the disgusting tasting food.

“Gross! How can you eat that?!” Zuko asked causing Matoic to laugh before it began to eat and enjoy its food. Pikachu leaned forward and nudged its bowl offering Azula its food in the same manner that Matoic had. 

“I’ll pass,” she said with a deadpan look causing Pikachu to shrug as it began to eat. The three of them left their Pokémon to eat as they headed over to the food intended for them. Reaching forward Yuu took a burger off one of the platters. 

“Do you want one Aang?” He asked, waving the burger in front of his friend's face. Aang shook his head with a nervous smile.

“Oh no thank you; it looks like it has meat in it and I don't eat any meat,” Aang informed Yuu.

“I’m sorry,” Yuu said pulling the burger back.

“It’s okay!” Aang said as he turned to the food, “This all smells really good.” Aang searched around the bountiful table as he looked for something he could eat; all while everyone began to pile food onto their plates, and settle back into their spots to eat. 

“So what kind of clothes do you guys think Jyajy is making for us?” Suki asked between bites of her fries.

“Hopefully something that doesn’t look like her dress,” Katara said wrinkling her nose at the thought of it. 

“Don't be rude Katara,” Aang said softly, “She is making us something for free.” 

“I happen to agree with Katara,” Azula said with a shrug, “Her clothes were bizarre, I wouldn’t be caught dead in something like that.”

“Her dress might be odd but I actually kind of like it,” Suki said with a shrug. “It's unique and makes her stand out. Plus Jyajy’s has been very kind of us- I don't think it's nice to make fun of the way she dresses.” 

“I agree!” Sokka said through a face full of food. 

“Well I’m sure whatever Jyajy makes it’ll look good,” Yuu said.

“After everything we went through to get those berries it better be,” Zuko huffed, and beside him, Azula nodded in agreement. After that, they all focused on eating before calling it a night.

“Let’s all meet up in front of Jyajy’s room around ten,” Yuu said through a yawn. “We can see if she’s ready for us by then.” Everyone else agreed before heading off toward their individual rooms. 

*******

The next morning, everyone met in front of Jyajy’s door at the agreed upon time. Yuu knocked on the door and it immediately swung open. 

“Good morning you all arrived just in time!” Jyajy said as she ushered them all into her room. “Come in! Come in! I hope you all were able to rest easy.” 

“The beds are very fluffy,” Toph observed as they all entered.

“Good I’m glad you enjoyed your sleep, now onto business,” Jyajy said clapping her hands together. “I have finally finished all of your outfits after working through them all night and I think you’ll all really like them!” She said as she hurried over to a clothes rack near the window. On it was an assortment of clothes of various colors, and a few that were in zipped up bags. She took 4 off the rack and held them up in her arms.

“Oh really? Awesome! Let’s see,” said Aang eagerly. Jyajy giggled as she turned around with the bags of clothes.

“Girls first come here! Come here!” Jyajy said waving them over. Somewhat reluctantly, Katara, Toph, Azula, and Suki all walked over to her and took the outfit she had for them. “Alright over to the bathroom and change quickly!”

“Together?” Azula asked with a frown.

“You're all girls aren’t you?” Jyajy asked before pushing them into the bathroom corridor. 

“H-Hey! Not so fast!” said Suki.

“Fashion waits for no one! Ah! I’m so excited! Don’t take long!” said Jyajy as she closed the curtain behind them to the bathroom.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

A few minutes later, Azula came out first with a light blush dusting her cheeks. Azula was wearing a tight black sleeveless turtleneck top with a red jacket over it. She was wearing a pair of black pants that matched her sweater; with red ankle boots that shimmered when she walked. The tip of the iceberg- that drew everyone's attention- was the ornate red and yellow headpiece on her head which resembled the sun behind her.

“Oh, Azula you look good!” Aang said kindly.

“Pika! Pikachu!” Pikachu agreed.

“Of course I do,” Azula said confidently as she looked down at her outfit, “I’m just surprised it's not made out of twigs or something…”. 

“Been there done that,” Jyajy said happily as she moved to examine Azula, “But I must say it looks better than I imagined on you! For you- I needed something that captured the flame of desire that burns in your soul. As such, I dug in the back of my materials for a specific one; a while ago, I tracked down Larvesta in my travels to Unova specifically, so I can use discarded Larvesta horns of regular and shiny variants. Their horns make the unique coloring of the headpiece specifically while the rest is berry dye. ” Jyajy continued. Azula nodded and turned her head to hide her blush.

“Next out come on! Don't be shy!”  Jyajy called out. The door opened and Suki hesitantly walked out of the room. Suki had on a deep green flowy long shirt that hung off of her right shoulder, a pair of black leggings, and black flats. Tying this together was a black corset that was worn on the outside of the flowy shirt- that gave off a dress appearance to it. Sokka’s heart began to beat out of his chest, eyes turning to hearts, as drool dribbled from the corner of his mouth. He felt himself tighten with excitement as he looked at his stunning girlfriend.

“Whoa!~💖” Sokka said with wide eyes. “Suki you look so beautiful 💖!” A large dopey smile had taken over Sokka’s face and it was causing Suki to blush and giggle.

“Ahhh!!! 💖I’m glad you like it Sokka!” Suki said with a wink. “It’s very comfortable and a cute outfit too!”.

“Duh! It would be impossible for it not to be since I made it!” Jyajy said as she scoffed, “The outfit looks absolutely amazing on you because it should! The material is a breathable fabric made of Silcoon silk webbing found on trees in nature preserves. The corset is a hard substance; composed of discarded steel-like talons of Corviknight” she continued.

“W-Wow…” said Yuu, amazed at her craftsmanship.

“Now let's see the next one!” Jyajy called out. Katara and Toph both came out at once. Toph was wearing a green leotard with arm gauntlets attached to them, beige pants, and leg guards that extend down to her ankles. As for Katara, she was wearing a strapless white crop top with a tight light blue cardigan over it. She also had on a dark blue pant-skirt that was ripped along the knees, and black and white canvas shoes. The outfit was finished off with a body necklace that ordained her waist, arms, and chest area beneath her clothes.

“These two were interesting to tailor; such ample bodies deserve the right tug and pull in the right places!” said Jyajy as she moved behind Toph, “For Toph, hers is probably the most engineered for combat. I get the spirit of a Hawlucha from her, so her outfit is very aerodynamic and will never be at risk of breaking seams if you stretch it too far. The pants were dyed with Sitrus Berries that I reduced down to a chemical-like mixture; I then mixed it with Electivire hair and demagnetized it because the hairs are actually absorbents of chemicals. Also, I noticed that she doesn't really wear shoes, so I thought to design leg guards made from blackened Haxorus shelling; the gauntlets are also of the same material. However, I do have shoes made for the outfit if you want them." Suddenly, Toph blushed.

“I was wondering if you were gonna put me in shoes… I didn’t feel any around in the bag I was given. Wow- didn’t know you picked up on that,” said Toph.

“I mean you’re literally the only one not wearing shoes, so...” said Jyajy.

“Toph does look nice,” said Katara as Jyajy crept up behind her.

“Katara has a body that is made for modeling. Luscious hair, nice smooth skin, and an expression that is so endearing. As such, I wanted her outfit to be an extension of that. The top is made out of Sylveon fur, whereas the jewelers that accents the outfit is sand from Gongdao Beach that has been pearlized in the bodies of Clamperl. It is then woven together in a design that was inspired by the insides of Pyukumuku. It sticks to the skin with resin from the flowers that Flabébé carries.” said Jyajy, oozing at the mouth from her own creation.

“I feel like I’m being told so many Pokémon that I don’t know…” said Sokka, his head turning with all the information that Jyajy was giving them. 

“I surely haven't encountered all of those Pokémon before...” said Yuu.

“Your findings Jyajy are top notch. And they all look great!” said Suki as she looks over to the other girls.

“You guys look so good!” Aang said brightly causing Katara to giggle.

“I feel… Expensive… Hehe. It fits pretty nicely, too.” Katara said as she looked down at her outfit. “I like the way it looks on me.”

“Katara, you’re so beautiful in your new outfit,” Aang said with a deep blush, “A-And you too Toph!” He added not wanting to leave her out. Still, Toph scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest defensively. 

“Whatever,” Toph said with a shrug.

“Not whatever you both look stunning and you all exceeded my expectations when I imagined you in these outfits,” Jyajy said. 

“Thank you. We appreciate you making these for us!” Suki said. 

“Yes, thank you very much,” Katara echoed as she bowed her head. 

“No need to thank me,” Jyajy said with a wave of her hand.

“Then I won’t,” Azula said airily causing Toph to snicker. 

“Boys next, boys next!” Jyajy said as if Azula didn't say anything grabbing more bags of outfits that are for the men, “Come over to the rack and get your new outfits!”.

“This should be interesting, haha,” said Yuu.

“I hope they are as good as theirs…” said Aang as he, Sokka, and Zuko all moved over to the rack neck and took their outfits as the girls did before heading into the bathroom…

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

Of the boys, Sokka was the first to come out from the curtain. He came out from the curtain with a large smile on his face and his chest puffed out. Sokka was wearing a dark blue jacket with white sleeves and a hood attached to it. Underneath his jacket, he was wearing a white t-shirt. Sokka also had on a pair of beige canvas pants and sneakers.

“Sokka you look so handsome!💖” Suki said nearly drooling over her boyfriend.

“Thanks, I really like the jacket and the pants!” said Sokka.

“Indeed! I love the way the pants look on you; you’ll actually find that there is a lot of storage room in the pants. That is because they are inspired by the flabby skin of Scraggy and Scrafty,” Jyajy said with a nod of approval.

“I do notice that they are fairly baggy, but also have a lot of compressions. And breezy~” said Sokka.

“Agh!” said Katara as she rolled her eyes.

“Come on, which one of you is next?” asked Jyajy.

“Me!” Aang said before bouncing out of the bathroom. Aang was wearing a yellow, baggy sweatshirt and blue pants that hit the calf. He had on a pair of tan canvas shoes and an orange beanie hanging off the back of his head.

“Oh, Aang you look so cute,” Katara said with a smile. 

“Very handsome,” Yuu said with a nod of his head.

“I love it so much! The hat was a nice touch; the same material as Scrafty skin but fitted to resemble a Danmao ’s head,” Jyajy said with a clap of her hands.

“Oh! Isn’t that the second stage of the Grass-Type Kuasho?!” asked Yuu.

“Yes; often, they are Start-Pokémon, correct?” asked Jyajy.

“Yes,” said Yuu, Aang giggled.

“It’s nice and comfy!” Aang said with a little blush, “I think I look good!” 

“Again I might as well go out of business if I put something on you that didn’t look good,” Jyajy said as she walked over to the bathroom curtain, “Now last but not least- Zuko!” Zuko let out a low grumble before he came out into the room. Zuko, blushed-faced, walked nervously as the group saw that he was wearing a tight red shirt that had short sleeves, with tight black jeans that were ripped in different places along the legs. He had on a pair of black combat boots, and a thick black belt with a large silver buckle. 

“Whoa- you look sleek,” Yuu said.

“Hmph; you actually managed to make my brother not look like a fool,” said Azula.

“S-Shut it…” said Zuko nervously.

“I think you look nice, Zuko!” said Sokka.

“I’m sure it looks as grand as his ego,” said Toph snarkily, causing Jyajy to laugh.

“How does it fit?” asked Jyajy.

“Everything is very tight… But also comfy...  Agh, I feel like I have a wedgie...” Zuko huffed. 

“As it should be! It accents your best features!” Jyajy said. 

“My best features?!” Zuko said a blush covering his face. 

“Now that you’ve all changed, it’s time for our photoshoot!” Jyajy said quickly as she pushed the guys together with the girls, “Men! If you would do me the favor of setting up the backdrop!!”.

“As you wish, Miss Jyajy,” said one of the butlers. Soon after, they get out some rigs for lights and cameras and set up the backdrop for the photoshoot that the group would be participating in.

“They are moving so fast…” said Yuu.

“I get inspiration everywhere; as such, I need to be able to have the appropriate setup and lighting to shoot whatever I need,” said Jyajy.

“I forgot about the photo shoot part…” said Sokka as he sighed.

“Yes! These designs are really prototypes for what I intend to include in my next line but I still am keeping my word in including you in my magazine Myu Myu Magazine !” said Jyajy.

“Sounds fun!” said Katara.

“Hehe, I might even try and get you into Poké Chic Huoli ...I’ll have to speak to the Huolian editor Hermione…” says Jyajy as she trails off in thought.

“Miss Jyajy- we are ready,” said one of the butlers.

“Ah! Alright, Zuko and Azula I’m going to take pictures of you first,” Jyajy said as she pushes Zuko forward, “Now go and stand right in front of the background good just like that!”.

“H-Hey! I can walk!” shouts Zuko. He then followed her instruction and stood in the middle of the white backdrop behind him- in front of lights and cameras. Zuko suddenly froze up never having been in front of a camera like this before. “S-So… What do I do?” asked Zuko.

“Just… Pose!” said Jyajy.

“Like this, Zuko!” says Sokka as he makes a childish pose in the background. Katara then scoffs.

“No- be more professional than that Zuko. Just appear as if you were about to give a speech or something,” said Katara.

“I can give you some poses I take photos all the time!” said Yuu.

“Shush! Zuko only follow my command!” said Jyajy as she waves her hands about.

“O-Okay…” said Zuko.

“Give me Hair! Body! Face!” shouts Jyajy as she began to form for him different poses to mimic. Zuko would attempt to form the pose she would make and not long after a flash of light shined his way causing those who were not used to the flash to flinch due to the bright light.

“Look natural!” Jyajy said as she flashed another picture, “Natural!” She said again. 

“Like- this?” said Zuko as he made another pose. 

“Yaaas!” shouted Jyajy. Feeling more confident, Zuko started to smile.

“Then what about this?” said Zuko striking another pose.

“He’s feeling himself,” said Azula as she rolled her eyes.

“Yea…” said Yuu with his full attention on Zuko.

“That is fine... But, no smiling. Models don’t smile; they look determined, hungry, and luscious. Or, for a lack of better words- dead,” said Jyajy.

“R-Really?” asked Zuko.

“Haha! I’m just pullin’ your leg! But you have to pose with your soul too! It’s not just facial expression,” said Jyajy.

“How… Do I do that?...” pondered Zuko. 

“Don’t think- just pose” said Jyajy as she commands the cameraman to take another picture.

“H-Hey! I wasn’t ready!” said Zuko.

“Always be ready!” shouted Jyajy as she continued to take pictures...

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

After a few more pictures, Zuko started to get more used to the commands; he even started to make his own poses! After Jyajy got her to fill of photos of him he was subbed out for others in rotation. As time went on, they all became more photogenic; getting used to the flash and radiating the essence of a supermodel. This process went on for a few more hours- as they all followed Jyajy’s instructions determinedly. Aang, Sokka, Toph, Katara, Suki, Azula, Zuko, and finally Yuu all became stars in front of Jyajy; putting them in different pairings, and poses, and instructing their poses and how they should look at the camera.

“I think we’re done!” Jyajy finally said, causing everyone to let out a breath of relief. “I think out of all the pictures we’ve taken, I can pick out a few very good ones later!”

“So- what exactly are you going to do with these photos?” Zuko asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Come over to this camera and look at ‘em! Ah, these photos will be going to quite a few places!~” Jyajy said excitedly as she went over to the main camera, and the rest followed. “You weed out the best ones; then, after some editing and magazine stuff on my end bam! You are in magazine stores all over the region!” Jyajy then did some quick editing on her camera to show off just a hint of what she can do, and all their eyes lit up.

“Oooh~...” said the group as they stand there in awe of everyone’s photos; seeing them all in that background light and filters, which made them all feel very good about themselves and confident.

“You know, I have taken and seen a lot of professional photos before, but these...” Yuu said as he analyzed further. 

“Haha! You must have never been this close to someone like me! I have a feeling that this fashion is going to be all the craze in Huoli! I can’t thank you enough for being my muses,” Jyajy said.

“We can’t thank you enough for giving us these outfits,” Aang said.

“Any duds you guys don’t approve of?” asked Jyajy.

“I like all the ones of me so far,” said Suki.

“Me too,” said Katara.

“Me three!” said Sokka in a cheeky tone causing Aang to laugh.

“I just wish I could see them too…” said Toph as she lowered her head. Suddenly, Jyajy walked in front of Toph and picked it back up.

“Fashion- you see that with your heart. Here, what do you think these photos and outfits look like?” asked Jyajy as she tilted her head toward the protector screen.

“I… Um… W-Well, I think they would look really rich-looking, and different from what we normally wear; I wasn’t ever big into caring about what I looked like,” said Toph. Jyajy then laughed.

“But what if I actually put you in the most ‘hideous’ thing I could think of?” asked Jyajy.

“Well I wouldn’t be able to tell,” said Toph.

“What do you think?” asked Jyajy.

“... Well- I feel comfortable in this… And, how it makes me feel when I am wearing it makes me feel like me … So, I don’t think it's hideous if I feel so content in it,” said Toph.

“And that is Fashion folks! An extension of one's soul worn on human skin,” shouts Jyajy as she smiles ear-to-ear, “I hope others feel similar.”

“I kinda do…” said Suki.

“Me as well,” said Aang.

“Is my soul tight?...” questioned Zuko.

“Thank you for making these outfits for us; I think we look more in place with Yuu as well,” Katara added.

“Well- not sure what you mean by that- but It was my pleasure, I still have a lot of work to do,” said Jyajy as she goes over to her clothing rack, “You said your name was Yuuyin Yuumen, right- my blue-haired friend?” asked Jyajy to Yuu.

“Huh? Yea, why?” asked Yuu causing Jyajy to laugh.

“I apologize if you feel left out on not getting an outfit; there’s no way I could make something to replace Hermoine’s own work… But, take care of your unique friends; I can tell that they are all accumulated around you- as if you are the glue that holds the group together,” said Jyajy.

“Huh?” said Azula- not quite sure what Jyajy meant.

“Really?...” said Yuu.

“I think fate has aligned us all to meet for some reason… Soon we will see why… In the meantime- I’m gonna go back to what I do best- fashion! I will keep in touch with you all,” said Jyajy.

“Oh! Before I forget- can I get your contact info? How will we know when the photos will be in the magazine?” asked Yuu.

“Trust- we will meet again. When we do is when it will be ready; this isn’t me being a tease it is really for confidentiality. You already approve of the photos, so I’ll be reaching out to you to let you know when it’s done. I have a lot going on so I am not sure if I will be releasing them in the next issue or perhaps a bit down the line. But- I know that when the world sees you is when they are ready to; when that point happens, the world will change,” said Jyajy.

“I am honored that you think so highly of us!” said Yuu. Jyajy then giggled.

“Okay; I think this is where we part for now; I’m sure I have held you guys up enough from your own journey!” Jyajy said.

“Oh no! In fact, we discovered more than you would know just from meeting you…” said Katara.

“Likewise, hehe,” Jyajy said, giggling as she spoke.

“But we do have to go soon,” said Azula- attempting to stay on task!

“Right,” said Aang as he tips his beanie to Jyajy, “Hope to see you soon!”

“We will- promise~” said Jyajy. She then motions to the butlers, “See them out would ‘ya? Oh- and again- don’t worry about any accommodations; it is all on me,” said Jyajy.

“Yes, Miss Jyajy…” said one butler.

“Good because I might have drank all the ‘soda’ was it called? That fizzy stuff in my bar last night…” said Sokka.

“Oh- then I would only be down about like 50,000 dollars- no biggie…” said Jyajy as she shrugs her shoulders.

“How expensive was that soda!? Yeesh!...” said Yuu- amazed at her shrugging off that price tag.

“Haha! Run along, by muses” said Jyajy as she turns back to the photos on the main camera.

“Bye Jyajy!” said Aang as he waved goodbye. The butlers then walk ahead of the group as they lead them back down to the main lobby…

*****

“I’m glad that’s finally over,” Suki said, letting out a breath of relief as she rubbed her eyes. 

“So what should we do now?” Sokka asked.

“Well I actually think now would be a good time to call my mom,” Yuu said.

“Why?” asked Aang.

“Because… All that money talk reminded me of something… The fact that we have none. So, let's head back to the Pokémon Center before we decide on our next destination.”

“Oh you’re right!” said Sokka.

“We definitely need some… How do we get money?” asked Zuko.

“Doing those Poké Jobs?...” asked Suki.

“We shouldn’t have to. Come on, let’s go,” said Yuu.

“Right!” Aang said. As they all agreed, they soon headed back to the Pokémon Center to speak to Yuu’s Mom...

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“Hello again,” Nurse Joy said with a slight nod of her head as the group all walked back inside the Pokémon Center. Her partner Meowstic stood beside her as it mimicked her movements. 

“How can I help you?” Nurse Joy asked. 

“Actually, we’re just here to use Rotomi again,” Yuu said with a slight blush. Nurse Joy smiled at them gently and nodded.

“Of course, if any of you need anything just let me know.” Nurse Joy said kindly. Yuu nodded and walked over to the Rotomi before clicking it on. 

“So, if we aren’t taking any Poke Jobs, how exactly are we going to get money?” Toph asked with a small frown. 

“I’m going to make a call to my mother,” Yuu's blush darkened as he spoke. He then started to maneuver around Rotomi’s home screen. Once more a call icon popped up, and Yuu began to dial his mother's number. 

A moment later, the phone icon appeared and the screen split into the dual screen setup. A minute or so passed as the dial tone rang, and soon Yuu's Mom appeared on the screen. As she centered herself in the middle of the video finder she wrapped herself in a large, white, fluffy robe before she took a sip of tea.

“Hello, darling! You caught me at the perfect time! I was just about to relax on the balcony sipping tea I mixed with Brandy in my Swanna robe!” She greeted happily as she laughed heartily, causing Yuu to then start to laugh a bit nervously.

“H-Hello mother, how are you?” Yuu asked gently.

“I have never been better! Oh, but that isn’t because you left- not at all! I just got back from a 5-star meal at one of the restaurants in town, and you wanna know what I realized while I was dining next to aristocrats?” Yuu’s Mom asked.

“W-What is that, mother?” asked Yuu.

“I’m rich! So what worries do I have!? Hahaha!” said Yuu’s Mom as she continued to sip her tea.

“I think she should put down the tea…” Azula muttered, her words causing Yuu to chuckle nervously.

“So, how is your journey going so far with your friends?” She asked before taking another sip of her tea.

“So far, so good. Aang and I managed to find his friends, and we all made it to Youchuan Town in one piece,” said Yuu. Yuu’s Mom turned her attention to the group behind Yuu and started to size up his newfound friends. 

“Hello,” they all said politely before Aang took a step forward to speak with her. 

“It’s nice to see you again, we’ve done a lot of stuff since the last time we saw you! Look I even caught myself a Pokémon!” As Aang spoke he jutted this thumb towards Lemaki, who was sitting perched on his shoulder. Yuu’s Mom leaned in to get a better look.

“Oh! My word, that looks just like one of the furs I have hanging in my closet.” She said thoughtfully. Lemaki’s eyes grew wide at her words while Aang felt horrified to hear her say such a thing. “Where ever did you catch such a lovely creature? I could always use a new fur or two!” She added enthusiastically. 

Lemaki looked horrified as well while both Lingliu, who was resting on top of Yuu’s head, and Pikachu, who was sitting by Azula’s feet, looked equally as terrified. 

“Pika...Pika...” Pikachu said wearily while Lingliu hid his head in Yuu’s hair. Yuu's Mom blinked a few times before directing her attention down at Pikachu.

“Oh, a little Pikachu how cute!” Yuu’s Mom said in a sugary tone, “Whenever I look at one I’m always reminded of my favorite vibrat-”

“MOM!” Yuu said quickly and loudly, cutting her off before finishing her sentence. His cheeks had gone dark pink as he covered his face with his hands. “Please, please don't finish that sentence...” Yuu continued to beg. Yuu’s frantic words caused her to don a shocked face. 

“Oops, I forgot your age! Haha. Learn to not be so uptight, son” she said. Behind him, everyone exchanged a confused look, but remained quiet; not wanting to interrupt. Yuu then started to sigh. 

“Can we just talk about why I called you now?” He asked, separating his fingers so he could peak at his mother.

“Fine, fine I suppose that would be productive.” She said with a little shrug, “So, what is it you called me for?” Yuu then dropped his hands and cleared his throat.

“Well, our time here in Youchuan Town is coming to an end, and we’re trying to figure out where to go next. The problem is... We’re lacking the funds to get tickets to take us well anywhere.” He explained.

“Ah I see, you need some money...” Yuu's Mom said with a little smirk. 

“Yes...” Yuu confirmed with a small nod of his head.

“Well, you should have mentioned my favorite word earlier! I can get that figured out for you,” Yuu’s Mom said airly before putting her cup down. She reached down and picked up a small golden bell and rang it five times. A second passed, and an annoyed look crossed her face. 

“Ugh, do you see this?” Yuu’s Mom demanded in an exasperated tone, “I just finished ringing my bell... My help should be here by now!” As Yuu’s Mom said this Katara rolled her eyes, while Sokka snickered; trying his best to be discreet but it was in vain as Suki gave him a warning look.

“They should have been there by the third ring,” Azula said sympathetically. 

“See?! I’m glad someone understands,” Yuu’s Mom sighed.

“Good help can be so hard to find,” Azula said. 

“Don’t egg her on…” Zuko said under his breath rolling his eyes at his sister.

“It's just so true,” Yuu’s mom agreed as she huffed dramatically. Soon, the door to the room opened and a butler entered.

“You rang, ma’am?” He asked as he bowed to her.

“Yes! Thirty seconds ago, where have you been?” She demanded. 

“Sorry, ma’am…” He said, dipping lower into his bow. 

“Well, we can talk about this later. For now, I need you to go and grab me one of my black cards!” 

“Yes ma’am.” He said once more before hurrying out of the room.

“A black card?” Aang asked quietly, giving Yuu an inquisitive look. 

“It’s a credit card that doesn’t have a spending limit,” Yuu whispered as his mother turned back to him. “Here I’ll explain a little more in a minute,” Yuu promised as he turned his full attention back to his mother.

“Now the question is how to get the card to you… I don’t suppose this PC has expedited shipping like the designer stores I shop from do?... ” Yuu's Mom said to herself as she spinned the tea in her cup around, “I suppose I could have one of the servants give it to you…” she continued as she sounded unsure. Suddenly, an idea came to Yuu.

“Oh, I know! Professor Pine is coming to deliver some Pokédexes to us, maybe he would be so kind as to bring us the black card as well,” he suggested.

“Oh, excellent! I’m sure Professor Pine will be more than happy to help.” Yuu's Mom said with a bright smile, “Well now that we got that out of the way I should go and make the arrangements with him now."

“Okay, mom bye!” Yuu said, waving at the screen.

“Bye!” Aang said before everyone else said their goodbyes as well.

“Ciao!” Yuu's Mom said before discounting the call. 

“Well that was interesting,” Katara said, trying to sound upbeat as she spoke.

“That’s one word for it,” Zuko muttered, causing Azula to smirk.

“So Yuu, I heard you tell Aang the black card your mom was referring to has no spending limit; would it be safe to assume once we have the card we won’t have to worry about money anymore?” Suki asked.

“Right. W-Well in theory anyway,” Yuu said as he turned back to the group, “You never know what could happen, but as long as we have that black card we won’t have to worry about any money or spending for the rest of the trip.”

“I guess I’m still confused about what a black card is,” Aang said.

“Here; why don't we go outside for some fresh air and we can talk,” Yuu suggested before leading them all outside, they decided to take a seat in the grass across from the Pokémon Center. 

“So, a black card is a very special credit card.” Yuu began to explain.

“You understand you’ll have to first explain what a credit card is,” Azula pointed out. Yuu blushed again as he nodded his head.

“Right… Well, a credit card is a small, plastic card that is usually given out by a bank… You guys know what a bank is right?” Yuu asked, causing them all to roll their eyes.

“Of course, we know what a bank is. We aren’t idiots," Zuko said.

“Right, right just making sure…” Yuu smiled nervously before he continued to speak. “So… When you have a credit card, it basically takes the place of physical money. So usually when you get a credit card the bank will give you a line of credit.”

“And what’s a line of credit?” Katara asked.

“When the bank gives you a credit card they will tell you that you have a certain spending limit like Jyajy gave us at the hotel. So basically with this line of credit, I can go out and buy ten apples with what is essentially the bank's money.”

“So... The bank just gives you a certain about of money to spend on whatever you please?” Sokka asked curiously.

“With the condition that you’ll pay them back in a timely manner,” Yuu said.

“Ah, like a loan,” Suki said, her voice filling with understanding.

“Yes, you can say that,” said Yuu.

“But why wouldn’t you just use your own money then?” Sokka asked. 

“Right. Then you would never have to worry about paying someone back,” Katara added.

"Eh, I understand that but it’s just easier to carry a card; that way you wouldn’t have to worry about carrying around a ton of cash, plus it gives you a way to spend money you might not have at the moment and then pay it back later,” Yuu explained.

“I understand now,” Katara said, beside her Suki nodded in agreement.

“You know what I understand?” Sokka asked as a devious grin spread across his face, “We can buy anything we want!”

“Sokka don't be silly,” Katara scolded.

“Well to be fair, Yuu did just say that there isn’t a spending limit,” Azula pointed out.

“On Yuu's Mom’s dime,” Suki reminded them.

“Yea, won’t she ultimately have to pay for everything?” Aang asked.

“I’m sure it’s fine to buy things we need but we shouldn’t make big, extravagant purchases just because in theory we can,” said Katara.

“I agree,” Aang said.

“Katara stop trying to tell us what to do!” Toph snapped as she crossed her arms over her chest. 

“I’m just trying to be respectful!” Katara snapped back as she eyed down Toph, “Yuu’s mom is doing something incredibly kind for us, we shouldn’t take advantage of that just because we can.” Katara continued to say. 

“It wouldn’t be kind,” Aang added.

“Oh, who cares about kind? We have an unlimited amount of money coming our way, let’s use it,” said Azula.

“You guys are all arguing among yourself but have yet to ask Yuu what he thinks of all of this,” Zuko said, sounding annoyed as he broke up the bickering, “It’s not really our money to spend so before we start, you know actually spending that money don't you think we should see how he feels about all of this?”

“Well said Zuko,” Suki praised. Beside her, Sokka pouted a little but said nothing as he turned his head away from her. “What do you think of all of this Yuu?” Suki asked.

“Well… Honestly, I’m not sure how much my mom would care-”

“AH HA!” Sokka shouted, cutting off Yuu as if he had automatically won the argument.

“Let him finish!” Katara chided.

“I think he said all we need to know,” Azula said airly. 

“Actually I would like to reclaim my time and finish,” Yuu said with a frown. Everyone quieted down as they turned to look at him. “As I said, I’m not sure how much my mother would care; after all, she is giving us this unlimited card in the first place. However, I don't know if we should worry about that right now.” he continued.

“Why not?” Toph asked.

“Well right now I think we should focus on where we want to go next after we meet up with Professor Pine, I think we should only really worry about money when the time arises to use it,” Yuu said. 

“I think that’s a good idea Yuu,” Aang said with a bright smile. 

“I agree,” Katara said with a nod of her head. Sokka then rolls his eyes.

“But-” 

“It’s Yuu’s card really, well his mom’s card that she’s giving him, I think we should go with what he thinks is best,” said Zuko as he cut off Sokka.  Zuko’s word’s crushed Sokka’s ideas making him go silent. At that same moment, Azula simply shrugged and Toph just looked away.

“Alright. Now that we have that all sorted out, I guess we have a little time on our hands before Professor Pine arrives. What do you want to do?” asked Yuu.

“Sit here and stew in our annoyance,” Toph suggested.

“We can watch the boats come in,” Sokka suggested instead.

“There’s probably nothing better to do in this little town,” Zuko agreed, along with everyone else. They all got up as a group and began to head towards the pier to kill some time. Once they got there they sat on the side edge of one of the docks, watching as yachts came and went for a little while. As they idle talked, none of them noticed as a yacht docked a few docks away from them as it unloaded the passengers on board. Suddenly, Yuu heard his name called.

“YUU! YUU!” a familiar voice called out for him. Yuu’s face dropped as he recognized the voice and the boy rushing towards him.

“You know him?” Aang asked as he looked at the boy. He was a bit younger than Yuu and looked around the same age as Aang.

“Oh yeah,” Yuu said through gritted teeth. “I know him.”

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

The bustling square hummed with activity, the air alive with the chatter of passersby and the distant calls of street vendors. Amidst this everyday symphony, a distinctive voice rang out — clear, jovial, and unmistakably familiar to Yuu.

"Hi, Yuu!" The voice belonged to a boy who wove through the crowd with an effortless grace. The group, apart from Yuu, paused and pivoted, their gazes settling on the newcomer with open curiosity.

He was a canvas of freckles and flame-hued hair, the latter styled back save for the sharp, swooping bangs that fell daringly over his warm, orange eyes. Strands of red, as thin and precise as calligraphy lines, contoured his round face, lending a playful edge to his youthful features.

The group's eyes followed him as he drew closer, his attire becoming clearer with each confident stride. His shirt, a brilliant red, was adorned with intricate orange patterns swirling along the hems like fire caught in a dance, the fabric ending just above the waist to reveal a sliver of skin. Sleeves, long and cylindrical, draped past his wrists, adding an air of mystique. His pants, in a matching ornate style, complemented the ensemble, while his feet were shod in bright yellow shoes, the green socks peeking boldly from above.

"Is that a friend of yours?" Aang inquired, the question tinged with the innocence of one who had not yet learned the complexities of friendships past.

Yuu, arms crossed, lips pressed into a thin line, returned Aang's glance with a frown. "I wouldn't go that far," he grumbled, the tone suggesting a history not quite fondly remembered.

The boy seemed undeterred by Yuu's cool reception, his exuberance undimmed by the frost. "Yuu, it’s so good to see you again!" He halted before them, the cheer in his voice painting a stark contrast to Yuu's growing scowl. "Are you and your mom off to travel somewhere, or are you just coming back from someplace cool?”

The mention of his mother struck a chord, and Yuu's frown deepened. "M-My mom isn’t here... She's back at home, actually," Yuu corrected, the words sharp, like arrows aimed to ward off further prying.

"Oh?" The boy's eyes widened, a giggle escaping him as if he had stumbled upon a delightful secret. "And you’re out and about in another town without her?" The mirth in his voice was like sunlight, impossible to shade. "Good for you! I guess she finally let go of that leash around your neck — awesome! So, what exactly are you doing?"

Each question seemed to weigh on Yuu, his shoulders inching closer to his ears, a physical barrier against the interrogation. "We’re on our own Pokémon journey," he managed to say, though the words came out strained, like they had to navigate through clenched teeth.

The boy's eyes sparkled with intrigue as he stepped back, his gaze sweeping over the assembled companions. "‘We’re’?" He echoed, as if the concept of Yuu with companions was a novel one.

"Yes, we’re Yuu's friends," Aang interjected, the sweetness in his smile a stark contrast to Yuu's distress. His demeanor was like a balm, soothing the tension that had crept into their circle.

“Friends?!” The redhead said with wide eyes, “M-My apologies! I thought you were a part of Yuu’s Mother’s staff! How rude of me, allow me to introduce myself: I’m Genn Hong, a fledgling Pokémon trainer, I grew up in Mian Town with Yuu. He and I are good friends.” He said happily, causing Yuu to roll his eyes.

“We really aren’t that close, and you know that” Yuu muttered, “Our mom’s are just friends, so naturally, we were around eachother.

“Now Yuu, it is not nice to downplay our times together. Remember when a wild Luckrane stole your mom’s coat after you borrowed it, and she said she was going to disown you if you didn’t get it back before 8 p.m. and it was 7:59 at night?! That one minute of fun danger and uncertainty is something you just wouldn’t ever forget!” said Genn as he chuckled more.

“He seems… A bit weird…” said Sokka as he whispered to Suki.

“I agree…” said Suki. Azula then clears her throat.

“I’m sorry... You thought we were staff?...” Azula asked as she approached Genn, a disgusted look covered her face as his assumption got quiet under Azula’s skin, “Do you know who I am?! I am Azula, Fire Lord of the-”

“A-Azula! Shh!” Zuko shouted as he covered her mouth, stopping her from revealing where they were from.

“F-Fire Lord?...” questions Genn.

“She means… Um…” said Yuu as he tries to come up with an excuse, “... That she is a Fire-Type specialist! Yeah!” said Yuu quickly.

"O-Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to undermine your talent! Please, find it in your soul to forgive me!!!" His body language, as he sank to the ground and bowed deeply, was a mixture of a desperate plea and a well-rehearsed gesture.

Azula, who stood with the poise and composure of someone used to such theatrics, responded with a nonchalant flick of her wrist, her voice tinged with a controlled satisfaction. "Hmph, that’s more like it."

Yuu, however, stood frozen for a moment, mortified by Genn's display. His cheeks flushed a deep crimson, a stark contrast to his usual composure. It wasn't just the bowing; it was Genn's entire essence that often left Yuu teetering between frustration and reluctant amusement. "G-Genn, please get off the floor!!!" he shouted, his voice laced with embarrassment.

Genn's response was immediate, as if he had been waiting for Yuu's command to spring into action. "Okay!" He rose with a fluid motion, the smile plastered on his face as vibrant as ever, undimmed by the situation's awkwardness. "Well now that we have the misunderstanding out of the way, I would like to properly meet you all!"

Aang, ever the soul of kindness and the epitome of friendliness, approached Genn with his hand extended in greeting. "It’s nice to meet you, my name is Aang!" His voice was loud, not out of impoliteness but with the intent to redirect the attention from Azula and Yuu to a more positive exchange.

But Katara, her sense of right and wrong ever so sharp, had not moved past Genn's faux pas. Her eyes, sharp as a hawk's, fixed on Genn with an indignant spark. “... Is there any reason you didn’t introduce yourself when you thought we were the staff?” The challenge hung in the air, weighted with her disapproval.

Genn, who thrived on the approval and laughter of those around him, found himself in unfamiliar territory. His confident demeanor wavered, a slight blush creeping into his freckled cheeks. "Oh! Well... Yuu’s mom always says we don't really acknowledge her staff unless we need something,” he admitted, his voice softening, a mix of respect for Yuu's mother and an ingrained habit. “Again, my apologies..." His bow was shorter this time, less flamboyant and more sincere.

Suki’s response was a study in subtlety, her eye roll speaking volumes about her thoughts on class distinctions. It was a small, yet telling gesture that added a layer of complexity to the scene. Genn, noticing the judgment, felt the blush on his face deepen to the roots of his fiery hair.

At that moment, Sokka, ever the icebreaker, saw the need to pivot the conversation. He cleared his throat, a prelude to the charisma he was about to unleash. "Well now that’s all cleared up; I’m Sokka, and that’s my self-righteous sister Katara," he said with a teasing glint in his eye, pointing to Katara, whose annoyance still simmered just below the surface.

Without missing a beat, Sokka completed the introductions with a flourish. He whisked Suki up, her feet leaving the ground, as he gazed into her eyes with an adoration that bordered on the theatrical. "And THIS beautiful thing is my darling girlfriend Suki!!!"

“Oh, Sokka!!! 💖💖😍” Suki said as she went in for a kiss.

“Oh my gosh, am I witnessing an act of true love?!” questions Genn as his face lights up.

“You are witnessing an act of true disgust, ” said Toph as she spit on the ground, symbolizing her opposition to Sokka and Suki’s banter. Sokka rolled his eyes as he put down Suki.

“That grumpy one over there is Toph. You already know the offended one Azula, and the weird guy next to Azula is her older brother Zuko,” Sokka finished, causing the three he mentioned to scowl further at him. 

“It’s lovely to meet all of you! I’m happy to find out that Yuu has made a bunch of new friends while I was gone.” Genn said as he turned to Yuu. “And you guys are off on your own Pokémon journey, I still can’t believe your mom is finally letting you go on one! So how many gyms have you challenged yet? Where have you been? Are you just stopping here for a little while? Or are you just starting out?” Genn continued as he asked Yuu too many questions to count.

“We’re just starting out,” Yuu said through his teeth. 

“Where do you want to go?” Genn asked.

“We don't know yet,” Yuu huffed. 

“You should figure it out soon, don't you think Yuu?” Genn asked. 

“I do!” Yuu raised his voice a little, his face turning bright pink with frustration. Aang, sensing Yuu getting annoyed, moved to stop and help.

“We’re actually waiting for Professor Pine to meet us here, so we haven’t made a decision on our next stop yet,” Aang said quickly, sensing Yuu’s growing irritation. 

“Professor Pine is coming here?” Genn asked with a frown. 

“Yep! Azula, Zuko, and I are all planning on joining the Pokémon League as well,” Sokka said happily as he puffed out his chest, “Professor Pine is going to bring the three of us our own Pokédex!”

“Oh cool! And convenient...” Genn said as he pondered a thought, his eyes shined as he continued to look at Sokka. “Yuu, you’re so lucky to be traveling around with friends and doing Gym Challenges together!” He continued. At Genn’s words, Yuu softened a little as a small blush dusted his cheeks.

“Yeah… I am.”  Yuu said. 

Genn sat cross-legged, his lively gaze flitting across Yuu and his group of friends. "Welp, I got some time to spare! Your friends look rad! Wanna be friends too?! Tell me about your friends, Yuu! What's their story?" His voice was ripe with excitement and a genuine interest in the diverse group before him.

Yuu exchanged a quick, knowing glance with his companions, silently agreeing to keep their pasts vague. "W-Well... each of 'em has our strengths," he began tentatively. "Aang's got a creed that's hard to match, and he's all about finding balance in everything he does."

"Without balance, the world will fall apart," Aang added seriously, lending a philosophical edge to the conversation.

Genn, slightly taken aback by the depth of the comment, responded, "Woah... I suppose I get what you mean... kinda."

Yuu continued, pointing to each friend in turn. "Katara is our dedicated one, always keeping us on track. Sokka is the idea guy, always coming up with plans. And Toph," he said with a nod towards the earthbender, "brings unmatched strength and independence."

Sokka, with a cheeky grin, interjected, "I'm the mastermind behind our strategies," only to be playfully countered by Toph.

"Mastermind is a stretch. More like, I keep your feet on the ground." she said with a chuckle.

Genn's interest then shifted to Azula and Zuko. "What about these two?" he inquired, nodding towards the siblings.

Yuu hesitated briefly, then responded, "They're both fierce and incredibly loyal, always driving us to push our limits."

Zuko replied with a hint of amusement, "Hehe; you flatter me."

Azula, with her usual air of superiority, corrected him indifferently, "‘Push our limits’? Hardly. I merely remind them of their shortcomings, which compels them to aspire to my level of excellence."

Yuu, slightly awkward in the face of Azula's blunt assessment, added quickly, "And, uh, they have very different personalities, despite being siblings."

This brief exchange painted a vivid picture of the contrasting dynamics between Zuko and Azula, revealing the complex interplay of personalities within the group.

Genn, soaking in the dynamics, shifted his focus. "And the Pokémon? What kind have you come across so far?"

Yuu seized the chance to discuss their Pokémon companions. "Aang has Lemaki. They're quite different from him. Aang’s all about action, and Lemaki loves just chilling and snacking on berries."

"Yeah, Lemaki’s not much for exercise, but we get along great," Aang added with a laugh.

"And Yuu's got Lingliu and Luckrane," Aang continued. "Both bring a unique dynamic to his team."

Genn's eyes lit up with interest. "That's so cool! What about the rest of you?"

Katara spoke up. "I'm─... still searching for a Pokémon that feels right. It’s about the connection."

Sokka chimed in, "I’m on the lookout for the perfect Pokémon partner too. It’s got to match my brilliance."

Toph's response was characteristically straightforward. "I'll know my Pokémon when I meet it. It's going to be as tough as I am!"

Genn then turned to Suki. "What about you?"

Suki smiled. "Haven’t found my Pokémon companion yet, but I'm looking forward to it. It’ll be a warrior, just like me."

"And you two?" Genn looked at Azula and Zuko.

"I have a Pikachu," Azula said, a hint of pride in her voice. "It's as fierce as it sounds."

Zuko simply added, "I found a Pokémon with as much honor as I; Matoic."

Genn nodded, his imagination alight. "Wow, that’s amazing. Your Pokémon must be as unique as you guys. Must be some epic battles with them."

The group began to share more about their Pokémon experiences, each chiming in with their stories and dreams. Genn listened, utterly engrossed, occasionally asking questions or expressing his awe.

As the conversation flowed, Genn shared tales of his own travels. The group laughed and exchanged stories, finding common ground in their shared passion for Pokémon. The initial awkwardness gave way to a sense of camaraderie, with Genn's curiosity and enthusiasm bringing them closer.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

As the group engaged in lively chatter, Yuu's curiosity got the better of him. Turning to Genn, who was sharing his journey with enthusiasm, he asked, "So, Genn, what brings you here? Running into you like this is quite the coincidence."

Genn, eager to share, replied with a bright smile, "I'm here visiting my mom, taking a bit of a break from my Pokémon journey. And guess what? I’ve just gotten my fourth gym badge! None of them were easy to get, I tell you!"

The group's attention focused on Genn, their interest piqued. "Fourth gym badge?" Yuu echoed, impressed yet surprised by Genn’s progress.

"How long have you been on your Pokémon journey?" Suki asked, leaning in closer.

“Just a little over a year now," Genn replied, standing up to retrieve his badge case. "I know it might seem like a lot since you guys are starting, but there are 16 Gyms out there, and I plan to challenge every single one!"

Yuu felt a stir of envy but masked it well. Aang, next to Yuu, sensed the subtle shift and laughed softly. "That's quite the goal, Genn. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us."

Genn, still buoyant with excitement, continued, "Huoli has been amazing! The journey's been incredible, meeting all sorts of cool people and Pokémon."

Yuu, keen to know more about the badges, cut in, "Yeah, yeah, that’s great, Genn. But can we see your badges?"

Genn's smile widened. "Sure thing, Yuu! Lookie!" He opened his badge case and held it out proudly.

Yuu peered at the badges. "Which ones are these?" he asked.

Genn pointed to each badge in turn. "Here’s the Survival Badge – a real test of endurance. The Plume Badge, earned it from a Fire Type Gym, intense like a Lava Plume. Then there’s the Monster Badge, and this one's the Sway Badge," he explained, his voice brimming with pride.

The conversation shifted as Yuu and his friends absorbed the details of Genn's achievements. Each badge represented a story, a challenge, and a triumph, inspiring the group as they contemplated their own journey ahead.

As Yuu scrutinized the badges, his envy turned into awe. "Woah…" he murmured, his thoughts drifting. "...All that Genn accomplished while I was just stuck at home…"

Genn, noticing Yuu’s expression, offered a tip with a smile. "Yuuyuu! The Sway Badge is from the Gym in Yishu City. It's north from here, a great first stop if you're starting out."

"Ugh, don't call me 'Yuuyuu'… And, was that your first gym battle?" Yuu asked, trying to mask his envy.

Genn shook his head. "Nope, it was actually my last. My journey was a bit unusual because of my time with the Rangers. While it’s typically the first for trainers coming from Mian Town, it wasn't for me. After the other three gyms I faced, it seemed easier in comparison... maybe my perspective's a bit skewed." As Genn spoke, he wandered into a ramble about his experiences.

"R-Right…" Yuu responded, half-listening, half-lost in thought.

Genn continued, "I was going to travel by road, but there was some issue coming from Yishu to here, so I ended up taking a ride here."

Katara, intrigued, raised her brows. "Really? If that’s the case, maybe we should consider other ways to travel, like by boat."

Yuu, keen to keep moving, chimed in. "We might have to stay the night to catch the next boat, but I'm kinda eager to get going. If the main road is blocked, there must be other ways."

Suki, looking for solutions, suggested, "What about the yacht Genn used?"

Genn shrugged. "That yacht's heading back to Renwu before going south to Lower Liyi. It won't be much help for you guys, sorry!"

Azula, assertive as ever, declared, "We will deal with the road blockage once we continue our journey."

Aang turned to Zuko, who had been unusually quiet, deep in thought. "Zuko, you've been looking a little perplexed. What’s up?"

Zuko, his voice tinged with contemplation, replied, "...Four badges doesn’t seem like a lot for a year's journey, considering there are 16 in total."

Genn, a blush creeping onto his cheeks, defended himself. "H-Hey now! I’ve been doing more than just Gym Challenges, you know! And I think 4 is a lot! B-But, you guys need to understand that gym battles aren’t a cakewalk!"

Toph, never one to mince words, shrugged nonchalantly. "Or maybe you just suck! Bwahaha!" she said, causing Azula to chuckle.

Azula added, leaning back on her hands, "Maybe you aren’t up for the challenge."

Zuko, reflecting back on his own journey in the Avatar world, mused, "If anyone knows how much you can do in one year- it's us."

Sokka, frowning, turned to his friends. "I think that sounds a little harsh," he said, his tone disapproving.

"Yeah, you guys are being mean," Aang added, supporting Sokka's sentiment.

“You guys are outright rude and embarrassing!” Katara scolded as she turned to give them all dirty looks.

“Yeah,” Suki said as she crossed her arms over her chest. “None of us have been near a gym yet! You guys don't have the right to judge someone who's been doing it for a year!” 

“I’m really sorry for them,” Katara said, turning to look at Genn.

“Oh that’s okay; I was misinformed to you all being staff, and you are all misinformed about the struggle of the Gym Challenge. I think we're even!” Genn said, looking down at Katara with a warm smile as Azula, Toph, and Zuko begin to get annoyed. “I would just be concerned that you guys are walking into something expecting one thing only to have something else be the result."

“Well, I’m not sure about the others, but I don't expect these challenges to be a walk in the park, ” Yuu said, finally speaking up before he continued, “But you don’t have to keep babying me and worrying, Genn. I mean I’m older than you!” Yuu continued.

“... How old is Genn?” asked Suki.

“He's 12!” said Genn in a joking tone, causing Suki to blush. “I didn’t start my journey until I was 11.”

“And you're 14, right Yuu?” asked Aang.

“Yeah. I had to wait 4 years, so we both started our journey late, but still… In that amount of time you managed that?...” questioned Yuu as he started to feel somber about the gap between them.

“You have all the time in the world to do the Gym Challenge, Yuu. Don’t worry! I myself waited a year because I was doing Pokémon Ranger stuff! But, my goals have since changed,” said Genn.

“... Pokémon Ranger?” asked Aang. Yuu quickly covered Aang’s mouth as Genn became confused by the question...

“...You don’t know what that is?” asked Genn.

“H-He’s just amazed that a Trainer was once a Ranger is all! Haha!” said Yuu as he quickly covered for Aang.

“Oh!” said Genn as he forgets the thought. Genn then stretches out his legs before putting away his Pokémon Badge case.” Well, I guess I should probably get heading back towards Mian town now! It was nice meeting you guys and it was cool seeing you again Yuu, good luck on your Pokémon Journey hopefully our paths will cross again when I get back out there!"

“It was good to meet you too,” Aang said as Genn took a step away from the group. Before anyone could give him a farewell, Yuu stepped forward.

“Wait, Genn don't go yet!” Yuu said quickly.

“Oh, was there more you needed to say to me Yuu?” Genn asked, stopping and half turning to full face Yuu once more. 

“I was wondering if perhaps you would like to face me in a Pokémon battle!” Yuu said enthusiastically. 

“A Pokémon battle?” Aang said turning to look at Yuu. Yuu nodded, not taking his eyes off Genn.

“Yeah, I would like to face off with a trainer who went up against four gyms and won!” Yuu said with a fire in his eyes as he spoke causing Genn’s already wide smile to grow. “I want to see what that kind of experience looks like!” Yuu continued.

“Now things are getting interesting,” Azula said with a crooked smile. 

“Really, sounds boring to me,” Toph huffed as she pushed herself over so she was laying across the dock.

“Well, that’s because you can’t see it. For those of us with the sense of sight outside of our grubby feet, it’s a different story,” Azula mocked, causing Zuko to scoff.

“Geez Azula, Do you always have to be such a cu-”

“A Pokémon battle I’m getting excited just thinking about it!” Sokka shouted, unknowingly cutting Zuko off. 

“Oh Sokka, your excitement is getting me excited too💖!” ” Suki giggled as she looked up at her boyfriend with warmness in her eyes. Sokka blushed and smiled sweetly as he turned to look down at his feet. Beside Suki, Katara rolled her eyes and stuck her finger in her mouth, pretending to gag at the show of affection. 

“What do you think, Genn?” Yuu finally asked.

“I think that’s a smashing idea Yuu!” Genn said, jumping for joy and pounding his fists in the air. “I would love to test your Pokémon against my own!”

“Agreed!” Yuu said with a nod of his head.

“We should probably move to the side,” Katara said as she got to her feet. “There’s not a lot of room here on the dock.” Both Genn and Yuu nodded, Genn, taking off first as he rushed off the deck with Yuu not too far behind. 

“Wait up!” Sokka called out as he rushed after the boys, as he passed Suki he reached forward and gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her to her feet causing her to giggle as she ran behind him, trying to keep up! 

“Come on Zuzu,” Azula said, moving forward and hoping over Toph, paying the younger girl no mind.

“You coming Toph?” Zuko asked, looking down at her with a frown.

“I guess,” Toph sighed as she sat up. Zuko reached down to give her hand up but when she didn’t register it was in front of his face and continued to get up on her own Zuko immediately blushed; realizing his mistake. He quickly dropped his hand to his side as Toph moved to stand.

“Do you want to hold my arm?” Zuko asked.

“Fuck off,” Toph snapped as she turned and started to march forward. A look of panic went over Zuko’s face.

“T-Toph you’re going the wrong way!” Zuko said as he hurried after. “You’re going to walk off the dock!” Reaching forward he grabbed her shoulders in order to stop her. Toph scowled as she did stop walking but shrugged off Zuko’s hands before turning to face him. She didn’t say anything as she reached forward to grab his bicep, causing him to wince in pain.

“Come on,” Zuko said as he started to lead her toward where the group was forming at the end of the dock.

“Is everything alright sweetie?” Katara asked, turning to look at Aang who was still standing on the deck with a thoughtful look on his face. 

“Yeah,” Aang said with a nod, “Just thinking is all," Aang then donned a smile as he moved forward, taking Katara’s hand in his own as they headed to join the group. They had all formed a small half circle with Yuu and Genn standing in the middle. 

Yuu squared his shoulders back and let out a slow, calming breath. His palms were sweating as anxiety washed over him. He was nervous but at the same time, he felt excitement at the prospect of his very first trainer battle!

“Alright, Yuu you ready?” Genn asked, placing his hands on his hips as he smiled up at him.

“Yes,” Yuu said, nodding his head in confirmation. “I’m ready Genn!”

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“So, let’s go over the rules of our battle first,” Genn said happily. He then gets out his collection of Poké Balls to show 4, “I currently have 4, but I was thinking we could only use 2. Does that sound alright?” asked Genn.

“Fine by me; I only have two anyways,” said Yuu as he got out one Poké Ball Lingliu hops off of Yuu’s head to the floor.

“Ling! Ling!” Lingliu shouted.

“Yeah, I noticed that little guy! So cute~” said Genn as he holds one of his Poké Balls in his hands, “Well then, I am gonna send out this guy then!” he shouts as he throws the Poké Ball. Suddenly, out comes a familiar Pokémon.

“Hey! We have seen that one before!” said Zuko.

“The Pokémon that was with Toph when we were in the forest!” said Suki.

“Tiaomogu?!” said Toph as she jumped up.

“Yeah, I have a Tiaomogu; you really like the Pokémon too?” asked Genn to Toph.

“Me and them are homies~” said Toph.

“I see. Well, I wish the same could be said about them and Lingliu. Look they're already at it,” said Genn bringing attention to Lingliu and Tiaomogu already snarling at each other.

“Ling!” said Lingliu.

“Mogu Mogu!” said Tiaomogu.

“Hopefully this should be good,” said Azula.

“Hm..” mumbled Aang.

“Something wrong?” asked Katara.

“It’s just… I am trying to mentally prepare myself for what I am about to watch,” said Aang.

“I’m right here Aang, don’t worry,” said Katara.

“Thank you, Katara,” said Aang.

“Now Tiaomogu, use Dig!” said Genn. Tiaomogu then buried deep within the ground.

“Woah! I can do that same thing when I am earthbending!” said Aang. Katara then pulled Aang close.

“Aang! I don’t think we should be using ‘our world’ terminology around people in this world!…” muttered Katara. 

“Lingliu, watch out closely! It will come up any minute!” said Yuu.

“Ling!” said Lingliu. A brief moment passes before Tiaomogu appears right underneath Lingliu!

“Hit it, Tiaomogu!” Genn said.

“Tiao!” Tiaomogu shouted as it attempted to tackle LIngliu but it dodged!

“I have to be wary of shots like that because one wrong move and Lingliu is in trouble!... ” Yuu thought at that moment. “Lingliu, Rock Throw!” he continues as Lingliu creates a rock in front of him, and throws it at Tiaomogu.

“Mogu!” Tiaomogu shouts as the rock connects.

“Using a Ground-Type move against a Ground-Type Pokémon? Clever!” said Genn.

“ I’m creating distance! Clearly, if you think that I would just forget typings means you are underestimating me! ” Yuu thought in response to Genn’s comments.

“No worries, I can deal with a scratch easily. Tiaomogu, Synthesis” Genn commands. Suddenly, green energy surrounds Tiaomogu as its injuries are healed.

“Did it just heal?” asked Katara.

“Yes. There are Pokémon moves that exist that don’t just attack but can heal you or your allies,” said Yuu.

“R-Really?...” questioned Aang as a feeling of hopefulness fills him.

“Pokémon can only know up to four moves at a time, but you as the trainer control how that Pokémon uses them, and what moves they are. Taking a slot up to have things such as a healing move can be good in situations such as these,” said Yuu.

“Are your friends completely blind to how to take care of Pokémon or something? Did they not go to Pokémon School?...” questioned Genn.

“U-Uh… Sometimes you need refreshers!” said Yuu.

“Hm… Whatever! Tiaomogu,  Feint Attack!” said Genn as Tiaomogu approached Lingliu with no malicious intent. After getting close enough it tricks Lingliu into thinking it isn’t going to attack, it comes in for a sneak attack by rushing in for a tackle.

“Dodge it and use Homing Attack!” said Lingliu as it dodged the incoming Feint Attack, and jumped to strike back; knocking Tiaomogu back towards Genn.

“Feint Attack? Matoic knows Feint… What is the difference?” asked Zuko.

“Uh… Typing? And what it can do. Pokémon moves can be a bit weird at times…” said Yuu. Suddenly, he refocuses. “B-But Lingliu, use Homing Attack again!”

“Adding pressure I see, Tiaomogu, Magical Leaf!” Genn commanded as floating leaves coated in an aurora-like energy appear before Tiaomogu and shoot out toward the incoming Lingliu.

“Dodge!” Yuu says as Lingliu stops its attack, and attempts to evade it, Genn then laughed.

“Magical Leaf is a Grass-Type move that will never miss Yuu!” Genn responded.

“Oh no! You are right!” said Yuu. The leaves then follow the fleeing Lingliu.

“L-Ling!” Lingliu said as it started to worry. Suddenly, the leaves strike against Lingliu! It falls to the floor as it starts to pulsate red.

“Lingliu! Agh, I should have known that and not made a bad play! Thankfully, Life Clinger allows it to live through any attack but any hit during this mode it gets and it’s finished!” said Yuu.

“So let’s try and make that a reality! Tiaomogu, Magical Leaf!” Genn says as Tiaomogu shoots out more leaves.

“What will Yuu do when it is a move that does not miss and needs it to?” questions Zuko.

“Guess we just have to see,” said Sokka.

“Lingliu! Run straight for the attack, and go under it!” Yuu says. Lingliu, trusting him, does what he says and runs straight for the Magical Leaf. As Lingliu gets close it manages to run under the attack, which causes the move to change direction and follow it the other way. “Go to Tiaomogu! Homing Attack!” Lingliu then jumped and targeted Tiaomogu as it goes to tackle it.

“Tiaomogu! Prepare to dodge!” Genn says as Tiaomogu jumps out of the way.

“Grab it!” said Yuu as Lingliu grabs a hold of the fleeing Tiaomogu. “Use it as a shield!” Yuu then commands. As Lingliu turns Tiaomogu to face the incoming Magical Leaf it collides with it.

“He used the very Pokémon that cast the move as a means to evade it. Interesting…” said Azula.

“Tiaomogu! You okay?” asked Genn.

“Mogu!” said Tiaomogu as it gets back on its feet.

“Now! Use Rock Throw!” said Yuu as Lingliu created another rock to throw at Tiaomogu.

“Dig to evade the attack!” Genn commanded. Tiaomogu then attempted to make a hole to hide in as the rock continued to shoot forward.

“Lingliu! Homing Attack the rock! Change its speed and trajectory!” said Yuu. Lingliu then jumped and shot across the field towards the rock, and then hit against the rock to send it quickly towards the fleeing Tiaomogu down the hole. A plume of dust rises from the ground as the rock breaks. “D-Did we hit it?” questioned Yuu. Lingliu then approaches the hole and climbs in. Soon after, it dragged out a knocked out Tiaomogu.

“W-What? But that was a Ground-Type move! Why is it knocked out?” questioned Genn.

“Life Clinger increases all stats when in critical mode. It’s kinda like a double-edged sword. So, while normally Rock Throw wouldn’t do much damage, the increased stat-version of it was enough to knock it out!” said Yuu. 

“Hmm… Tiaomogu, return!” said Genn. He then gets out another Poké Ball. “Guess you brought me to my second Pokémon. But I will let you know that you will not last!” Genn continued. Genn then throws the Pokeball towards Lingliu, and as the Poké Ball unleashes the Pokémon inside outcomes a blue-toned small elephant-looking Pokémon, with a shrimp-like trunk and snow-white tusks.

“W-Woah! What is that ?” asked Aang, amazed by what he is seeing. 

“Isn’t this one of those moments where we should use the Pokédex to find out?” asked Azula.

“Precisely,” said Yuu as he went to reach for his Rotom Pokédex in his pocket, but before he could even grab it, it whipped out and flew around towards the Pokémon Genn released and started to scan it.

“This is Elemata, the ‘Trick-Tusk Pokémon’ Through generations of seeing their kin perish they have learned to be able to channel their past relatives through the special energy generated in their tusks,” said Rotom Pokédex.

“That sounds… Kinda gloomy…” said Suki.

“When you analyze many Pokémon entries in the Pokédex it tends to be that way,” said Yuu.

“Wait Yuu, I heard that name before…Is that the Water Starter in this region?” asked Aang.

“Yes. I would have been able to choose that one alongside the other two Kuasho and Huow Huow that is,” said Yuu.

“Oh! Pine didn’t have any left? Guess it is why you gotta get on it quickly so you can make sure you have a Partner Pokémon to use,” said Genn, causing Yuu to roll his eyes.

“Well, that is why I have Lingliu. With them I can do just fine on my journey!” said Yuu.

“Ling~...” said Lingliu as it blushed.

“Well Elemata was my starter, and it has helped me get a badge or two, so be prepared!” said Genn.

“Mata-ta!” shouted Elemata. 

“What type is it?” asked Sokka.

“Elemata is a Water/Ghost Type!” Rotom Pokédex said. 

“So with strengths and weaknesses… What does that mean?” asked Zuko. Rotom Pokédex then zips toward Zuko.

“It would be best to use Dark, Electric, Ghost, and Grass-Type moves, and to be wary when using Ground, Rock, Fire, Ghost, and Psychic-Type Pokémon,” said Rotom Pokedex. 

“Lingliu is terrible with anything water… Is this a good matchup?” asked Zuko.

“H-Hey! Lingliu can hear you!” said Yuu as he looked back at Zuko with annoyance.

“But he is right, Yuu. Are you sure you don’t wanna sub out? I’ll turn the other cheek for this one~” said Genn as he physically turns his head to look away from Yuu, which enrages the older boy.

“N-No! You must be underestimating Lingliu’s power! You wanna stay in, buddy?” asked Yuu to Lingliu.

“Ling!” said Lingliu with confidence.

“Hehe, well don’t say I didn’t warn you!” said Genn as he turned back over, “Elemata, rush in!” shouts Genn. Elemata then rushes towards Lingliu.

“Lingliu, brace yourself, and use Rock Throw!” shouts Yuu.

“Ling!” Lingliu says as it generates a rock in front of it, and shoots it toward Elemata.

“Dodge!” Genn commands as Elemata sidesteps to the left as it continues to get close to Lingliu. “Now, Haunt!” said Genn. Before long, Elemata was mere inches from Lingliu, and as it used the move a mystical energy erected from its tusks, and a weird marking etched right into thin air appeared. Lingliu was drawn into looking straight into Elemata’s eyes, and all they could feel at that moment was true despair, loss, and sadness; enough to paralyze Lingliu. 

“W-What? What did it just do? Lingliu!” shouts Yuu as he sees Lingliu shake in fear.

“That was Haunt, which is a Ghost-Type move the Elemata line can use!” said Genn.

“Rotom?” pleaded Yuu as he attempted to get its attention to understand the move that was just used. Rotom Pokédex then changed displays to Attackdex and showed the move Haunt.

“Haunt is a move that shocks the opposing Pokémon with overwhelming fear; so much so that Pokémon have trouble getting back up to speed, and have the chance to get poisoned from the fear,” said Rotom Pokédex.

“So, like Scary Face, but it poisons?!...” said Yuu under his breath. Lingliu then started to fall to the ground as it coughed, and its whole body started to beat red.

“Oh no! So Lingliu is also poisoned right now then!?” questioned Yuu.

“I thought it was clear that the move poisons, or is that just me?” asked Azula.

“The move has the chance to cause Pokémon to be poisoned. It is not every time” said Rotom Pokédex.

“Lingliu, are you okay?” asked Yuu.

“L-Ling…” said Lingliu.

“Why is it beating red now? I thought it only goes into Life Clinger when it gets hit?” asked Suki.

“Life Clinger activates when any amount of damage hits Lingliu. And, with something like Poison, which deals damage over time, that is a very scary situation to be in for it,” said Rotom Pokédex.

“Then this should be a very interesting battle to see how Lingliu can fight through a Pokémon that constantly has it in that critical state!” said Zuko, as he and the others start to get more focused on watching the battle...

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“Elemata, Water Gun!” Genn commanded. Elemata then shot a burst of water out of its mouth toward Lingliu.

“D-Dodge if you can, Lingliu!” said Yuu. Lingliu, while poisoned, managed to shake the Life Clinger off and dodge away from the shot of water. 

“Ling!...” Lingliu shouted as if it was its attempt to let Yuu know that it was not giving up.

“Lingliu! Rock Throw!” Yuu said as Lingliu attempted to generate a rock in front of it.

“Elemata, Fake Out!” said Genn. Elemata then rushed forward towards Lingliu as it attempted to shoot out the rock, but Elemata struck it with its trunk before it could unleash it causing it to flinch and beat red once more from Life Clinger!

“Wow, that is a sneaky move,” said Suki.

“And seemingly a perfect one for a Pokémon that goes into a critical condition every time it gets hurt,” said Azula.

“Fake Out makes you think that the opposing Pokémon is going to do an actual damaging move, but really its purpose is to lead you on and do a petty attack to mess you up," said Yuu. Yuu then started to think, “I need to make sure the shot hits… How can I when its speed is also lowered?... " Suddenly, an idea popped into Yuu’s head. 

“Wait! Rotom Pokédex told me once that Lingliu had 3 moves currently, but I have only been using a combination of two!” Yuu said quickly, his eyes lighting up with an idea. Yuu quickly ran over to grab Rotom Pokédex and started to press buttons on the display.

“H-Hey! Oh~ please be gentle! If you need me to go to a setting you can just tell me you know!” pleaded Rotom Pokédex as Yuu went over Lingliu’s current moveset.

“So it knows Homing Attack… Rock Throw... And… Oh!” Yuu gasped. Yuu turned to Lingliu and waved its hand. “Lingliu, use Spin Charge!” Lingliu then nodded its head and then started to curl up in a ball. Then, it started to rev up like it was a car; skidding on the ground in place.

“Oh~... What does that move do?” asked Genn as he got out his own Rotom Pokédex. 

“Spin Charge is a Normal-Type move unique to Lingliu that allows the user to increase its speed by spinning, and using that charged-up speed in whatever next attack it chooses to use,” said Genn’s Rotom Pokédex.

“Ling Ling!” shouted Lingliu as it started to don a more excited facial expression, with its body returning to normal. 

“I guess you are done charging up. Well if that is the case… Homing Attack!” said Yuu as Lingliu then started to jump in the air, and charge forward towards Elemata with the added speed that was just charged up. Before Genn could even make a command Elemata was struck in its side by Lingliu!

“Mata!” shouted Elemata as it fell back.

“The attack should have also packed a huge punch due to Life Clinger still being activated while it got hit!” said Yuu.

“Dang, that is a drastic change in speed with that move... But it isn’t something that I cannot keep up with!” said Genn, staying hopeful. 

“Way to go, Lingliu!” shouted Yuu.

“Ling-” Lingliu said before it started to shake and convulse as it hit the floor again and started to pulsate red.

“Oh my god! What is happening?!” asked Suki.

“It must be the poison still. It still has it” said Zuko.

“Lingliu is running on a clock. Better finish soon,” said Azula.

“Okay backseat Pokémon Trainer…” said Yuu as Azula’s comments started to annoy him, “Lingliu, get up and use Spin Charge once more!”.

“Elemata, Rollout before it can finish charging!” shouted Genn. Elemata and Lingliu then started to curl into a ball, and as Lingliu started to charge up speed Elemata rolled forward towards Lingliu. 

“Come on, just a bit more time… Lingliu as soon as you can perform the next move use Rock Throw!” Yuu commanded. Soon after, Lingliu stopped its charge, and in just enough time unleashed Rock Throw against Elemata- who was still full force towards them. Despite hitting Elemata with a Rock Throw with the increased speed it lacked the attacking power to stop Elemata’s tracks, and because of this exact fact, Lingliu was struck with great force as Elemata trampled Lingliu.

“L-Lingliu!” shouted Yuu.

“I-I can’t watch this!...” said Aang as he started to walk away.

“Aang!” Katara shouts as she runs after him.

“W-What's his deal?...” questioned Zuko.

“Perhaps witnessing his first Pokémon battle with two actual Pokémon trainers is intense for him; someone who doesn't even want to hurt a fly if he doesn’t have to,” said Azula.

“That attack that hit Lingliu looked like it hurt,” said Toph.

“I was going to say that same thing- wait…” said Suki as she looked over to Toph giggling.

“Way to make light and laugh at my Pokémon’s pain while your own friend is going through it, guys…” said Yuu as he runs over to Lingliu as Elemata finishes their Rollout spin. As he does this the others who stayed as Katara ran after Aang started to suddenly reflect on what Yuu said. “Lingliu, are you okay?” asked Yuu as he kneels over and sees Lingliu beat red; signifying that its Ability Life Clinger has activated. “It’s not knocked out… Did the ability deactivate before it got hit again?...” Yuu further questioned.

“Your Pokémon is out of the count already, Yuuyuu?” questioned Genn.

“D-Don’t call me that!” said Yuu as he blushes and he gets up from Lingliu's side, “And they are fine! It’s their Ability."

“Yuuyuu?...” questioned Zuko, blushing slightly as he remembered his own childhood nickname Zuzu which sounded quite similar to Yuu's.

“Hehe, kinda cute,” said Suki.

“Right?! His mom used to call him that all the time!” said Genn.

“When I was like- 8 maybe!!!” said Yuu.

“Maybe when I was 8, buddy. And don’t forget you woulda have been two years older!” said Genn as he chuckled.

“W-Whatever! Lingliu has had enough time to recover because of this useless banter that Life Clinger should fade again at any moment. Lingliu, Rock Throw! Keep your distance!” commanded Yuu.

“L-Ling!” said Lingliu as it stops flickering red, and charges up a rock in front of it. Suddenly, Lingliu coughs; disrupting his concentration which stops the move, and activates Life Clinger.

“W-What?!” Yuu said in shock.

“The poison seems to be getting to Lingliu. I don’t mean to be crude, but let me put it outta its misery! Elemata, Rollout!” said Genn as Elemata started to roll towards Lingliu. 

“D-Dodge!” shouts Yuu. However, Lingliu doesn’t move. Elemata then rolls over Lingliu, causing its Life Clinger to activate again.

“Let’s go for a second one, Elemata!” said Genn.

“Elema!” Elemata says as it continues to Rollout towards Lingliu once more.

“L-Lingliu! Dodge!” Yuu shouts. Lingliu manages to get up to move, however, they were not quick enough and Elemata runs it over once more. 

“No!” Yuu shouts as it runs over to Lingliu, and sees it knocked out on the floor.

“Damn…” said Zuko as he turned his eyes.

“Lingliu can no longer fight after that,” said Azula.

“Lingliu, are you okay?” asked Yuu as he grabbed Lingliu in his arms. 

“L-Ling… Lingliu…” said the hurt Pokémon as it looked into Yuu’s eyes.

“You are strong, Elemata. And Genn, you are a good trainer- that is for sure” said Yuu as he got up, and returned Lingliu to its Poké Ball.

“Thank you. For using such a tricky Pokémon like a Lingliu I think you did pretty good too; especially because you never even fought one Gym Leader yet!” said Genn.

“For once, I might actually be able to take something you said as a compliment…” said Yuu.

“Well the match is still going; what is your next Pokémon?” asked Genn.

“Give me a minute, okay?” said Yuu as he pulled out his second Poké Ball.

“Come on out, Luckrane!” shouts Yuu as he throws the Poké Ball, and outcomes Luckrane. 

“Luck!” Luckrane says as it looks at the intimidating Elemata.

“This will be easy. Elemata, Rollout!” Genn says.

“Gust, Luckrane!” said Yuu. Reluctantly, Luckrane mustered up a tuft of wind towards Elemata but it manages to blow straight through it!

“Hit it!” Genn says as Elemata strikes against Luckrane.

“Luck!” Luckrane cries out.

“Agh… I hate to say it, but Lingliu is stronger than Luckrane. So, if Lingliu struggled then Luckrane…” Yuu muttered to himself, beginning to feel the tendrils of doubt creep in. He glanced towards Luckrane, who seemed to mirror his apprehension. Yet, seeing Luckrane like that lit a spark of resolve within Yuu. “N-No! If I waver then what will Luckrane have to follow?! We have to try! Luckrane, Tackle!” he shouted.

Luckrane charged towards the anticipating Elemata, but just as contact seemed imminent, there was an unseen barrier that repelled Luckrane backward.

“Mata!” Elemata chirped, seemingly unharmed.

Yuu was bewildered. "What happened?" he murmured, pulling out his Rotom Pokédex equipped with an Attacldex module. The Attacldex quickly displayed the information on the screen, showing that Elemata was immune to normal type moves like Tackle due to its ghostly nature.

“Oh, a rookie mistake, huh?” Genn chuckled lightly, not missing the chance to tease. “Elemata, use Haunt!” he commanded.

Elemata, seizing the moment, approached and cast a eerie aura towards Luckrane, who instinctively darted upwards to evade.

“G-Good idea, Luckrane! With you up there, Elemata cannot get close enough for it to peer into your eyes!” said Yuu.

“But why did that Luckrane make a move without his trainer commanding it… Hm…” questioned Genn. Genn then shrugged his shoulders. “Nonetheless. Elemata, bring it back down with Water Gun!” Elemata then shot a bullet of water toward Luckrane- hitting it!

“No!” shouted Yuu. Luckrane then fell to the ground.

“L-Luck…” said Luckrane as it attempted to flap the water off its damp wings.

“It probably cannot fly property now…” said Suki.

“My guess as well,” said Sokka.

“G-Get up, Luckrane! Gust, and blow the water off you!” said Yuu. Luckrane then started to create wind to dry itself off, but in the process of doing that, it didn’t notice Elemata charging forward.

“Elemata! Let’s Rollout!” Genn commands. Elemata then started to spin and trample the flapping Luckrane flat to the floor. 

“Luckrane!” shouted Yuu. As Elemata rolled away everyone could see Luckrane knocked out on the floor; thus resulting in Genn winning the battle due to Elemata still being up and ready to continue. Yuu saw this first hand as he ran over to Luckrane, and picked it up in his arms in a similar manner to when Lingliu lost. “Tsk… you fought well, Luckrane…” said Yuu as he returned Luckrane to its Poké Ball, and looked up to Genn who was walking over. Genn then flashed Yuu a smile and extended his hand.

“Good game!” said Genn. Yuu sighed and grabbed Genn’s hand.

“Yeah, good game,” said Yuu.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“Well wasn’t that fun!” Genn laughed, a large smile spreading across his face as he placed his hands on his hips. “Come on, let’s head to the Pokémon Center, and get our Pokémon taken care of.” Yuu nodded and followed Genn as he headed back in that direction. Behind them, the rest of the group followed; most of them buzzing with excitement from the battle they just had witnessed. 

“Man, that was so cool!” Sokka shouted, pumping his fist into the air as he spoke, “Genn and Yuu were amazing, I want to battle like that too!” Suki, who was walking beside him, smiled fondly at her boyfriend.

“Oh Sokka, you’re going to be such an amazing Pokémon Trainer!” Suki sighed, her eyes twinkling with love. “Better than anyone else in the world.” Behind them, Azula snorted and rolled her eyes at Suki’s words.

“Let him catch a Pokémon first before you start hyping him up,” she suggested, earning herself a dirty look from Suki. Azula however ignored her, grabbing her chin as a new thought came to her. “I will admit, however, to Sokka’s earlier point, that battle between Genn and Yuu was quite informative...” Azula added. Sokka and Suki nodded in agreement. 

While they chatted away enthusiastically in the back of the group Aang and Katara did not share their excitement. Aang had a forlorn look written across his face, he was staring down at his feet clearly deep in thought. Beside him, Katara watched him worriedly as she had been since he had walked away from the battle.

“How are you holding up, sweetie?” Katara asked gently, looping her arm with his own as they continued up the path into Youchuan town. 

“Hmm, I can’t lie that I’m still a little shaken up about watching Genn and Yuu’s Pokémon battle. It did make me feel a little better to learn that Pokémon have moves that can heal themselves during those kinds of situations but still...I can’t help the way watching it bothers me.” Aang admitted. 

“Of course not,” Katara said as she carefully pulled her arm away from his to start rubbing gentle circles against his back. “I think it’s natural for you to feel that way but perhaps with time, the longer you're exposed to these things the more that aversion might lessen.” 

“Maybe...” Aang sighed. 

“...Is there anything I can do to help?” Katara began to rub his back a little harder, hoping to ease some of his sadness.

“I think I just need some time to think,” Aang muttered, pulling away from Katara’s touch. A hurt look passed over her face but she remained quiet as she dropped her hand to her side, deciding to give him the space he needed. 

Aang wasn’t the only person in the group upset, however. Zuko, who was walking between Azula and Toph noticed that Toph was unusually quiet. She was still clinging to his arm as she allowed him to lead her along the way. Her brow was furrowed deeply and she had seemed agitated since they left. Zuko also noted that ahead of him Yuu seemed to be quieter than usual as well. He was walking a little bit away from the group with his shoulders slumped forward; exuding a melancholy energy. 

“I hope he’s okay...I know how hard losing a fight like that can be.” Zuko thought just as the group came upon the Pokémon Center.

“We’re here!~” Genn sang as the automatic doors slid open. The red hair boy hopped over the threshold before hurrying up to the counter. 

“Spirits all roads seem to lead back to this Pokémon Center,” Toph muttered, causing Zuko to snicker. 

“Oh, Nurse Joy~. You have some young trainers here in need of assistance!” Genn called out as the rest of the group filed in behind him. On the other side of the counter, Nurse Joy smiled at them warmly. “We have a couple of Pokémon that need some healin’ up.” 

“Well I can certainly help with that,” Nurse Joy said kindly as Yuu came up to the counter beside Genn, who was rummaging through his bag to get his Pokémon. 

“Here’s my Pokémon, my Tiaomogu and Elemata,” Genn said as he placed his Poké Balls onto the counter.  

“Here is mine Lingliu and Luckrane,” Yuu said gently as he placed their Poké Balls on the counter as well. Nurse Joy nodded as she took the Poké Balls into her hands. 

“Alright, just wait here and I’ll have your Pokémon back in a jiffy.” She bowed her head politely before heading towards the back of the center, her partner Meowstic hopped off the counter and followed behind Nurse Joy. 

As Nurse Joy rounded the corner the front doors of the Pokémon Center slid open again. They all turned their head to see a familiar face.

“Professor Pine!” Genn and Yuu exclaimed happily, hurrying over to the Professor as he walked into the Pokémon Center. 

“Hello everyone!” Pine greeted with a wide smile.

“Hello.” Aang, Katara, and Suki said politely, while Toph just nodded in his direction.

“Do you have our Pokédex?!” Sokka asked excitedly as he hurried over to the Professor a wide smile stretched across his face.

“Sokka!” Katara scolded. “At least properly greet him properly before jumping down his throat.”

“Of course where are your manners Sokka,” Azula mocked as she and Zuko moved to stand beside him. “Hello Professor, how are you? Great, lovely, do you have our Pokédex or not?” Everyone but Katara and Suki laughed, while the two girls scowled at Azula’s curt response.

“Nice to see you all again, and to answer your question Sokka and Azula- I have both of your Pokédex right here, and Zuko’s too of course!” Pine laughed, as he began to hunt through his messenger bag for the Pokédex. 

“Cool!” Sokka chirped, dancing around from one foot to the next. 

“Don't be too excited Sokka,” Azula said, turning to look at him. “We’re not even getting the good ones like Yuu and Genn have.” 

“Yes I do apologize for that,” Professor Pine said, a pink blush dusting his cheeks as he pulled out three identical Pokédex from his bag. “As I mentioned I no longer have any Rotom Pokédex available, but don't worry these ones work just as well! Of course...they don't have the same advanced features. I’m still working on getting those newer versions that are all the rage in Galar- but nonetheless, it’ll still get the job done!” 

“As long as it works that’s all that matters,” Zuko shrugged as he took the Pokédex from Pine’s hand. Sokka nodded excitedly in agreement as he took his own. Azula let out a little ‘hmph’ as she took hers. 

“I suppose for now it will do,” she shrugged, unhappy that she had to settle for anything less than the best. All three took a moment to examine the Pokédex in their hands. It was a red rectangular device with a small glass dome at the top. The device swung open to reveal a screen and beneath it were two long white buttons. Besides those buttons was a large button in the shape of a plus sign that perturbed out to the side. On the flap that covered the screen was a green circle and around it were two dark grey half-circles, making the image of a Poké Ball.

“Now when you guys come across a Pokémon you’re unfamiliar with or isn’t registered you’ll point this,” Pine leaned forward to tap the tiny glass dome on the top of Sokka’s Pokédex, causing him to wiggle with excitement. “At the Pokémon in question and it’ll scan it and identify it for you, easy at that!”

“Isn’t that nifty!” Genn said, craning his head over Zuko’s shoulder to get a look at his Pokédex. 

“Pretty cool, you guys are official Pokémon Trainers now,” Yuu said, smiling at the trio gently watching as they continued to examine their new item.

“Now that we’ve got that all squared away, it’s really nice to see you again Professor Pine!” Genn said as he turned to look back at him. “It feels like forever since I’ve seen you in person last.”

“It’s good to see you again as well Genn! How have you been?” asked Professor Pine.

“Good! So far my journey has been going really well and I was pleasantly surprised to come back here and find Yuu and his new group of friends,” Genn beamed, giving Yuu a pat on the back as he spoke. “The two of us had a Pokémon battle, that’s why we're all here now so we can get our teams healed up.”

“Oh really?” Pine said, turning to look at Yuu proudly. “Fantastic and how did it go?”

“I won!” Genn exclaimed as Yuu’s shoulders began to sag further. A sad look passed his face as he averted his eyes to the ground.

“I see… Well then, congratulations are in order, Genn. You as well, Yuu,” Pine began, reaching forward to clasp the young boy on the shoulder. “Don't be discouraged by defeat, every battle lost is a learning experience and will certainly help you towards victory.” Yuu blushed slightly, smiling as Pine pulled away.

“That’s a good way to look at it!” Genn said before giving Yuu another pat on the back. Yuu winced but said nothing. “By the way Professor, I have that Egg that you wanted with me.” Professor Pine’s eyes lit up at the news.

“That’s brilliant!” Pine laughed, clapping his hands together happily. “Can I see it please?” Genn nodded as he pulled his bag around and opened it. 

“An egg?!” Yuu said, turning to look at the bag inquisitively. “What do you need for it?”

“I’m glad you asked my boy!” Pine said, turning away from Genn for a moment. “I actually asked Genn to get this egg for me as a part of my field study, this egg right here will help me further my research on The Vekros Virus.” He explained as Genn pulled out the egg in question. 

“Here ya go!~” Genn cheered.

“Aha! Thank you, Genn,” Pine gingerly plucked the egg from Genn’s hand and examined it for a moment. Professor Pine gently placed it back into his messenger bag for safekeeping. “Thank you so much, Genn, you have no idea how much help this will be!” 

“Now that we’re Pokémon Trainers, will we have to go on missions to collect eggs for you, Professor Pine?” Sokka asked. Professor Pine chuckles.

“Possibly, however, you aren’t obligated to, if you were willing to do a little field research that would help me greatly!” said Professor Pine as he walks around the room, “I asked Genn specifically if he would help me with this mission because of his background as a Pokémon Ranger, he’s used to doing stuff like this.” he continued.

“Oh right, I remember Yuu mentioned earlier that Genn was a Pokémon Ranger,” It was Suki who spoke now, from where she was sitting with Aang and Katara. 

“Oh? Is this a part of the ‘Pokémon Ranger stuff’ you were talking about doing before becoming a Pokémon Trainer?” Aang asked, a curious look twinkling in his eyes as he turned to look at Genn.

“Yep! When I was training with the Pokémon Rangers doing field studies was commonplace, but I’m sure that doesn’t come as a surprise to any of you,” Genn waved his hand back and forth in a dismissive manner, not catching the looks of confusion among everyone’s faces save for Pine and Yuu’s.

“They are?” Sokka asked, giving Genn a clueless look and causing Genn to frown slightly.

“Yeah of course, wouldn’t that be obvious?” He asked, causing an embarrassed blush to spread across Sokka’s face. 

“Now now, Genn no need to be rude!” Professor Pine said, swiftly swooping in. “Not everyone has the same knowledge as you; just because something is common knowledge to you and seems obvious doesn’t mean it’ll be obvious to someone else!” It's Genn’s turn to blush now, a sheepish look coming at him.

“O-Of course not! I didn’t mean to be rude!” Genn said quickly, he turned to Sokka and bowed slightly. “My apologies! I don't mean to be dismissive!” 

“Don't worry about it!” Sokka said, giving Genn a warm smile. “I- I just don't know a lot about this kind of stuff…” 

“That’s quite alright,” Pine assured Sokka. “You see- Pokémon Ranger's main goal is to preserve and defend nature using the help of their Pokémon; many Pokémon Rangers conduct field studies as well as protect them in order to learn more about The Vekros Virus; where it came from and how we can possibly stop it.”

“Really?!” Aang asked, his eyes widening slightly. “That sounds amazing.”

“It is!” Genn said, turning to look at Aang with a wide smile. 

“Indeed! Becoming a Pokémon Ranger is a very noble path to undertake,” Professor Pine said with a nod, beside him Genn nodded his head eagerly in agreement.

“If it’s such a noble undertaking then why did you become a Pokémon Ranger instead?” Azula asked curiously.

“Oh, I decided that I wanted to become a Pokémon Trainer so I could undertake the Gym Challenges and study the Gym Temple Pedestals!” Genn said excitedly as he turned to Azula. “I believe that Pokémon Energy will be very beneficial to helping the world around us, however before I can do that I need to become stronger, I believe that becoming the Champion will help me achieve that dream!” 

“I think that's lovely,” Professor Pine said with a soft smile. “And I think you have the ability to reach that goal, I think you all have the ability to reach your goals as long as you work hard and remain focused.” He said, turning his attention to Yuu as he spoke. 

“R-Right,” Yuu nodded, smiling a little awkwardly at Professor Pine. 

“Well, if we are just asking questions may I ask something that has been on my mind?” asked Suki.

“Why, yes- what is it?” asked Professor Pine.

“Well, it was mentioned by others prior that the hotel that we stayed at the one we were going to meet you at was named after a Legendary Pokémon. I seem to understand what Legendary Pokémon are for the most part after you mentioned it to us, but what is the significance of that Pokémon that they named this place after them?” asked Suki.

“Ah! That is a good question!” said Professor Pine.

“Wait, you don’t know what Scwalea is? What? That’s like- one of the most well-known legendary tales in Huoli! And- what do you mean you understood what they were when he explained it?” asked Genn. Suddenly, everyone remembered that Genn doesn’t know that they are not from Huoli.

“Oh, don’t worry much about that Genn! Sometimes it’s just better to listen, right?” suggested Yuu.

“Hm… Okay!” said Genn, giving in to what Yuu was saying.

“Okay then, well sit back as I give you a little crash course of Scwalea; a Pokémon known by most in Huoli alongside the epitaph ‘Energy Quartet’!” said Professor Pine.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“You said… Energy… Quartet? But, that is just one Pokémon…” said Katara.

“Yes, you are right! Let me clarify; Scwalea is one of 4 widely known Legendary Pokémon local to Huoli that is referred to as a whole as the 'Energy Quartet’; you might also find some referring to them as the ‘Elements of Life’. Together, they are 4 Legendary Pokémon that represent the four elements that comprise life; water, fire, earth, and wind. They are even said to have created not just all of Huoli, but all the planets known to man; jumping from hemisphere to hemisphere as they bring life around the universe,” said Professor Pine. He then looked over to the map of Huoli hanging in the Pokémon Center and continued to speak once more. “There are many legends about these Pokémon. One legend has it that there are special shrines where the Pokémon are said to rest in Huoli; restlessly still serving the lands that they created by granting it an endless flow of elemental energy,” he continued.

“The elements?...” Zuko said as he contemplated what he was just told.

“Water… Fire… Earth… Wind… That is very similar to…” said Aang, thinking about the structure of their homeworld.

“So, Scwalea is one of them? Which element?” asked Azula.

“Water. They are known as the ‘Compassion Pokémon’" Professor Pine said as he cleared his throat, "Scwalea is said to have made the waterways through the use of creating swales in the earth. Historians around the world- from Unova to Kanto- have said to have found the work of Scwalea through geographic research; comparing the rock found on waterbeds. There’s a myth that the whole world was once an endless terra after a tragedy. One day, the water stored deep within the planet rose up to the surface, and took a spiritual form; it is said the anguish of man called for it. There, it absorbed all the nutrients laying around the earth and created an endless reservoir of water inside of it. It then used that water to fill the endless earth with water by creating swales; moistening the earth around it, and breaking it apart as the water rushed through it,”  Professor Pine then continued.

“That’s really interesting!” said Aang.

“Quite. This water it could create was said to be magical, but sources on this claim have been divided. But, one thing that they all shared was the idea that the Pokémon’s power stemmed from The Ancient Ones; back in a time when many would frolic in the desolate lands. It is also said that the power, Unfortunately… Due to me focusing so much on my specific research into The Vekros Virus and Domestic Pokémon, I really have not given the legends of Huoli much thought; after all, this is not my native place as well. So, I only know as much as the legends tell.” said Professor Pine.

“I see… Well, if that is its legend- I can see why it would be hailed,” said Suki.

"Just to mention the rest: the one that bears Fire is Thankhloros, the 'Vehemence Pokémon'. Its legends are more prevalent in the western region of Huoli, but it is most known for being the one that sends souls to oblivion. Then there is the bearer of Earth, Erthelung, the 'Jigsaw Pokémon'. A modest Pokémon among the 4. Legend has it that the tectonic plates of Huoli were merely just this Pokémon's puzzle pieces that it played with. The last one bearing Wind is Jimpassus, the 'Astrolabe Pokémon'. With its theorized 'third eye' it used it as a compass to aid ancient beings guide themselves across the world as it told them the location of the sun and the stars" said Professor Pine.

"Scwalea, Thankhloros, Erthelung, and Jimpassus; together, with The Ancient One, they created the lands of Huoli as we know today!" said Yuu.

"Hehe, good to know that something from school has stuck in your head of the region's history, young Yuu!" said Genn as he laughed.

"Yeah-... um... is that a compliment or an insult?..." Yuu then wonders as he chuckled nervously.

“So, is there a reason that this hotel is named after one of them specifically?” asked Katara.

“No; there is no qualification or region that hails one over the other within Huoli, but like I said previously some just have more prominent legends of them. But, this town is not known for its legends... Honestly, it is probably a marketing tactic to name a hotel after it!...” Professor Pine said as he shook his head in disappointment.

“Hehe, I remember trying to get this info outta the Professor myself! I was just talking to a brick wall half the time!” said Genn.

“Hey! Don’t speak to the Professor that way!” shouted Yuu at Genn. Genn however just laughed as he continued to speak.

“Relax! Anyway, I tried my best to find more info on them all, but it seems that many of them live in legends and ancient texts. However, I don’t like reading often- so I kinda forgot to follow up on my quandaries! But, the shrine thing seems legit; Rangers would often seek them out as asylums for hurt Pokémon, thinking the mystic energy it is supposed to invoke would heal them,” said Genn.

“Really? That is pretty neat!” said Aang.

“You know, for how this guy often speaks and is kind of an airhead- this guy Genn is actually pretty intellectual… ” Toph thought.

“Yeah, I agree as well,” said Yuu.

“Pokémon Energy is a whimsical thing!” said Professor Pine.

“Shame the whole region’s Professor doesn't know about this though…” said Sokka. Katara then hit Sokka’s side, Professor Pine then sighed.

“Well, I am not the entire region’s Pokémon Professor; I might say the Professor that governs over the southern part of Liyi, but even that is pushing it. You will find many Professors; all focusing on various studies. Mine happens to mainly be Domestic Pokémon and its correlating issue of The Vekros Virus,” said Professor Pine.

“Like the brother to Ranger Chinchi!” said Genn.

“Who’s that?” asked Yuu.

“He is a Pokémon Ranger that I did a couple of missions with. His brother I was told is a Scientist dude studying The Vekros Virus. Oh! Ranger Chinchi is also the Gym Leader who I got my Survival Badge from!” said Genn as he whipped out his gym badge case to flaunt in Yuu’s face.

“Well while that is cool- please get that outta my face!” said Yuu.

“What’s wrong Yuu? You will see one just like this soon!” said Genn with a smile.

“T-Thank you…” said Yuu, as he started to get annoyed by Genn’s words.

“Back on topic… Anything else on the Energy Quartet?” asked Azula.

“Well, that is really all I know…. Oh! As well as the presence of The Ancient One; a Pokémon that is said to be even higher than the Energy Quartet that reigns over all of them." Suddenly, Zuko became alert.

“You mentioned that before. So, those ‘massive creatures’ who carried whole civilizations… They were Legendary Pokémon that also ruled over these other Legendary Pokémon? You also implied that there were multiple?”  asked Zuko.

“Hm… Well, the lore gets a bit tricky. But the short answer is… Perhaps. That is all up for debate if I am being honest. For all I know, The Ancient Ones could be the actual explanation for the tectonic plates moving the Huoli landmasses into their current forms. They could even just be an 'idea'. However, the lore Huoli falls on the backs of these creatures. Unfortunately, there is no one living to verify this; only old text that in which talks about them as if they were myths. The Sacred Families of Huoli would be the ones that know the best about this topic... From what I personally believe, The Ancient One should be thought of as a Mythical Pokémon; mainly to show just how rare those Legendaries would be in comparison to other regions' Legendaries. There is a reason it is known as 'The Ancient One', as even its name is not even common knowledge nor is found in many texts. It was, however, known as the 'Celestial-Body Pokémon', and it ruled over the Energy Quartet; beyond that, it is a mystery to me. Again, I’m just a Professor- not all-knowing. Perhaps during your journey, you will uncover all the legends of them all,” said Professor Pine.

“I see… Well, that is a lot of interesting info to go off of. Thank you for telling us,” said Aang as he bowed.

“No need for formality when spreading general info. Now, while I would love to stay here and give you guys a free class on Pokémon lore I best be taking this egg back with me to the lab for further research,” said Professor Pine.

“What Pokémon is that?” asked Yuu.

“That is a secret between me and the Professor!~,” said Genn.

“I’m afraid he is right,” said Professor Pine.

“What? It’s just an egg…” said Yuu.

“Hehe, jelly?” asked Genn, poking fun at Yuu- who obviously was nothing besides jealous. 

“Please, boys…” said Professor Pine. Suddenly, as they talked, Nurse Joy came back out with Meowstic and a bunch of Poké Balls.

“Everyone, your Pokémon are all healed up."

“Good, just in time! Thanks, Nurse Joy!” Genn shouted as he picked up his Pokémon. Yuu followed shortly behind doing the same thing.

“Well, not that you have your Pokémon Genn, let’s go,” said Professor Pine.

“You are going with him as well?” asked Yuu.

“Yeah. I wanna go see the rest of the fam. The plan was I was going to give him the egg back in Mian, but then when I heard he was coming here it was just a coincidence. We are headed the same way, so this is where we say goodbye- for now, Yuu~” said Genn as he held out his hand for Yuu to shake. Somewhat reluctant, Yuu shook his hand and Genn smiles brightly. And with that Genn and Professor Pine bid the group farewell as they both headed back to Mian Town leaving the group on their journey.

*****

After Professor Pine and Genn departed from the Pokémon Center, the rest of the group gathered up their things and left as well. Zuko and Azula were the last two to leave the building, and as they walked out Zuko noticed his sister seemed to be deep in thought.

“Thinking about everything Pine just said?” Zuko asked, giving her a slight nudge to her side. Azula frowned as she glanced up at her brother.

“Hmm? Oh, no. Actually, I was thinking about something I said earlier,” Zuko couldn’t help but roll his eyes at this confession.

“Why am I not surprised?” He drawled, causing Azula to scowl. 

“Tease me all you want, but I’ve been thinking of something rather important,” as Azula spoke she raised her voice to get the attention of others. “I think there’s something rather important that we should all speak about.” She added, causing the others to stop and turn to face her and Zuko.

“What’s wrong Azula?” Aang asked, a worried look on his face. Lemaki then climbed to the top of Aang’s head.

“Maki?” Lemaki uttered; as if they themselves were also interested in what Azula had to say.

“Earlier, when we first met Genn at the docks, I slipped up and told him that I was the Fire Lord.” Azula began, the others frowned and exchanged confused looks with one another.

“So?” Toph grunted. 

“Well… I don't think it was a wise thing for me to do,” Azula admitted, turning to look at Toph as she spoke. “I don't think the fact that we’re from another dimension should be common information-”

“You think it’s dangerous?” Suki asked causing Azula to scoff.

“Obviously,” Azula snipped, causing the older girl to scowl. “We don't know the intentions of people like Genn.” Suddenly, Yuu turns his head in annoyance

“Well I do,” Yuu said quickly; stepping forward towards Azula, “He’s a simpy brat- but I don't think he would do anything bad with that information. Overall, he’s a good kid.”

“You know that- but we don't,” Azula said quickly, annoyed that everyone kept interrupting her. “And even if his intentions are the best, the same can’t be said for everyone.” Beside her, Zuko began to nod in agreement as well as Sokka.

“True! And from a more strategic standpoint, it’s probably a good idea to keep that information close to our chest,” Sokka said as he placed his hand on his hips.

“Oh that’s such a good point, Sokka, 💖” Suki said, gawking over him with googly eyes.

“That’s basically what I said...” Azula said as she rolled her eyes.

“I agree, though. It would be a safe thing to do” Katara piped up, causing everyone to turn their attention to her. “We don't want to draw any unnecessary attention to us, especially with Team Vekros roaming about the region. Who knows what they might try and do to us if they find out that we aren’t from this world”. Aang then nodded his head.

“Yeah, I agree; until we get our bending back and can fully protect ourselves we should keep this between ourselves, Yuu’s mom, and Professor Pine to be as safe as possible.”

“You hear that, sparky?” Toph asked, turning her head in Azula’s direction. “That means no more stupid slip-ups about being the Fire Lord!” Azula frowned at Toph’s taunting- but didn’t take the bait, knowing that she had a point. Yuu cleared his throat softly, causing the attention to all turn towards him. He had a sheepish look on his face as he looked between the other members of the group.

“Umm... well actually, now that we’re having this conversation- there’s been something I’ve been thinking about for a while,” he admitted. He then started to nervously play with his arms. “I don't really know much about your world, I mean Aang explained the stuff about bending and being the Avatar but apart from that I'm kind of in the dark about where you guys come from.”

“I guess we haven’t talked about much have we?” Suki chuckled, giving Yuu an apologetic look. Everyone then exchanged looks around each other; realizing the same.

“To be fair it’s not like we’ve had a lot of downtimes,” Sokka said. 

“Okay… well, no better time to than now right guys?” suggested Aang.

“I suppose. But, quickly” said Azula. And so, the group found a place to sit comfortably as they started the process of explaining the events that would eventually bring them all together as they were today…

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“Okay, Yuu… What specifically do you want to know?” Katara asked.

“Well… I know that Aang saved the world…” he responded with uncertainty.

“Well that’s kind of a long story,” Aang laughed, a blush tinting his cheeks as he nervously began to rub the back of his head.

“No need to get shy!” Toph said a proud smile stretching across her face. “Go on! Tell Yuu about how you totally kicked the Fire Lord’s ass!” At this Azula scoffed, causing Yuu to give her a curious glance.

“You fought Azula?” Yuu asked in a confused tone.

“Yes and... no,” Azula said with a roll of her eyes. “Aang and I have found ourselves battling many times but Toph is specifically referencing my father, Fire Lord Ozai, who ruled the Fire Nation during the last years of the 100 Year War.” 

“The 100 Year War…” Yuu said with a puzzled look. As he spoke, Lingliu started to rub its head against Yuu’s shin, attempting to console him. Yuu looked down and smiled. “Come here, Lingliu!” he said, with a newfound smile forming, as he picked up Lingliu- and held them in his arms.

“Yes,” Katara said grimly, a dark look passing across her face. “In our homeland, the Fire Nation raged war against the rest of the world for 100 years.” As Katara said this, Yuu noted immediately that the mood around the group shifted. Beside him, Aang bowed his head as a shameful look crossed his face. He also noted that Zuko looked ashamed as well. 

“Really?” Yuu finally asked, turning to look back at Katara.

“Yes. Where we come from, there are four nations; The Earth Kingdom, The Northern and Southern Water Tribes, The Fire Nation, and…” 

“The Air Nomads,” Aang said gently, his voice filled with sorrow as he spoke. “I’m the last of them so...I suppose now there are only three nations…”

“You’re the last of the Air Nomads? What happened to the others?” Yuu asked softly. Aang squeezed his eyes shut tightly and turned his head away from Yuu. He clenched his hands into fists as he tried to keep his forming tears at bay. A horrible feeling twisted in Yuu’s stomach and he opened his mouth to assure Aang he didn’t have to say anymore but before he could Azula spoke.

“They were killed in a genocide carried out by the Fire Nation,” Azula said coldly and matter-of-factly. Aang flinched at Azula’s words, and Katara wheeled around to glare at Azula but she continued to speak. “Zuko and I’s great grandfather Fire Lord Sozin wanted to extend his power and influence over the rest of the nations but, I’m sure as Aang explained to you, the Avatar is the keeper of peace and harmony in the world; as long as he or she was around, then Sozin would quickly be stopped.” 

“Oh…” Yuu said, feeling astounded by what he is hearing.

“So, he sent the full might of his army onto the Air Nomads; attacking the four temples where they all gathered in masses,” Azula went on to say. “Sozin knew that the Avatar was still a child, and not a fully realized Avatar yet. So, he decided to strike before the Avatar was powerful enough to stop him.”

“Oh Aang, I’m so sorry,” Yuu said, unsure of what else to say. 

“I ran away,” Aang said gently, causing Yuu’s eyes to grow wide. “If you were wondering how I managed to escape… I was living and training at the Southern Air Temple, and I had overheard from some of the older airbenders there that they were planning on sending me to the Eastern Air Temple to complete my training. I didn’t want to go so I ran away… I managed to get as far as the Southern Water Tribe before I got caught in a horrible storm. In order to save me and my flying bison Appa, I bent us into a protective sphere of ice… it preserved us for 100 years… I had no idea that the Fire Nation Was coming if I had-”

“There was nothing you could have done,” Katara said quickly. Aang didn’t look convinced but didn’t fight Katara.

“After Aang disappeared there was no one to keep the peace between the nations,” Sokka said now with a stern voice, “The Fire Nation attacked the world in full force, The Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes had managed to keep them from completely taking over but by the time Aang reemerged it was getting harder and harder.”

“How did you remerge Aang?” Yuu asked tentatively. 

“Katara and Sokka found me,” Aang’s voice sounded a little lighter now as he turned to look at Katara.

“Really? That’s great!” said Yuu with hope.

“We were fishing and we found Aang frozen in an iceberg!” Sokka said with a giant and expressive tone, “We poked at it, and then it was like WOOSH! There was this blind light and out came Aang! After that, we informed him about what had been happening while he was frozen.”

“I knew as the Avatar I couldn’t run anymore and that if the rest of the world had any hope of living in peace I would have to restore it. So Katara, Sokka, and I went off so I could learn the other three elements. We met Suki and Toph along the way.” Aang said, blushing as he spoke. 

“We met Zuko too!” Toph said as she chuckled, “And Azula but they were trying to kill us!”

“What?!” Yuu asked, his eyes bulging out of his head. Lemaki then snarled at Azula as it learned this news.

“Not as a team...” Azula said quickly. She then sighed as she continued. “I was sent to capture the Avatar by our father after Zuko failed miserably.”

“Don't sound so proud about that,” Katara snapped. “That should be a source of shame.”

“Hm… It’s not,” Azula said with a shrug.

“It is for me,” Zuko said in a somber tone, “I’m not proud of the time I spent chasing the Aang and the rest of my friends.”

“Why did you?” Yuu asked.

“He had to,” Azula said, a sharp grin slicing across her face. “It was the only way for little Zuzu to crawl his way back into our father’s good graces and regain his honor as the crowned prince of the Fire Nation.”

“Will you let me speak Azula!” Zuko snapped, giving his sister a bitter look as he shouted. 

“I’m not wrong-”

“No but still!” Zuko shouted, cutting Azula off.

“What happened?” Yuu asked, looking back and forth between the fire siblings. “W-Why did you fall out of your father’s good graces?”

“Because I dared to question him!” Zuko shouted. He attempted to calm himself down as he continued. “During a war meeting, the first one I was allowed into, we were discussing a battle with the Earth Kingdom. One of the generals suggested that we sacrifice a unit of our own soldiers… in the end, it would win the battle- but at a high cost in my opinion.”

“I challenged the general on this and at that point, my father suggested that this matter be settled with an Agni Kai.”

“Before you ask it’s one of the Fire Nation’s most ancient traditions,” Azula said to Yuu; indeed, the question had been fresh on his lips. “It’s a duel between two firebenders and is won when you burn your opponent… or... kill them.” she continued, a hushed tone that fell amongst the group.

“At first I was confident, I had assumed that my father meant for me to have an Agni Kai with the general I had spoken out against. However, I had been mistaken and when it came time for the Agni Kai I was surprised to see I was to be fighting my own father.”

“Oh my,” Yuu muttered, feeling completely shocked. “Why your father, and not the general like you assumed?”

“In speaking out against the general I had spoken out against my father...” Zuko said sourly, turning his head to the ground. “I… threw myself at my father’s feet for mercy…” Zuko trailed off as his voice got caught in his throat. As Zuko struggled to compose himself, Matoic came to his side, and placed its paw on Zuko’s leg, attempting to give him consolation.

“Mato- toic…” Matoic muttered. Slowly, Zuko brought his hand up to his face and brushed the tips of his fingers at the scar that marred it. “My father didn’t understand the concept and decided he was going to teach me a lesson instead. After he disfigured me he banished me and told me the only way I could come home and regain my honor was to capture the Avatar.”

“A task that was thought impossible,” Azula said as Zuko tried to gather himself, “Understand Yuu, that these events had taken place three years before Aang had emerged again; at that time everyone thought the Avatar was nothing more than a fable.”

“So, he set you up to never come home?” Yuu asked, feeling horrified. 

“Yeah,” Zuko said with a shake of his head. “And the worst part was I believed it… that I could find Aang and come home. That’s why I chased him and everyone else so reverently when he finally appeared again… but eventually I realized the error of my ways; my father’s ways… I stopped trying to appease him and joined Aang to help him learn firebending and stop my father….”Aang, attempting to cut the solid tense air, cleared his throat as he began to speak.

“Zuko was my firebending teacher! He along with Katara who taught me waterbending and Toph who taught me earthbending.” Aang said softly. “I wouldn’t have been able to defeat Fire Lord Ozai without them.”

“Wow. So, you dueled Fire Lord Ozai?” asked Yuu.

“Yeah it wasn’t an Agni Kai but we did fight,” Aang said with a smile. “It was during an event called Sozin’s Comet-”

“Which Azula left out. This is the same event that Fire Lord Sozin used to deliver the most devastating attack on the Air Nomads,” Katara snapped, giving Azula a scolding look. Azula simply shrugged.

“Basically it’s a day that happens every 100 years, when a powerful comet passed over the earth,” Aang explained. “It makes firebenders exponentially more powerful than usual. Fire Lord Ozai was using this to launch a crippling attack on the Earth Kingdom in hopes to finally force them to submit to the Fire Nation. I confronted him there and we battled, I won, and...from there the war was over.”

“Just like that?” Yuu asked, confused, “The Fire Nation just… conceded…”

“Yes,” Azula said with a nod. “Before my father left to lead the final attack against the Earth Kingdom he promoted himself to… The Phoenix King,” Azula’s tone suggested that she did not approve of her father's self-promotion. “He foolishly crowned me the Fire Lord  believing that the title no longer held merit.”

“So you turned against your dad?” Yuu asked.

“I did,” Azula nodded. “I saw the tides of war changing, and so I changed with them.” Yuu nodded, wanting to know more about that but decided not to ask. He was reeling from all he had learned so far and wasn’t sure how much more he could take in.

“... And now we’re all friends!” Sokka said, throwing his hands up in the air. 

“Something like that!” Suki laughed, giving Azula a side glance.

“And now you know all the shit you can’t say!” Toph exclaimed.

“Yeah,” Yuu chuckled. He then set Lingliu down and continued. “I now better understand Azula’s words earlier; about keeping this from people like Genn. I mean that history is rich. And… Scary. Naive people, when presented with such things, can use them for malicious reasons to keep that at bay. I know if I was a bit of a different thinker than I am, and I heard these things I might tell the whole world to make sure that people like that are locked up forever or something.” Yuu continued.

“Well... Thanks???” Sokka said, shocked.

“S-Sorry! I guess my mother’s tendencies peek out of me sometimes… The point is knowledge is power. So, I understand the power I now possess. We should keep your story tight," Yuu responded.

“Precisely my thoughts,” Aang said.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“Alright, now that I’ve scanned Pikachu I’ve scanned all the Pokémon in our group!” Sokka announced excitedly, his eyes sparkling as he looked down at his new Pokédex. Beside him, Suki began to clap encouragingly as she looked up at her boyfriend with loving eyes.

“Well done Sokka!” She gushed, circling both of her arms around his own. “You’re on your way to becoming the best Pokémon trainer in the entire world!” She nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder as she said this, causing him to blush slightly.

“T-Thanks Suki!” He stammered. Beside him, Yuu let out a soft chuckle as he turned away from his Rotom Pokédex and looked at the young couple. The melancholy feeling that hung over the group while telling Yuu the story of their own world had since passed; now, the group attempted to figure out where they were going to go next. 

Yuu, Aang, Katara, and Azula were all huddled around Rotom Pokédex, who was floating in front of Yuu displaying the map of the region on its screen. Zuko and Toph were less interested in their next destination and were sitting underneath the shade of a nearby tree; neither paying too much attention to Sokka and Suki’s antics. As Sokka and Suki’s lackadaisical banter became louder, Azula started to grow more annoyed.

“You encourage Sokka in such a way- yet he doesn’t even have a Pokémon yet,” Azula said, not bothering to take her eyes off the map Rotom Pokédex was displaying. Suki’s face screwed up with ire at Azula’s statement and she pulled away from Sokka to give the younger girl a nasty glare. She found her anger increasing when she saw that Azula wasn’t even bothering to look in her direction after insulting her but instead her Pikachu, which was perched on Azula’s shoulder, was giving Suki a smug look.

“Pika Pikachu,” Pikachu said, leaving Suki uncertain if it was mocking her. This was intensified as Azula started to snicker.

“What’s so funny?” Suki demanded as she looked back and forth between Azula and Pikachu. “What did it say?”

“How do I know?” Azula drawled as she smirked at Suki. “I don't speak Pikachu.”

“Pika Pika~chu!” Pikachu exclaimed, causing Azula to chuckle again.

“Why you-”

“Suki just ignore Azula and Pikachu,” Katara said, cutting her friend off before she could argue anymore. “She’s just trying to get you upset on purpose, don't fall for it.” A deep blush filled Suki’s cheeks as she realized what Katara was saying was right. Azula began to chuckle again.

“Hmph, well Katara you're already riled up so I have to direct my urge to belittle someone on someone else~" Azula sang.

“W-What?” Katara said as her head shot up to look at Azula, “Can we just focus on where we are going to go now?...” she continued as she started to get a perplexed look on her face. 

“Hm? Is something bothering her?... ” Aang started to think as Yuu sighed.

“You know everyone has to start somewhere, Azula. Not too long before I met you all I got my first Pokémon,” Yuu added as he looks down to Lingliu- who smiled back up to him and then turned to give Sokka an encouraging smile, “Just because you don't have a Pokémon yet doesn’t mean you won’t be an awesome trainer, or that your liking of the dex is invalid. Don't let Azula get to you.” Sokka nodded quickly, his face heating up at Yuu’s kind words.

“Thanks!” Sokka said, Azula rolled her eyes.

“Whatever; maybe have a Pokémon under your belt like some of us here do- and then we can talk,” Azula said, causing Sokka to grunt to himself as he turned away. “Now is it possible we can take a break from this darling pep talk, and focus on what actually matters? Or are we expecting the power of friendship to point us in the right direction?” Azula then asked in a honied tone.

“Tsk, now look who's riled up?” Katara chimed in, making Azula give her a side-eye.

“Well Azula, that is kind of how we figured out our journey during the war,” Aang laughed, attempting to break up some of the tension. 

“And that is why it was so easy for the entire armada of the Fire Nation to-” Azula slickly said before she was quickly cut off by none other than Zuko.

“Azula! I’ve had it officially! Stop harassing people!” he shouted. Azula turned to scowl at Zuko and while the royal siblings began to argue back and forth Sokka turned to Suki who was still clearly upset about Azula’s words from before.

“Come on, let's look around a little bit and see if I can find some more Pokémon to scan… I might be able to catch one!” He said excitedly.

“Yeah… sure,” Suki nodded all her enthusiasm from before now faded away. Reaching down, Sokka took Suki’s hand in his own and pulled her a little ways from the group. “I’ll show ‘em!...” Sokka thought.

In Sokka’s mind, he hoped that if they caught sight of some wild Pokémon it might take Suki's mind off Azula and get her back into the groove of things. He could also in some way prove Azula wrong about his excitement over the Pokédex in the first place.

*****

“Let’s not get too far away from the group!” Suki said as Sokka pushed past a pair of thick bushes, cautiously looking around for any lurking Pokémon nearby. “We don't want to get lost.” Sokka waved his Pokédex back and forth flippantly as if to wave away her concern.

“Don't worry! I’m sure the sound of their arguing will lead us back to them,” Sokka promised. Suki looked a bit skeptical but didn’t argue with her boyfriend any further. Instead, she quietly followed him past the bushes. “Remember to keep your eye out for any Pokémon,” Sokka whispered, his eyes sparkling now. 

“I know, I know,” Suki’s voice slowly began to fill with affection as she looked up at Sokka. She squeezed his hand tightly as they continued to move forward. They didn't go too much further, perhaps only one or two steps, before a bush to the left began to rustle. They both paused and turned just in time to see a very small Pokémon appear.

It stood on two legs and had smooth brown skin with a round tan belly. In its left hand it was carrying a bone of some sort but what was most striking about the Pokémon’s appearance was the skull that adorned its entire face. The only thing Sokka and Suki could see beyond the skull was its large, black eyes.

“Whoa,” Sokka whispered, his own eyes growing large. “What is it?” Suki blinked a few times, her boyfriend's question shaking her from her shock.

“That’s why you have a Pokédex, remember?” She whispered back.

“Right!” With a shaky hand, Sokka lifted up his Pokédex so it was pointing at the wild Pokémon. At this point, the Pokémon had noticed both Sokka and Suki and was giving them both an apprehensive look. It tilted its head to the side before taking a step back as a beam of light came from the Pokédex and began to scan it. 

“Cubone, the ‘Lonely Pokémon’. Cubone wears the skull of its deceased mother. Its cries echo inside the skull and come out as a sad melody.” Sokka’s Pokédex explained causing both Sokka and Suki to freeze. 

“Spirits…” Suki whispered before she placed her hand over her mouth. Sokka kept his eyes trained on Cubone as he released Suki’s hand. “Sokka?” He didn’t answer as he carefully moved towards Cubone, his heart heavy after hearing Cubone’s entry. He couldn’t explain why, but he was overcome by the need to comfort the small Pokémon. However, as Sokka began to move toward Cubone it jumped; spinning around and running off through the bushes.

“Wait a minute!” Sokka called out, without thinking he took off after Cubone having a strong urge to follow it through the forestation. He moved so quickly that Suki had lost sight of him!

“Sokka, where are you going?” Suki gasped, attempting to move forward- but was too late. Not too long after, the rest of the crew found their way to Suki’s location in a panic.

“Suki’s scream came from over here, guys,” Katara said as she came through the trees, the rest of the group quickly following. Suddenly, Katara made eye contact with Suki and rushed over. “Suki! There you are, we were starting to get worried-”

“We don't have time to talk!” Suki said quickly, cutting off Katara. “Sokka just off after a strange Pokémon, and we have to catch up to him!” She exclaimed before spinning around and rushing after her boyfriend.

“Wait up!” Katara said, taking off after Suki without much thought.

“Chasing a strange Pokémon?” Aang asked, a confused look written across his face.

“Oh no… knowing Sokka’s excitement earlier, he probably saw a Pokémon he liked he desperately wanted,” Yuu said.

“And just rushed off? Why would he do something so stupid?” asked Zuko.

“Hmm, I wonder what could have pushed him to want a Pokémon that badly?...” Toph said sarcastically, causing some eyes of the group to silently move towards Azula who started to suck her teeth.

“It doesn’t appear we have time to question the story, let's follow,” Yuu said, running after Katara. “The last thing we need to do is get separated again!” Everyone else agreed and quickly followed; Zuko quickly grabbed Toph’s arm and ran off behind the rest.

“Hey, you’re going to rip my arm off!” Toph complained as Zuko pulled her along as he and the rest of the group disappeared deeper into the forest.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

As the gang followed after Sokka, the forest began to give away to a more mountainous appearance. Lush green bushes and forest floors were replaced by large boulders and gravel. Soon enough they found themselves on a twisting rocky path that led uphill with Sokka now clear in sight for everyone to see.

“Come back! Come back!” Sokka cried, watching with large eyes as Cubone continued to grow the distance between them. 

“Is that the Pokémon that he is trying to get?” asked Katara.

“Why does it have a skull on its head?” Zuko questioned.

“A skull? Sounds kinda cool!” Toph added.

“That’s a Cubone. They just-... do have those on their heads basically,” Yuu said.

“What exactly does he plan on doing if he catches up to it?” Aang asked picking up speed so he was beside Katara now. “Is he going to fight it without a Pokémon?”

“I have no idea,” Katara panted keeping her eyes trained on her brother. 

“Sokka stop!” Suki called out, reaching her hand out for Sokka who was well out of her reach. “It might try and attack you!”

“He might deserve it!” Toph shouted from the back of the group. Yuu frowned but not over Toph’s statement. As they all chased after Sokka the group began to realize the change in their surroundings.

“Is this the mountain path Genn mentioned earlier?” Azula asked, 

“Yes. This path seems to have brought us down Route 2 to the area around Gaietle Mountain," Yuu answered with a stilted breath. Before he could say anything else a shrill whistle cut through the air. At the front of the group, Sokka came to a sudden halt as the route before he becomes blocked. Blocking the path we're four tall men all wearing identical grey coveralls and white hard hats. Standing before Sokka was the tallest of them all, the whistle he had blown seconds earlier still in his hand.

“Roads closed! No one but official personnel is permitted to enter!” He said strictly. Sokka looked beyond the man, seeing the Cubone look back at him before scurrying further into the mountain. Sokka's eyes grew wide as he pointed at the retreating Pokémon. 

“But Cubone...” Sokka said in a saddened tone.

“Does that Cubone belong to you?” The man asked.

“Well, no but-”

“Then the road’s closed!!!” The man insisted as he pushed Sokka backwards.

“H-Hey! Don’t shove him!” Katara shouted as she marched forward.

“If he wants to shove someone- he has the right one with me!” Zuko said as he let go of Toph and attempted to go forward as well. Suddenly Aang moved forward to hold both Katara and Zuko back.

“S-Sir, we were just trying to pass is all…” Aang said, attempting to make peace and explain the situation. 

“And I don’t give a fuck. Orders from Lumos specifically state to us workers that no unauthorized personnel pass as we work, and only official personnel are permitted by us! Which means not you unless you can prove you are authorized personnel! Did you not get the notice?” the man questioned. Everyone looked at each other as a hushed tone fell over them. The man shook his head and sighed.

“Turn back.” He instructed. Sokka opened his mouth to argue but Yuu stopped him by grabbing his arm and pulling him back.

“Alright, thank you!” Yuu nodded at the official with a tense smile as he directed Sokka and the rest of the group away from the blockade. 

“Hey wait a minute!” Sokka protested but Yuu wasn’t waiting; he did not want to get in any more trouble and ushered Sokka away. 

*****

“Let go of me will ya! I got to figure out a way to get past those guys. That Cubone went that way!” Sokka protested as he shrugged away Yuu’s grip.

“Sokka, you can’t go that way, if you try and sneak past you’ll get in trouble!” Yuu said.

“And considering that we are you know, people hailing from an entirely different universe? I think we should not do that…” Toph said.

“Ugh…” Sokka groaned.

“I didn’t know Lumos had that much authority…” Suki said.

“Yeah. The joint Royal Family and Lumos authority in Huoli is what has gotten them such outreach of delegation. Practically everything in Huoli has some of their say in it- besides the Pokémon League, which is a separate entity altogether,” Yuu said. 

“I see. That is interesting. That explains what those guys said then,” Zuko said.

“What is going on in that mountain that they wouldn’t allow anyone but certain people to pass?” Azula asked.

“Who knows? It is not something that's really uncommon; their sometimes unusual methods are justified under the guise of security and justice,” Yuu said.

“That isn’t a bit weird to you?” Katara asked.

“Hmm… I suppose it could be considered different,” Yuu shrugged.

“Well, I’m not a big fan of them right now, since their meddling caused me to lose a Pokémon I really wanted!” Sokka said as he kicked a pebble on the ground.

“Sokka,” Suki said with a frown. “I know the little Pokémon had a sad story but… I think right now we should listen to Yuu and just forget it. We don't want to get ourselves into any kind of trouble…”

“Why are you so obsessed with this Pokémon anyway?” Katara asked.

“... Something about it struck a chord with me; after I heard its Pokédex entry that is. But, I want to try and find it. Yuu, are you sure there’s no way around those guys?” Sokka asked, giving Yuu an imploring look. 

“I don't think so-”

“Wait!” Zuko then shouted, cutting off Yuu. While Sokka and the rest of the group had been speaking something had caught his attention in the distance. He had dragged Toph over to investigate. Behind some overgrown shrubs was a narrowing opening in the side of the mountain. It was easy to miss when running straight past it, but it had managed to catch Zuko’s eyes. “I think there’s a sign here… look!” He said, pulling some of the shrubberies away to reveal an old, beaten-up blue sign that described a pathway:

‘Mountain Pass ↑’ 

“I bet it’s a way through!” Zuko said.

“Hm, that makes sense. I find it hard to believe that the construction guys would make it impossible for anyone to pass through the main route. I mean, they would be cutting off a whole city from Youchuan… I wonder why they didn’t just tell us to go this way though...” Yuu says as he started to think to himself.

“Well let’s not talk any further- let’s go!” Sokka said moving forward quickly.

“Wait a minute! We have no way of actually knowing where that goes, or if we can find the Pokémon; I hope you all are aware!!” Yuu said quickly. 

“I agree with Yuu, we shouldn’t act too hasty!” Katara added.  

“I don't know,” Aang finally said, causing everyone to turn and look at him. “This seems really important to Sokka, so I don't see the harm in exploring the mountain pass and trying. Plus, from my understanding of the map, if we were to go this way and find the other end that would lead us to another city, correct?” Aang then said. Yuu got out his Rotom Pokédex and checked the map.

“Yes. And a city where there is a Gym! So, it might actually be beneficial to try, we might hit two birds with one stone; go through to the next possible city, and perhaps find that Pokémon for Sokka!” Yuu said. 

“A-As long as no actual birds are killed in the making- I am fine with the plan,” said Aang as he chuckled.

“Then it is settled!” Sokka smiled at Aang’s words while Suki and Katara shared a skeptical look.

“Alright, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to explore a little and see where the pass goes,” Katara said, finally hesitantly. 

“Woohoo!” shouted Sokka, letting out a happy cheer before moving forward. Everyone then passed by the workers at the roadway and entered the pass, which led them further into the inner workings of the mountain.

At the same time as the gaang entering inside, up above them aways up the mountain…

“Look! Those dimension-hopping twerps with that weird-looking Pikachu entered over there!” said Meowth as he looked at Yuu and the others with binoculars atop their Team Rocket hot air balloon.

“If we could get that Pikachu for the boss, he would give us such a raise that all the other Rocket members will think they are being unfairly paid!” shouted Jessie as she laughed.

“Indeed~! Let’s descend into the mountain and procure some Pokémon~...” said James. He then lowers the flame on the hot air balloon; lowering their altitude until they perch down at a section of the mountain. They then find the closest entryway inside and disappear into the darkness of the inner cave...

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“You know, even though our circumstances might not be the best...I can’t deny I’m glad we ended up here!” Aang said excitedly, his eyes filled in awe as he looked around the cave. Sprouting from the dark, damp walls were jagged, purple crystals of all shapes and sizes. A faint glow came from there and illuminated the way. 

“Yeah what a joy,” Zuko snorted, causing Azula and Toph to snicker. “Confined to a narrow passage in a dark damp cave…”

“But these crystals are so pretty,” Aang said dreamily, paying no mind to Zuko’s sarcastic tone. “What do you think of the cave Katara?” He asked, turning to look at his girlfriend who was walking beside him. 

“Don't you think these crystals look pretty?” He added when Katara remained quiet. She simply shrugged as she looked around their surroundings. 

“Yeah they’re pretty I suppose...not really my main focus right now though,” she said dismissively, causing Aang to frown. “Yuu, how long do you think this passage goes?” Aang asked as he glanced at Yuu, who was leading the group through the cave along with Sokka. Yuu glanced over his shoulder with a frown.

“I’m not sure I haven’t gotten much of a better idea since entering,” he said honestly. “And for the record, I think these crystals are really pretty as well Aang,” Yuu added, giving him a kind smile.

“I hope Cubone is okay,” Sokka sighed, fiddling with the hem of his shirt nervously as he thought about the little Pokémon.

“I’m sure it’s fine now that there isn't a gang of hollering maniacs chasing after it,” Toph huffed, causing Zuko to chuckle.  

“Try not to worry too much love,” Suki added. Sokka opened his mouth to answer but before he did Yuu came to a stop and placed his hand on Sokka’s chest to stop him.

“I think I see a Pokémon up ahead,” he said, narrowing his eyes a little. He saw the shadow of something fluttering along the edges of the pathway a few feet ahead. Beside him, Sokka began to dance from one foot to another.

“Do you think it’s Cubone?!” Sokka questioned in glee.

“Shush, keep your voice down, you don't want to startle it,” Yuu said quickly. Yuu then started to notice that the Pokémon figure was floating. He pointed towards the shadow that had caught his eye so Sokka could see what he was looking at. 

“Hm… I don't think it is a Cubone; this one looks like it is flying” said Yuu,

“What do you think it is?” Zuko asked, keeping his voice low.

“I’m not sure I can’t see it; though considering we’re in a cave I may have a few guesses… Let’s just move carefully, wild Pokémon tend to attack so have your Pokémon ready,” said Yuu.

“Ling Lingliu,” Lingliu said reassuringly, gripping the top of Yuu’s hair as it set its eyes on the fluttering shadow ahead.

“Pika Pikachu~” Behind them Pikachu let out an almost arrogant sound as its tails twitched, the idea of a battle enticing it. Lemaki simply yawned, completely uninterested in Yuu’s warning while Matoic steeled itself.

“Matoic Matoic,” it said solemnly as it continued on beside Zuko. 

They all moved forward carefully, not wanting to startle the Pokémon into attacking them. As they got closer they got a better look at it. It was small with smooth, blue skin and large wings and ears, inside of both being dark purple. It had no eyes or nose and its mouth hung wide opening showing two pairs of fangs on both the top and bottom of its mouth. It had no legs or feet either but instead two long tails.

Carefully Yuu pulled out his Rotom Pokédex and it floated forward stopping before the Pokémon could notice it. 

“Zubat, the 'Bat Pokémon'; forms colonies in perpetually dark places. It uses ultrasonic waves to identify and approach targets.” Rotom Pokédex said cheerily. Its voice bounced off the walls startling the Zubat.

“Probably should have seen that coming,” Azula japed, causing Yuu to scowl though he said nothing as he kept his eyes focused on the Zubat. It let out a low screech but instead of lunging forward to attack it flew the other way in retreat. Everyone relaxed a little before moving forward in the direction the Zubat went, Rotom Pokédex now leading the way as it leisurely floated down the cave.

As they went forward the path opened up a little, allowing for three people to walk side by side comfortably. Suki moved to stand on Sokka’s otherside while Azula fell in line beside her brother and Toph, leaving Aang Katara together in the middle. 

As they moved throughout the cave they saw more Pokémon dwelling there; some familiar like a group of Tiaomogu marching along the path, and Halyodor who were clumped together on the cave walls around a rather large Halystungent,

The group moved a little faster when they spotted the malodorous Pokémon, no one wanting to relive the encounter they had back in the forest while they were hunting for berries. That didn’t stop Lemaki from letting out a low growl as they passed by.

“Hush, hush,” Aang said in a calming voice. As they moved forward they saw a small Pokémon scuttle past them. It was light orange with two little mushrooms sporting from its back.

“That’s Paras, the 'Mushroom Pokémon'; It is doused with mushroom spores when it is born. As its body grows, mushrooms sprout from its back.” Rotom Pokédex informed them as the Paras went past.

“Aw it’s kind of cute,” Suki cooed.

“I don't know; the way it moves is a little creepy,” Katara said with a shiver before the group continued on. Yuu then started to chuckle thinking about what they said.

“Well, what you are seeing is the wonders of the Pokémon World; you are bound to find hundreds of different Pokémon everywhere you go! These ones are not native to the Huoli region, and in Huoli alone there are over 100. But, counting the foreign Pokémon here, there are probably 4 times as many here if not even more!” said Yuu.

“Hm… How many Pokémon are there?” asked Zuko.

“Well, that is a tricky question… So, in terms of what has been discovered it varies with Region. For instance, Unova and Kanto have over 150 Pokémon natives. But, places like Kalos have a little over 70. I say that because these numbers sometimes fluctuate over time; with new ones resurfacing, and old, fossilized Pokémon, coming back to the present” said Yuu.

“Fossil?” asked Katara.

“Fossil Pokémon are ancient-times Pokémon, once making up Pokémon entries of old; way before the creation of Pokédex in some cases. Sometimes, they get lost in history. And, with their new discovery, they are added to that region's overall Pokémon number!” said Yuu.

“Ah, then that would make sense why this can change!” said Aang.

“Yes. So… The short answer is- we don’t know. But, discovered Pokémon change this number with every passing moment” Yuu explained.

“Okay. So, then how many discovered Pokémon are there?” asked Azula.

“Oh, well… Counting Huoli, that would bring the total number to-”

“Cubone!” Sokka called out happily, cutting off Yuu- who grunts in a polite manner.

“No, I think it is actually a number and not a Pokémon’s name- wait, what?” asked Yuu, looking over to Sokka. Sokka is pointing ahead of them; towards a familiar small Pokémon. It spun around to look at Sokka with wide terrified eyes.

“Cu-Cubone!” The Cubone cried out weakly before it took off once more.

“No wait!” Sokka cried before running off after it.

“Here we go again,” Suki sighed before jogging after her boyfriend.

“Well, it looks like we found what we are looking for,” said Toph.

“Sad news is the dunderhead has run off yet again!” said Zuko.

“Less whining, more running,” said Katara, following behind Suki as they ran after Sokka. They didn’t run for long however as they soon found themselves in a large cavern where the Cubone stumbled down to the ground, panting heavily, and seeming to be completely exhausted.

“Cubone, are you okay!” Sokka cried, coming to a stop a few feet away from the collapsed Pokémon.

“No it’s not okay; it looks like it’s about to faint from exhaustion,” Azula scoffed. 

“Which makes sense considering we’ve been running the poor thing down for miles now,” Katara added with a frown.

“I didn’t mean to hurt it!” Sokka said quickly, his voice going up an octave as he began to grow upset. “I-”

“Sokka doen't worry; once we get it to a Pokémon Center it’ll be fine. And, it looks as if it was hurt way before we got to it” Yuu said in a calm soothing voice. “Now is actually the perfect time to catch it; Azula is right, it seems to have worn itself out without you even having to battle it,”  Yuu said.

“Good, no battle…” Aang said with a sigh of relief.

“C-Catch it? Right! Right, I’m going to c-c-catch it,” Sokka stammered, his heart rate picking up at the prospect of capturing his first Pokémon. 

“I hope so, or else we’ve been running after this thing for nothing,” Toph scoffed.

“Right,” Sokka nodded, before reaching into the duffle bag and pulling out a Poké Ball. He tried to keep his hand as still as possible as he pressed the button in the middle of the Poké Ball so it would extend. However, his hands were still shaking.

“Tsk, look any less helpless catching this pathetic Pokémon, why don’t you?” Zuko explained as he started to make fun of Sokka and the estate of the downed Pokemon. Yuu then nudges Zuko.

“Hey! Pokémon are not pathetic! That Cubone could probably give you a concussion if you fought it” said Yuu, giving Zuko an annoyed look. Zuko then looks over to Matoic- who seems a bit indifferent towards the comment; perhaps it does not see itself as pathetic. Zuko however starts to feel bad for saying it nonetheless.

“Oh… S-Sorry…” said Zuko, blushing from embarrassment, and backs away.

“Ignore them, honey bear~ Catch it!” shouted Suki, encouraging Sokka.

“T-Thanks!...” said Sokka as he attempted to drown out the background noise. Sokka took in a deep, calming breath, steeling himself as he threw the Poké Ball at Cubane. It hit the Pokémon’s head before opening, Cubone turned into red energy before being taken into the Poké Ball. A moment later it dropped to the ground, and automatically there was a loud click signaling that Cubone had been caught. 

“You did it!” Yuu cheered.

“Congratulations sweetie,” Suki said as Sokka moved forward to grab Cubone’s Poké Ball in his hand. He looked ready to cry as nearly everyone else in the group congratulated Sokka’s first capture; everyone but Azula and Pikachu, neither seemingly overly impressed. Azula then scoffed.

“Now that you’ve caught your Pokémon we’ll have to see if you can use it,” Azula said, placing her hands on her hips. “After you’ve taken it to the Pokémon Center we should battle to see what your Cubone is made out of.”

“Pika Pikachu,” Pikachu agreed, leaning forward on Azula’s shoulder a little as she gave Sokka and Cubone’s Poké Ball an antagonizing look. Sokka frowned and held Cubone’s Poké Ball close to his chest.

“S-Sure I’ll be happy to battle once Cubone feels better,” Sokka tried his best to sound confident but his voice cracked a little as he spoke, betraying his anxiety over the prospect of going against Azula and Pikachu.

“Back off Azula!” Suki snapped, clearly noticing Sokka’s worry.

“Yeah, why do you always bring the mood down?” Zuko snapped. “Can’t you just be happy for-”

“No,” Azula said quickly, causing Pikachu to snicker. Besides, Zuko Matoic shook its head disapprovingly.

“Oh for goodness sake now is not the time to be fighting with each other!” Katara snapped. “We need to get out of this cave!” Aang and Yuu both nodded in agreement.

“I agree with Katara. We should focus on getting out of here now and worry about battling later.” Yuu said. “It looks like the path continues on over there,” Yuu said, pointing to an entrance on the other side of the cavern that appeared to be another passageway.

“I hope it’s not too much longer till we get to the other side,” Zuko grumbled. “My feet are starting to hurt.”

“You’re assuming that pathway leads back outside,” Azula taunted, smiling at her brother as she spoke. “We could be going deeper and deeper into the mountain.”

“I hate to say Azula is right but...Azula is right, we still have no idea where we’re going.” Katara said with a frown. Everyone gave her a surprised look as she admitted to agreeing with her rival. “W-What it’s true!” She added as a deep blush colored her cheeks as she spoke. 

“Well, we haven’t seen any other pathways at this point,” Sokka finally said. “I don't think this way would be labeled as a Mountain Pass if it...well didn’t let us pass to the otherside of the mountain.”

“Good point Sokka!” Aang said encouragingly. “It’s good to think positive!”

“It’s also good to think practical,” Azula added.

“Well too late for that now,” Toph snorted. “We’re all balls deep in here, might as well see it through to the end!”

“Oh real nice Toph,” Katara said with a roll of her eyes while Zuko attempted to hide his laughter over the comment. Before anyone else could say anything they were cut off by the sound of ominous music in the background. Everyone froze, and the Pokémon got startled. Before anyone could register what was going on a woman began to speak.

“Prepare for trouble!”

“And make it double,” it was a man who spoke now before his companion took over again.

“To protect the world from devastation!”

“To unite all people within our nation.”

“To denounce the evils of truth and love!”

“To extend our reach to the stars above.” 

The group didn’t have to wonder who was speaking for long. From the entrance that they had headed for, the man and woman suddenly appeared.

“Jessie!” The woman introduced herself, a smug smile on her face as she did so. 

“James!” The man said. 

Like Jessie, he wore black boots but they only came up to his knees, and a pair of black gloves that came up to his elbows.

“Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!” Jessie exclaimed.

“Surrender now or prepare to fight!” James warned.

“Meowth that’s right!” And suddenly Jessie and James weren’t alone. At their feet was a small feline Pokémon with cream-colored fur with brown fur at the tips of its hind paws and tail. Its head had four pointed whiskers, large eyes, two fangs, and a gold coin mounted on its forehead. Its ears were black with brown interiors and with an additional pair of long whiskers.

“Did that Pokémon just talk?!” Yuu exclaimed.

“Who are you guys?” Katara asked at the same time. 

“We’re Team Rocket!” James said.

“And if you were paying attention to our introduction you would know that,” Jessie said snottily, crossing her arms over her chest as she turned her nose to the air.

“We’re an organization of well trained and good looking criminals who like to take Pokémon from little twerps like you!” Meowth said, his tone filled with pride. 

“Pokémon thieves!” Aang gasped, taking a step away from the trio. Lemaki tightened its grip on Aang’s shoulder and peeled its lips back into a snarl.

“You’re attempting to steal our Pokémon?” Yuu said in shock, like Aang he instinctively took a step away from Jessie, James, and Meowth. 

“Oh look this one catches on fast,” James taunted, causing both Jessie and Meowth to snicker. “Yes we want to take your Pokémon, we’ve been following around you twerps since I spotted cue tip over there falling straight from the sky! I know what I saw; I thought that following you would lead us to a goldmine!” James added, pointing an accusing finger at Aang now.

The color drained out of nearly everyone in the group's face at the sound of James' words. Aang, Katara, Suki, and Sokka all exchanged nervous looks with one another while Zuko and Toph scowled. Only Azula and Yuu managed to school their expressions as the stalking thieves in front of them continued to speak. 

“We were witness to the fight in the forest and saw you claim that very interesting looking Pikachu for yourself,” Jessie said now, addressing Azula with another smug look. Pikachu’s ears twitched as it glanced down at Azula only to see her expression still hadn’t changed. “And now we want to claim it for ourselves!”

“And we’ll take all the rest of the Pokémon in your party too!” James said. 

“And get a raise from our boss that will make us stinking rich!” Meowth purred, salivating at the thought of all the money they would get from capturing these Pokémon.

“And to make it clear you twerps can’t beat us in a Pokémon battle,” Jessie said confidently. “My associate and I are well versed in battling and will easily mop the floor with you children!”

“So hand over your Pokémon nice and easy and no one will have to get hurt!” James added before he, Jessie, and Meowth all began to advance forward on the gang!

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“We aren’t just going to hand over our Pokémon!” Zuko hollered as Team Rocket continued to move forward. “If it’s a battle you want then it’s a battle you’ll get!” Beside him, Matoic nodded.

“Matoic toic!” Matoic shouted, unwavering against Team Rocket.

“R-Right, we have five Pokémon trainers in the group right now against you two,” Yuu said, his voice swelling with a semblance of confidence. He knew Cubone was in no fighting condition, and Aang wasn’t for Pokémon battling. Despite this, Yuu wasn’t as sure if Jessie and James were privy to that information. It was possible, considering they had admitted to having been stalking Yuu and his friends since at least Pikachu’s capture. Even so, Yuu didn’t think it would be wise to freehand that information over. 

Yuu also had no idea how many Pokémon were currently on the duo's collective team. They could very well have twelve healthy Pokémon in fighting shape compared to the gang’s collective five. Still, Yuu didn’t want to act as if they had already been defeated. For all, he knew Jessie and James only had that Meowth in which case the odds would be in his group's favor.

“We’re just going to have to see how this all plays out...hopefully, I can bluff our way out of this before it comes down to a Pokémon battle…” He thought anxiously as he turned to look at his friends.

“I like those odds!” Yuu added, causing Jessie and James to scowl. “What do you say Aang? Azula? Sokka?” Yuu asked, looking back and forth between the three who hadn’t said anything. Both Sokka and Aang looked scared still and Azula... still had a blank expression. And then she began to move forward.

“Azula? What in the hell are you doing? Stop!” Zuko exclaimed as he watched Azula approach the enemy. However, she didn’t heed his words, instead closing the distance between Team Rocket and the group.

“You want my Pikachu so badly?” Azula asked. Jessie, James, and Meowth all nodded quickly though they appeared apprehensive at her approach. “Then you can have it.” Her words caused confusion in all of her friends.

“Azula!” Yuu shouted. “Are you really freely offering those creeps Pikachu?!”

“...Excuse me?!” James exclaimed, a look of offense crossing his face at Yuu’s choice of words. “I take a great deal of exception with you calling us creeps!” Neither Meowth nor Jessie shared his indignation. They were too focused on Azula who had stopped in front of them.

“I see you’ve decided to do this the easy way!” Jessie chuckled. “Smart girl! You realized how to pick your battles wisely!”

“Boy oh boy I wish all twerps handed over their Pikachu this easy!” Meowth said happily. 

“Are you stupid or are you dumb?!” Zuko bellowed, his face going red at Azula seemingly just handing over her Pokémon, especially after they had battled over it! Pikachu itself didn’t seem upset and was just giving Azula a curious look.

“I don't understand why you’re so worked up, Zuzu,” Azula said dismissively. “I’m just giving these fools the same chance to get this Pikachu that you and I had.” Pikachu, hearing this, started to perk up, understanding where Azula was going with this. 

“What are you talking about?” James demanded with a frown. 

“Well, you said that you saw my brother and I fight over this Pikachu in the forest correct?” Azula asked. “If you want it, then it stands to reason that you’ll have to fight me for it.” Pikachu smiled now.

“Pika! Pika~chu!” It said in agreement. Suddenly, it clicked to Yuu.

“Azula, wait!” Yuu called out but it was too late. Before either Jessie or James could fully process Azula’s words, she cocked her left fist back, and hit Jessie square in the gut! With all her weight being thrown into the punch, it knocked all of the air out of Jessie’s lungs; causing her to crumple forward. Azula didn’t give her time to recover, she pulled her left fist back again before slamming it into Jessie’s nose!

“What are you doing, you brute! I’m not Straight, so I will hit a woman!” James exclaimed as Jessie tumbled backward, clutching her now bleeding nose.

“And I dare you to try it!” shouted Zuko from the back. Azula shrugged her shoulders and chuckled to herself.

“You said you wanted to battle for my Pikachu,” Azula pointed out.

“This isn’t the type of battling we were talking about!” Meowth exclaimed.

“Yeah, Azula you can’t do that!” Yuu said in a horrified tone. 

“Wait, why not?” Zuko demanded now. “They’re trying to steal our Pokémon! We should be able to defend ourselves by any means necessary!”

“Oh, you Slaking-fisted little twerp!” Jessie exclaimed once she had gotten her bearings. “You’re going to pay for that low blow!”

“As far as I’m concerned- there are no low blow fights with thieves,” Azula said, pulling her fists back up to start taking more shots at Jessie. 

“Pikachu!” Pikachu said happily.

“Zuko, take care of the man while I finish up this woman,” Azula demanded. Zuko nodded and began to move towards James who paled at the younger man's appearance.

“Wait! Wait a moment!” James cried out. “This isn’t how this is supposed to happen! I didn’t sign up for fisticuffs!”

“Yeah! Pull out your Pokémon, and fight us fairly!” Meowth said, putting his paws up and extending his claws out. 

“I hate to agree with Azula twice in one day, but you guys have been stalking us and plotting to steal our Pokémon,” Katara said as she began to braid her hair back. “Why should we be the ones to play fair?”

“B-Because you’re supposed to be the good guys! Ugh! The other twerp never broke this code of fighting against us...” Jessie cried out reminiscing about another person they always had faithful encounters with.

“Oh?” Azula asked. “And who told you that we were bound to these rules of engagement?"

“Azula, I demand you stop this at once!” Yuu called out. “Here we settle things with our Pokémon- not our fists !” Azula scowled at hearing Yuu’s plea as she turned to look back at Yuu. Zuko had stopped as well but kept his eyes focused on James.

“I don't understand how that’s any more merciful than fighting myself, but if you’re so set on it then fine,” Azula said with a shrug. She took a few steps away from Jessie and Yuu along with the rest of Team Rocket let out a sigh of relief. “Pikachu,” Azula shrugged her shoulder forward to encourage Pikachu to jump off. It seemed eager as it jumped forward. 

“Now that we have that settled, I’m going to make you pay for what you did to my nose you little brat!” Jessie cried out as she reached for her Poké Ball. 

“Hmph. Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Team Rocket!” Azula cried out.

“Azula no!” Yuu shouted as Pikachu unleashed the move upon Team Rocket! The three all began to holler as they convulsed in a bath of electricity. “You’re supposed to fight their Pokémon with your Pokémon!” 

“You did say to use Pikachu instead,” Zuko said in his sister's defense.

“Well, yes- and I thought it was implied that she used it in an actual Pokémon battle,” Yuu said, pinching the skin between his eyes tightly. “Like Genn and I did.” On top of Yuu’s head, Lingliu began to pat his hair in a comforting way.

“You probably should have clarified that,” Sokka said.

“Yeah. Plus, I kinda don’t care if they're getting shocked...” Toph said.

“I did think it was weird you wanted Azula to attack them using Pikachu instead of fists,” Aang said nervously, rubbing his hand against his neck while Lemaki watched the scene with a bit more interest than it usually would. Meanwhile, as they spoke, Pikachu was still electrocuting Jessie, James, and Meowth!

“T...thi...this attack...is...lasting...too long!” James cried.

“Ye...yeah...usu...usually...we blast off...by...now!” Jessie added.

“Th...these...brats...ha...have...no mercy!” Meowth said as Pikachu’s attack came to an end. The three of them collapsed forward onto the ground, completely fried by the attack.

“Haha! I love to hear you squirm in agony!” shouted Azula as her old tendencies peaked out, “Now, Pikachu, use-”

“No!” Yuu said, rushing forward now and grasping Azula’s arm. “Stop it! You will not attack them with your Pokémon any further!” Azula raised an eyebrow and looked down at her arm where Yuu’s hand was clutching her sleeve and then backed up at him. 

“Are you touching me? Do you want to be next after I deal with these fools?” She threatened.

“Now you’re taking it too far!” Aang scolded. “Yuu is our friend...you should listen to him and use your Pokémon in a Pokémon on Pokémon battle instead of directly attacking them.”

“Y-Yeah...lis...listen...to...the-the...twerp!” shouted Meowth. Azula rolled her eyes and motioned to Pikachu to stop its Thunderbolt. Team Rocket happily scrambled away from Azula’s menacing Pikachu. They quickly situated themselves in their old position and glared at the group.

“Ugh! I cannot believe this! We only get shocked at the end of the battle- not then start!” shouted James.

“You got that right… But, now we at least have a chance to win against these losers- who cannot even battle Pokémon right!” shouted Jessie.

“Yeah! What are they- really from another universe?!” asked Meowth. Hearing this comment caused an anxious feeling to take over the entire group.

“If you were smart you would do what I did and attack me directly,” Azula said with a shrug before pushing Yuu away from her, causing him to return her scowl. “Ugh, Very well; you, pull out your Pokémon, and let's have a go with our Pokémon,” Azula said to Jessie.

“Gladly!” Jessie responded, pushing herself up to her feet. “I’ll make you regret ever deciding to fight back against us!”

“I highly doubt it,” Azula said. 

“If you want it with my sister, it’s as good as wanting it with me!” Zuko said, still worked up from the prospect of getting into a physical fight with James. “I’ll be your opponent!” He informed the other man.

“Oh, how sweet!” James mocked as he stood up beside Jessie. “Brother and sister coming together to battle, you’ll change your tune quickly once you’ve realized what you’ve gotten yourself into!”

“We’ll see about that!” Zuko said. “Put your money where your mouth is and pull out your Pokémon clown!”

“Clown?!” James cried out. “How dare you! If anyone is a clown it’s Jessie with all that makeup, not me!”

“Hey, whose side are you on?!” Jessie snarled at her partner, causing James to blanche.

“Aang,” Yuu said as he rejoined the group, still a little shaken up by his encounter with Azula a moment ago. “Listen we don't know exactly how many Pokémon Jessie and James have, if they manage to beat Azula and Zuko in battle we’ll have to step in.” 

“Step in?” Aang said with a frown. “You mean actually battle them?”

“Listen, I know you don't like to battle... but if we lose they’ll take our Pokémon from us,” Yuu said, trying to convey to Aang how important this was. “You’ll have to place your morals to the side if you wish to keep your Lemaki.”

“Ling! Lingliu!” Lingliu said in agreement.

“You say that like it’s so easy,” Aang said with a frown.

“I know it’ll be hard but...it’s that or have all our Pokémon taken by a bunch of petty criminals!” Yuu said. “Do you really want Lemaki in their hands?” Aang shook his head as he absorbed his friend's words.

“What do you think, Lemaki?” Aang asked, glancing up at his Pokémon with a sad look. “Are you ready to fight if we have to?” Lemaki simply shrugged.

“Le? Mmmaki Maki …” It said, seemingly unbothered by the prospect of fighting.

“I don't see why it has to come down to that,” Katara said now, causing them all to turn and look at her. “Them taking the Pokémon I mean, if you all lose in a Pokémon battle then we should just go back to Azula’s original plan and actually fight them.”

“Right,” Suki said with a nod. “It’s clear from before that they have no fighting experience, any of us could easily take them down. If they are thieves, then we should bring them to justice!” she continued, clenching her fist together with determination.

“And even if one of us can't, there's seven more who can,” Sokka said.

“As I said before, that’s not how things are settled here; we aren’t animals, we're civilized people!” Yuu said quickly. “We’ll just have to think of something else…”

“We’ll see,” Katara said dismissively, causing Aang to frown.

“There’s no ‘we’ll see’ Katara,” Yuu said. 

“So what exactly is your plan if they beat all of you morons in a battle then?” Toph asked. Yuu frowned but didn’t have a concrete answer. 

“Exactly,” Katara said almost smugly. “Unless you have a better plan, I say we take them out the old fashion way and then get out of this stupid cave.”

“Katara, I don't think-”

“*gasp * The fight’s starting!” Suki said, cutting Aang off.

“Enough of this bickering and trash talk!” Meowth said. “Let’s get this battle started!” Jessie and James nodded, pulling out their Poké Balls and extending them. Zuko and Azula both looked down at Matoic and Pikachu had gotten into position in front of them. 

“Prepare for battle,” the siblings said to their respective Pokémon at the same time that Jessie and James said; “GO!” and threw their Poké Balls toward their opponents!

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

Silicobra, come out so we can teach these brats a lesson in respect!” Jessie hollered as she released her Pokémon. Out from her standard Poké Ball came a brown and white snake with large green eyes and a large pouch wrapped around its neck.

“Whoa!” Sokka exclaimed, his eyes growing wide as he looked at the new Pokémon. “Look at that thing!”

“That’s Silicobra,” Rotom Pokémon explained as he floated towards the serpentine Pokémon and scanned it. “The Sand Snake Pokémon; As it digs, it swallows sand and stores it in its neck pouch. The pouch can hold more than 17 pounds of sand.”

“Sil Silicobra,” it hissed, raising it up slightly as it flickered its tongue out. Besides it, James Pokémon appeared as well!

“You too, Nickit! Let’s teach these twerps some manners!” James exclaimed. James Pokémon was a small, slender fox with dark orange fur and large black ears. Its large tail curved and touched the floor and gave the appearance of a sac. 

“This is Nickit,” Rotom Pokémon said, scanning the Pokémon before anyone could ask. “The Fox Pokémon; Cunning and cautious, this Pokémon survives by stealing food from others. It erases its tracks with swipes of its tail as it makes off with its plunder.”

“How disgusting even their Pokémon are thieves!” Katara exclaimed as she placed her hands on her hips.

“You villains should be ashamed of yourselves!” Suki added.

“The only thing I’m ashamed of is that I have to sit around and listen to you speak while I’m trying to humiliate your friend!” Jessie snapped.

“Ugh, one thing me and this clown can agree on; will you two stop speaking so I can focus on embarrassing this poacher?” Azula asked, causing both Katara and Suki’s faces to twist with annoyance, “Not that you need any help.” Azula informed Jessie, causing her to scowl.

“You’ll be regretting that slick comment in a moment, you little infidel!” Jessie shouted as her temper rose.

“Certainly not more than you regret that ridiculous haircut,” Azula scoffed, causing both Pikachu and Silicobra to laugh.

“Hey! Don't laugh at her insignificant and rude comments!” Jessie told off her Pokémon. “I am your master, you should be offended on my behalf!”

“Offended by that haircut maybe,” Azula said.

“Pika! Pikachu!” Pikachu chimed in, feeling great enjoyment by Azula’s remarks.

“Hey, is this a Pokémon battle or a catfight?!” James demanded.

“I mean- that type of vernacular is somewhat common for opposing forces to partake in before a Pokémon battle…” Yuu said as he contemplated his own thoughts, while Aang flashed him a confused look at his wordy phrasing. 

“Well, I hate to agree with our enemies, but let your Pokémon do the talking for you!” Zuko snapped. 

“It’s Azula- what do you expect?! She loves the sound of her own voice,” Katara said with a roll of her eyes, causing Sokka and Suki to snicker. Azula shrugged, unphased by the dig as if it was true. Zuko then sucked on his teeth as he rolled his eyes.

“Come on and let’s get on with this! Matoic, don’t pay attention to them and focus!” he continued as he looked towards his Pokémon in front of him.

“Toic!” Matoic responded, acknowledging its Trainer.

“Very well then. Pikachu, let’s destroy her!” Azula stated with confidence.

“Pika!”  Pikachu responded, donning an arrogant smile as it balled its fists up. “Use Thunderbolt!” Azula continued. At this command Pikachu released lightning from its cheeks, hitting Silicobra directly. Much to Azula’s shock, the Pokémon didn’t make a move to dodge it. Even more shocking than that was that Silicobra, once hit, seemed completely unphased as the electricity from Thunderbolt surrounded its body!

“W-What?! The move didn’t bother Silicobra in the slightest!” Aang exclaimed, his eyes going wide with shock at the exchange. 

“Hahahaha! Foolish twerps!” Jessie exclaimed as she puffed out her chest. “Silicobra is a Ground -Type Pokémon; your Electric-Type moves won’t even give it a little tickle! You are over here worrying about my haircut- but perhaps you should be worried about your ignorance in BASIC Pokémon typing!” Jessie chastised, making Azula even more annoyed.

“Heh! Why are you shocked that twerps are doing twerp-like acts?” questioned Meowth as they chuckled.

“Um, so is anyone going to explain to me how this Pokémon is speaking like our language?!” questioned Yuu in shock. Meowth then chuckles.

“That’s ‘cause I learned y'all's language! That’s just how great I am and how worthless your Pokémon are! But don’t worry; when Jessie and James defeat you, we will make great use of your Pokémon when we hand ‘em over to the Boss!” Meowth responded.

“Ugh… Is no one alarmed this Pokémon is talking but me?” asked Yuu to the others.

“I mean when you roll with a crowd such as us for long enough, seeing questionable things becomes desensitized to ‘ya… So not really...” said Sokka.

“Yeah, and as the Avat- uh… With the journey that I ended up going on, I saw some awesome things too! Plus, I like to think I understand animals anyways! Isn't that right, Lemaki?” Aang chimed in as he looked at his own Pokémon.

“...Maki?” Lemaki responded with indifference as it went into Aang’s bag to pull out more berries.

“I assumed that was just normal for Pokémon; I mean, they can do a lot of crazy things!” Suki said as she looked over to Yuu.

“I did as well,” Katara responded. Toph, next to her, nodded in response as well.

“Hello? Earth to twerps?! There is a battle going on!” shouted James angrily.

“Right; can you leave your vernacular quandaries for later Yuu? Your chatter is making Zuko mess up,” Azula insisted.

“What?! No, it isn’t! I haven’t done anything yet!” Zuko said back in slight embarrassment.

“Exactly. It's you being a waste of space for me, I'm revolted, stop it.” Azula commanded as she shook her head in clear disgust. Zuko, knowing how his sister can get under his own skin, chose not to respond and to focus on Jessie and James in front of him.

“Either way, I hope you have another Pokémon, little girl because your Pikachu is near useless now!” said Jessie as she chuckled. Pikachu scowled at this insult.

“Pikachu…” It growled the fur on its back rising a bit. 

“Nickit, let’s not let them have all the fun~” James sang, thrusting his arm out. “Quickly, use Thief on that rust bucket!”

“Hey don't insult my Pokémon, you freak! Dodge it, Matoic!” Zuko snapped. 

“Matoic! Ma!” Matoic cried out, backing up a little as it anticipated Nickit’s attack. It was able to move out of the way in time to avoid the initial attack. However, Matoic was not aware it was going to jump back in for a second; Nickit moved quickly- far more quickly than Matoic's heavy armor-like fur could allow it to! Nickit managed to land the blow in its second attempt, leaving Matoic no room to dodge!

“Matoic!” It cried out, stumbling back a little. 

“Did you manage to swipe anything from that worthless piece of junk?” James asked.

“Nickit! Nic,” it said with a shake of its head.

“I told you don't talk about my Pokémon like that,” Zuko snapped as he started to get infuriated.

“I’ll talk to you and that scrap metal however I want!” James proclaimed though he seemed more disappointed than annoyed. “Nickit’s attack failed ‘cause you were broke! I almost feel sorry for taking what little you have left from you but then I remember I’m a bad guy! Hahaha!” James responded condescendingly to Zuko.

“Broke?! I’m a Prince, you low life!” Zuko hollered.

“Shh!” Aang responded, wanting Zuko to not make the same mistake he almost did, and spill any beans on their origin.

“Oh what a big and important Prince you are! You didn’t even give your Pokémon any items for me to steal!” James said as he looked over to his Pokémon, “Nickit, use Facade right now and punish them!” Nickit nodded and jumped forward. Again Matoic moved back but not fast enough to dodge the attack. It cried off again as it fell back.

“Matoic use Force Palm!” Zuko said quickly, feeling his nerves begin to rise now as so far Nickit had landed all of the blows in the fight. Matoic nodded and lumbered forward, reaching up to hit Nickit who easily skitted away from the attack. Zuko gritted his teeth as he tried to figure out his next move. While this was happening, besides him Azula already knew what she wanted to do.

“If we can’t use your Electric-Type moves, then we’re just going to have to use Fire-Type ones!” Azula said, causing Jessie to laugh. “Pikachu use Flame Wheel!”

“Foolish child you really know nothing!” Jessie cackled hysterically at Azula’s statement, “A Pikachu can't use Flame- W-What in the world?!” Jessie cried out as she watched Pikachu’s body begin to engulf itself in flames, and saw Pikachu as it rushed forward and slammed itself into Silicobra’s body! Jessie then screams. “Since when can a Pikachu do that?!” she continued.

“Silicobra!” It cried out as it was flung into the ground. 

“A Pikachu that can do Fire-Type and Electric-Type moves… I’ve never heard of that before?!” James exclaimed, taking his eyes off his battle for a moment.

“It must be some weird Regional Variant we don’t know about in this region!” Jessie surmised.

“Talk about hitting the jackpot!” Meowth cried dollar signs shining in its eyes as he focused on Pikachu. “The Boss will definitely give us a raise if we catch an exclusive Pikachu!” Meowth purred, rocking back and forth on their feet as they thought of all the money they were going to make!

“You’ll have to defeat me first,” Azula reminded them. “Pikachu use Flame Wheel again!” 

“Pikachu!” It cried out, surrounding itself with Flame Wheel again before charging at Siliacobra.

“Silicobra, dodge it with Dig!” Jessie instructed.

“Sili Silicobra!” It hissed, driving forward as it quickly burrowed itself into the ground and disappeared from the battlefield. Pikachu skidded to a stop and its eyes scanned around the hole that Silicobra had created. 

A moment later the ground began to shake and Silicobra came back out of the ground, slamming its body into Pikachu. 

“Pika Pika!” It cried out as it hit the ground. 

“Get back up quickly and hit it with the Flame Wheel again!” Azula commanded.

“Dodge it with Dig!” Jessie commanded. Silicobra immediately moved to dive into the ground. However, Pikachu was faster! Quickly, Pikachu intercepts the move with its Flame Wheel!

“Silicobra!” It cried out, hitting the ground. It began to wither back and forth while Pikachu quickly dashed away to avoid a possible attack. Instead, Silicobra continued to cry as it moved back and forth on the ground. 

“It looks like Silicobra has been burned !” Yuu said, his eyes focusing on the angry, red mark now throbbing on Silicobra’s side. 

“Makes sense, it’s been body-slammed with flames a few times now,” Sokka said thoughtfully. 

“This is good! With a status condition now on Silicobra, Azula now has the upper hand!” Yuu said, causing Aang to frown.

“A status condition?” Aang asked.

“O-Oh sorry, a status condition is an ailment that can be inflicted on a Pokémon during a battle that will hinder the Pokémon affected,” Yuu explained. “With burn on Silicobra, now its health will begin to dwindle because of it. So, on top of Pikachu continuing to attack Silicobra-”

“-The tide has turned in Azula’s favor,” Katara finished, causing Azula to smirk.

“Don't get cocky punk,” Jessie said. “You haven’t won yet.”

“It looks like Silicobra was really hurt,” Suki pointed out. “Look, it still hasn’t gotten up from the ground yet, Pikachu really must have burned it badly.” 

“Pika Pikachu!” Pikachu’s chest puffed out proudly as it looked at the damage it had managed to cause on its opponent. However, that smile didn’t last long for either Pikachu or Azula. Silicobra’s movements began to become more pronounced as it wiggled against the ground. A moment later Azula and Pikachu watched in shock as Silicobra slithered out of its skin! Jessie began to laugh now as her Pokémon swayed back and forth, rising up now as it hissed at Pikachu.

“Silicobra doesn’t look too hurt anymore…” Suki muttered while Jessie continued to cackle.

“That’s because it isn’t! While you stood around talking and assuming Silicobra was withering on the ground in pain it was actually discarding its skin! That’s its ability Shed Skin; it allows Silicobra to shed its skin and heal itself of its burn!” Jessie said with a twisted smile. “So in other words, the battle is now in our favor~”

“Not quite,” Azula said quickly. “We’re just back to a level playing field; take your own advice and don't get cocky.” 

“Damn it!” Zuko shouted, his voice pulling the attention away from Jessie and Azula and back over to his duel with James. “Matoic, are you okay!” He asked as he watched his Pokémon struggle to get back to his feet. Once more, Matoic had failed to land a hit on Nickit while Nickit had hit Matotic with Thief once more. The situation was becoming critical as Matoic continued to take damage upon damage without returning any.

“Ma- Ma,” Matoic stammered, forcing itself back onto its feet.

“Matoic looks like it’s reached its limit!” Aang cried, stepping forward as a worried look came over him. 

“Ma...Matoic!” It cried, stepping forward with clear effort.

“Zuko!” Aang cried out.

“Matoic still wants to fight,” Zuko snapped, feeling his anger rise. Aang looked like he wished to argue but Yuu reached forward and placed a hand on his arm to stop him.

“Remember; Matoic is the Honor Pokémon, Aang. Asking it to give up the battle now- after it hasn’t managed to land a single hit on Nickit would insult it.” Yuu reminded him gently, causing Aang’s lip to quiver. He looked conflicted but in the end, stepped back. 

“Nickit, let’s put this hunk of junk out of its misery!” James laughed. “Hit it with Thief!”

“Nickit!” It cried out, rushing forward.

“Matoic, try and counter it with Force Palm!”

“That old move again! You haven’t managed to land it once!” James taunted.

“We’re not giving up now!” Zuko replied hotly. Though his words betrayed his feelings as he watched with dwindling hope as Matoic struggled to move forward while Nickit rushed forward. It hit Matoic with Thief, causing Matoic to stumble.

“Ma- Ma-” Matoic panted, slowly reaching near its limit to fight

“Now, let’s finish it with Facade!” James cried.

“Kit kit!” Nickit said as it rushed in for the attack.

“Try to dodge!” Zuko commanded. However, Nickit was just too quick. It scrambled forward and hit Matoic causing it to fall over for a final time as it fainted!

“Damn it!” Zuko hollered, while James cheered.

“Fuck...” Yuu muttered. 

“You fool!” Azula cried. “Of course, you lost, even in this universe you continue to be an embarrassment. You bring shame onto our family!” Azula’s words cut Zuko but he ignored her as he rushed forward to Matoic’s side.

“Lay off him!” Yuu said, moving forward. “So he lost so what? I’ll sub in for him!”

“What?! That’s cheating!” James cried.

“Says the criminals!” Katara said, outraged. 

“That’s right! We’re the criminals; cheating is in our job description, but you twerps are supposed to be the heroes!” Meowth said.

“Well, whatever; I’m still going to sub in for Zuko-”

“No,” Azula said, putting her hand out. “Zuko is my brother, it’ll handle both of these fools.” Yuu frowned.

“You really want to take on two trainers at once?!” Suki asked, giving her a skeptical look.

“She officially has lost her mind. Might as well just hand over all your Pokémon now, guys!” Toph responded somewhat sarcastically- but also seriously.

“Yes, Zuko messed up so I’ll fix it as per usual,” Azula said, turning to look at Pikachu. “What say you? Are you up for the challenge?” She asked her Pokémon.

“Pika Pikachu,” it said, nodding and moving forward with a look of pure determination. “Good, let’s destroy these fools.” Pikachu nodded while Jessie and James smirked, confident they had already won.

“Ha! 2 on 1?! You have guts, twerp- I will give you that. Fine. James, let’s humor the prepubescent waste of space!” said Jessie as she stood confidently behind Silicobra, who eyed Pikachu.

“This will be easier than taking candy from a baby!” James responded with a smirk; Nickit matched his expression perfectly as it also got into a stance next to Silicobra.

“Pikachu, Go!” shouted Azula, as Pikachu rushed in!

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“Azula! We can’t afford to have a big head here; you need to accept Yuu’s help!” Zuko said, turning to scowl at his sister. Azula scoffed, not even bothering to look at her brother or his fallen Pokémon.

“We? There is no we. You’ve failed as per usual and now the responsibility has fallen onto my shoulders as per usual.” Azula snarled, keeping her focus on Jessie and James. “And last I remember, Yuu lost his battle against Genn. He’s a loser like you are, why would I want his help in any battle?”

“Pika Pikachu!” Pikachu chimed in, nodding their head.

“H-hey!” Yuu said, a blush rushing across his cheeks as a feeling of humiliation came over him at Azula’s words. “Just because I lost one battle against an experienced trainer doesn’t mean I’m a loser!”

“Ling Lingliu!” Lingliu shouted in agreement, scowling at Azula’s crude observation.

“Well, if that’s not a loser then I don't know what is. Besides, if your excuse is that Genn was a more experienced trainer then what help would you be in a battle against two experienced trainers? That’s your apparent weakness,” Azula said flippantly, causing Yuu to grit his teeth and Lingliu to growl. “Now quiet down boy, if you watch closely maybe you’ll learn a thing or two about winning.”

“Azula, don't speak to Yuu that way!” Aang cried. “He tried his best against Genn!”

“Opp, do I sense trouble in twerp land?” Jessie asked, thriving off the interpersonal conflict between the gaang. James and Meowth started to laugh amongst themselves.

“Haha! If they're at each other's throats, that just makes our job easier!” James said, rubbing his hands together gleefully. 

“Better reason to poach their pathetic Pokémon! Who needs ‘em with incompetent trainers such as themselves?” Meowth asked. Their comments started to aggravate Azula.

“Enough talking. I have the battle to win, so get off the battlefield Zuko; you’re just getting in the way- again.” Azula instructed. Zuko winced at Azula’s harsh words as he turned his head away from her in anger and shame. Internally, he knew her words rang true, but they were words he simply didn’t want to hear. He extended Matoic’s Poké Ball and called the fainted Pokémon back inside.

Getting up, he walked back over to the group with his head hanging low. Yuu frowned and reached out to Zuko but the older boy shrank away, moving to stand beside Toph.  

“Geez kid, the way you spoke to your friends was pretty harsh! You might regret that once you need someone to go crying to when we wipe the floor with you and take your precious little Pikachu!” James laughed as he became excited over his response, “Oh, that rhymed!” Azula then sucked her teeth, attempting to ignore his childish comments. Sick and tired of their excessive talking, she looked toward her Pokémon; she could very much tell Pikachu was fed up the same way as she was. She then held out her hand assertively.

“Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Nickit!” Azula commanded. Rushing forward, Pikachu released a surge of electricity from its cheeks straight toward Nickit!

“Nickit, dodge!” James cried out.

“Nic! Nickit!” Nickit muttered, attempting to jump to the side. However, it was two seconds too late! “Nickit!” it wailed as the full force of Thunderbolt crashed down upon it. 

“Yes! That one landed!” Sokka called out.

“Let’s hope she can land another,” Katara then said.

“Grr! How dare you hit my beloved Pokémon with such a foul move! Now its fur is going to be unkempt and untamed; just like your hairline!” James shouted at Azula, feeling immense sympathy for Nickit and their appearance. Nickit, attempting to recover from the damage, struggled to get back up to its feet. It looked at its now puffed fur and started to get angered.

“Let’s make it feel the same kind of pain!” Jessie said as she gestured to her own Pokémon, “Silicobra use Poison Tail!”

“Nickit you attack with Facade!” 

“Cobra!/Nick!” the Pokémon called out at the same time determinedly. 

Silicobra moved first, launching forward its tail began to glow a purple hue as it whipped it around at Pikachu. Pikachu instinctively jumped backward, just narrowly avoiding the attack! However, Nickit was moving quickly now coming up on Pikachu’s side. Pikachu realizing this quickly sidestepped the attack.

“Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Nickit again!” Azula commanded.

“Silicobra, use Dig!” Jessie hollered. Pikachu reacted first and released Thunderbolt from its cheeks causing Nickit to jump back and while it avoided most of the attack Pikachu still managed to shock its tail.

“Nickit!” It cried out. 

“Sounds like Nickit is getting its butt beat,” said Toph, using her ears to ascertain what she could from the battle.

“It’s a close battle so far. Pikachu’s attack nearly nicked it... no pun intended...” said Yuu. At the same time that Pikachu had released its attack, Silicobra had dived into the ground. When Pikachu had finished Thunderbolt the ground began to shake right before Silicobra came back out and shot toward Pikachu.

“Get out of the way!” Azula snapped but as Pikachu attempted to jump back, Silicobra managed to land its hit, causing Pikachu to stumble backwards. 

“Use Dig again!” Jessie cried out.

“Oh, you coward!” Katara heckled from the sidelines as she watched Silicobra go back into the ground. “You keep throwing a rock and then hiding your head. Why don't you keep Silicobra out on the field so it can fight fair and square!”

“Um, sideline twerp? Dig isn’t an illegal move last time I checked!” said Jessie as she turned to Katara, “This is a fair move that I’m making for once! I think you should be grateful I’m not doing something more underhanded! Using Dig is just a good strategy, something I’m sure you know nothing about!”

“She does have a point...” Yuu said, causing Katara to scowl.

“It’s still cowardly!...” Katara shot back. Azula ignored this back and forth as she narrowed her eyes, scanning the battlefield. She noted that Nickit had retreated back to its side of the battlefield now and was panting heavily, watching Pikachu with an intense stare.

“It looks like Nickit is exhausted, it must be reaching its limit.” Azula thought. “I bet one more Thunderbolt will do it in...but if Pikachu is focused on attacking Nickit then when Silicobra comes back out of the ground it’ll be open for another attack…unless…” 

“Pika Pi?” Pikachu asked, turning back to Azula for a command.

“Just wait,” Azula commanded.

“What’s wrong, getting scared you little brat?” Jessie asked with a smirk.

“She probably realized that she and her little Pikachu can’t match up to you two’s Pokémon! Maybe if Pikachu was with the A-team, you wouldn’t have such a hard time!” Meowth said tauntingly.

“Pikachu…” Pikachu growled, glaring up at Jessie and Meowth for their comments.

“Just wait,” Azula said again, Pikachu nodded and listened. A second later, the ground began to shake, signaling the Silicobra was about to come back to the surface.

“Nickit, use Thief on Pikachu!” James called out. 

“Pikachu use Flame Wheel on Nickit!” Azula called out. Pikachu nodded and eagerly began to cloak itself in flames. Just as it began to move forward Silicobra exploded from the ground and hit Pikachu head-on!

“Pika!” Pikachu hollered as it was sent backwards.

“Sili!” Silicobra hissed and began to shake its head back and forth as it reeled from the pain of diving headfirst into Pikachu’s flames!

“Pikachu get up now and use Thunderbolt on Nickit!” Azula commanded. Nickit, who hadn’t gotten a chance to follow through on its attack before the skirmish between Pikachu and Silicobra broke out, now stood wide open for the attack.

“Nickit move! Move!” James cried out as Pikachu quickly got to its feet.

“Fry it alive!” Azula shouted. 

“PIKACHU🗲!” It bellowed, putting a lot of power behind this attack! Nickit attempted to get away but just couldn’t dodge the strong surge of electricity that Pikachu released from its cheeks!

“NICKIT!” It hollered before collapsing on the ground as it fainted! On the sidelines, Aang had to turn his head away from the extreme burst of violence. 

“Damn!” James cried. “My little Nickit.”

“Oh, you’ll pay for that you little brat!” Jessie snapped.

“Come on if you're coming you peasant,” Azula hissed.

“Pika! Pikachu!” It cried out. The Pokémon was panting heavily, its last Thunderbolt had taken a lot of energy but still, it had a determined look in its eyes. That last bit of conflict had excited Pikachu a great deal.

“That was actually pretty clever!...” Sokka said with wide eyes.

“Yeah…” Yuu said a little reluctantly. 

“That's Azula for you,” Zuko spat bitterly, causing Suki to nod.

“She actually just changed the tide in her favor, we might actually have a chance to get out of here,” Katara said, her eyes going back and forth between Pikachu and Silicorbra now. “I guess she really didn’t need Yuu’s help.”

“Katara… Really?” Yuu asked with a frown, causing her to shrug.

“I can’t believe you sound impressed by this senseless violence,” Aang whimpered, giving Katara a disappointed look.

“It’s not senseless,” Katara said, keeping her eyes focused on the battle. Aang frowned but said nothing, turning away from Katara and the fight.

“I’m done playing! Silicobra, let's end this now!” Jessie snapped.

“How many times have you said that now?” Azula taunted. “Pikachu, let's put this foolish peasant in her place.” 

“Silicobra,” it hissed, swaying back and forth as it raised its body up.

“Pikachu~” it said excitedly, balling its hands up into fists as it eagerly awaited Azula’s next command. Both Azula and Jessie opened their mouths to instruct their Pokémon, but they were both interrupted by a loud whistling sound! They all winced and covered their ears as the shrill noise cut through the air.

“Spirits, what is that? Some kind of Pokémon?!” Suki asked worriedly.

“No, bitch, that’s a fucking whistle!” Toph snapped, annoyed at the clear obviousness of the sound.

“And that’s a whistle I know too well...” Jessie said once the noise stopped.

“Wait, what is going on?” Aang asked out loud. Suddenly, from another passageway within the area came a blinding light shined on them from atop a group of Pokémon, whose appearances were hidden behind the bright lights. They all attempted to look into the light to see who it was with great difficulty. Toph, however, was unfazed.

“Freeze! No one move!” A female voice called out. Team Rocket then squealed. Everyone froze at the comment. Through a point in the light in which visibility was the strongest, a woman emerged. She was short, with short blue hair hidden underneath a large white hat. She was clad in a grey and yellow police uniform and had on a pair of white gloves. Seeing the image of the woman scared Team Rocket; they knew exactly who it was!

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“Fuck, it’s Officer Jenny!” Jessie shouted.

“What?! Here?!” James questioned loudly. He looked over at her as she came into clearer view, and became disgusted. “Ugh, that outfit and hair are not it…” James continued.

“Forget her dang appearance, James- It’s the cops! We gotta go!!!” Meowth said. Jessie and James then called back their Pokémon into their Poké Balls swiftly.

“The cops?!...” Yuu called out. The others who were not as privy to what was going on looked onward with confusion.

“Come on, we don't have time to entertain these twerps!” Jessie said, James and Meowth nodded in agreement and turned to run off. But, before they could retreat back the way they came another whistle cut through the air.

“I SAID everyone freeze!!!” Officer Jenny called out more aggressively, making Team Rocket stop in their tracks. At that moment, growling was heard beside her from the Pokémon that backed her up. 

Officer Jenny was surrounded by lizard-like Pokémon that resembled a tall bipedal white salamander. They were almost as tall as Officer Jenny. On top of its white scale-like epidermis was a thicker layer of black scaly skin that wrapped around its body like a suit of armor, complete with gauntlets, leg guards, a chest plate, and a helmet. It had a lengthy, thick tail coiled around its feet and a twisted smile on its face. Officer Jenny focused the light on the group from a headlight mounted on its helmet.

“W-What is that thing that is shining the light on us?” asked Katara, her eyes pulsating in front of the bright light.

“I-Is that a Pokémon?...” asked Suki.

“P-Pika!...” Pikachu cried aloud, covering its face with its little arms. Rotom Pokédex, who didn't appear to notice the change in the room, flew out of Yuu's backpack and drifted over to the towering Pokémon, where it joyfully scanned it.

“This is Governmander, the ‘Policing-Lizard Pokémon’, this Pokémon is the evolved form of-”

“WHY AM I HEARING EXPLANATIONS DURING AN ARREST!?” Officer Jenny shouted, cutting off Rotom Pokédex before it could finish its explanation. The Pokédex seemed shocked, as did everyone else, even Team Rocket wore surprised expressions. 

“An arrest ?! What are you talking about?” asked Azula.

“Like stated before, I am Officer Jenny. I am a part of the Police Force of Huoli; law enforcement empowered by Lumos, protectors of the Royal Family. This is my Partner Pokémon, Governmander!” said Officer Jenny, pointing to their Pokémon.

“Mander mander!” Governmander called.

“We’ve received a call from locals around Gaietle Mountain about some suspicious characters entering this part of the cave.” Officer Jenny continued.

“Suspicious?” Aang asked, his eyes wide. 

“It means that you think that someone is doing something they aren’t supposed to,” Yuu explained, causing Aang to frown.

“Um, I know what the word means... I’m just not sure how we’re ‘suspicious’,” Aang whispered, causing Yuu to blush.

“Oh- um sorry!” Yuu responded.

“NO CHITTER-CHATTER DURING AN ARREST!” Officer Jenny shouted, causing Aang and Yuu to jump. “Now like I said I’ve gotten a call that two very suspicious-looking characters were sulking about this mountain pass, two characters who match the description of a pair of criminals I’ve been searching for recently and low and behold what do the Governmander find?” Jenny asked, while her Governmander looked at them with a smug look.

“A group of children being harassed by two adult Pokémon thieves, with bad hairdos?” Azula answered, causing Team Rocket to freeze as they anticipated Officer Jenny to wheel around on them. Instead, she glared at Azula.

“What we found are just the two perps we’ve been looking for!” Officer Jenny shouted back.

“Gov! Govermander!” Govermander hissed. 

“...What?” asked Yuu confusingly. Officer Jenny then points towards the group behind Azula.

“ You and you are both coming with me!” Officer Jenny said as the Governmander's lights pointed right towards Katara and Sokka! Officer Jenny's comment sent a shockwave through the group as they tried to absorb what she had just said!

“W-What do you mean?!” Sokka asked, taking a hesitant step away from the policewoman.

“Katara and Sokka? No, there must be a mistake!” Yuu said quickly. 

“Yeah! Sokka and Katara aren’t criminals!” Aang said quickly. 

“Of course not!” Katara said hotly, her face growing red as her anger began to grow. “My brother and I have done nothing wrong!”. 

“Mander!” one of the Governmander stated as it handed Officer Jenny a notebook. 

“According to this dossier, I beg to differ! Your brother and yourself meet the description of two people in the area who are believed to be involved with Team Vekros!” Officer Jenny informed them. Hearing this causes another wave of shock.

“What? Team Vekros?! There HAS to be a mistake!” Yuu shouted concerningly.

“What’s… Team Vekros?” muttered James to Jessie and Meowth. 

“I’m gonna assume another villainous team similar to us?” Jessie responded back with uncertainty.

“Kinda like how Team Rocket is to Kanto, Team Vekros is to Huoli?” Meowth asked.

“How the heck would I know?! I’m just as confused as you are! Come, while the lights are not focused on us- let’s get the fuck outta here!” James responded back to his team. They all shared a nod and ran quietly into the shadows...

“But wait! We are not Team Vekros! We are- um… Just… Trainers?” Katara said, stopping herself from a reveal of their true origin.

“Yeah! And why are you more worried about us and not the ACTUAL villains over there!?” questioned Sokka as he pointed to Team Rocket. However, the group was astounded to find that Team Rocket was gone without a trace!

“W-Where did they go?!” asked Suki.

“Oh, you guys didn't notice? I heard them tiptoe away a second ago while you all were distracted,” Toph responded.

“Tsk, okay Ms. Good-Ears; if you knew that, then why didn’t you say anything?” asked Azula.

“Hey, don’t kill the messenger!” Toph responded.

“Huh? Those weird-dressed people were threats?...  Eh. They were so irrelevant that my Governmander didn’t even notice them escaping… a shame...” said Officer Jenny as she shrugged her shoulders, “Hehe, the guys back at the station will be floored that I solved the Vekros issue. So enough of this stupid chatter; I will be taking you two to the precinct for questioning!”

“Um, no! You didn’t solve the issue because Katara and Sokka are NOT Vekros!” shouted Yuu.

“And why just them?” Azula asked, a frown on her face, “Not to advocate any of us being arrested, but since Katara and Sokka are with us then wouldn’t you assume we’re all in association with Vekros?”.

“Are you questioning authority? I got a call about two people; a man and a woman. No one else!” Officer Jenny said quickly. 

“Uh… I mean there are multiple men and women that could be though; not just them…” Toph said, not agreeing with Officer Jenny’s logic.

“I mean... men is a bit strong,” Azula said, turning to the guys in the group, “A bunch of boys perhaps; and in Zuko’s case, a little baby."

“W-What?! Whose side are you on!?” Zuko aggressively asked.

“What? It’s true; none of us are adults. So, no men or women here," Azula shrugged.

“Well look at you being politically correct! Last time I checked you aren’t an Officer, I AM!” Officer Jenny shouted as he eyed Katara and Sokka. She then holds out her notebook to show two faces of a male and female  “The station has been on a hunt for two perpetrators of a darker complexion, something that looks like these two. Based on your facial structure, your two friends meet the bill! I am just doing my job. You can plead your innocence once we are at Yishu City!”

“W-WHAT!?” Katara screamed, flabbergasted, “They have different hair than us! The guy has some bull cut, and the girl’s hair is longer and more pointy and in ponytails!” she continued, describing what she was seeing. 

“Uh, hello? Hair can grow and change. That means nothing. Your faces are similar!” Officer Jenny responded.

“So we fit the bill for villains solely off our skin? That’s kinda racist!” shouted Sokka.

“I’d arrest you if you were white, green, or Pokémon! Blame the composite artist for how they shaded in the skin on this picture- I dunno what to tell you. Point is, you are fuckin’ arrested!!!” Officer Jenny insisted as she started to get out of cuffs.

“This is beyond insane! Y-Yuu! Do something!” shouted Aang as he grabbed Yuu's shoulder.

“D-Do what? !” Yuu asked.

“You are rich! I don’t know much about bureaucracy, but based on my personal travels rich people can bend rules! B-Bend them now!” pleaded Aang.

“W-Where did you hear that? I mean, sure- I have money. But, you still have to follow the Lumos’ rules whether rich or poor… I dunno… Can I?...” Yuu questioned, never once ever thinking of using his financial status for malicious purposes once in his life. “ Although that does sound like some stuff I think my mother does... ” Yuu then thinks.

“This is ridiculous! We are NOT Team Vekros! Your reasoning for selecting us makes NO sense! We haven’t done anything wrong!” Katara shouted back.

“Y-Yeah!” Sokka agreed nervously.

“I’ll be the judge of that!” Officer Jenny declared. “Now, I’ve been trying to do this the easy way and giving you a chance to peacefully comply. However, if you keep resisting, Govermander and I will have to do it the hard way!” Officer Jenny threatened, giving Sokka and Katara a menacing look as she awaited their next move.

When Katara and Sokka didn’t make a move Officer Jenny motioned at the Governmanders to move in. The Pokémon acted immediately and rushed forward, making a direct b-line for Sokka and Katara!

“Sokka watch out!” Katara called out, both siblings instinctively moving away from the large intimidating Pokémon! 

“Yuu!” Aang said, his voice filled with panic as he watched the Pokémon advance on Katara and Sokka in horror. 

“Do you really have to look at Yuu for this one Aang?” Azula sneered. “You have a Pokémon, use it!” As she spoke she glanced down at her own Pokémon and couldn’t help but feel worried. Pikachu was clearly exhausted from its fight with Team Rocket’s Pokémon, and she wasn’t sure how well it would fare against a group of stronger-looking Pokémon who seemed to be in tip-top fighting shape. 

“R-Right,” Aang stammered, looking up at Lemaki who, during this whole time, has been resting on Aang’s shoulders and lazily eating berries; seemingly unaffected by what was going on around it. “Come on, we need to help Sokka and Katara!” Lemaki paused for a second, watching the swarming Governmander with apathy. It looked back down at Aang and shook its head before popping another berry into its mouth. 

“Lemaki!...” Aang cried. At the same time, Yuu glanced up at Lingliu who was still resting on top of his head. It was shaking violently as it looked at the big, scary-looking Governmander. 

“Lingliu. Go!” Yuu commanded. 

“L-l-l-l-lingliu!” It cried, curling up into a ball as it attempted to hide itself away.

“Damn it,” Yuu muttered, realizing that Lingliu was too afraid to fight! With no other option, Yuu pulled out Luckrane’s Poké Ball and released the Pokémon!

“Luckrane, quickly use Gust on the Governmanders that are advancing Sokka and Katara!” Yuu cried out desperately. He felt his heart jump to his throat as Luckrane shook its head, refusing to attack!

“Damn it!” Yuu cried out with frustration, “ With all this going on, I forgot that Luckrane still isn’t listening to me completely! Tsk, I thought we made a breakthrough before!... ” he then thought. Just then a loud, indignant scream rang out across the cavern. 

“Katara!” Sokka hollered, watching as the Governmander apprehended his sister! He reached for Cubone’s Poké Ball but stopped, realizing that his Pokémon had nearly fainted when he caught it! Sokka felt low as he watched his sister struggle against the large Pokémon and he, who had a Pokémon, had no means of helping her. 

“I’m sorry!” He cried to Katara just as the Governmander came upon him.  

“Fuck!” Zuko shouted. Like Sokka, he felt helpless and useless as he watched the Governmander now took Sokka into custody. He shook his head, gripping onto Matoic’s Poké Ball tightly. 

“Sokka be careful!” Suki cried out, while Toph snapped her head back and forth trying to discern everything going on around her. “Don't fight back, they might hurt you sugar bear!” 

“That’s right!” Officer Jenny agreed. “Listen to your friend and come peacefully, this doesn’t have to get any worse.” Katara didn’t listen and instead struggled against the Governmander’s large hands. Sokka craned his head to look over at Suki who was still imploring him to not struggle against the Pokémon like Katara was doing.

“Just comply!” Suki begged.

“Maybe she’s right…” Aang said hopelessly as he looked around at their situation. All of their Pokémon either couldn’t fight or were refusing to. Upon hearing this Azula whipped her head around at the young Avatar.

“Are you joking?” Azula demanded.

“What else are we supposed to do?!” Aang asked desperately.

“COMPLY LIKE I’VE BEEN SAYING!” Jenny hollered, answering Aang’s question. Azula scoffed and turned towards her before glancing back over at Aang.

“I’ll show you what we’re going to do!” She exclaimed before rushing forward. Officer Jenny’s eyes went wide as she jumped back, hurrying backwards as quickly as possible as she fumbled with something on her hip. 

“DON'T YOU EVER TRY TO ASSAULT AN OFFICER!” Jenny bellowed as she pulled out a yellow, taser gun. She pointed it right at Azula, and pulled the trigger! Electricity hummed in the air as two long coils launched at Azula. Before the Fire Lord had a chance to react, the taser bolts hit her square in the stomach and caused high surges of electricity to pump into her.

“UGH!!!” Azula hollered as she collapsed to the ground, convulsing violently.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“A-AZULA!” Zuko shouted.

“PIKA PI!” Pikachu cried out as well, watching as its master went down badly next to it. 

“What’s going on!?” Toph shouted as well.

“I think Officer Jenny is lightningbending Azula!” Aang shouted.

“What?!” Toph and Yuu said at the same time.

“Azula isn’t being lightningbended, she’s being tased !” Yuu said quickly. 

“AND IF SHE HAD COMPLIED THIS WOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED!” Officer Jenny shouted, causing Zuko to roar! He charged forward, fury alight in his eyes as Azula continued to grunt in pain.

“Zuko, don't do it!” Yuu cried out.

“SHE’S HURTING MY SISTER!” He bellowed, no one noticed but Pikachu hurried forward as well albeit slowly. 

“AND I’LL HURT YOU TOO!” Officer Jenny shouted back, quickly switching out the taser cartridge before firing it at him. It hit Zuko in the chest, one of the bolts attaching to the scar Azula’s own lightning had left on him during their Agni Kai. 

“AHHHH!!!” Zuko screamed out as he hit the cave’s floor hard, withering in pain as the electricity began to burst through him.

“Zuko!” Yuu cried out and tried to move forward but Officer Jenny, who had already switched to a new cartridge, pointed it at Yuu.

“DON'T MOVE! NO ONE MOVE!” She cried out. Everyone left standing frozen as Officer Jenny pointed her taser at each one of them, a wild look in her eyes. “NOW... I’M WALKING OUT OF HERE NICE AND SLOW WITH MY SUSPECTS AND THE NEXT PERSON WHO TRIES TO STOP ME IS GETTING ZAPPED!” 

Everyone exchanged a frightened look, their eyes snapping down to Azula and Zuko who were letting out painful groans as they rolled around on the cave floor. 

“W-What are we going to do?” Aang whispered, looking up at Yuu.

“We just need to listen to what she’s saying, if we keep resisting things will only get worse!” Suki said. Yuu, shocked at her response, frowned as he looked back and forth between the two of them. Their stillness was enough for Officer Jenny who made another motion at Governmander. 

“Come on! Come on! We’re taking the perps back to the car! Let’s go!” Officer Jenny commanded the Governmander. They began to haul both Katara and Sokka forward, causing them to let out screams of frustration.

“Wait! Wait where are you taking them!” Aang cried. Officer Jenny didn’t answer, instead, she continued to point the taser at the group as she backed up towards the same tunnel they had all come from. “Katara!”

“Aang!” Katara cried back.

“Suki!” Sokka said at the same time.

“Oh, Papa Bear, stay strong! Be good, don't worry we’ll figure it out!” Suki promised as the Governmander’s pulled them down the tunnel.

“A-Are we all just going to sit here and watch them be taken away?!” Azula groaned, forcing herself to sit up. Pain shot through her body, but it wasn’t an unfamiliar pain; to Azula, it was a similar feeling to improper lightningbending. She attempted to ignore it as she pulled out one of the bolts that had dug into her stomach. Pikachu hopped forward and bit down on the second one, tugging out of her as well.

“Azula be careful!” Yuu warned as he went to grab Azula, “You shouldn’t be moving!” Watching in shock as Azula forced herself to her feet.

“I’m fine, I’m accustomed to lightning,” said Azula, pushing Yuu away.

“Pika!” Pikachu cheered, impressed with how quickly Azula had gotten back to her feet. Jumping forward it climbed up her back onto her shoulder. 

“Come on!...” Azula murmured as she forced herself through the agony and down the tunnel. Suki pursued her fast. Zuko turned over onto his side at the same moment.

“Zuko!” Yuu cried out, looking over at him struggling in agony.

“Go without me, I’ll catch up!” He promised. Yuu looked conflicted and so did Aang as he looked back and forth between the tunnel’s mouth and his friend who was sprawled out on the ground. 

“Are you sure?” Aang asked. 

“Yes, just go!” Aang nodded and followed after Azula and Suki. “Go Yuu go!”

“What about you Toph?” Yuu asked, looking back over at Toph. Her face looked ashen and she seemed confused and disoriented. Yuu felt guilty and tried to reach out for her but as his hand brushed against her arm she quickly backed away.

“Y-Yuu just go ahead and I’ll stay with Zuko!” Toph demanded.

“Are-”

“GO!” She snapped, cutting Yuu off and causing Yuu to flinch. 

He felt guilty about leaving them behind, but he knew he had no choice if he was to catch up to Officer Jenny. He could hear Katara and Sokka shouting and resisting as he ran through the tunnel, but he couldn't quite make out their words until Yuu blasted out of the exit which landed him on the opposite side of the mountain and onto  Route 3; known throughout Huoli as an ‘ old, worn-out country Road ’ that connects the bottom parts of the area of Liyi Island they are on to the top parts. He arrived just in time to see Officer Jenny’s squad car peeling away in the direction the group had originally been going in!

“N-No!...” Yuu exclaimed. “Damn it...we weren’t faster enough!...” Yuu cried as he expressed his dissatisfaction with the scenario. He braced her hands on her knees as he attempted to catch his breath.

“Pika...Pikachu…” Pikachu said with a frown.

“K-Katara...Sokka,” Aang whimpered, tears shining in his eyes as he watched Officer Jenny’s car growing smaller and smaller in the distance. “I-I don't even know where she was taking them...what are we going to do?!”

“The first thing we need to do is calm down,” Yuu stated, reaching out to place his hand on Aang's shoulder to comfort him, “It was crazy in there, but I recall her stating she was transporting them to Yishu City. All we have to do is take this path to get there.”

“And then what are we going to do?” Aang inquired softly, “How would we persuade her to release Katara and Sokka when she appeared to believe they were the criminals wreaking devastation in this area?” Yuu frowned and clumsily rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. Something Aang had said before had hit a nerve with him.

“I could probably call my mother,” He said a little hesitantly, “She...could possibly know what to do”. 

Just then, Zuko and Toph emerge from the cave passage, catching up with the distraught party. A lengthy quiet fell between them as Yuu considered their next steps; inwardly, he wasn't sure how he felt about telling his mother that two of his friends had been jailed. She'd just consented to let him leave on his adventure; he couldn't believe she'd be happy with his getting caught up in this type of snafu so soon. Toph clung to Zuko's arm as he guided her to the rest of the gang. He groaned with each step, still in pain from the taser Officer Jenny had used on him.

“So… You weren’t able to get them,” Zuko groaned, his voice filled with disappointment and sadness as he surveyed the group.

“Well, yeah...could have told you that would have happened…” Toph muttered, her voice shaking ever so slightly as she spoke. 

“Yuu said that-” 

“N-None of this had to happen!!!” Suki then screamed, totally cutting Aang off. Suki, who was trembling and enraged, couldn't help but cry as she thought of her beloved Sokka being arrested and carried away. “If Katara had simply compiled...if you hadn't exploded and attacked Officer Jenny Azula, none of this would have happened.” Hearing her comments sent shivers down everyone's spine, simultaneously shocking and infuriating the group.

“...What?!” Azula asked, her eyes growing wide at Suki’s words. 

“Suki… Are you fucking stupid ?” Zuko barked, causing Suki to flinch. 

“You could have done better as well, 'Prince' Zuko!” Suki said as he turned to Zuko, "You and Miss 'Fire Lord' over here had no right to assault Officer Jenny like that, I-I mean, she is some sort of government official! That’s like going toe-to-toe with another nation back in our world! We don't know what was happening and she was only trying to do her job and investigate the situation... You guys, Katara included, running off the rails like that just made things worse!" Hearing her remarks triggered something in Azula, and she rushed into Sui's face.

“G-Guys… I don’t think we should be doing this right now…” Yuu muttered, attempting to quell the issue.

“Did we happen to meet the same woman? Did you see the same events play out, or are you blind like Toph?” Azula retorted, "She wasn't attempting to explore anything!" She screamed and shouted as she stormed into the cavern!"

“Hey! I ain’t actin’ like a complete idiot like she is! Leave me outta it!...” Toph rebutted, feeling slightly struck by the daft comment.

"Because she believed Sokka and Katara were the ones she was looking for," Suki snapped back at Azula, "We might have been able to talk to her and convince her that Katara and Sokka were not the people in the sketch if everyone had just cooled down and gathered themselves.”

“Katara tried that, you see how well that worked!” Zuko spat, feeling completely disgusted at Suki’s words. “What in the name of Agni is wrong with you? How are you even sticking up for that psychopathic woman?!”

“Especially when she just hauled away Sokka and Katara...your boyfriend and dear friend for no reason whatsoever.” Azula reminded her.

“There was a reason!” Suki shot back. “She told you her reason, you guys just didn’t like it and decided to act horribly!”

“She’s lost it! Where’s that Nurse Joy when we need her?...” Toph muttered with a shake of her head as Suki continued to speak.

“Um, it didn't work because Katara had already been resisting!” She hollered, punctuating her last words by slamming her foot against the ground. “And her behavior totally drug Sokka into the whole thing! He wouldn’t have started to act like that if Katara had just been calm...he felt the need to protect his sister!”

“Of course he does! As he should!” Zuko said quickly. “Especially in a situation where they were being wrongly profiled and arrested! Honestly, how did you expect either of them to react?!”

“Like calm rational adults!” Suki said quickly, causing Toph to scoff though she didn’t say anything further.

“I don't know... Maybe Suki has a point; maybe everything could have been handled better,” Aang replied, surprising everyone except Suki, who seemed happy that the Avatar agreed with her. Yuu, standing silently nearby him, was slightly shocked by his response despite his understanding of his point of view. Lingliu, agitated by the dispute, wrapped around Yuu's leg, looking up to Lemaki for guidance only to be surprised by it calmingly sitting in Aang's bag, munching berries. Suddenly, Zuko started to growl in anger.

“Oh, you have to be kidding me!” Zuko said, further shocked by Aang’s statement. “Are you really siding with this asinine logic right now, Aang? What a perfect time to play peacemaker Avatar, ain’t it!” 

“It’s not asinine, it's true!” Suki said quickly.

“No, it’s really fucking stupid logic,” Toph said. 

“I couldn’t agree more,” Azula said. “The only person who's at fault here is that insane woman who hauled away Sokka and Katara unjustly. You claim she was doing her job? Well, she did it rather poorly, one look at that sketch she pulled out and it was clear that it wasn't Katara and Sokka.” Zuko, Toph, and Yuu were both nodding quickly in agreement. 

“Regardless, everyone acting crazy certainly didn’t help,” Suki said defensively. “Cooler heads always prevail.”

“B-But, Suki... Officer Jenny clearly didn’t have a cool head tho…” Yuu said with a frown. “ My mother always spat at me about not trusting the biased police system… I wonder if this is what she meant?... ” Yuu then began to think.

“And resisting her orders and then attacking her didn’t help, that’s all I’m saying,” Suki said, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. Azula scowled and opened her mouth to continue arguing when Aang cut her off.

“Right now, all this fighting isn’t helping!” Aang said quickly, his tears now freely falling down his face. “Katara and Sokka have been taken away to a foreign city and we need to focus on getting them back!”

“I think we can all agree on that,” Yuu said quickly. “Standing here squabbling won't help us at all...we need to begin moving toward Yishu City and call my mother.” Hopefully, she'll be able to direct us in the right direction from there. I haven’t really been this far out from Mian Town, but going by the map Route 3 is a straight path toward the city. I can lead the way. Please, let’s just put this to rest and continue.”

“I agree... Can we leave this aside, for the time being, guys?” Aang inquired. 

Everyone else, on the other hand, decided to keep silent and look away rather than reply to him. Aang then sighs, knowing that the harm has already been done. Yuu then chose to walk away first, figuring that if he was the martyr in the scenario, the rest would follow suit. And his prediction proved accurate when Aang began to tag not long after. Suki shook her head as she followed, afraid of being left behind. Azula and Zuko didn't go right away; instead, they shared a worried glance over the recent talk.

“Come on,” Azula finally said, looking away from her brother and towards the rest of the group that was already far ahead of them. 

“... I just-... Don’t get what her deal is; that kinda came outta nowhere. Was she… always this for authoritative systems?” asked Zuko quietly towards his sister. Suddenly, Toph chuckled.

“The irony that you, a representative of the illustrious Fire Nation, are perplexed by authoritative viewpoints...” Toph said as she nudged Zuko; wishing to be brought forward along with the group. 

“W-What?!... Ugh…” Zuko said hesitantly as he then walked forward as she clung to his clothing. 

“Hm… I wonder where it comes from as well… Nonetheless, I am not gonna forget this exchange...” Azula responded, taking up the rear as they all proceeded down Route 3...

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

They all then travel down the path following one after another as they take in the Route’s scenery. Due to water erosion, this Route is frequently constructed by maintenance, making access to the islands difficult for people on the other side of Gaietle Mountain. The road down the slope to the city below is pretty rough. 

Along the route, visitors will come across people who live in shacks and use the adjacent fields to produce vegetables and catch fish by hand in the rivers. The relaxing stroll appeared to relieve stress as well; little discussions began to emerge as they got closer to the city. Suki, on the other hand, remained mostly silent, since no one knew what to say to her.

After a few minutes, they find themselves at the end of the Route, in front of a stone wall that defines Yishu City. Various representations of Pokémon life decorated this feudal-styled wall. This caught the attention of the group.

“Woah! There’s so many Pokémon drawn onto that wall; I think I recognize some of them!” said Aang.

“Yeah. Some are Huolian but others are from various regions around the world. As you can see on the plaque on top, Yishu City is known as the ‘city of old customs, and artistic freedom'. This is the Yishu Wall. This is something I've only heard about but I’ve never gotten a chance to witness it in person. Yishu City residents apparently enjoy art so much that they are practically encouraged to create on the walls. Other cities, on the other hand, regard this as graffiti, as they are technically defacing the structures by drawing on them...” Yuu explained.

“Hm… That is certainly intriguing. I can't see the Fire Nation permitting civilians to draw on our structures, so I understand the opposition,” Zuko answered thoughtfully, to which Azula nodded in agreement. 

“Well, if you can draw whatever you want, then I might have to paint something out of the ordinary! I may not be able to see, but I still remember how to draw and such!” Toph remarked with a faint chuckle.

“Well, as long as it isn't against the regulations, I don't see any harm in it...” Suki murmured, slightly loud enough for the others to hear.

“Come on, the entrance is over there; I'll be honest, I'm really thrilled to see the city with my own eyes!” murmured Yuu as he proceeded forward, the others close behind.

As they walked across the bridge, the group was instantly captivated by a specific structure in the distance; there before them was the sight of a floating temple hovering high above the middle of the city. They could not help but ‘ooo’ and ‘ahh’ at the sight and turned to Yuu.

“Okay you gotta tell us what that is up there!” said Aang ecstatically.

“Oh, well that’s a good question, I’m actually not sure…” said Yuu as he looked puzzled. Suddenly, Rotom Pokédex comes flying out of his pocket.

“That, Yuu, is the Yishu City Gym! Despite the old structure of the city, it is highly advanced in technology! Due to the specifications of the Gym and their focus, they favor the skies!” Rotom Pokédex said.

“Um, how do you know that?” asked Zuko.

“Yeah, my same question; I thought all you knew was- like, Pokémon stuff?” Yuu asked.

“Hehe. While I am a Pokédex, I am also an index for any information that may be useful to you on your trip, Yuu! Because we're venturing into areas you're unfamiliar with, it might be a good idea to get acquainted with all my features! This includes, but is not limited to, a map of Huoli, a Huoli encyclopedia, and cliff notes of sites inside Huoli. In a nutshell, I can tell you what I know. While I do require the information to be equipped to regurgitate it back to you, Professor Pine has pre-programmed me with knowledge about some of the cities surrounding Mian Town for circumstances like this.” Rotom Pokédex stated.

“Huh, interesting. Guess that is one more thing I can thank Professor Pine for aiding me with… So, that is the Gym, huh?...” Yuu wondered as he peered into the sky at the mesmerizing floating temple, “That could be where my very first Gym battle could be!...” Yuu said as he got excited. Suddenly, Suki goes over to Rotom Pokedex and grabs it tightly.

“Okay- I think we are getting way too off course. If you know so much about the city, where's the police station?!” asked Suki desperately.

“U-Um, I think it is down this path we are on!...” Rotom Pokédex said as it cowered behind Yuu to hide from Suki’s wrath.

“W-Well, I think I see red and blue lights shining across the ways; indicative that a police car is over there. I think we should head there first!” said Yuu as he became determined. “I’ll just push my desire to get my first badge to the side for now!... ” he then thought.

“Okay. You show us the way!” said Aang. Yuu nodded and walked away as the rest of the gang raced up to the lights they spotted in the distance...

*****

“There, it is the police station!” Yuu shouted as they came to the end of the road they had been walking along. Yishi City’s police station was a large concrete building that seemed dreary and oppressive compared to the rest of the colorful city. 

“Now would probably be a good time for you to call your mother,” Azula said to Yuu. Before Yuu could respond, Rotom Pokédex zipped in front of Yuu’s face and displayed the screen that would allow him to make a call.

“I can help you with that! Remember, I can also be used as a phone! Perfect for when you wanna make calls when we are away from the Pokémon Center!” Rotom Pokédex said in a bright tone.

“Haha thanks, Rotom!” Yuu said, smiling softly at his Pokédex. Clearing his throat he reached forward and clicked on the phone icon, his stomach twisting with nerves as he began to call his mother. He hoped that she would be able to help them because if not Yuu wasn’t sure how they would get Katara and Sokka out of jail. 

Just as Yuu was thinking this the screen on Rotom Pokédex flashed white for half a second before Yuu’s mother appeared on the other side. Yuu knitted his eyebrows together as it took him a second to process what he was seeing…

At the moment, Yuu could only see his mother’s face, although it appeared to be moving forward and quickly, too quickly for her to be walking. The way she was moving almost seemed mechanical in nature.

“M-Mom?” Yuu asked.

“Were you expecting anyone else my darling?” She asked in a light and carefree tone. "Now, I'm not trying to be rude, but I'm actually in the middle of something; I just bought a drink from this particular restaurant after getting done rehearsing with a flute symphony for an upcoming show, and I feel like someone poor and struggling prepared it. So, I'm practicing how quickly I can go from my limousine to the front door to my Lawyer's Office in case I want to file a lawsuit!~ So, if you could perhaps expedite this phone call, that would be really appreciated!" She said as she giggled boisterously.

“W-What?!...” muttered Aang, overhearing her shocking story.

“S-Sorry!” Yuu stammered as a blush darkened his cheeks. “I didn’t realize I was interrupting you…”

“Honey, you are fine- but time is money, and money I have infinite of! I can always make time for you!~ But-... spit it out” She commanded.

“Right! Well...this is kind of awkward to say,” Yuu said, grasping the back of his neck as he nervously scuffed the ground with his sneaker. “But something happened and I need your help! Do you remember Katara and her brother Sokka?”

“No, I don't recall meeting a Katherine, and I don’t know where her Sock is! Why are you asking me that?” She said in a somewhat snippy tone.

“Uh… what?” asked Yuu, completely confused.

“Yuu! I don’t think your mom ever was actually introduced to anyone else but me!... We were just present during the phone call with her; she probably imagined we were all the friends we went out to find!” muttered Aang to Yuu.

“Oh!...” Yuu said back to Aang, realizing that Aang was right as he turned back to his mother “Okay, okay sorry!”

“Wait- is Katrina some wannabe ‘rich bitch’ that I forgot about because I’m a richer bitch? Haha! Duh!~, Of course, I wouldn’t remember them!” Yuu’s Mom said as she let out a hearty laugh.

“No, mom- they are our friends! And, they got arrested not too long ago by the Police!” Yuu blurted out. 

“Oh! Arrested for what?” Yuu’s Mom questioned

“While we were going through a path that cuts through Gaietle Mountain, we ran into these two fiends- Jessie and James; they said they were a part of some organization called Team Rocket…” said Yuu.

“Team Rocket, eh?...” Yuu’s Mom said softly as she rubbed her chin. Yuu nodded as he continued talking.

“They wanted to steal our Pokémon, so we battled them-”

“-We?” Azula suddenly says, cutting off Yuu as a scowl donned her face. “I just remember you hanging on the sidelines while Zuko lost miserably and I won.”

“You didn’t win, the battle got interrupted,” Yuu shot back.

“Um, Yuu honey!~ This back and forth is cutting into my hypothetical power walk to my lawyer… Let’s get on with this, shall we?” Yuu’s mom suggested, raising one eyebrow with contempt as she leaned into the phone screen.

“R-Right! So, the fight got interrupted by Officer Jenny and-”

“Ugh! That broke bitch is still there?...” Yuu’s Mom interjected, cutting off her son, “Of course, she would be; our family name will forever be haunted by her damn presence…” 

“Uh… Mother?” asked the everso confused Yuu.

“Huh? Oh, never mind me! So, what did that tramp do them?” asked Yuu’s Mom.

“Officer Jenny arrested Katrina- ugh… Katara and Sokka because she claims that they looked like two suspects who she was looking for! Apparently, they were supposed to be a part of Team Vekros- but Katara and Sokka are not!!” Yuu said quickly.

“Plus the poster that she pulled out looked nothing like Katara and Sokka,” Zuko added quickly. “The arrest was unfair.”

“And a terrible mistake to say the least,” Aang said with a frown. Suki nodded her head quickly in agreement with Aang though she remained quiet.

“Right! We need to get Katara and Sokka out, and we came to Yishu City to the police precinct where Officer Jenny took them...I was hoping that perhaps you could help us in any way to get them out.” Yuu pleaded. Yuu's Mom came to a halt after hearing the plight in detail, takes a long breath in, and sighed.

“I see... Well, it seems like you’ve certainly gotten yourself into a pickle,” Yuu’s Mom said. “Well luckily for you, I just so happen to be in Yishu City! So I can meet you at the Police Station within ten minutes.”

“W-What?! What are you doing in Yishu City?” Yuu asked, amazed at the coincidence that his mother was almost right down the street.

“I took my private jet here to pick up my brand new golden Segway that was being encrusted in the highest karat gold possible by some designers in the city,” Yuu’s Mom said happily as she giddy laughed. “It only cost me a measly 1,000,000 ₽! If only I didn’t stop by that place and get handed a poor man's drink, this day would have been perfect!... Anyway, I’ll be there soon. Buh-bye!” She stated before hanging up abruptly.

“Wait, mom!-... agh. Well, I guess she is gonna be here soon? We just gotta wait…” Yuu said with a sigh as he let go of Rotom Pokédex as it flew back into his bag.

“Well, your mom seems to be in a good mood!” Aang said brightly. 

“What exactly is a Segway?” Toph asked. 

“Oh, it um an electric scooter people use to get around,” Yuu explained.

“What the fuck is a scooter?” Was Toph’s follow-up question.

“Oh it’s...while it's a board with two wheels on either end and a long handle to steer with…” Yuu said, demonstrating its physical appearance in front of him with suggestive hand movements, “You push on it to make it move- uh…” he said, not realizing until now his faux pas until Toph scowled at him while Azula started to snicker; clearly, they didn’t know a thing he was talking about.

"I believe it's best if we see it when your mother arrives..." Aang spoke out, hoping to relieve the awkward tension caused by Yuu's gaffe.

“Right, haha... Sorry...” Yuu muttered. Toph rolled her eyes but said no more on the matter. The group lapsed into a comfortable silence as they waited for Yuu's mother. 

It didn't take long for Yuu's Mom to arrive either. What the gang did not anticipate, however, was the fashion in which she would arrive. Immediately after their silence, the wind begins to rush and whirl about them, accompanied by the whipping roar of helicopter rotor blades spinning fast in the sky overhead. 

The party glances up to find an all-pink chopper hovering over them and approaching the ground. It lands directly in the center of the street, and several automobiles and people come to a halt and back away in surprise at the unexpected arrival of the aircraft. Then, someone exits the chopper riding on a golden mechanism, and Yuu immediately knows it as his mother.

“Yuu! And Yuu’s servants- I mean, friends! Hello!~” Yuu and everyone else hear called out to them as Yuu’s Mom comes towards them in her brand new Segway. She was dressed head to toe in a blue designer tracksuit with a pair of expensive sunglasses on her face, and a weird device grasped in one palm. A matching blue purse hung on the segway's arms.

“Mom!” Yuu said, feeling relieved now as she came towards them. He was happy she didn’t seem upset and had shown up to help him. 

"Honey, I'm overjoyed! After I hung up with you, I received a call informing me that my segway was ready! It wasn't feasible to secure a private jet here in the timeframe I required it, so this chopper had to suffice..." Yuu's Mom stated before turning to it and activating a button on the device in her hand. The chopper then explodes in an instant! "Unfortunately, the chopper didn't have any Pinot Grigio on board. I mean, what's the point of flying private class without any Pinot Grigio, am I right?" she continued, shrugging her shoulders.

“Y-Your mother might be insane, Yuu!” shouted Suki in complete shock

“She’s giving my title as Fire Lord a run for its money with how merciless her actions can be…” Azula muttered.

“W-Was their people on board, mother?!” Yuu asked, completely flabbergasted. 

“Huh? No! I made the pilot jump out of the helicopter hundreds of feet in the air the moment I was told the best they could offer me was Stella Artois!... I think he had a parachute?...” Yuu’s Mom responded with slight uncertainty.

“Okay- this conversation is going nowhere, and now there is a burning-... whatever that is in the damn street!.. H-How is blowing things up like that even legal?!” shouted Zuko, completely over the situation as he approached Yuu’s Mom, ”Look- are you going to actually be able to help get them out, or what?! I mean what exactly- HEY! WATCH OUT, LADY!” He shouted, jumping out of the way to avoid being run over by Yuu’s Mom on her segway.  

“You watch out; do you know how much it would cost me to re-polish these wheels if they end up running over your out-of-date shoes?...” Yuu’s Mom asked with a somewhat serious tone as she eyed Zuko. Azula and Pikachu couldn’t help but let out a peal of laughter. Zuko stewed but said nothing as he crossed his arms over his chest and turned away from their mocking laughter.

“Uh… Well… Um… T-Thank you so much for coming!” Aang said, bowing respectfully towards her in hopes to break the tension.

“It’s fine, I needed to test this thing's speed out anyway,” Yuu’s Mom said as she stopped herself on her Segway and dismounted from it, and parked it outside. “It should be safe outside; it has a security feature where if anyone that is broke touches it- they die!~”

“N-No one here touch it but me!!!” Yuu instantly shouted to his friends in concern as he guards them from the segway. Everyone else, however, looks back with an annoyed face.

“...Are you calling us poor? Um, I didn’t feel the need to flaunt my wealth, but as leader of the Fire Nation- I’m anything but!” Azula interjects.

“W-What?! No! I mean, I’m just saying that as my mother’s son, I share the wealth! So, if that is the security measure, I only know that I am safe from it! Who knows what my mom considers ‘broke’!!!” Yuu then clarifies.

“Hmph. The Beifong family isn’t on the cheap side either! Though, I never really cared about all that stuff…” Toph then says.

“I like to think that I’m rich in many other ways than monetarily! Like… rich in spirit!” Aang says with a smile.

“Yeah, well I’m pretty sure no one's gonna want to sell you anything in exchange for your bountiful spirit though, Aang…” Zuko says back with a sigh. Yuu’s Mom, completely uninterested in the conversation, rolls her eyes as she continues walking forward.

“Anywho… I never willingly like to go into a police precinct, but I suppose I can help out Kathy and Solomon; for you, my darling son!~” Yuu’s Mom sighed before moving forward, Yuu and the rest of the Gaang’s quickly followed behind her as she entered the police building. Yuu’s mom entered the purse first, looking disgusted the entire time as they all filed into the building...

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

They enter the building to a monochromatic lobby, which has a low counter off to the side that checks everyone before entering further inside. Sitting behind the low counter was an array of similarly-looking Pokémon to the Governmander that they encountered before, other policemen, as well as the recognizable Officer Jenny! She was furiously typing at the computer, scowling down at the screen, and too focused on what she was doing to notice the group had entered the building. 

“Hey, that's the lady who attacked us!” Zuko shouted, causing Officer Jenny to pick her head up in confusion for half a second before a realization came over her; she recognized that voice. Her scowl deepened as she looked at the group. 

“I was wondering if I was going to see you rascals again!” She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“You kidnapped our friends, of course, we were going to come for them!” Zuko hollered, placing his hands on his hips as he spoke.

“I arrested them, not kidnapped, there's a difference!” Officer Jenny said quickly.

“Of course,” Suki suddenly said, rushing forward toward Officer Jenny. “We’re sorry for the trouble we caused back in the mountain pass, we’ve come to respectfully- whoa hey!” She cried out as Yuu’s Mom pushed her out of the way and onto the ground as if she didn’t even notice her existence.

“Suki!” Aang cried as he rushed over to his fallen friend.

“Finally, where was your mom back in the mountain pass?” Azula asked, grateful that Suki had been shut up for the moment. Suddenly, Yuu’s Mom puts a stack of money on the counter.

“Hello there, Officer Johnny. This is to help pay for any damages that might be transpiring outside…Anyway! The people you arrested are my son’s friends; I’m here to buy them out of jail.” Yuu’s mother said before snapping her fingers. “And do it quickly, I have a Segway outside I’m trying to test and I don't want to spend any more time on this situation.” Officer Jenny glared at Yuu’s Mom and placed her hands on her hips. Officer Jenny, instantly recognizing her, got up.

“Ohhhh! If it isn't Miss Yuufuu Poormen! Tsk, don't try to boss me around; I'm an officer of the law!” Officer Jenny snapped back as Yuu’s Mom gasped at the insult towards her. “And... what is going on outside?” she then asked.

“M-Miss Jenny!” said a random police officer as he came running inside, “There seems to be a... very expensive helicopter on fire outside!” Instantly, Officer Jenny connected the dots as she turned to Yuu’s Mom.

“And we might have the criminal right in front of us!... And speaking of- getting those two criminals out of jail won’t be easy! Due to the nature of the crime they’ve committed, the bail for them is pretty high!”

“And how ‘high’ is high?” Yuu’s Mom asked.

“2,000,000 ₽.” Officer Jenny responds.

“...Are you serious? HAHAHAHA” Yuu’s mom said back as she laughed extremely loudly. Officer Jenny crossed her arms over her chest and turned her nose up in the air. “I thought you said it would be high! 2,000,000 ₽ is pocket change for someone like me. I’m sure you can’t relate to that though…” Yuu’s Mom continued as Officer Jenny’s eyes nearly popped out of her head as she started to become more agitated. 

“W-What?!” Officer Jenny exclaimed as Yuu’s Mom pulled out her pocketbook and pulled out a black credit card.

“Where do I pay?” she then asked.

“Ugh?! You think you're hot shit don't you ‘cause you got a ‘lil money?!” Officer Jenny demanded. Suddenly, she grabs a phone next to her and starts talking on the phone. “Yes?... Uh-huh… Oh, really Sir?! I’ll let them know…” Officer Jenny said as she set down the phone.

“Uh…that phone never rang?...” muttered Yuu.

“* ahem * That was my higher-ups...they are going to RAISE the price of the bail!!!” Officer Jenny shouted.

“What?!” Yuu, Aang, and Suki exclaimed at once. 

“Um, I don't know much about the legal system but isn’t that the judge's job?!” Yuu asked, looking to his mother for an answer.

“Well right now you can consider me the judge!” Officer Jenny said smugly, cocking her thumb toward her chest. “And I’m raising the bail to 5,000,000 ₽!!!”

“You can’t do that!” Zuko exclaimed.

“I can and I did!” Officer Jenny exclaimed, slamming her hand on the counter.

“You mean you can authorize raising the bail to any number you want, and you chose such a minuscule number!? I didn’t realize I was coming here to bail out servants and see a show!” Yuu’s Mom stated as she started laughing, waving her card in front of the other woman’s face. “Again- where do I pay!~” Officer Jenny’s smug face melted away as she began to grit her teeth. 

“O-Oh that’s a minuscule number huh? I guess I should have expected you to say something so stupid!” Officer Jenny said before she started to grumble to herself. “ That’s EXACTLY why when I was on the phone I was given clearance to raise the bail to 10,000,000 ₽ if I needed to!!!” Yuu’s Mom continued to laugh heartily.

“How about you raise it to 20,000,000 ₽!~ That’s what I usually spend on my morning tea!” Yuu’s Mom said gleefully. 

“100,000,000 ₽!!!” Officer Jenny then belted out.

“Whoa!” Aang said. “T-That went up quite a bit.”

“Sure did, let’s see how bad that hurts your pockets!” Officer Jenny spat.

“C-Can your mom afford that?!” asked Suki with great concern in her voice.

“It’s insulting you think that’ll hurt my pockets,” Yuu’s Mom said, placing her hands on her chest in genuine offense. “Now I can do this all day; all these numbers are just chump change to me. I’ve seen figures you could only dream about seeing. Don’t ever think we are the same... Now, are you going to release my son’s friends or are you going to continue to waste my time?”

Officer Jenny gritted her teeth and clenched her hands into tight fists. She stared Yuu’s Mom down for a few minutes before snatching the card from her hands.

“Fine!” Officer Jenny said begrudgingly. “For 100,000,000 ₽ I’ll let the suspects go.” She huffed, causing Aang and Suki to let out a cheer and the rest of the gang to sigh in relief, grateful that they would be reunited with Katara and Sokka soon!

“Good. Here’s my card,” Yuu’s Mom said as she handed Officer Jenny her black credit card, “Annnd… you can take out a little something more to go get yourself something pretty; maybe… like a new face!~” she continued as she giggled causing the other police officers in the lobby to snicker quietly.

“Tsk, don’t press your luck! I’ll make sure they tax the SHIT outta this expense just for you!...” Officer Jenny stated before putting her card through the card reader, and Yuu’s Mom initiated the bailout.

“Oh, it worked!” Aang exclaimed, his eyes shining as he turned toward Yuu’s Mom. “Yuu’s Mom, thank you so much, you...you have no idea how much this means!” Aang gushed, his eyes getting watery as he became uncontrollably happy and relieved about the outcome of the conversation. 

“Well, anything to make my Yuu happy,” Yuu’s Mom said. “Besides 100,000,000 ₽ is nothing but a drop in the bucket! Why not use it to help the destitute at my son’s behest?” Across from her Officer Jenny continued to grit her teeth at the mere sound of Yuu’s Mom’s voice. She was still printing out the receipt for the bail and the paperwork for Katara and Sokka’s release.

“Well, I’m relieved this is over,” Zuko sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. “And we can get Sokka and Katara out of this whole mess...I wonder how they’ve been holding up…” 

“If I had to guess, Sugar Queen is having a whole ass fit in there,” Toph huffed.

“Yes, well for once I can sympathize,” Azula said. “If I were wrongly arrested I would be having a ‘whole ass’ fit as well.” She shrugged.

“Excuse me, but no one was wrongly arrested,” Officer Jenny said hotly. “Don't think just because you managed to spring for bail that your friends are innocent!” 

“And you need to be rightfully arrested for that choppy haircut,” Yuu’s Mom said snidely. “Now why are you still standing here? Shouldn’t you be releasing Katalina and Sonny right about now?”

“Grrr…don’t think you can boss me around just because you bailed these hoodlums out of jail!” Officer Jenny snapped.

“Hmm, I suppose technically that is true...perhaps I should buy this entire precinct and officially become your boss so I can fire you!” Yuu’s Mom suggested, causing Officer Jenny and the other officers in the room to gasp. “And the first thing you would be fired for is not moving fast enough; doesn’t 100,000,000 ₽ at least by me expedited service?”

“Grrr!!! I doubt Lumos would ever let someone like you make a purchase like that no matter how much money you throw at them, you blue-haired bourgeoisie! I am merely acting on their behalf, getting rid of the troglodytes of Huoli! You best be careful before you’re next!” Officer Jenny threatened. Before Yuu’s Mom could properly respond Officer Jenny spun around and ran away from the counter. The group watched as she disappeared to a hallway that led towards the back of the building where the cells were.

“W-Will you people stop provoking her before something else happens!” Suki demanded. “I swear if any of you get my poor papa bear any more trouble…” Suki huffed, placing her hand over her heart as she trailed off. 

“Hey, she started with us,” Azula reminded Suki. 

“Yeah, she’s the one abusing her power!” Zuko added with a scowl.

“And the laws of fashion with that hideous outfit!” Yuu’s Mom added to boot. 

“Alright, please- everyone this arguing is getting us nowhere...” Aang said diplomatically. 

“I don’t know, Yuu's Mom arguing with that crazy lady sure did seem to get Katara and Sokka out of jail,” Toph said with a shrug.

“No dear, my money got them out of jail; me arguing was just a bonus. I needed to practice my banter with lessers in preparation for my lawsuit with that broke barista that made my drink that may or may not still happen!” Yuu’s Mom corrected. Yuu shook his head at the statement though he couldn’t argue that his mom had a point. 

“Move! Move! Move!” Officer Jenny’s voice boomed down the hallway. 

“Ugh, what a deep voice, it’s assaulting my eardrums!” Yuu’s Mom frowned. 

“Hey don’t be so rough we’re walking!” The party then heard a shout. Yuu and the others recognized the voice as Katara's right away!

“Ouch! Something pointy just jabbed me in the butt!" yelled another familiar voice, one that could only belong to Sokka!

A second later the trio of Katara, Sokka, and Officer Jenny came around the corner followed by a group of Pokémon; ones that looked strikingly similar to the Governmander- but shorter! With urgency, Officer Jenny and the Pokémon were pushing Katara and Sokka along.

“Poli!” one of the small Pokémon cried out, nudging Sokka’s butt once more with its sharp claws.

“Hey! I’m moving as fast as I can!” Sokka shouted once more. 

“Katara!” Aang cried out upon seeing his girlfriend.

“Sokka bear! 😍😍😍🥰🥰🥰” Suki said at the same time. Katara and Sokka both smiled in relief at the sight of their significant other as they rushed forward to wrap them into a hug.

“Are you guys okay?” Zuko asked, moving forward as well. 

“A little shaken up but yeah we’re fine,” Sokka told him as he pulled away from Suki a little only to be immediately pulled back into a tight hug. 

“Fine, is one word for it,” Katara snapped, turning to give Officer Jenny a nasty look. 

“Hey… what are those Pokémon that are behind Katara and Sokka?” asked Aang as he looked at Yuu. 

“Rotom Pokédex can tell us,” Yuu said before getting out the aforementioned tool. Using it, he scanned the Pokémon in front of them.

“Salapoli, the ‘Policing Lizard Pokémon’. It is a Normal/Poison-Type. Salapoli is the Domestic Pokémon of Salandit, and also the pre-evolution of Governmander. What was once a species of thieving Pokémon are now a species that instead catches thieves for the greater good,” Rotom Pokémon stated, answering the boy’s quandaries. 

“So like… Pokémon that use their powers for justice? Woah…” Suki muttered.

“Hm… So, Professor Pine must have had data about Salapoli already. I wonder… what was the cause that led Salandit to turn into Salapoli domestically?...” Yuu began to wonder out loud. Suddenly, Officer Jenny started to growl loudly.

“Alright now that you all bailed your cornmeal friends out you can LEAVE!!!” Officer Jenny snapped at them all. However, just then, she recalled something- and reached to grab some items. “Oh and now that you're out on bail you can have this back.” She added, handing over Cubone’s Poké Ball to Sokka.

“Cubone!” Sokka cheered happily as he took the poké ball in his hands. 

“I for one will gladly get out of this dump; I have more important things to do than grace the common rabble with my presence.” Yuu’s Mom stated. “Come on Yuu let’s not waste any more time here!”

“Right, come on guys, we should go,” Yuu said.

“Hmph, sounds good to me; if I never have to see this place again it’ll be too soon,” Katara grumbled as she and everyone else followed Yuu’s Mom out of the building…

***** 

Moments later...

“W-W-Whoa!!! What’s going on out here?!” Katara said with wide eyes as they all walked out of the building. Fire trucks and other emergency vehicles all surrounded the area in which the wreckage of the helicopter had fallen. Many firemen were on the scene attempting to put out the inferno. 

“O-Oh uh... don’t worry about that!” Yuu said quickly as he hurried the group to the side of the building away from the catastrophe.

“Well, I’m just relieved you guys came right on time, that Officer Jenny lady had us convinced we were never getting out,” Sokka said, ignoring the chaos going on behind them. 

“Yeah, that woman is totally off her rocker! Every time we tried to convince her she had the wrong people she would just keep yelling at us that we were Team Vekros!” Katara exclaimed.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” Aang said gently as he wrapped his arms around Katara once more and held her tightly. 

“Unsurprisingly though, you can’t really get through to a person like that,” Yuu said with a frown. “But luckily my mom was in town, she posted the bail to get you guys out.”

“Thank you,” Sokka said.

“Yes thank you very much, I hope it wasn’t too expensive!” Katara said.

“Oh, it was nothing! Absurdly low actually,” Yuu’s Mom said with a shrug. “Now if you all will excuse me- I have to go be rich and test out my new Segway! Yuu, honey, stay out of trouble while you continue with your journey! Oh! And, I hope you are still practicing your clarinet! I might be able to fit you in the symphony I’m about to grace with my presence!” She continued.

“U-Um… I didn’t bring it…” Yuu then admitted.

“* gasp *!!! And after we had it specially made out of pure diamond! It cost literally 33,000,000 ₽!!!” Yuu’s Mom shot back.

"What is a clarinet?" Toph inquired. Everyone glanced over with shocked expressions, with the exception of Yuu's Mom, who realized she had made the error of displaying her ignorance of what a Clarinet is out loud. As she said that, the others who were walking by looked on with confusion as they overheard what she said. Instantly, Yuu jolted over to her side

“T-Toph! Saying stuff like that out loud makes you stick out! Everyone in this world knows it's a musical instrument!” muttered Yuu in Toph’s ear.

“Oop! My bad!~” Toph said as she laughed it off. Yuu’s Mom, while slightly indifferent to the comment, shrugs it off as she pulls out a device from her pocket and pushes the only button on it.

Almost immediately, from the skies, a second helicopter appeared that looked identical to the first one. Everyone but Yuu’s Mom cowered at the news and the amount of wind it was blowing with its blades. 

Yuu’s Mom strutted over to her Segway and hopped on before slowly rolling toward the helicopter. As she got closer, the door opened and a ramp descended for her to drive up. Once she was on the helicopter went back up toward the sky. 

“Where does your mom keep getting all those helicopters!?” Suki demanded, once the helicopter was gone and the noise abided.

“She just dropped 100,000,000 ₽ on bail and laughed about it; what kind of question is that?” Azula demanded.

“H-How much money did she spend to get us out?!” Katara gasped, her mind not fully comprehending the number Azula just said.

“I thought she said the amount was absurdly low!” Sokka then said flabbergasted.

“Hmmmmm… I meannnnn... K-Kinda?...” Yuu struggled to answer, finding the statement to be technically true in the eyes of an overtly rich woman jaded by status.

“Yeah, Yuu’s Mom is crazy rich; you guys missed a lot,” Toph informed them while Zuko nodded in agreement. 

“It is a lot of money spent for us…” said Aang as he sighed, “But, I’m grateful. Who knows the situation we would be in if Yuu and his mother were not here with their generosity in our time of need? If we could not get them out and they were actually imprisoned off falsehoods, what would we have done? I mean- we are still clueless about how to even get back home!… We cannot take this gesture in vain.” Aang said in a serious tone.

“Aang…” Yuu said in a reluctant tone. Suki, at that moment, turned to Yuu.

“I-Is your father also a crazy spender like that, Yuu?” asked Suki.

“Oh, my dad? Well, he is-”

“G-Guys, I think my Cubone might die!!! They didn’t heal it at all while we were locked up!” screamed Sokka, cutting Yuu off. While they were all in deep conversation about money, Sokka released the Pokémon from its Poké Ball only to find it still fainted! The sudden reveal caused everyone to avert their attention to Cubone.

“Oh no!!!” Aang then shouted.

“Tsk, that’s fuckin’ cruel!...” Zuko muttered.

“M-Maybe they were just flooded with paperwork or something and forgot!...” Suki then stated, causing everyone to give her a confused look.

“...What?” Katara questioned in an annoyed tone.

“Oh, I can’t wait to tell her what she said!!! ” Azula then thinks as she looks at Katara growing slightly heated.

“O-Okay! Then we should head to the Pokémon Center and heal not just Cubone, but all of our Pokémon! Some might still be a bit hurt from our encounter with not just the police, but Team Rocket!...” Yuu responded.

“Hmph; Pikachu is fine; Zuzu is the one that you should be telling that to,” Azula said, turning to look at Pikachu who was still resting on her shoulder. 

“H-Hey!” shouted Zuko as he blushed from embarrassment.

“Pikachu should probably still be looked at; a Pokémon doesn’t have to be knocked out to be taken to the-“ Yuu was quickly cut off by another explosion halfway across the city. Katara and Sokka both jumped as they turned toward the noise.

“What was that?!” Katara cried. Instantly, Yuu feels his Rotom Pokédex vibrate. He takes it back out, and sees that his mother is calling him back! Confused why he didn’t hear anything, he realizes he accidentally put the ringing feature on silent. While everyone is distracted, he answers the call.

“M-Mother?... Was that explosion we just heard you?...” Yuu then questioned.

“Oh honey, you know me too well!~” said Yuu’s Mom as she laughed, “You see as soon as we were airborne, I realized that I myself left my own instrument back at the rehearsal space I was at prior! But what was an even greater oversight was that my assistant was supposed to make sure something like that didn’t happen! I told the pilot to immediately descend so they could go get it, and the pilot said it was like-... aerodynamically impossible or something? I didn’t like being told that, so I opened the hatch and told my assistant to pretend they were a Pidgey and fly down and get it themselves. But, I guess they would have flown into the helicopter from their angle, so in an attempt to avoid that they jerked the helicopter into a building!” she then went on to explain.

“O-Oh my gosh! Are you okay?!” asked Yuu.

“Huh? Of course! My Segway also doubles as a jet. So, I just flew down by myself and got my flute. I called to tell you that I think I’m gonna get a new flute because some soot from the explosion got on it. Bye!~” said Yuu’s Mom, before immediately hanging up.

“...Oh-...kay…” Yuu said, lowering the Rotom Pokédex in his hand from his head. At that moment, Yuu started to listen back into the now ongoing conversation between the gang.

“...The explosion probably is related to Yuu's Mom,” Zuko said.

“Yuu’s Mom? You mean that thing she used to fly away?!” Sokka asked.

“Oh my spirits, did it blow up?! Is she okay?” Katara asked, covering her mouth. Yuu, knowing that the fanfare must be tied to his mom’s antics, attempts to divert the attention forthwith.

“L-let's not worry too much about that, and more on healing our Pokemon!” Yuu said in a hurry, “We should really head to the Pokémon Center now and get any injured Pokémon looked at!”

“Okay… Where is it?” asked Azula.

“Uh…?” Yuu answered in hesitation, as he realized that he didn’t know where it was. Suddenly, Rotom Pokédex shot out of his hand and in front of the gang. Instantly, Rotom Pokédex displays an entire map of Yishu City! Then, in one part of the map, a glowing dot appears.

“We are right here! Right next to the Police Station! And if we travel in this direction here …” Rotom Pokédex said as it created a path with a line towards another location that glows with another dot of another color, “We will get to the closest Pokémon Center!”.

“Oh, good! The last one there is a rotten egg!” shouted Sokka, analyzing the route quickly before jolting off down the road.

“S-Sokka, wait! We cannot afford to get lost in a city like this!” Katara said, before hurrying quickly after her brother.

“W-Wait up, bae 💖” suki said as she skipped ahead. 

“Looks like we better catch up,” Zuko said, as he walked alongside Yuu, Aang, Toph, and his sister toward their next stop!

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

Rotom Pokédex guided the gang through the streets of Yishu City. They soon came to the city’s Pokémon Center, which was remarkably identical in appearance to the Pokémon Center in Youchuan Town. The gang made their way into the building and saw that there were a few people loitering around the lobby, while Nurse Joy and Meowstic were behind the counter.

“Hello,” Nurse Joy greeted the large group, bowing to them as they approached her.

“Hello!” Sokka said ecstatically. “I need your help! my Cubone has fainted!” 

“Oh I see,” Nurse Joy said, carefully taking the Poké Ball from Sokka’s hands. “Don't worry I can help your Cubone recover no problem!” Nurse Joy said soothingly, causing Sokka to immediately relax.

“That’s amazing, thank you so much!” Sokka said happily as he began to dance from one foot to the next.

“Oh papa bear, I’m so happy that your little Pokémon is going to feel better!” Suki cheered as she began to mimic Sokka’s little dance. As they celebrated, Zuko walked up to the counter as well.

“Um, I need your help as well,” Zuko said a little awkwardly as he placed Matoic’s Poké ball on the counter. “My Pokémon Matoic has also passed out as well, can you please heal my Pokémon too?”

“Of course!” Nurse Joy said happily. “That’s what I’m here to do!” Zuko nodded, blushing a little as he bowed to her. 

“Thank you,” He said, feeling a little embarrassed as Nurse Joy took Matoic’s Poké Ball. 

The fact that Zuko's Pokémon had fainted served as a reminder of his defeat over James. In his melancholy, he took a step away from the counter and went off to another room to think about his misfortune. 

While Zuko was preoccupied with his thoughts on this, Yuu was preoccupied with Azula. She was positioned towards the front of the Pokémon Center, where she could silently observe the rest of the group as they meandered around in their respective areas. Pikachu was curled up against Azula's right shoulder, and it didn't look as though she was planning to transport Pikachu to Nurse Joy.

“Azula, don't you think you should have Pikachu healed by Nurse Joy as well?” Yuu inquired, having taken the effort to approach her in the first place. A critical glance from Azula as she turned to face him was directed at him.

"As I told you earlier, Pikachu is fine," Azula stated snootily. "It was Zuko, not me, who was absolutely devastated by his Pokémon during that battle." Pikachu lifted its head and nodded, but remained silent as it rested its head on Azula's shoulder.

"I understand what you're saying, but... Pikachu, on the other hand, was still hurt during your battle with Team Rocket " said Yuu, drawing attention to this by bringing up the point he had been trying to make since before when he was interrupted. "It is not necessary for your Pokémon to remain unconscious in order for Nurse Joy to retrieve them."

“I think Pikachu will be fine,” Azula said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Worry about your Pokémon and I’ll worry about mine.” Yuu scoffed slightly and rolled his eyes in annoyance hearing this.

"You understand that part of being a good trainer is taking the health of your Pokémon into consideration, don’t you agree?" Yuu argued as he felt his emotions rise, "The thought of having an injured Pokémon and not taking them to be healed... don't you think that would be a terrible thing to do?"

“Hmph. Perhaps those injuries will inspire a Pokémon to perform better in their next battle, don't you agree?” Azula asked back, giving Yuu an unimpressed look. Yuu’s eyes went wide and he immediately felt bewildered and offended by Azula’s flippant and frankly cold attitude. 

Yuu opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it when he realized that he was completely speechless for a moment. When he heard Azula's comments, he was so repulsed by them that he almost walked away, but his gaze shifted to Pikachu, who appeared to be a little more lethargic than normal.

He felt compelled to say one more thing in the hopes of getting Pikachu to pay attention. For a brief period, he was at a loss for words until inspiration struck him.

“Well I suppose you can do whatever you wish,” Yuu shrugged, attempting to come off as nonchalant. “But just so you know, not taking care of Pikachu now will most likely affect how well you do in your next battle.”

“How so?” Azula asked, her interest piquing at Yuu’s words. He felt a little vindicated that his assumption seemed to be right. 

"It doesn't take a Pokémon Master to see that sending a strong and healthy Pokémon into combat is preferable to sending a half-fainted Pokémon," Yuu said, attempting to sound as nonchalant as possible. In order for a committed trainer to be prepared at all times, they must ensure that their Pokémon is in peak condition". Azula grinned as she retrieved Pikachu's Poké Ball out of her pocket.

“For the record,” Azula began as she pressed the button on the Poke ball and expanded it to full size. “I know exactly what you’re doing and it’s only working because I refused to be a failure like my brother and yourself.” She snipped before returning Pikachu to its Poké Ball.

She pushed past Yuu to approach Nurse Joy. Yuu felt himself wincing a little at Azula’s dig but did feel relieved that Pikachu was going to be looked at. 

“Before you go I need my Pokémon looked at as well,” Azula informed Nurse Joy in a demanding tone. The nurse was a little taken aback but she nodded her head as she silently took Pikachu’s Poké ball. 

“It’ll be a few minutes while I take care of the Pokémon,” Nurse Joy informed Azula, Zuko, and Sokka. All three of them nodded their heads as they watched Nurse Joy and her partner Meowstic disappear toward the back of the Pokémon Center.

“Okay… so, what now?” asked Zuko.

“We just wait for the Pokémon to be healed, duh” Azula snapped back.

“N-No! I mean, what now in terms of where do we go now for our journey?" The question came to Zuko as he began to become irritated: "When we were with Professor Pine and he was telling us about this world and what we would need to do to get home, his best advice revolved around finding a Pokémon that might have had the power to bring us here. Then, he simply instructed us to travel to Youchuan Town as a first destination. The only things that have happened since we departed are what came up on the fly or against our will! We don't have a strategy for the future, so what should we do right now to achieve our aim of returning home?" he said. As soon as everyone grasped what he was getting at, they all turned to look at Yuu for clarification.

“U-Uh…” Yuu murmured, unsure of what to say or how to express it. Aang summons the strength to speak out as he realizes he has a golden opportunity to ease the tension in the room.

"Well, when I first agreed to accompany Yuu on his voyage that was because I was certain that following him as he went on his own personal journey would eventually bring us to some type of solution” Aang stated, a tinge of hesitation in his voice as he glanced at Yuu with some dissent, “We still need answers, and I believe those answers we might only find once we immerse ourselves in the culture of Pokémon.”

"Well, that makes sense to me, especially with what Professor Pine told us…” Suki responded reluctantly.

“And, it seems as if our only shot at doing so is Yuu” Aang said, turning to look at his friend with a serious face, “So, I think what we should do next really is reliant on what Yuu wants to do. I mean, he is the only one here whose goals seem to be feasible in terms of what to do next- whereas ours we have yet to find. And, my hope is that as we travel we will find answers,” Aang continues.

“Hmph…” Azula mutters, unsure of if that is the best idea.

"To be honest, we don't have much of a choice; wandering blindly could simply be the best option... n-no pun intended!" Toph remarked this while chuckling and laughing at herself.

“Are you sure that we can find answers going forward though? We don’t know what is ahead of us; I mean, us trying to catch a single Pokémon damn near got my brother and I locked up!...” asked the reluctant Katara.

“I understand why you would be hesitant to do so, Katara… I’m just unsure if not following him is a better idea. Where would we go? Who would we ask for help?” Aang responded unsurprisingly.

“... Well, what about Lumos? They are like ‘saviors’ to this land, correct? Perhaps contacting them and using their resources might add us” Azula suggests.

“Lumos?... Hm… Well, I don’t know about that” Yuu says, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

“Why not?” asked Sokka.

"Lumos is one of the greatest forces in our region, and they do help people. But… I dunno… My mother has always told me that she moved to Mian Town- far away from Hualhai City with the intent of being as far from their ‘grip’ as possible… w-while still having some luxuries… Also, my research with Professor Pine on Domestic Pokémon has made me-... skeptical of them. I don’t know everything yet, but I think it is still best to keep your status as ‘otherworldly beings’ to the close few that know now” Yuu then elaborated.

"Well, what about what you uncovered about your research made you skeptical?” asked Azula.

“When I look at how Domestic Pokémon were developed, and the settings that need to exist for that to be the case, I feel that something was in play... Take Gossipuwei; you remember when you guys fought against that Pokémon when we encountered Team Vekros, correct?” asked Yuu, looking towards Azula.

"Yes, and my Pikachu also made it eat the Huoli dirt beneath my feet!" Azula responded with a faint smirk on her face. Yuu laughed off her comment nervously as he continued to speak.

"Gossifleur were originally found in Huoli, but due to pollution they were transformed into what they are now; nonetheless, it should be noted that Domestic Pokémon are not the same as Regional Variants. This 'pollution' was sufficient to chemically transform them into whole different beings! But, the average pollution that our industrial setting gives off to the environment could not do that… So… Something to cause Domestication has to be a thing out of the ordinary..." Yuu answered in kind.

“Hm… I remember you saying something like this before… So, is your assumption that Lumos is behind that?...” asked Aang. 

"Well… There is no evidence to say that specifically … Lumos is just a religiously-driven organization that is focused on the better of humanity-... on the outside” said Yuu as he cleared his throat to explain, “When looking for the answer to ‘who holds the power in Huoli’, it is The Sacred Families; they have impacted our region historically down to the very nature of how Huoli is constructed. And, from what I heard last on the Huoli News, the leader of the Huateng Family, the ones known as The Royal Family, are planning to marry Lumos' leader. The Huateng Family, the most powerful family in our region, and Lumos, the entity growing to become the most allied organization in our region, might be merging … That amount of influence on the populous and our ecosystem... Wouldn’t you think that either of those entities would know why Pokémon is changing so drastically?” asked Yuu.

“So… You're hesitant to get help from Lumos because you are convinced people in high places to have some correlation or awareness to this epidemic then?… Do you have the same conjectures with The Royal Family as well?” Azula responded.

“... Basically, yes. It is hard to really tell the influence both have on our region where we are as this part of Liyi Island is fairly recluse from their rule; it's why my mother likes Mian Town. Some say it's purposeful, others say it's forsakenness” Yuu responded in a somber tone, “Once we venture further inland, hopefully, this will become more clear to you, the dominion Lumos and The Royal Family possess that is”.

"I’m confused; if The Royal Family has all of that power, how is Lumos so influential?” asked Katara.

“Y-Yeah! I mean, the Policemen said they were ‘empowered’ by Lumos… Yet, they also are ‘protectors’ of The Royal Family!” Sokka then added.

“Hm… That is where it gets dicey … But, the easiest way to explain it is that The Royal Family is the one at the helm, ready to issue the decree to send out their trustworthy battalion to fight for the greater good. Lumos, however, is the battalion that moves when that decree is issued; one that was formed of their own volition. The power Lumos has must be a grace given to them by The Royal Family. And… it seems that The Royal Family would rather someone else do all the work for them- but that is just gossip really” Yuu responded.

“Wait… ‘Must be’? Are you-... unsure?” asked the curious Suki.

“Urm... My concentration was investigating Domestic Pokémon and Pokémon matters under Professor Pine, not royal and religious developments... Sorry, I can't put into words the exact truth of the matter. However, besides their fliers and such, Pokémon Centers and things relating to the Pokémon League seem to be unaffected by their impact... I wonder why... ” Yuu answered, looking around the Lumos propaganda in the center.

“Hm… Well, in my opinion, I think we can take your word on that for now; I mean, none of us really know anything about them anyways” Zuko responds.

“Right…” Katara adds.

“Still… a wedding like that might be kinda cool to attend! Hehe!~ Maybe one day Sokka and I will have something like that!💗” Suki says, rushing over to Sokka to hug him.

“Ahhh!~ We can only hope, my love!~ Hopefully when we return we can properly be wedded” Sokka responds, causing some in the group to scoff in disgust at their PDA. Yuu sighs as he continues speaking once more.

“A-Anyways… The Yishu City Gym, where I can earn my first badge, is located in this city, so if we decide to do what I believe we should do next, we will be at the correct spot” said Yuu as he looked into his bag to bring out his own Badge Case, which was still devoid of any badges, “...If you recall, Genn also received one of his badges from this location. Maybe we can even ask the Gym Leader whether there are any Pokémon that have the ability to transport individuals from another universe to our own. They have a great deal of information regarding the Pokémon universe!" Yuu continued, sharing his thoughts.

“Hm… Well, that does sound like it would work!” Aang responded as he smiled.

“The Gym Leader, huh? I assume they are the ones to test your skill as a trainer and reward you for your strength with a badge of honor?” asked Azula.

“Um… Yeah, that's precisely what it is, to be honest! You're fast to pick up on things!" Yuu's response was one of surprise.

“Huh… If that's the case, it could be worthwhile for us to face them with you, Yuu," Zuko replied, puffing his chest out in excitement. Azula couldn't keep a smile off her face.

"Zuzu, after all of the fights you've had so far, the only thing you should be challenging is the thought of releasing your Pokémon back into the wild, where they may be taken by a more capable trainer," Azula said, eliciting gasps from the group.

“H-Hey! It isn’t like you were freakin’ perfect in your battles! The Gym Leader might be the perfect one to knock you off that high chair you think you’re sitting in!” Zuko shouted back. Instantly, Yuu gets in between them to break them up

“G-Guys, we all can challenge the Gym Leader! That’s what they are there for! I plan to take them on and win as well! I need to, so I can keep going on my journey!” Yuu interjected.

"Tsk, Yuu, you shouldn't be too confident in yourself, either! Half of your Pokémon team doesn’t even pay attention to what you're saying..." Azula answered, prompting yet another gasp to erupt from the rest of the group.

“W-What?! I only have two!” Yuu said back in embarrassment.

“Exactly, ” Azula responded. Yuu cowered behind his hair as Azula said this, forcing him to stutter and be unable to properly respond.

"Ugh… She's right... Dang it, Luckrane! They are still warming up to me!... But, we will both be well-prepared for the challenge ahead of us! Just you wait, Azula!... " Yuu thought to themselves. For a moment, a hush descended upon them all. Suddenly, Nurse Joy cleared her through to gain their attention.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but here are all of your Pokémon, completely healed and ready to take on the Yishu City Gym, if you so want," Nurse Joy stated.

“Meow!~” Meowstic said beside Nurse Joy as they smiled.

“Cubone!~” Sokka shouted, pushing everyone out of the way to grab his Pokémon’s Poké Ball. Zuko and Azula followed suit as they grabbed the Poké Balls for Matoic and Pikachu as well.

“Thank you, Nurse Joy!” Yuu said ecstatically. Nurse Joy then bows.

"The following is a warning to you all: We receive a large number of worried trainers who have returned from their defeat against the Yishu City Gym Leader to treat their injured Pokémon; they will not be easy to defeat. Just remember that no matter what happens, whether you win or lose, we will be there to help treat your Pokémon!" Nurse Joy stated this with a smile on her face.

“Dang… All right, thank you very much, Nurse Joy," Yuu remarked as he returned her bow. In the next moments, Nurse Joy and Meowstic went about their work, while the rest of the group crowded around each other.

"Well, now that Nurse Joy has gotten me all pumped up, I definitely want to see this Gym Leader in person! W-Where is the Gym, again?" Zuko inquired.

“It is the flying building in the sky, remember Rotom Pokédex told us? But… I wonder how we will get there…” Yuu questioned out loud, unsure of the answer. 

“Oh, you all are heading up to the Yishu City Gym? Then, I can show you the way” said an unknown, effeminate voice behind the group. They turn around to bear witness to a person, who at first glance was unclear if they were a boy or a girl. They were dressed in a silver and skin-toned bodysuit, which covers just the appropriate amount of their body in the proper places. Because of the length of their hair, which was trimmed into a boyish buzz cut, but their outfit was skintight and very feminine, their overall attire had an androgynous look.

“... And who are you?” asked Azula. The person standing in front of the group then laughed and responded to her with no animosity in their voice.

“Well, I am Guway, the Yishu City Gym Leader!” 

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

"O-Oh! You’re the Yishu City Gym Leader?!” Yuu gasped, his eyes growing at the person in front of them. 

This was, in fact, the very first time Yuu had consciously observed another Gym Leader in this particular setting. Given his sheltered luxurious upbringing that was forced upon him by his mother due to her fears of the Vekros Virus, he never had the opportunity to become immersed in the culture of the Pokémon League other than what he learned from the media; indeed, it was extremely rare for any notable people from the Pokémon League to set foot in Mian Town, where he resided.

The group then stood there, a little taken aback, as the unfamiliar woman began to approach them, seemingly elated by what they had just said. Azula, on the other hand, immediately became defensive and stepped forward, unsure of whether or not this individual had the best of intentions. She had just announced her occupation, but Azula was not swayed to lower her guard simply because one stated they are a ‘Gym Leader’. Guway became aware of the instantaneous shift in hostility and came to a complete stop before speaking.

"I am, in fact, Looking at that flier on the wall is sufficient proof," Guway stated, indicating to the flier on her left. 

The group, aside from Toph, then turned their attention to a particular poster that appeared to depict something akin to a circus act featuring humans and Pokémon! There were multiple people and Pokémon in stylistic poses in the background, and Guway was in the middle of it all; he was even dressed in the same outfit they were wearing at the time.

“Woah…” Sokka said in awe of the interesting looking flier. 

“What is it?” Toph asked. Guway then looked over toward her and realized she was blind.

“That is a promotional poster for my Circus Show!” Guway added.

“So… are you a Gym Leader or a circus performer?...” asked Azula. Guway then laughed.

“Both,” Guway answered.

“Hmmm,” Azula hummed, grabbing her chin as she cast Guway with a suspicious look. After recent events with Team Rocket and then again with the crazed Officer Jenny she wasn’t so quick to just trust a random stranger. “...Well, it does seem like you had impeccable timing…very convenient for you to show up right when we’re stumped on how to get up to the gym.” Guway laughed and placed their hands up to show they meant no harm.

“Whoa, you certainly sound like a paranoid one huh?” Guway gave Azula a good natured look. “I promise this isn’t some kind of trick! As a Gym Leader, you can imagine how much time I spend at the Pokémon Center checking on recovering Pokémon; when trainers lose battles, they come here. Perhaps I developed this habit as a result of constantly checking in on my stunt performers following a nasty fall. However, given that the Gym is mine, why would I not want to assist young aspiring trainers in finding their way there?"

“Ugh, please ignore my sister,” Zuko interjected as he stepped in front of Azula, “She can be a little weird sometimes,” Zuko said quickly, giving Azula a bit of a scolding look. 

“Sometimes?” Toph asked, lifting her eyebrow at Zuko’s statement. 

“Haha! Oh don't worry about it,” Guway said with a shrug. “I suppose it’s good to have a healthy dose of skepticism about things, right? Hey, all this conversation and I haven’t even gotten your kid's names yet!”

“Right of course,” Yuu said quickly. “I’m sorry how rude of us; my name is Yuuyin Yuumen and these are my friends Aang, Toph, Suki, Sokka, Katara, and finally Zuko and Azula! Again we would be grateful for your help.” 

"A sizable group! To be sure, the route to the Gym is somewhat 'unique'. And, indeed, I am on my way back. Allow me to check in with Nurse Joy and I will act as your guide," Guway said as they approached Nurse Joy.

Their conversation was somewhat inaudible from their vantage point, but the group could see papers being exchanged as they spoke as if Nurse Joy was going over statistics on the Pokémon's care today. As they spoke, the group huddled in wariness due to their impasse on Guway.

"Let's look at it positively, guys!” Aang finally spoke, attempting to break the muddy air around the group, “We had no idea how to get up there until now basically! Yuu can now begin the process of obtaining his first badge!" Aang stated with a cheerful demeanor.

“...I still think it is weird. Too… coincidental,” Azula responded as her eyes never left Guway, “She just showed up out of nowhere to assist.” 

“I don’t think so,” said Sokka as he looked at Azula, “And I dunno why you are so sus. I mean, I can think of so many times we were just doing our own thing around in our world and the Fire Nation just so happened to show up to assist with ruining our day! Sudden coincidences seem to be your everyday activity!” Sokka stated, perplexed by Azula's skepticism. Azula then rolled her eyes.

"We did not nearly dominate all four nations on fundamental tactics, so do the math," Azula responded.

“It actually took a lot of planning to constantly ambush our enemies; we clearly are in a different place now nationally, but... it had its good moments…” said Zuko.

“W-What?!” Yuu shot back in confusion, still a bit left in the dark on the true journeys his present-day friends used to embark on.

"Who cares about that; I just don't recall you being worried when Jyajy literally dragged us away from a mob of people and placed us in a luxury hotel suite either, Azula." Toph then added.

“I was…” Katara then said.

"Tsk, because it was obvious she possessed some form of clout and hegemony, and I gravitated toward it; additionally, I would rather go with her than remain surrounded by a mob of idiots..." Azula clarified.

“Well… I guess I see your point; but, in both cases, we were helped by strangers. It’s actually not that uncommon for this to happen. Maybe people in our world are just...nicer?” Yuu suggested with uncertainty. 

“Your mom did extend her kindness to break Katara and Sokka out of jail! So I see your point” Aang added.

“Eh… she moreso extended her desire to showcase she is rich…” muttered Yuu.

“I’m back! Sorry if I took long,” Guway said as they made their way to the group, “I am all set; I can take you up to the Gym now!”

“O-Oh! You didn’t make us wait long; we were just chatting...Sounds good to me!” Yuu said, turning back to the group to see them all either nodding their heads or shrugging. It was enough of an answer for both him and Guway. Yuu quickly followed behind the Gym Leader, leading the rest of the group behind her. 

*****

Moments later…

On their way through Yishu's narrow streets, Guway pointed out the city's mural and sculptural installations. On their way there, they came across a structure that looked like a palace and entered it through an ornate gate that led to a garden of stone and grass; small Water-Type Pokémon swam in the ponds that outlined the area as well. In the middle was a platform. But, instead, the group looked at the garden for the Yishu City Gym, which loomed over the garden in the distance, drawing every bit of the group's attention.

“Woah… it looks way bigger than I originally thought it did…” Suki exclaimed, her mouth hanging open in awe of the levitating structure. It was not significantly different in terms of infrastructure from the palace-like setting they were in before.

“Hey,” said Toph as she nudged whoever happened to be next to her, “If you were to describe what it looks like, what would you say?” asked Toph. The person just so happened to be Aang.

“...It sort of looks like the buildings in Ba Sing Sé…” Aang responded.

“Ba- what say?...” asked the confused Guway. Suddenly everyone got tense, realizing the mistake. The instant Yuu realized that Guway had overheard their otherworldly conversation, he reacted with haste, attempting to make things right.

“P-Probably just someplace in Unova or something...” Yuu responded quickly

“So… how exactly does that stay in the sky?” Suki asked curiously. “Some kind of Pokémon?”

“Heat sources at the bottom of each platform are designed in such a way that they propel the structure in opposite directions, creating a levitating effect that is strong enough to support the entire structure!” They were informed by Guway, “I don't know who came up with the idea, but the Yishu City Gym stands out from the rest of the gyms in the region because of its use of this technology in this way. Getting closer to the gym will allow us to see them better."

“Interesting… And how exactly do we get up there?” Yuu asked politely. “A hot air balloon or something else that floats?” Guway shook her head as they slowed down a little. 

“In a sense I suppose,” Guway said as she pointed up ahead of them to the platform in the middle of the area.

“And that is?...” asked Azula.

“That platform is how we’re going to get to the gym.” Guway continued, their gaze drawn to the group as their voice filled with pride, “At different points in the sky are suspended platforms that lead up to the gym itself. We reach one via an ascending platform such as the one in front of us- which raises us up to a higher altitude. Then, we simply migrate to another platform that then brings us even higher! Having these series of lifts instead of one or two that take you from the ground straight to the Gym up above are there to ensure the safety of the passengers at every step as the inclines are not that steep.” Guway then explained.

“Interesting… That technology surely would be useful if implemented in the Fire Nation…” muttered Azula.

“So we go to that platform over there, and we will just go up?” asked Katara.

“Precisely. Not to worry, these platforms are extremely stable and safe. However, if you have a history of motion sickness, just be weary and-... try to not vomit anywhere near me… I-If you want me to demonstrate, I'll be happy to go up first," Guway said as they walked over to the platform that was placed in the middle of the area.

"I'm not scared, I'm coming," Yuu said, walking right behind him. Everyone else stopped dead in their tracks, unsure whether or not they should step forward as well. After taking a deep breath, Aang suddenly walked forward.

"I-I'm going to go as well!" Aang offered, seemingly unaffected by the technological advancements. When Yuu and Aang approached, everyone else became a little less apprehensive, and one by one, they all followed behind them.

All of them took their time walking onto the middle platform, and after Guway made a gesture toward some people who were standing idly by, the rest of the group seemed to be completely unaware of their presence. These individuals appeared to be those who assisted in the operation of the floating structures; as soon as this gesture was made, they began manipulating a nearby terminal, and the platform beneath their feet began to activate and vibrate beneath their feet. 

Toph was used to vibrations hitting against her feet due to the fact that she used her feet as a means of sensing her surroundings, but this was different. Guard rails had been erected from the floor, assisting in the prevention of someone falling overboard as it made its upward ascent. She became frightened as she became aware of what was taking place. But Zuko, who happened to be nearby, grabbed her by the shoulders and reassured her that everything was fine. 

A short time after that, the platform began to rise into the air in a diagonal trajectory, and as the group looked upwards, it became clear that they were on their way to a nearby floating platform that was stationary in the air a few meters above the ground. The platform they were on rose until it was parallel to the stationary platform in the sky, at which point they descended. When it finally came to a halt, Guway moved towards it, with the rest of the group trailing behind.

"As you can see, it wasn't that bad. This one will move in the same manner as the others, traveling to its designated altitude where we will continue to do so until we reach our destination," Guway explained. And that is exactly what the group did.

They continued their journey, ascending platform after platform until they reached a height of approximately halfway up in the sky. By this point, the entire city of Yishu was visible in the distance below them. It was a breathtaking sight to behold for those who were fortunate enough to be there. It was such an incredible view that they could even make out Gaietle Mountain on the horizon, as well as a faint outline of Youchuan and Mian Town in their peripheral vision. 

It was as if the entire world had collapsed beneath their feet. To behold such a beautiful occasion was truly a blessing. However, their ascent was not yet complete. It was a long climb up until they finally arrived at the Yishu City Gym's front door, where they were greeted by the intricate and benevolent sight of the Gym's exterior.

“W-Woah…” Yuu said in complete awe. Guway then started to chuckle.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Guway said, causing Yuu to look at them. He smiled at the dreamy look written across his face.

“Yeah,” Yuu laughed, his eyes growing wide as they all followed behind Guway as they walked further into the gym. 

Upon entering the gym, a chorus of gasps could be heard as the group took in the size of the facility. A vast open space with large marble pillars supporting an ornate ceiling adorned with chandeliers. The walls were covered in intricate wood paneling, and the wooden floors were painted with outlines for the gym battling to create a realistic environment. Zuko did his due diligence to describe the area to Toph as they continued on their journey, ensuring that she was not left out. 

They were following closely behind Guway at the time. The gym was jam-packed with young trainers who were either testing their fighting skills against one another or congregating in small groups to discuss their experiences. Yuu felt the hair on his arms stand up and form goosebumps as he smiled broadly, a rush of excitement coursing through his body! 

While taking another step forward, his legs felt weak and his heart was pounding furiously in his chest. For him, this was a surreal experience. His first gym challenge has finally arrived, and he is excited to be here with his friends. It was a moment that he had been dreaming about for a long time but had been doubtful that it would ever come true.

"The Yishu City Gym is bursting at the seams with new trainers eager to be indoctrinated into the ways of Yishu and, one day, to be proficient enough to defeat me in a match. Some come to this facility to train for their own circus shows, as I've mentioned previously with my own circus show," Guway explained. This prompted Aang to look upwards as he noticed there were even some people high in the sky performing acrobatic maneuvers, and-... flying! Not via wings, but a tool that Aang most certainly recognized.

“T-They are using Hang Gliders!!!” Aang shouted at the top of his voice as he pointed in the direction of where the gliders were performing, causing everyone's attention to be diverted away from what he was saying.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, that particular gadget is mostly used by those who perform in my circus show to fly among the Pokémon that perform in the sky, which is a pretty cool effect. It also serves as a resource for those who wish to challenge me in a gym battle," Guway explained.

"A Hang Glider? Hey Aang, didn't you used to have one of those?" Toph inquired. Everyone, with the exception of Yuu and Guway, looked at Aang with a surprised expression; they had forgotten he had one.

“Yeah… I can’t believe it completely slipped my mind! I had it with me moments before we fell through that mysterious vortex…-I uh, I mean!...” Aang said, catching himself in his speech as he looked at Guway in concern, “I just misplaced mine one day!... Hehe… S-Seeing people using them here jogged my memory of when I had one…” he continued as he grew somber.

“Oh? Did you use to own one? And here I thought it was only a gadget typically used by those that reside in Yishu City… But, I get the impression you are not from around here?” Guway asked.

“S-Sort of… But yeah, I’m super good at using one! I wonder where it went…” Aang responded as he started to think.

“Don’t worry Aang; at least you are not the only one missing something! I still don’t have my club!” Sokka interjected.

“Hold on… I thought this gym was a place for people to battle with their Pokémon, why are they flying over there?” Azula question. “Is flying a part of the challenge?” Guway laughed as they stepped forward, placing their hands on their hips as she looked upon the hang gliders proudly. 

“In some ways, yes. It is true that this is a gym and a place for trainers to challenge me in order to get a badge, but it’s more than that. This gym also acts as the Yishu Acrobatic Theater School.” Guway explained. 

“A theater school?” Zuko asked.

“That’s right! Here in this school, trainers, students, and Pokémon all come together in order to put on shows for the public in my Circus shows,” Guway explained. “As I’m sure you’re all aware, the Yishu City Gym focused on Flying-Type Pokémon; to us wind is freedom, and we as acrobats use those gliders to access the same kind of freedom our Pokémon possess.”

“Wow,” Aang said, a warm nostalgic feeling flooding through him as he continued to watch the people fly around. “I feel that way too...air is the element of freedom and there’s no greater freedom than flying.” He whispered, sounding completely enthralled.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Guway said, giving Aang an interesting look. “It sounds like you hold a lot of the same values as those who attend the theater school.” Aang spun around to look at Guway now, his eyes shining.

"I certainly do!" Aang responded enthusiastically, his emotions erupting all over the place as he thought back on all the things he used to have but no longer possessed. The idea of being so close to a hang glider gave him a similar feeling as when he first saw Lemaki, who reminded him of Momo. He began to yearn for that same kind of connection once more. Suddenly, he turned to face Guway, a look of certainty in his eyes.

“G-Guway… this might be forward of me to ask, but… May I have one of those gliders? I used to cherish my own glider until I misplaced it, and I reeeeally want to have one again and don’t know where to find another! I-I don’t have any money on me, but Yuu here is rich! He can buy one off you!” Aang said, turning to grab onto Yuu’s shoulders.

“W-Wait what?” Yuu said with shock and confusion.

“Y-Yeah, I mean it won’t break your bank or anything if you used that black card your mother gave you, right? I mean, your mom just spent 100,000,000 ₽ not even an hour ago!” Aang responded with slight desperation.

“100,000,000 ₽?!” Guway asked in great surprise as she looked at Yuu in amazement, “Is this kid loaded??? ” Guway then thought.

“Aang, this isn’t like you…” Katara finally spoke, “I understand you really want a glider, but using Yuu in this way seems… wrong. ” she continued.

“I disagree; if he has more money than he can count, buying a stupid flying stick won’t hurt him.” Azula then responded.

“It isn’t a stupid flying stick! It’s literally a part of my culture that your nation wiped out!!!...” Aang responded as he started to get annoyed, his revelation causing everyone around him to get really tense. Guway could start to pick up by now that there was a bit more to this story than they are letting on.

“I think we should relax…” Zuko said, feeling a bit of guilt from what Aang had just said.

“W-W-Well… I cannot say anything as I would be a hypocrite; my want to get Cubone so badly caused my sister and I to get arrested basically…” Sokka said,

“Don’t say that, papa bear! You could NEVER do anything wrong!!!” shouted Suki as she started to hug tightly on Sokka to quell his pessimistic thoughts. Aang then looked at Yuu with baby-doll eyes as he started to get emotional.

 “Please understand Yuu; getting that glider would mean the world to me!” he then said, causing Yuu to get uncomfortable.

“… Uh, do you guys sell them?” Yuu asked Guway.

“Unfortunately, not necessarily…” Guway answered. At that same moment, one of the students using one of the hang gliders flew down towards Guway, seemingly done with his own gliding training. Guway then takes the glider in hand, and starts to use it perfectly! 

“Oh my!...” Aang said in complete amazement at her using the hang glider just like the Air Nomads did.

Guway went on to explain, "These hang gliders are specifically manufactured by a company paid by and supplied to the Pokémon League. We use them at the gym under the condition that they are used for the purposes of training Pokémon Trainers... This grant contributes to the funding of not only the gym but also the school that is associated with it,” Guway said this as she flew over to scaffolding in the distance, “Which means these gliders have been paid for by the Pokémon League. As a result, I am unable to give them away freely; instead, they must be earned.”

“O-Oh…” said Aang in slight disappointment.

“But, the way to earn one is pretty simple; first you need to pass a Hang Gliding Acrobatic Test in order to prove that you can use one safely and correctly within the confines of our school. You are then handed a Gliding License. This test is required by the Pokémon League to use one.” Guway explained.

“And what does this test involve?” Katara asked.

“A series of different obstacles that show you have an aptitude for flying and controlling the glider itself,” Guway said. “If you wish to set up a test then you are given a period of three days in order to study and prepare yourself for the examination.”

“Oh I don't need three days, I could take the test right now!” Aang said more than confident that he had the expertise in this area to easily pass. Not to mention he was more than excited and anxious to get his hand on a glider and to fly again. Guway smiled at him.

“I can appreciate that level of confidence but I still would prefer you to take those three days in order to get ready,” Guway explained. “Flying is serious business especially when you're up in the air with other people, it’s wise not to rush into the test. We offer classes to those who want to learn for a discounted price for Trainers!"

"Oh really? That's kinda nifty..." Yuu said in awe.

“I agree with Guway, Aang,” Katara spoke up now. “I know you’ll do fine but it can’t hurt to take some time and get ready.”

“I agree; there’s no need to rush,” Yuu said encouragingly. Aang took everything they said into consideration and nodded his head with a determined look still in his eyes.

“I guess you guys are right...alright! I’ll take those three days and prepare myself!” Aang responded. Guway nodded their head in approval while Yuu gave Aang a helpful thumbs up. 

“Ok. Feel free to use the services provided at the gym to help train; it is up to you how prepared you are. I will allow anyone to take the test… after signing the consent form that ensures you know you might hurt yourself taking the test of course!” said Guway.

Yuu then turned to Guway, but before he could ask his question─ Azula cut in.

“Alright now that all of that is out of the way let’s get to the more important matters at hand; when can we face you in combat in order to earn a badge?” Aang frowned while everyone else but Guway shot her a dirty look. 

“To challenge me there is only one requirement you have to meet,” Guway said. “You need to have at least two Pokémon.” 

“Oh really?” Katara laughed, “Well I guess that leaves our esteemed Azula out, considering she only has one Pokémon.” Azula crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at Katara.

“That's still one more than you,” she said.

“Who cares?” Katara asked flippantly.

“I do,” Zuko said dejectedly. “...I mean, not about you not having a Pokémon Katara, but I only have one Pokémon too...so I guess I can’t challenge the gym either.” 

“Hehe! I adjust my team to the Trainer's current place in their journey; if you don't at least have two, well I'm afraid I can't go any easier on you! Thus, when you both get another Pokémon to feel free to come back and challenge the gym at any point,” Guway said. 

“Oh no, baby! You only have one Pokémon too! W-We have to get you another right now!!!” shouted Suki as she began to act like a maniac at Sokka’s lost opportunity.

“Oh, don’t worry my love; I was not thinking of even challenging the Gym anyways. Leave that to the others! Cubone and I are just fine without a badge!” said Sokka as he brought out his Poké Ball holding Cubone and started to hug it, “But that is true now that I think about it; Katara, Toph and you are the only ones here with no Pokémon,” he continued as he looked at all the girls

“Well I’m blind, so I think battling isn’t my forte at the moment,” Toph replied.

“A good trainer is all about instructing their Pokémon; you do not need eyes to really do that, but-... I can see why that might make things hard…” Guway added as she contemplated her thoughts on the matter.

“I have two Pokémon, though!” Yuu said happily. 

“Great!” Guway said. “I'm a bit jampacked the next couple days in terms of battling; with me having to practice for hte showcase... So... we can have our own battle in three days from now as well!”

“That’s great!” Yuu said, feeling fired up now. Guway nodded and folded her arms over her chest.

After Guway departed, the group, buoyed by her words, made their way to the reception desk. The air was still resonating with the distant bang from the battling area, adding to the sense of excitement.

Katara, with a sense of purpose, led the group. "We need to get you two registered," she said, guiding Yuu and Aang towards the receptionist, a woman whose professional demeanor was softened by a friendly smile.

"Good day, how can I assist you?" the receptionist asked, her voice conveying a mix of efficiency and warmth.

Yuu stepped forward. "I'm here to register for the gym battle," he declared confidently.

"Sure thing," the receptionist responded, gesturing towards his Pokédex. "Please scan your Pokédex for ID verification, and then we'll need the details of your Pokémon team."

Yuu did as instructed, scanning his Pokédex, which beeped in acknowledgment. He then provided the necessary information about his Pokémon team, which the receptionist efficiently entered into her system.

Turning to Aang, she smiled. "And you're here for the gliding test, correct? Please fill out these safety briefing and release forms."

Aang nodded, but as he looked at the forms, a hint of uncertainty crossed his face. The receptionist noticed his hesitation but didn't understand the reason behind it. "Is everything okay?" she inquired, her tone still friendly.

Yuu, aware of Aang's difficulty with the local script, quickly intervened. "He's just double-checking the details. I'll go over it with him," Yuu said, hoping to cover for Aang's discomfort.

"That's fine. Take your time, and let me know if you have any questions," the receptionist said, offering a supportive smile.

Yuu and Aang moved aside, where Yuu discreetly assisted Aang with the forms, carefully guiding him through the script. Yuu's help was subtle, ensuring that Aang's challenge remained unnoticed by others.

Once the paperwork was complete, they returned to the reception desk. "All done," Yuu announced, handing the forms back to the receptionist.

"Great," she replied, scanning the documents. "Everything looks good. You're all set for the gym battle, Yuu, and Aang, you're registered for the gliding test. Best of luck to both of you!"

"Thank you," Yuu and Aang responded together, their faces a mix of relief and anticipation.

"Great!" Sokka said with a small grin, "Now that all the boring paperwork is over, let's go check out some─"

“Oh no!” A feminine voice cried out, causing the cast to look over to where the voice came form. There, it was a young girl; she looked no older than Yuu and looked heartbroken as her Haylodor fainted. Across from her was an opposing male trainer who gave her an exasperated look. In front of the boy was a very proud-looking Luckrane. Yuu instantly assumed both were within Guway's school and were having a practice battle of some sort. 

“Tsk, are you dumb? Bug-Type Pokémon tend not to be a good match-up against Flying-Types; you should consider that before going up against Guway.” He explained to the younger girl. Yuu frowned, his attention turning to the victorious Luckrane. This prompted him to think of his own Luckrane who had a habit of being disobedient.

“I need to take advantage of these next few days and work with Luckrane...if Luckrane continues not to fully obey me during a battle then I’m going to have a difficult time winning my first badge.” He thought.

“So, are we staying here or...?” Toph asked.

“...I think we should head back down to the city,” Yuu said. “Aang and I both need to prepare for our challenges in three days' time.” Aang nodded, looking really excited still and no one found a reason to disagree all began to head towards the front doors of the gym.

“I have a feeling going down isn’t going to be as fun as coming up was,” Sokka said to Suki. 

“Don't worry papa bear I’ll catch you if you fall 🥰,” Suki promised.

“We’re thousands of feet up in the air? How?” Azula asked as Zuko linked his arm with Toph's.

“My love will find a way,” Suki sighed happily as she followed Sokka out of the gym, starting to descend back to Yishu with the rest of the group.

“Where is the ledge so I can find a way to push you over…” Azula muttered under her breath as the group eventually left the gym and headed back down to town…

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“Wow…that was so cool!” Aang exclaimed once they all found themselves back on the ground of Yishu City. He had a wide, excited smile stretched across his face as thoughts of his challenge ahead swirled through his mind. He felt confident he would pass it with ease and along with that confidence came to an excitement of once again having a glider and the ability to fly. Beside him, Yuu smiled as he turned to the younger boy.

“It was indeed a thrilling experience,” He agreed. “I have to admit that after meeting and speaking with Guway I’m beginning to feel pumped up now…the idea of battling her is quite a sensational one!” 

“So, now that you two have three days before your respective challenges, what are you going to do to prepare?” Zuko questioned. 

“Well, that’s a good question,” Yuu said, grabbing his chin as he thought the question over. “Obviously I need to prepare my Pokémon and train with them as much as possible. More specifically though I want to focus on energy on getting my Luckrane prepared.”

“Luckrane…is it that the one that doesn't like to listen to you?” Katara question. Yuu frowned at the question, nodding his head.

“Yes. Luckrane is a bit hard-headed and during past battles has outright refused to follow my commands,” Yuu said with a sigh. “If that behavior continues, then I can forget about earning any badge let alone my first.”

“And how do you figure you’ll correct that behavior?” Zuko asked. Yuu sighed, reaching up to grasp his chin with one hand as he thought. 

“That I’m not sure yet…” Yuu admitted.

“You have three days to figure it out though,” Sokka pointed out. “I’m sure by then you’ll be able to work something out.”

“I’m sure I will,” Yuu said, smiling at Sokka kindly. 

“I suppose you have no choice,” Zuko said as he turned to Yuu. “Like you said you don't have any chance of winning if you can’t get Luckrane to start listening to you.” Beside Zuko, Azula let out a scoff.

“I mean with your current battling track record do you have much of a chance of winning anyway?” Azula questioned. Yuu blushed at the question, turning to give Azula an annoyed look. 

“You know, just because I lost against Genn doesn’t mean that I’m destined to lose every single Pokémon battle for the rest of my life,” He told her as calmly as possible. Azula raised her eyebrow at the comment, looking unimpressed. Before she could make another comment though Katara turned to her with a mocking look.

“I just find it so funny that you’re taunting Yuu…but you can’t even battle!” She jeered. “Taunt him as much as you like but unless you magically catch another Pokémon in three days you’ll just be sitting on the sidelines.” 

“Yeah Azula, I’m not really sure if you’re one to talk,” Toph said with a shrug. Azula sucked her teeth in annoyance as she looked back and forth between Katara and Toph. Zuko snickered at his sister's growing ire, enjoying seeing her getting a little grief. 

“Right, well all of this aside I’m excited about my upcoming battle,” Yuu said, attempting to derail any potential arguing between the girls. 

“And I’m sure you’ll do just fine Yuu, just give it your best,” Aang said, giving Yuu his best supportive look. 

“What about you Aang?” Katara asked, turning to her boyfriend now. “What plans do you have to prepare for your test?” 

“Right now it’s probably best for me to find a quiet place and meditate.” He said gently. “I think clearing my mind will help me prepare myself for the test…I was also thinking that after I might be able to do some actual practicing with Guway’s students…do you think they would let me do that?” Aang asked, turning to Yuu. 

“I don't see why not. We would have to go back and see what the registration process truly is like” Yuu said with a shrug. Aang immediately perked up at Yuu’s words.

“That’s awesome! Between clearing my mind, a little practice, and my past experience I think I’m a shoo-in to pass this test!” Aang cheered. 

“That’s the spirit!” Sokka said happily. “I, personally, would like to take a look around the city and do a little exploring. It isn’t often that we get to stumble across such a place rich in so much culture!”

“Oh, babe! That’s such a good idea!” Suki cooed, flashing Sokka a loving look. Sokka looked down at her proudly as he showed her Cubone’s Poké ball. 

“Thanks! I think it would be a cool idea to bring out Cubone to…maybe we can do a little bonding while looking around the city!” Sokka said.

“Exploring the city isn’t a horrible idea, I suppose…” Azula said. “With three days doing a reconnoiter of Yishu only makes sense.”

“I personally think a little peace and quiet isn’t a bad idea,” Toph said a little sullenly, crossing her arms over her chest. Beside her, Katara nodded as she turned and looked back at Aang as well.

“Honestly with everything that just went down, I wouldn’t mind taking a moment to sit back and just enjoy a little quiet.” She said gently. 

“Well, it sounds like we all have an idea of what we want to do,” Yuu said, a thoughtful look written across his face. “...And it sounds like we’re all going to be splitting up for a little while.” 

“Yep sounds like it,” Sokka said, bouncing from one foot to the next. “Welp…see you guys later!” He spun around and started to march towards the entrance of the courtyard they were gathered in. 

“W-Wait Sokka!” Yuu called out as Sokka hurried away. He didn’t make it far though, as he walked past Zuko the other man reached forward and grabbed Sokka by the collar of his shirt dragging him back towards the group.

“Hey!” Sokka yelped, causing Suki to let out a distressed noise. Reaching forward she smacked Zuko’s arm.

“Don't be so rough with my papa bear!” She scolded. Zuko simply rolled his eyes as he shook off Suki and released Sokka.

“You can’t just go running off yet,” Zuko said sternly. “If we’re all going to split up then obviously we need to have a designated time and spot when we meet back up!” 

“R-Right of course!” said Sokka, a sheepish look spread across Sokka’s face as he readjusted his shirt. 

“Thanks, Zuko…” Yuu said, giving him a grateful look before turning back to the rest of the group. “I think that since we’re all familiar with this courtyard and how to get here this would be a nice place to meet up…how about around sunset?” 

“Sounds like a good idea to me!” Aang said and with no one else seeing a reason to argue the rest of the group agreed as well. 

“Great, well then I guess we’ll meet back up here in a little bit,” Yuu said gently. 

“Come on guys, let’s go see if we can find a nice spot.” Aang said to Katara and Toph. They both nodded and let Aang take the lead as he headed out of the courtyard. Katara took Toph’s hand in her own and guided her in the right direction. 

“...Alright Suki, looks like we’re finally in the clear to go!” Sokka said, reaching down and taking his girlfriend’s hand in his own. “Come on! Let’s go take a look at the sights!”

“Oh Sokka…you’re a sight!” Suki gushed, allowing Sokka to pull her towards the courtyard entrances.

“Oh this little excursion is going to be interesting,” Azula sighed, moving to follow the rest of the group. She stopped when she noticed that Zuko and Yuu weren’t following everyone else out. “Are you two going to stay here?” 

“Oh, well I figured this would be a good place to practice with Luckrane,” Yuu said, glancing over at Zuko. “...Did you want to stay here with me?” 

“If you don't mind,” Zuko said, turning to him. “I thought it would be interesting to witness you working with your Pokémon.

“Yeah, that would be fine by me!” Yuu said quickly. Azula watched the interaction between the two, shrugging before turning around and heading out of the courtyard to start exploring Yishu on her own. Once they had all disappeared Yuu took out Luckrane’s Poké ball. 

“Alright, let’s get this thing started.” 

***

Moments Later…

Zuko and Yuu found a nice spot in the courtyard for Yuu to start practicing in. Zuko took a seat on a nearby bench, releasing Matoic from its Poké Ball. 

“Ma! Matoic!” Matoic said, greeting Zuko happily as he hunkered down at his feet.

“Hey there, Matoic,” Zuko said gently, reaching down and softly running his knuckles along the back of Matoic’s ear. Matoic let out a metallic-sounding purr, leaning forward and nuzzling its cheek against Zuko’s ankle. 

“I’m happy to see you too,” Zuko said gently, a warm feeling spreading through him as he looked down at his Pokémon. As they got comfortable Yuu released both Lingliu and Luckrane from their Poké balls. 

“Ling! Lingliu!” Lingliu cheered, rushing forward and scampering up Yuu’s leg! The small Pokémon climbed up Yuu’s body until he was happily resting on top of his head. Yuu chuckled, smiling happily as he looked up at Lingliu.

“Hey, there little buddy!” He greeted the Pokémon happily. “I have some awesome news!” He turned back to Luckrance now too, seeing that the Pokémon already seemed a bit annoyed.

“Lingliu? Ling?” Lingliu questioned, cocking its head to the side, his small eyes glinting with excitement. 

“We’re going to participate in our first gym challenge!” He announced. “We’re competing against Gym Leader Guway in order to earn our first badge.” 

“Lingliu!” It cheered, doing a little dance on Yuu’s head. His small feet tickled Yuu’s scalp, causing him to chuckle. 

“Luck. Luckrane.” It said, sounding a bit reluctant. Yuu turned down to the miffed Pokémon, feeling his excitement dwindling down. He felt his shoulders sag as he remembered the challenge with Luckrane he faced ahead of him. 

“Here, let me talk to you both seriously for a moment,” Yuu said, reaching up and gently taking Lingliu in his hands. Kneeling down and placing him on the ground next to Luckrane. He turned up to Yuu and gave him a bit of a confused look. “We have three full days to prepare for this battle, I think between both of you we have a fighting chance.”

“Lingliu!” Lingliu cried happily, agreeing with Yuu’s assessment. Beside it, Luckrane rolled its eyes, not quite as impressed. Yuu cleared his throat a little as he turned back to Luckrane now specifically.

“We’re only going to be able to win this battle if we’re all in this together giving it our all,” He said as seriously as he could. “If we don't work together as a proper team then we have no chance in the world of getting that badge.”

“Lingliu!” Lingliu nodded, its excitement turning into determination as it nodded its head in agreement. However, besides Lingliu, Luckrane started to roll its eyes.

“Luckrane…” it scoffed, causing Yuu to slightly gasp and get annoyed. However, he held back his true feelings to speak to his Pokémon at eye level. 

“Luckrane…look…I know that we don't always have the most agreeable relationship and you don't always like listening,” Yuu began gently. “But your cooperation is integral for us to win this battle.” 

“Luckrane? Luck?” Luckrane questioned, giving Yuu a bit of a reluctant look. It was clear that the Pokémon still wasn’t fully on board with what Yuu was saying. Lingliu frowned as he turned to his cohort.

“Ling! Lingliu! Ling!” It said, attempting to give Luckrane some words of encouragement. Lingliu rolled its eyes, crossing its wings together as it turned its head away from Lingliu rejecting its words.

Lingliu scowled, miffed to be rebuffed. At the same time, Yuu frowned and leaned back on his haunches, trying to think of something meaningful to say to get through to Luckrane.

“Huh… Watching Yuu talk to his Pokémon is pretty intriguing; it’s almost as if he does not view his Pokémon like pets- but instead like a comrade or a person…” said Zuko, leaning back in his seat. 

“...Toic?” Matoic said, confused by Zuko’s implication. Instantly, Zuko became flustered.

“N-Not that I view you like just a pet or anything! You are my buddy!... * ahem *...” Zuko says as he tries to recover from his mistake while holding onto what little honor he has left. At that moment, he looks across the courtyard to the skies, where he sees something ominous coming towards them. “Holy shit what in the world is that?!” he screamed, jumping to his feet in shock.

“Ma! Matoic!” Matoic exclaimed at the same time, instantly sensing what Zuko was alerted by. Yuu, Luckrane, and Lingliu spun around and turned to see what had caused Zuko and Matoic to jump. Their eyes went wide as a huge shadow started descending from the sky rapidly. As it got closer Yuu, Lingliu, and Luckrane all jumped back.

Yuu realized quickly that the shadow that was swooping down on them was a very large Pokémon that looked absolutely furious! And the fury was trained right on Yuu! Suddenly, however, as Luckrane looked at the approaching Pokémon more accordingly, it became flustered and overwhelmed with emotion.

“...L-Luckrane?!” it muttered…

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

For a moment, everyone was still; no one knew quite sure how to react to the sudden appearance of the Pokémon. Yuu swallowed thickly as he watched the bird-looking Pokémon closely. It was tall; easily towering over Luckrane. Most of its body was covered in a multitude of colored featured; from white, to red, to black. Like Luckrane, there was a small crop of red feathers on top of its head. As Yuu looked at his borboading shape, he also noted that it had a sharp, dangerous-looking beak. 

Yuu found himself feeling quite intimidated by the large bird Pokémon in front of him, despite the fact that the Pokémon wasn't paying attention to Yuu at the time of the confrontation. The bigger Pokémon, on the other hand, was looking down at Luckrane, who was shaking a bit as it stared up at the smaller Pokémon with huge eyes that were overflowing with emotion. Though, from Yuu’s perspective, he couldn't quite put his finger on what Luckrane was feeling at the time.

Looking at the two Pokémon, he attempted to figure out what was going on, and why this unknown Pokémon was now upon them dauntingly. Just when Yuu was about to say anything, Rotom Pokédex appeared at the perfect time from his bag, flying its way in front of Yuu as it scanned the unknown Pokémon for him!
As it scanned it, Rotom Pokémon started to speak, declaring, “This Pokémon is Shufanchu, the ‘Calligraphy Pokémon’; It uses its beak as a pen and secretes a special ink made of a special oil created in its body to use as ink!” 

“Shu-...fanchu?” asked Yuu, as he started to look around the area. 

He then noticed in the far back of the area they were in various tapestries and statues; ones that depicted the same Pokémon before them. Then, supercuts of the city he saw thus far shot into his head, and he recalls that the various bird Pokémon he witnessed on the Yishu City Wall also resembled this same Pokémon! Suddenly, it all clicked for Yuu. “Wait… is this some important Pokémon in Yishu City?” he then asked out loud.

Rotom Pokédex nodded ‘yes’, answering Yuu, and continued speaking saying, “It is a Pokémon with a lot of creativity and virtuosity. In fact, Yishu City hails the Pokémon as its mascot of sorts! And, it might also be important to note that Shufanchu is Luckrane’s final evolution in its evolutionary line!” Hearing this caused Yuu and Zuko to become shocked.

“Really?!… So, this is what Luckrane will look like when it grows up?” Zuko said, his voice causing Yuu to jump. He turned to see that Zuko and Matoic were now standing beside him. Yuu had been so caught up in Shufanchu’s sudden appearance and its intense interest in Luckrane that he hadn’t noticed them move! “Interesting sounding Pokémon…but what in the world is it doing here…and why is it looking at your Luckrane like that?”

“I’m unsure,” Yuu said with a frown, his stomach twisting nervously. “I- I don't think we were doing anything offensive…we were just speaking,” Yuu added, attempting to figure out what had triggered the Shufanchu to descend onto them. Suddenly, a boisterous yet refreshing air assaulted Yuu and Zuko's faces as Shufanchu flapped its huge wings in the direction of their faces.

“Shu! Shufanchu,” it said to Luckrane, some of the anger and fury melting off its face for a moment while one of relief took its place. “Shufanchu- Shu…” it added much more gently as it leaned down closer to Luckrane.

“L-Luckrane,” Luckrane said softly, turning its head away from the older Pokémon.

“Hmmm… they seem to know each other,” Yuu realized as he watched the exchange between the two Pokémon. Beside him, Zuko nodded as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

“They do appear to be quite familiar with one another,” Zuko confirmed. Beside him, Matoic started to size up the large Shufanchu, attempting to gauge its intentions itself.

“Matoic,” it said with a sharp nod of its head. Yuu reached up and grabbed his chin, looking back and forth between Luckrane and Shufanchu as they continued to converse with one another. 

“Shufanchu?” Shufanchu asked, spreading its wings out a little. Luckrane blushed and kept its eyes trained on the ground. It appeared…embarrassed and appeared to be hesitant to answer the Shufanchu. “Shu!” It prompted when Luckrane continued to be quiet.

“Luck Luck,” Luckrane said. “Luckra Luck Luckrane!” It explained, mimicking Shufanchu and spreading out its wings as it turned around to motion to Yuu, reminding Shufanchu of his presence. Shufanchu immediately wheeled around to Yuu. The look of anger from before returned as it stared at Yuu.

“Shufanchu!” It hollered, taking a threatening step toward Yuu. 

“Whoa!” Yuu gasped, putting his hands up as he took a step backwards. On top of his head, Lingliu shivered in fright as he grabbed onto Yuu’s hair.

“Geez what did Luckrane say?!” Zuko gasped, he too took a step back. Beside him, Matoic lumbered forward, planting himself between Zuko and the Shufanchu in a protective stance. 

“Shufanchu!” it snapped, its feathers puffing up and ruffling further in anger. “Shu! Shu! Shu!” Yuu felt his mouth as Lingliu grasped onto his hair tighter.

“Shufanchu appears to be very angry,” Zuko pointed out. 

“Yes…an astute observation,” Yuu said with a frown, taking his eyes off the Shufanchu for a moment as he looked over at Zuko. “...You might want to step out of the way Zuko…I have a feeling this is about to turn into a Pokémon battle.”

“Ling Lingliu,” Lingliu said wearily. 

“Shu! Shufanchu!” It huffed, giving Yuu a dirty look. 

“B-But why?” Zuko asked with a frown. “Yuu didn’t do anything…he was just standing here giving his Pokémon a pep talk!” Yuu frowned as he continued to stare at the angered Pokémon. 

“I can answer that” Rotom Pokédex interjected as it started to hover closer to the two bird Pokémon. At that moment, the screen on Rotom Pokédex’s face changed into one that showed a wave frequency. Seemingly to Yuu, Rotom Pokédex was analyzing their conversation within itself; however, to Zuko, he could not begin to guess what was up. Luckrane and Shufanchu continued talking as Rotom Pokédex hovered patiently. Then, it propped up in a shock. “Oh!... Hm… Wow. Okay” said Rotom Pokédex as it turned to Yuu.

“What?” asked Yuu, concerned with what Rotom Pokédex uncovered.

“Well… After listening to Shufanchu and Luckrane speaking, I’ve learned that this Shufanchu is actually Luckrane’s parent.” Rotom Pokédex explained. Both Zuko and Yuu exchanged a look of shock and then understanding. 

“Woah! Really?!” questioned Yuu with shock, turning to the two bird Pokémon.

“Right…you did say earlier that Shufanchu is the adult version of Luckrane,” Zuko said with a nod of his head. “...So this one is Luckrane’s parent?” 

“It is indeed. But that is not all that surprised me…” Rotom Pokédex confirmed. “The reason why Shufanchu is upset with Yuu is because it believes that Yuu has kidnapped its child!”

“W-WHAT?” Yuu asked with wide eyes. 

“Ahh… that also explains why it’s so upset,” Zuko added with a nod. 

“...” Yuu muttered before turning back to Shufanchu. Yuu swallowed thickly as he gave Shufanchu a small frown. “I don't know…when I caught Luckrane it was with a whole bunch of other Luckrane’s…I didn’t see any Shufanchu in sight…I- I didn’t really think I was taking a child away from its parent.” A look of guilt crossed over Yuu’s face for a moment as he thought back to the day he had caught Luckrane in Mian Forest. Across from him, Shufanchu crossed its wings over its chest as it shook its head.

Beside it, Luckrane blushed and once more turned its head away from its parent. Its blush darkened as it timidly kicked a pebble near its foot. 

“Shu! Shufanchu!” Shufanchu said angrily as it turned its attention away from Yuu and glared down at Luckrane. “Shu! Shu! Fan!”

“Now Shufanchu seems mad at Luckrane,” Zuko pointed out with a frown turning to Rotom Pokédex now. “Could you tell us why?”

“Certainly I can,” Rotom Pokédex said. “...Shufanchu said that Luckrane got away from them and the rest of their flock was migrating back to Liyi Island.” Yuu’s eyes grew wide at this.

“Really?” Yuu asked Luckrane, completely shocked by this. “...You mean you ran away from your family?” Luckrane let out a little disgruntled noise as it continued to glare at the ground.

“Luck! Luckrane!” Luckrane said to Shufanchu in an argumentative tone.

“Shufanchu! Shu!” Shufanchu argued back, throwing its wings out in exasperation. Everyone watched as Shufanchu and Luckrane started to argue with one another. 

“I see, Luckrane said the reason it left was that it thinks it was ready to take the next step in life and leave Shufanchu and live on its own…Shufanchu disagrees that Luckrane was,” Rotom Pokédex explained so that the two boys could understand. “Shufanchu thinks Luckrane is hard-headed and that its attitude is proof that it wasn’t ready to leave…” 

“Well, Luckrane is hardheaded; that we can agree,” Yuu said with a frown. “...So Luckrane left its family to go and live with other Luckrane in Mian Forest…wow.” He added, he would have never guessed this would have been the case. He watched as Shufanchu pointed down angrily at Luckrane and appeared to be lecturing it.

“CAW!!!” Yuu and Zuko heard a yell from the sky. 

“What the heck was that?!” Zuko asked as he and Yuu looked up puzzlingly at the sky to see two other bird-like Pokémon flying inward!

Both Zuko and Yuu stood further shocked as the two bird Pokémon landed by Shufanchu’s side. Of the two Pokémon, one looked strikingly similar to Shufanchu; it was almost a spitting image of Shufanchu safe for it being smaller, and instead of black feathers adorning it, it had dull brown ones and no red ones. Yuu noted that this Pokémon had an annoyed look written across its face. 

Beside this Pokémon stood the second one. It was a much, much smaller bird with dusty brownish-red feathers all over its body and a spotted white chest. Rotom Pokédex floated towards the larger of the two first and scanned it. 

“Rotom, what is that one? Is that a smaller Shufanchu?” asked Yuu, pointing to the similarly colored bird Pokemon... Rotom Pokédex then flew over to scan the Pokémon.

“Well Yuu, that is Grufuzi, the ‘Ruffled Pokémon’; Grufuzi matures and starts to appreciate finer things in life. They devote their time to the arts, yearning to express their creativity.” Rotom Pokédex informed them. “Grufuzi is the very next stage in Luckrane’s evolution!” Grufuzi turned to Rotom Pokédex, giving it an annoyed look. Rotom Pokédex didn’t seem to notice as it turned to scan the much smaller bird. 

“This is Violcinnth, the ‘Poisoned-Feather Pokémon’; They adopted a less threatening appearance to appear less threatening to other Birds.” Rotom Pokédex explained. “This coloring of this Violcinnth actually indicates that it’s female, as males tend to be more brightly colored females are this brown dull color. Due to the rarity of female Violcinnth, having one is considered a rarity. Back in ancient times, they treated female Violcinnth as a deity due to their altered colors!” Rotom Pokédex said.”

“Oh? So it is kinda rare; like Luckrane!” said Yuu as he looked at Luckrane in slight astonishment.

At that moment, Grufuzi turned away from Rotom Pokédex and looked at Shufanchu. It motioned its wings up towards the sky as it started to speak.

“Grufuzi? Gru?” It questioned. “Grufuzi! Grufuzi!” It added, making a motion with its head as if it was looking around.

“Shufanchu,” it motioned down to Luckrane down. Grufuzi scowled, giving Luckrane a disinterested look. Luckrane turned its head away from Grufuzi, looking annoyed. Though after a moment, Yuu saw a look of diffidence cross over Luckrane’s face. This sparked a small thought in Yuu’s mind.

“Luckrane looked so self-conscious just now…” He thought, never thinking of Luckrane to be an insecure Pokémon. “...I wonder just how often Luckrane feels that way…” Just as he thought this, Shufanchu looked back at Yuu.

“Shufanchu, Shufanchu, Shufanchu,” Shufanchu said.

“I see,” Rotom Pokédex said, addressing What Shufanchu had said. “...Shufanchu really missed Luckrane this whole time it was gone…they want it to come back with them.”  Luckrane frowned and continued to look at the ground.

“Oh…” said Yuu, realizing the graveness of what he actually did. 

Despite the fact that it is customary for any trainer to go out into the wild and collect Pokémon, most people do not stop to think about the repercussions of removing those Pokémon from their natural habitat. 

Yuu, on the other hand, cannot entirely despite himself; in a manner, Luckrane and Yuu should have never met if Luckrane had followed the instructions given to him. Yuu, on the other hand, can link to the additional sensation of release and independence. 

Seeing himself and his mother as he stands there staring at Luckrane and Shufanchu, he realizes what he has done. With gritted teeth, Yuu could not help but attempt to fight for his Pokémon.

“Luckrane…” said Yuu as he turned to face his Pokémon sincerely, “If you want to go back with your family I’m not going to stop,” Yuu told Luckrane gently. 

“Krane?...” Luckrane questioned.

“...If you feel like you want to leave the team, then by all means- I’ll release you back to Shufanchu,” Yuu said as he could not help himself but gulp due to his throat feeling tight from emotions, “That being said… I really want you to stay with me!”

"Yuu..." murmured Zuko, his voice hushed as he listened in astonishment.

"Mato..." Matoic said, reflecting Zuko's sentiments.

"Ling!" said Lingliu, a smile on its face demonstrating that it, too, wishes Luckrane to remain.

Grufuzi and Violcinnth stood calmly by, listening to Yuu's statement with Shufanchu muttering, "..."

Yuu continued, saying, “I want your help in our upcoming Gym Battle to ensure we can win, because I still believe we can achieve that together…and maybe…we can prove that your parent was wrong and you are ready to leave the nest.” Yuu’s words inspired a spark of determination in Luckrane’s eyes. It nodded its head quickly, finding itself hyped up by what Yuu had said. 

Feeling more confident Yuu turned to Shufanchu now, who had been watching the interaction with a bit of an irritated look.

“Shufanchu, It's understandable that you're irritated with me, and I realize that you want Luckrane to return home with you, but I assure you that I will take excellent care of Luckrane and that I will truly care for it," Yuu stated. In response, he said, "Please allow me to demonstrate to you how the fruit of our collaboration would shine in a fight...let us face you and demonstrate that Luckrane is truly ready to stand on its own?"

“Shu…Shufanchu,” Shufanchu said thoughtfully. It looked at Luckrane who was nodding its head quickly, jumping from one foot to the next. Shufanchu let out a low grumble as it thought of Yuu’s offer. Finally, it turned to look at Yuu and nodded.

“Shufanchu Shu,” it said with an agreeing nod of its head. 

"It agreed," Rotom Pokédex said with delight. When Yuu and Luckrane hear this, they both appear to be quite delighted as well. Nevertheless, before they could say anything further, Shufanchu pointed to itself and then to Luckrane, shaking its head, indicating ‘no.’ Both lads were perplexed by this.

“...Wait, is it…disagreeing now?” Zuko asked with a frown.

“Does it-... not want to battle?" Yuu was perplexed. Shufanchu shook its head a few times before looking seriously at Grufuzi. Due to the rapidity with which it was said, Rotom Pokédex was unable to relay the finer details of the conversation at that moment. Soon, Grufuzi shook its head and tilted it to the side; crossing its wings over its breast and shaking its head again. Shufanchu rolled its eyes as it turned away from Grufuzi and re-directed its gaze towards Luckrane.

“...I don't understand,” Zuko said with a frown but as Yuu watched the interaction between both birds it became a little clear. 

“...Shufanchu’s agreeing to the idea of Luckrane proving itself, but Shufanchu is refusing to fight; it believes that the difference in power between parent and child is simply too great and that it wouldn’t be a fair fight between it and Luckrane,” Rotom Pokédex stepped in to explain. “It asked Luckrane’s older brother, Grufuzi, to step in but Grufuzi declined, believing to be above a fight with Luckrane.” 

“O-Older brother?! So, they are all a family? Geez,” Yuu said with a frown. “That’s a little rude.”

“No kidding,” Zuko sighed. He then looked over to the Violcinnth. “ Guess it's a family affair- minus the Violcinnth? ” he then thought.

“Luck Luckrane,” Luckrane said dejectedly. As this was happening Shufanchu turned to the Violcinnth now and started to speak with it. Violcinnth seemed curious, tilting its head this way and that. 

“Viol! Violcinnth,” it said with a nod of its head. 

“Ah, it seems that Violcinnth has agreed to step in for Shufanchu,” Rotom Pokédex explained. 

“Luckra Krane!” Luckrane said, hopping forward as well ready to prove itself to Shufanchu. 

“Alright!” Zuko said, reaching forward to clap Yuu’s shoulder tightly. “Good luck, I hope you guys win.” He said before he and Matoic moved out of the way. 

“...Fanchu Shufan Chu” said Shufanchu. Yuu then looked to Rotom Pokédex for answers.

“It is reiterating that failure for Luckrane to beat Violcinnth in a battle means that Luckrane leaves you, and is returning back home with it,” said Rotom Pokédex. 

Because the stakes were so high, Yuu began to get increasingly apprehensive. It looked at Luckrane, and it answered with a determined smile; it appeared that Luckrane was psychologically prepared for what was ahead, and Yuu was as well. 

Yuu then nodded, a mixture of excitement and apprehension in her voice. Yuu had always had trouble getting Luckrane to obey his directions, which was a significant disadvantage for him. He just prayed that today, as Luckrane and Violcinnth prepared to combat, he and Luckrane would be able to put the past behind them and triumph in this war together!

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“Alright Luckrane, let’s show everyone what we’re made of!” Yuu exclaimed, his voice filled with determination as he spoke to his Pokémon. “Let’s start strong and hit Violcinnth with Tackle!” Luckrane, who shared the same amount of determination as Yuu, nodded its head. Luckrane quickly charged forward, but Violcinnth immediately took to the air and dodge the attack.

While in the air, Violcinnth made its first move; flapping its wings forward and launching razor-sharp wind right at Luckrane! 

“Luck- Luckrane!” Luckrane cried, stumbling backwards as he was slashed with the move. 

“Ouch, that move looked like it hurt,” Zuko said, wincing in sympathy for Luckrane. Beside him, Matoic nodded its head in agreement.

“Indeed, that move is known as Air Cutter, “Rotom Pokedex said, “The user sends sharp gusts of wind at their opponent. It has an increased chance for critical hits as well!” 

“Huh? A critical hit?” asked Zuko, unsure of what that was.

“Sometimes moves, when they hit Pokémon Zuko, will deal extra damage; it is a random occurrence, and the probability of it happening can only be manipulated by using moves with a high chance of it being critical,” said Yuu, explaining the phenomenon to his friend.

"Ah… So how do you know when a critical attack lands then?” Zuko then asked.

“Uh…” Yuu said, unsure of how to answer. It then turned to Rotom Pokédex for answers.

“Hehe, well typically when you see a move normally for so long, you can just tell; sometimes the impact is greater, or the knockback. In competitions like Gym Battles, you will always be made aware of such. Keep an eye out for them!” answered Rotom Pokedex/ Zuko then nodded his, understanding the move’s properties, and continued to watch the battle intently.  

“Well now that that is cleared up… Alright Luckrane, let’s try to hit Violcinnth with Gust this time!” Yuu commanded.

“Luck! Luckrane!” Luckrane said in understanding, rearing up and flapping its wings vigorously and unleashing a strong burst of wind. Violcinnth attempted to dodge but before it could move completely out of the way it was hit by Luckrane's attack and was sent falling back to the ground.

“Viol! Violcinnth…” It cried before getting back onto its feet. On the sidelines, Shufanchu watched closely with anticipation. Beside it, Grufuzi had its head turned up and away from the battle before it; in all appearances, it seemed uninterested in Luckrane’s battle. 

“Alright Luckrane, let’s try Tackle once more!” Yuu cried. He couldn’t help but feel a little excited that Luckrane’s last move had hit! Luckrane nodded, and once again charged at Violcinnth. 

As Luckrane was running towards Violcinnth, a bright flash appeared in front of Viocinnth; Luckrane was shocked for a moment. Then, not even a second later, Violcinnth appeared to have completely avoided Tackle once more! 

“Damn it, it dodged again!” Yuu said, his little bit of excitement dashed as Luckrane once again failed to hit its opponent. On the sideline, Shufanchu frowned a little while Grufuzi, who seemingly was paying more attention to the fight, snickered at Luckrane’s miss. 

“Hmm… It seems that Violcinnth just used the move Detect which allows the user to completely evade an attack from an opposing Pokémon,” Rotem Pokédex chimed in. “Although interestingly enough, if Violcinnth continues to use this move the chances of it failing increases.”

“Really,” Yuu said, indeed finding himself interested in Rotem Pokédex’s commentary. “Alright Luck-”

“Violcinnth!” the Pokémon cried out, cutting off Yuu as it reared its wings up once more and unleashed Air Cutter! This time though Luckrane was a bit more prepared and quickly took flight and was able to just dodge the move. 

Without Yuu’s instruction, Luckrane used Gust for a second time; stunning Yuu.
“L-Luckrane?” he questioned as he saw the blades of wind land a direct hit on Violcinnth! “W-Woah! The attack hit!” he continued as he started to get hyped.

“Viol! Cinnth! Cin!” It cried out, once again being knocked over by the strong burst of wind it was hit with. However, this time it appeared as if the small bird Pokémon seemed a bit more hurt by the move.

"Luck Lu-krane!" Luckrane erupted in cheers, delighted with having scored a touchdown. Yuu, on the other hand, glanced at its Pokémon with an uncertain look on his face.

"* sigh *... Luckrane, the attack was successful, but we must work together to communicate! Our cooperation is the only manner in which we can demonstrate our worth to Shufanchu!" Yuu stated. 

Luckrane then appeared to be bewildered, as if it had not realized that it had taken action on its own, and it displayed more of its previous habits. Luckrane, on the other hand, had a great desire to adapt and demonstrate its independence. It can no longer act on the spur of the moment. Luckrane then bowed its head in agreement and turned to face Violcinnth, as it awaited more instruction from its trainer before continuing. Zuko, all the while, was getting more and more enthused by the combat that was taking on on the field as well.

“Nice that direct hit did a lot of damage it looks like!” Zuko said excitedly, pumping his fists up into the air. 

“Ma! Matoic!” Matoic agreed, the same tone of exhilaration filling its voice. Yuu let out a small sigh of relief as he nodded his head, once again feeling hopeful. This time even more so at the damage that seemed to have been inflicted on Violcinnth. On the sidelines, even Shufanchu seemed a little impressed, though the large Pokémon tried to keep its emotions at bay as it watched its child battle. 

“Gru Grufuzi,” it said with a roll of its eyes, sounding unimpressed as it once more turned its head away from the battle. 

“Alright, Luckrane let’s see if we can’t finish strong with another Gust!” Yuu said, feeling confident as ever. Luckrane nodded and once again used the move. Violcinnth however quickly countered using Detect once more! 

Yuu watched with bated breath as Violcinnth once again evaded before unleashing Air Cutter one Luckrane. Luckrane moved to dodge, but didn’t make it in time and was slashed with the painful move.

“Luckrane!” Luckrane cried as it stumbled backwards. It was hurting from being hit with Air Cutter but didn’t have time to dwell on the pain. Violcinnth was swooping in close and Luckrane could see it was preparing for another attack. Yuu saw this as well and felt a wave of worry coming over him, believing that Violcinnth was preparing for another Air Cutter.

“Come on Luckrane, you got this!” Yuu called out encouragingly. “We’ve come so far we’re not going to fail now…Violcinnth is coming in for another attack! Let’s not give it a chance to take this battle, hit it with Gust and knock it back on its butt!”

Luckrane, feeling heartened by Yuu’s words, also took to the air and once again used Gust just as Violcinnth used Air Cutter! The two moves crashed into each other, and sent powerful torrents of wind blowing in every direction!

This caused dust, dirt, and other debris from the courtyard to kick up into the air and swirl around violently obscuring the battlefield. Everyone, with the exception of Rotem Pokédex and the battles, had to cover their face in order to protect their eyes. Once the dust had settled everyone hesitantly looked up.

Yuu found his shoulders sagging in relief to see Luckrane was still standing and didn’t appear to be any more hurt. On the flip side, Violcinnth was also still on its feet and didn’t look worse for wear either.

“That was intense…” Zuko said reluctantly.

“Yeah,” Yuu said, his heart beating furiously at what he had just witnessed. All the hair on his arms had stood up and adrenaline was pumping through him. “Luckrane wasn’t hurt…I think Gust and Air Cutter canceled each other out when they hit…” 

“So cool,” Zuko said, his voice dripping with awe at the power displayed by what appeared to be two small birds to him. 

“Ma Matoic,” Matoic said with a nod, watching both Luckrane and Violcinnth closely, waiting to see what the next moves of the battle would be. 

“Fanchu!” Shufanchu dictated, their words seemed to be intended towards Violcinnth, which Shufanchu was staring at hard.

“V-Viol!” Violcinnth said in slight fear as it started to fly around the sky in circles around Luckrane. Rotom Pokédex then turned to stare at Shufanchu, who appeared to be a little taken aback.
“Uh huh… Shufanchu is becoming increasingly unnerved that Violcinnth has not yet been victorious... But it's a feeling of rage... Is it distressed by Violcinnth's weakness... or stressed by Luckrane's strength?" Rotom Pokédex wondered aloud.

“Come on Luckrane we’re still in this!” Yuu said in encouragement, “Let’s see if we can hit Violcinnth with Tackle this time!”

“Luck! Luckrane!” Luckrane said vigorously, rushing forward once more; determined to land a hit on Violcinnth. 

Violcinnth attempted to use Detect once again, but was unsuccessful! When Violcinnth learned this, and even more so when it knew that Luckrane was still on the way, a horrified expression appeared on its face. It was well aware that it did not have time to flee! Violcinnth was thrown tumbling backwards as Luckrane rammed its body into its opponent's backside.

“Ah, Detect failed this time!” Yuu said excitedly. “Come on Luckrane! Let’s get Violcinnth with another Tackle!” Luckrane nodded and once again rushed forward and landed another blow to Violcinnth. This time, Violcinnth was sent back even further as it appeared that this Tackle did more damage to Violcinnth.

“Woo-hoo, another direct hit!” Zuko said, feeling a rush of exhilaration for Luckrane. 

“Yes, it would appear that Luckrane has landed another critical hit on Violcinnth,” Rotem Pokédex observed, “Luckrane has an ability called Super Luck, which enables critical attacks to happen more frequently than with other Pokémon. As I mentioned, you have to look out for them; that was not the first time it has done so in this battle.”

“Wow, really?” Zuko said, his eyes growing wide. 

“Whoa, I didn’t know Luckrane possessed an ability like that!” Yuu said, looking at Luckrane with surprise, “A-And I guess I have more research to do on battling if I can’t ascertain critical hits that well just yet, ‘cause I didn’t know it landed multiple…” he continued, feeling slightly discouraged.

“Well, whether you can detect them or not, with an ability like that it seems like Luckrane is a really good Pokémon to have,” Zuko informed Yuu. Yuu nodded his head in agreement as Violcinnth pushed itself up to its feet.

“Viol! Violcinnth!” It cried out angrily. On the sidelines, Shufanchu leaned forward quickly, unable to hide the look of anticipation now written across its face; the outcome of this battle weighing heavily on its wings. Even Grufuzi was watching the battle openly now, no longer feigning disinterest in its sibling’s fight against Violcinnth.

“Gru…Grufuzi,” Grufuzi said, sounding shocked that Luckrane seemed to have the upper hand in this battle now. 

Shufanchu nodded hesitantly, no longer able to conceal the knowledge that Luckrane had considerable strength and may very well prevail. At the same time that it was surprising, it was also growing weary; a child was this close to genuinely leaving the nest, and Shufanchu began to yearn for Luckrane's defeat at this moment, if only so that it might accompany it back home.

However, just because it seemed like the tide had now turned in Luckrane’s favor didn’t mean that Violcinnth was giving up. The small Pokémon stretched out its wings and once again used Air Cutter. Luckrane flitted out of the way of the attack, much to Yuu’s delight.

“Good Luckrane! Now hit it with Gust!” Yuu instructed.

“Luck! Luckrane!” Luckrane cried, feeling confident. It used Gust once more, but Violcinnth managed to dodge! 

“Come on Luckrane we got this, just a little more!” Yuu said, balling his hands up into fists. He felt like the win was so close now. He knew if they could just get in one more good hit then victory would be theirs. “Come on, let’s try Gust one more time!” Yuu insisted.

“Luckrane!” Luckrane expressed itself with the same kind of self-assurance as Yuu. Luckrane unleashed Gust once again, and Violcinnth was beginning to evade just as he had previously. Yuu had an idea, and while he wasn't sure whether it would work, he felt he'd give it a go and see what happened.

“Okay Luckrane, quickly use Gust again once again!” Yuu said. Luckrane nodded and once again used Gust and while Violcinnth was dodging the first attack it didn’t have time to dodge the second one. 

“Violcinnth!” It cried out as it hit the ground hard and rolled over. Yuu gasped a little as Violcinnth went still.

“I think you-” Zuko stopped speaking as Violcinnth’s eyes fluttered open. It winced as it rolled over on its side and everyone watched as Violcinnth tried to stand up. It stumbled a little before falling over. 

“Viol…cinnth…” it cried out as it once again tried to get up only to fall over. It looked both upset and tired as it sat on the ground, looking like it wanted to get up but physically was too damaged to go on further. At that moment, Shufanchu let out a deep sigh, realizing the clear victor of the fight.

“Luckrane!” Yuu cried, feeling overjoyed as it became clear that Violcinnth couldn’t go on any further. Luckrane turned to Yuu and looked just as happy with the outcome. 

“You guys did it!” Zuko said. 

“Matoic Ma,” Matoic praised the duo. Yuu and Luckrane both instinctively turned to Shufanchu. 

As they did, they could see that Grufuzi who was looking at Luckrane with its mouth hanging open was utterly shocked that its little sibling had managed to win. Luckrane wasn’t paying too much attention to its sibling however and instead was looking at its parent. 

“Shu Shufanchu…” Shufanchu said gracefully, moving forward until it was standing right in front of Luckrane. “Shufanchu Shu, Shu Shu Shufanchu.” It said thoughtfully. Luckrane’s eyes went wide and turned a little watery. 

“Rotem Pokédex, do you mind translating for us…” Zuko asked. Rotem Pokédex nodded as it floated forward. 

“Yes, of course. Shufanchu is saying that it is shocking that Luckrane was able to work together with Yuu to hold its own against Violcinnth and win the battle. It is also proud to see Luckrane’s strength, even if it doubted Luckrane from the jump”

“Shu Shufanchu Fanchu,” Shufanchu continued to say as he looked down at Luckrane with a soft expression. 

“Shufanchu said that it clearly misjudged Luckrane and that it proved Shufanchu was wrong.” Rotem Pokédex explained. Yuu took in a deep breath as he watched the two Pokémon continue to converse. 

“Luck? Luckrane?” Luckrane asked, tilting its head to the side. Shufanchu said nothing for a moment as it stared down at Luckrane. The moment seemed to stretch on forever until Shufanchu nodded its head.

“Shufan Shu,” Shufanchu said gently, “Shufa Fanshu Chu.” 

“To translate once more; Luckrane asked Shufanchu if this meant that it really could stay with Yuu and continued to train.” Rotem Pokédex said. “And Shufanchu promised that it would keep its word and allow Luckrane to go off into the world with its blessing.” Yuu smiled and beside Zuko Matoic nodded its head in approval. 

Shufanchu moved away from Luckrane now and turned its focus onto Yuu. Slowly Shufanchu moved until it was standing in front of Yuu. 

“Shufanchu Shu. Shufanchu.” Shufanchu said solemnly. 

“Shufanchu is reiterating that it is astonishing that Luckrane and yourself were able to collaborate so successfully, and that it would follow through on its commitment to enable Luckrane to accompany you into the world.” Rotem Pokédex explained. Yuu grinned as he raised his eyes to Shufanchu, his feelings towards the Pokémon's remarks clearly expressed.

“I’m glad that Luckrane and I were able to prove ourselves to you Shufanchu. I promise that Luckrane and I will continue to work together and I will continue to look after your child to the best of my ability.” Yuu promised. Shufanchu nodded its head in understanding and turned back to Luckrane.

Grufuzi was standing beside Luckrane, looking down at its sibling with raised eyebrows. Luckrane had its chest puffed out with pride and had a gloating look written across its face. 

“Gru Grufuzi,” Grufuzi said before turning around and moving over to Violcinnth who was still sitting on the ground. 

“Oh, dear…Grufuzi just told Luckrane that it had managed to barely exceed Grufuzi’s extremely low expectations for it…” Rotem Pokédex said.

“Ouch…” Zuko said with a frown. “That sounds like something my sister would say.” He added sympathetically but as it looked to Luckrane to find a hurt look, he found none; instead, it looked even prouder. 

“Shu Shufanchu,” Shufanchu said to Luckrane now. “Shu Shu Shu.” It said leaning down and giving Luckrane an encouraging nudge with its beak before moving over to Grufuzi and Viocinnth who seemed to have recovered enough from the fight to be standing up now. 

“Luck Luckrane!” Luckrane called out to its parent. 

“Shufanchu Shu,” Shufanchu said. 

“They are saying their goodbyes to each other now. Shufanchu is wishing Luckrane good luck on their journey and hopes that one day when they met again that Luckrane will grow big and strong.” Rotem Pokédex said as it turned to Luckrane. “And Luckrane promised that it will do its best.”

“That’s so sweet,” Yuu said softly, watching as Grufuzi turned away from Luckrane first and was the first of the bird trio to take off into the sky. Violcinnth turned to Luckrane and gave in a silent nod in recognition before turning and being able to take off after Grufuzi. It stuttered in its flight but was able to straighten out and take to the sky. 

Shufanchu was the last one to take off. Giving Luckrane one more nod of the head before taking off after Grufuzi and Violcinnth. Luckrane hopped forward once and watched the trio fly off into the sky until they were little spots on the horizon. When they had disappeared Luckrane turned back to Yuu. 

Both of them shared a look of accomplishment that they had won the battle and therefore Shufanchu’s recognition. 

“We did it, buddy!” Yuu said again as he knelt down in front of Luckrane. “You were amazing against Violcinnth.” 

“Luck! Luckrane,” Luckrane said, blushing a little at the praise. 

“And now that you guys beat Violcinnth you can turn your attention back to Guway and face your first gym battle.” Zuko pointed out. Yuu nodded and gave Luckrane a wide smile.

“And now I’m more sure than ever that we have a chance to win this,” Yuu said to his Pokémon. “As long as we continue to work together as a team there isn’t anything that we won’t be able to do.” 

“Luck! Luckrane!” Luckrane said in agreement, its eyes alight with a fighting spirit. It, along with Yuu, was now emboldened to go forward and challenge Guway. 

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

Sokka and Suki hurried out of the courtyard, away from the rest of the group as they picked a random direction and began to make their way through the city. They had no specific destination in mind; they just wanted to explore Yishu. 

“This city is so beautiful,” Suki commented as she and Sokka made their way down a city street. Suki found herself enthralled by the various pieces of art that covered multiple buildings, walls, and sidewalks. One that caught her eye, in particular, was a painting of lovely woods; for sure a stark departure from the designs of past towns they visited.

It was a beautiful portrait and nothing like Suki had ever seen before. In their world, it wasn’t custom to cover the wall in artwork like this. Of course, there were people who would graffiti on buildings back home but it was generally looked down upon and none of it compared to the works of art that were painted all along Yishu City. It was like the entire city was a canvas for the people who lived there. 

“It must be so awesome to live here,” Suki said absentmindedly as they passed by a sidewalk covered in different pictures of various Pokémon. Some she recognized like Pikachu and Luckrane but others seemed alien. There was one picture of what looked like a living sandcastle and besides that was just an incredibly large anchor that looked out of place among the other Pokémon there. 

“Look at all these different art styles,” Suki continued to say, her voice filled with awe as she spoke. “So many people must have come together to make this…what an amazing sense of unity the artist must feel-”

“-Oh! Cubone, look there’s you!” Sokka exclaimed, cutting off Suki as he pointed down to a drawing of a Cubone on the sidewalk. It looked identical to the small Pokémon standing by his feet. 

“Cu Cubone,” Cubone said, sounding a little sheepish as it clung to its club. 

“Oh, I didn’t even notice that, good catch papa bear,” Suki praised, turning to give Sokka a loving look. That look quickly melted away however when she realized that Sokka wasn’t paying any attention to her and was instead cooing at Cubone. 

“What a cutie you are!” Sokka said happily. “You know instead of being called Cubone you could be called Cute bone!” 

“Cu Cubone…” Cubone said, sounding more embarrassed now as it gently scuffed the sidewalk with its little foot. 

“Sokka, are you listening?” Suki asked her boyfriend, feeling her chest filling with sadness when Sokka didn’t answer but instead kept sweet-talking his Pokémon. “Sokka…Sokka!”

“Hmm oh?” Sokka turned to Suki with a puzzled look. “Did you say something, Suki?” He questioned, causing Suki’s face to become flush as she immediately got annoyed by Sokka’s cluelessness. 

“Grrr!... Sokka, I’ve been attempting to speak with you for the past few moments…did you not hear a thing I said?” She demanded.

“Oh I guess not,” Sokka said, sounding just as embarrassed as Cubone had been a moment ago. “I was talking to Cubone! This is some important bonding time you know…” Suki rolled her eyes but quickly swallowed back her aggravation in order to avoid an argument with Sokka. The last thing she wanted was for them to be fighting right now. 

“I suppose…I was really just commenting on how nice the artwork around this city is,” Suki said. 

“Oh right…yeah, it’s really awesome!” Sokka agreed with a swift nod of his head. “Did you get a chance to see this painting of a Cubone?” 

“Yeah, I noticed it,” Suki said, stopping herself from rolling her eyes. It was awkward for a moment, Sokka and Cubone both glancing around the city so as to not catch Suki’s irate stare. As Sokka looked around he noticed that across the street from them a long line of people was forming outside of a large building.

“Oh, what’s going on over there?” He asked, his curiosity peaked as well as a desire to switch the topic. Suki and Cubone both turned to see what Sokka had been making reference to. 

“Hmmm I don't know, it seems like there’s a lot of people lined up for whatever it is though…do you want to go and check it out?” 

“Yeah, sure!” Sokka said with a nod of her head. Together the three of them crossed the street and approached some of the people standing in line. Sokka felt a little nervous as he walked up to one of the people standing there. He pushed past the feeling though as he cleared his throat. “Um, excuse me? I was wondering what is everyone standing in line for?”

The man he spoke to, an older-looking gentleman, glanced at Sokka and his company. He gave them a polite smile before speaking.

“Why this line is to get inside the auction going,” the man said kindly. “A lot of rare and expensive art pieces and some collectibles are being sold inside. It’s going to be a very exciting time if you’re interested.” 

“Oh that does sound kind of cool,” Sokka said, jumping from one foot to the next as he began to feel excited. Cubone tilted its head to the side as he watched Sokka before it, hesitantly, began to hop from one foot to the next as well. 

“Cu…Cubone,” it said as it mimicked Sokka. 

“We should go check it out, what do you think, Cubone?” Sokka asked, and then remembering Suki, he quickly turned to her. “Suki? What do you think? Do you want to go inside and look around?” 

“Yeah sure,” Suki said, looking and sounding a little peeved as she noted how Sokka’s attention had immediately gone to Cubone and not to her. “I’m down, this city is so artful that there must be some amazing pieces in there.” 

“Great! Come on, let's go and get a place in line!” Sokka said, leading the group down the sidewalk. The line was so long to get in that it wrapped around the building. 

“Wow, it seems like we really stumbled upon a big event,” Suki said once they reached the back of the line.

“Cubone,” Cubone agreed with a nod, once again holding its club close to its chest. 

“It makes sense considering how much this city values art, I bet auctions like this are usually big events,” Sokka said. Suki and Cubone nodded their heads in agreement. 

The three spent a considerable amount of time in a static line. Occasionally, the line would inch forward, but after a lengthy amount of time, it didn't seem to have traveled very far. Even though the queue was not moving very quickly, more and more individuals were joining it. However, this did not damper the trio's spirits, as the view of the auction venue reinforced their enthusiasm. 

Large windows adorned the building's walls, enabling people on the outside to see the inside. The walls were adorned with paintings of varying sizes and types, while beautiful statues stood on podiums in the middle of the room.

“It looks like there’s more than just art in there too,” Suki said as they finally turned the corner and found themselves on the original street they had started on. 

“Yeah, it looks like they have some old-looking musical instruments in there,” Sokka said curiously.

“And look there seems to be a lot of jewelry and clothing…some handbags too,” Suki said.

“Cu Cubone!” Cubone said, it had its face pressed up against the glass of the window as it peered inside. It was pointing to a podium that seemed to be dwarfed by another next to it that held a giant vase.

“What do you see Cutie?” Sokka asked, pressing his face against the glass as well. He let out a gasp as he realized what Cubone had been pointing at. 

“What? What is papa bear?!” Suki asked, pressing her face against the glass as well. 

“Suki, look!” Sokka cried, thrusting his pointer finger against the glass. “On that podium next to that vase…it’s my club !” He squeaked, causing Suki’s eyes to grow wide. Her eyes landed on what Sokka and Cubone were pointing at and indeed it was his club! The same one that Sokka held so close to him all the time back in their own world! 

“Cu? Cubone?” Cubone asked as it turned to look up at Sokka with a questioning look. Sokka blushed a little as he glanced away from his Pokémon. 

“Ugh well…let’s just say I lost my club when, uh, we came here to Huoli,” Sokka muttered, a little embarrassed. “I thought I lost it for good but…it’s there! We really need to get in there now!!!”

“This line is so slow though…”  Suki said, frowning as she saw how frantic Sokka was getting, “..H-Hopeful it doesn’t get sold before we’re able to get inside!”Cubone noticed how worked up Sokka was getting. 

“Cubone…” It said, giving Sokka a sympathetic look. As there was nothing else to do, the three moved ahead in line. Sokka maintained his focus on his club for as long as possible. Eventually, they reached the front of the line and encountered a problem that none of them had foreseen.

“So that’ll be two tickets, correct?” A man standing at the front of the doors asked. He was dressed in a sleek back suit and had a professional air about him. “That’s going to be 40 ₽ for each of you.” 

“Does it cost money to get in?!” Sokka asked, completely shocked. The man in front of them looked completely taken aback.

“Umm…well but of course,” He said. “While you are not obligated to bid on anything you see inside you will have to pay the ticket price to get inside.”

“Oh, I guess we didn’t realize that,” Suki said sheepishly. “But! Of course, that makes sense.” The man lifted his eyebrows as he looked at the two of them judgmentally. Cubone not liking the new vibe the man was giving off anxiously inched closer to Sokka. 

“Hey what’s going on?” A woman behind them asked, causing Sokka and Suki to turn around. She was giving them an exasperated look as she tapped her foot on the ground. “Is there some kind of problem here?”

“Um-” Sokka was cut off by the man in front.

“Ma’am…Sir, if you don't have any money to pay for your tickets I’m going to have to ask you to step aside for those behind you.” The man said, making a shooting motion with both hands. With no other choice, Sokka, Suki, and Cubone hurried to the side to get out of the way for everyone else. 

“What are we going to do now?” Sokka asked frantically. “We don't have any money to get in!” Suki frowned as she reached forward and grasped his biceps, squeezing them tightly.

“Calm down papa bear, we'll find a way to get inside!” Suki said encouragingly. “Together, our combined love will find a way to bust down those doors!” She promised, her words soothing Sokka only a little. Cubone seemed confused by the declaration as it nervously tugged on the legs of Sokka’s pants. 

“Ummm I’m just nervous right now Suki…the only person who can give us money to get inside is Yuu and it’ll take us so long to get to him and then back here…plus you have to factor in standing in that long line again!” Sokka said, anxiously chewing his bottom lip. “My club is so cool…it’ll definitely be sold by the time we manage to get inside!...”

“Oh, honey bunny…I don't see any other way,” Suki said. Sokka blushed and turned his eyes away from Suki for a moment attempting to brainstorm ways to get inside. While the two were putting their heads together, Cubone had wandered over to the alleyway between the auction building and the building next to it. 

“Cu! Cu! Cubone!” Cubone called out, waving its bone back and forth to get Sokka and Suki’s attention. The two spun around and quickly hurried over to the little Pokémon. It was going from one foot to the other, sounding quite proud as it pointed its club down at a hatch on the ground right next to the auction building.

“Oh! I bet you that hatch leads inside!” Sokka said excitedly. 

“Cu! Cubone!” Cubone said, its tone just as happy as it nodded its head. 

“You mean… You think we should sneak in? I don't know papa bear…that doesn’t seem like a good idea.” Suki said with a shake of her head.

“I know it might be a little…morally questionable- but my love! That's my club, and we have no other way to get inside right now,” Sokka said, turning to pout at his girlfriend. “Please…you know how much this means to me!” Cubone’s eyes grew a little, its eyes tearing up a little as it nodded its head, moved by Sokka’s words.

“Oh, Papa Sokka…I want to say no but I just can’t! I guess if there’s no other way then we’ll just have to sneak in.” Suki said, still sounding reluctant as she spoke. Sokka beamed at his girlfriend before reaching forward and hugging her. Suki sighed happily as she relished in the embrace. 

After releasing her from his hold Sokka hugged Cubone as well, heaping it with praise for finding the hatch.

“Alright let’s pop this baby open and get my club back!” Sokka whispered as he reached forward and opened up the double doors of the hatch to reveal a set of stairs. “This is now officially Operation: Get Back Sokka’s Most Worldly Prized Possession!” He proclaimed.

“...That’s a bit of a mouthful…what about Operation: Get Back Hubby’s Clubby😍😍😍😍😍😍😍🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰💞💞💞💞💖💖💖?” Suki cooed, causing Sokka to gasp.

“Oh, that’s even better!” Sokka said.

“Cubone!” Cubone said, sounding a little important now. It was about halfway down the steps and motioning them to follow.

“Right coming!” Sokka said, quickly following Cubone down the steps and into the auction house…

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

Sokka, Suki, and Cubone very quietly tip-toed throughout the basement of the auction house. Large crates, boxes, and barrels filled the basement as the trio navigated around them like a maze. They could hear the faint sounds of footsteps, music, and loud talking as more and more people crowded the space above. Sokka was filled with anxiety, feeling the urgency to get up there and get his club before someone else could. 

“Cu Cubone!” Cubone spoke quickly as it reached up to tug at Sokka’s pants. Sokka looked down at his Pokémon to see Cubone motioning toward another set of stairs. 

“Oh, I wonder if that door leads upstairs!” Sokka exclaimed. 

“Won’t hurt to try…I haven’t seen any other doors or staircases since we entered the basement,” Suki whispered as she inched closer to Sokka. Sokka took the lead once more as they quickly made their way over to the staircase. 

Before Sokka could sprint up the stairs and onto the next story, Suki cautioned, "We should be cautious. We don't know where these stairs go, and if there's a group of people on the other side of that door, it will likely appear quite suspect if we just exit via these doors."

Sokka complimented Suki, saying, "That's an excellent point" while Cubone nodded his head in accord with the compliment. Suki was moved to sway by the adulation.

“You think so Papa Bear😍😍😍?!” She cooed, her sugary tone causing Sokka to blush. 

“Yeah I really do!” he responded.

“Cubone!” Cubone said quickly, seeing that this conversation could easily get off track. It reached up and tugged on Sokka’s pants leg again. “Cu! Cubone!” It pointed back towards the door again. 

"Come on, Suki, let's get moving!" Sokka said.
Suki walked after Sokka and Cubone, displaying a hint of displeasure at the abrupt end to her and Sokka's romance. When they reached the stairway, Sokka crept cautiously up them. When he reached the door, he twisted the doorknob gently before breaking it open. He could see through the little opening in the door that this door went to a corridor. To his relief, there were no others present.

“Come on guys, there’s no one out here right now,” Sokka whispered over his shoulder before slipping out of the doorway. Cubone and Suki quickly followed them with Suki gently shutting the door behind her as they did so. 

“Come on, we should find that room we saw when we were outside,” Suki said. 

“Yeah, that’s where my club is!” Sokka responded.

Not only that, but I believe we will be able to effortlessly blend in with the throng once we enter that place" Suki spoke swiftly. "There seems to be a lot of commotion and conversation coming from this direction...we should follow it." Suki gestured to the hallway's left side. Sokka and Cubone both agreed, and Suki took the lead this time.

It became clear that Suki's intuition was correct as they continued to get closer to the massive upwelling of sound. They had been looking at the enormous showroom from the street when the hallway suddenly opened up into it. All of the artwork was laid out on the floor in the showroom.

“Wow, there’s a lot of people in here,” Suki said, feeling a little overwhelmed by the large crowd of people in the space.

“We have to stay close,” Sokka said. “So that we don't get lost in this sea of people! Especially you Cubone, you are so little it’ll be easy to get swept away! Make sure to stay close to me okay?” Cubone nodded quickly as it reached up and took a hold of Sokka’s pants. 

“Right, I-I’ll make sure to stay close to you as well Papa Bear…” Suki’s voice quivered a little as anxiety tightened her chest. Sokka didn’t seem to notice as he craned his head up, appearing to look over the crowd. He couldn’t see his club but he did spot the windows it had been displayed by earlier.

“This way…I think!” He whispered as he began to push his way through the crowd. 

As he moved closer to the windows, he saw that a small crowd was beginning to develop. A dapper-looking guy who was standing head and shoulders above the rest of the throng could be seen in the center of this gathering. He had a wide, barrel-chested chest despite his height and thin build. He had a huge, bushy mustache behind his enormous, swollen nose. His nose was really long. He wore tiny, spherical sunglasses that obscured his eyes along with his thick, brown hair.

The gentleman seemed to be dressed to the nines, with a complete black tuxedo and a high-crowned top hat. He was shouting above the din created by everyone else in the room, he was wearing white gloves on his hands, and he was gesticulating animatedly while doing so.

“Gather! Gather you will not regret it!” The man was saying, laughing between every few words as he beckoned people to come to him. “I have a story to share about a priceless alien artifact!” As he proclaimed this a gasp went around his audience. A moment later the man turned around and seemed to be fiddling with someone in front of him.

When he turned around again Sokka felt his heart sink down to his guts. The man was holding up his club for the entire room to see! 

“Look there it is!” Suki whispered.

“I know…that jerk has his dirty hands all over my beautiful club!” Sokka said as he slightly growled

“Listen closely all of you while I, The King of Clubs, tell you all about how I found this beautiful alien artifact. I was spending time in Mian Resort, taking a well-deserved vacation. While unwinding in one of the resorts, I stumbled upon this club simply laying on the ground.” The crowd gasped as they drew closer to the man. “Seeing its elegant piece of art I picked it up to admire the beauty, and while in my hand a laser shot from the tip of it!”

“A laser?!” Someone exclaimed in the crowd. 

“Yes! A laser shot straight from the club, and turned a tree into ash!” The King of Clubs said exuberantly. “That’s what drew me to believe this is indeed an artifact from a different plant!” 

“Why would anyone auction something like that off though?” Another voice called from the crowd. The man who called himself The King of Clubs chuckled as he twirled his mustache with his free hand. 

“While amusing as this club is, I have no need for something that spits laser beams…therefore I figured why not auction it off to someone who can make use of it! Remember, it’s a priceless item…so it’ll be a lot of money once it goes onto the auction floor!” Chatter broke out in the crowd while Sokka’s stomach fluttered. 

“...Did you hear that Suki? He’s going to sell it for a lot of money…it’s not priceless…it’s not worth anything-”

“I know that whole story seems like a scam!” a stranger beside Sokka interjected, shaking his head. “I feel bad for whatever idiot actually wastes their time buying it…who would want a stupid club like that?” The man scoffed. Sokka frowned and bowed his head slightly as he turned back to Suki.

“What are we going to do?” He asked his girlfriend, moving closer to her and dropping his voice so no one else could butt into their conversation. 

“...Well we find ourselves in the same issue we were in when we were trying to get in here…we have no money!” Suki said with a frown. “I’m not sure there’s anything we can do short of-…Oh, Sokka please tell me you aren’t thinking what I think you are.” She begged, looking at the desperate look written across his face. She had seen it before when Sokka had been chasing after Cubone. 

“Suki you know how much that club means to me…it might not be worth any money but it’s worth the world to me.” Sokka whimpered as he took Suki’s hand in his own. “Please I can’t bear the thought of leaving it here and having it fall into the hands of some stranger like that jerk who's auctioning it off!” Suki’s frown deepened as a conflicted feeling came over it. 

“Cubone! Cu!” Sokka looked down at his little Pokémon who was pointing in the direction of where The King of Clubs was standing. By now the crowd had dispersed leaving Sokka’s club in its case in full view. The King of Clubs had taken a step to the side while two burly-looking men in work overalls surrounded the case. The three watched as the men picked up the case.

“What’s going on?!” Sokka asked with a frown. “Where are they taking the club to?”

“I don't know, but it looks like more than just the club is being taken away,” Suki said, looking around like a bunch of men in identical outfits were now moving other pieces of art off the floor. “I wonder why?” Her question was loud enough to catch the attention of someone passing by. But not just anyone…

“Oh, these fine strapping young men are taking all of these items off to the back so they can be prepared to be taken to the auction floor,” The King of Clubs informed Suki. “The auction is going to start shortly, so I would advise you to head to the main room now to get good seats!” And with that, the man took off in the opposite direction.  

“Ugh!... That guy gives me the creeps,” Suki shivered a little as she spoke.

“We don't have time for that…come on their taking my club that way we have to follow them!” Sokka took off after the men carrying his club with Cubone right on his heels. 

“Tsk, shit!...” Suki uttered under her breath as she followed as well. Catching up to Sokka, she grabbed his shoulder to get his attention, “So what plan do you have Sokka?

“Um… I’m kinda goin’ with the flow right now! You got one to steal it back?” he asked. Sokka scoffed.

“…I mean…Okay, I don't like the idea of stealing this thing… but considering it’s already stolen…I guess it wouldn’t be bad?” Suki seemed to be questioning her own logic as they trailed the club. “But how are we actually going to get to it?”

“I’m not sure of that yet,” Sokka admitted. They continued to follow the men until they had to a doorway towards the back of the room. The men went through it and when it shut again the three could see on the door a sign that said: Employees Only hanging on the front.

“I’m guessing we can’t just go back there,” Suki said.

“Cubone Bone,” Cubone said, its tone just as skeptical. 

“I mean we came this far and that’s only because we snuck in through the basement…it won’t hurt to try would it?” Sokka asked, looking around to check no one was watching before creeping forward. He tried the door and like before found it was unlocked. He quickly slipped inside followed by Suki and Cubone. On the other end of the door, they found themselves in a locker room.

“Uh okay, this is not what I was expecting,” Suki said as she looked around. Sokka’s attention however was on the men transporting his club as they went around a corner. 

“They're going that way let's-” Sokka was cut off by voices coming from a different hallway. 

“Oh shit Sokka, what should we do? We are definitely not supposed to be here, we're going to get kicked out for sure!” She panicked as the voices drew closer and closer. “We need to hide or leave!”

“Leaving is not an option,” He said firmly before he began to quickly look around the room for somewhere to hide. As he did his eyes landed on the wall opposite where they were standing. Hanging on a line of hooks were work overalls the same as what the men who they were following had been wearing. “Look there are those uniforms over there…we can put them on!”

“What?!” Suki said in shock.

“Hurry!” Sokka rushed forward and with little choice, Suki reluctantly did as well. 

They grabbed the first pair they could get their hands on and quickly dressed in the uniforms over their own clothing. It was just in the nick of time as a group of those large, burly men came into the locker room. They didn’t spare the trio a second glance before heading back onto the floor.

“That was close!” Suki yelped.

“Come on this way…we might be able to still catch my club!” Sokka said as he rushed in the direction he had last seen it going in. They darted through the doorway and were led to a long, white hallway with doors on either end.

“There!” Sokka said, watching just as the men carrying his club disappeared into a room down on the far left.

“Sokka wait!” But Sokka didn’t wait, he hurried forward and didn’t stop moving until he got to the doorway in question. Pressing himself up against the wall he carefully peeked into the room. Suki and Cubone did the same. The room was small and white, devoid of any furniture or art on the walls. 

There were two other men in the room. The two workers carrying the club and the display along with two bigger more muscular men in simple black suits. One of the men in the black suits spoke as the glass display was put down.

“Here, we’ll put this cover over it for now,” he grunted as he threw a white, canvas cover over the display. 

“ Huh… with that cover over it, my club kinda looks like a bone!... ” he thought, creeping him out a little. 

One of the men dressed in black then said, “You boys are all done here, we’ll be guarding the club until they take it onto the auction floor.” The workers nodded and turned now to head out of the room. Sokka, Suki, and Cubone quickly pulled themselves out of the doorway. 

“Act casual,” Sokka commanded before Suki could question their next move. She nodded and leaned up against the wall just as the workers came walking out. “Oh yeah moving that vase was a killer on my lower back…oh so sore…gonna be feeling that in the morning!” Sokka said loudly. Suki, catching on, started to stretch.

“Yeah, I need a break!” She said nervously as the two men walked by, not paying them any attention. Once they were out of earshot they both relaxed. 

Once they were completely out of view Suki turned back to Sokka, saying “Papa Bear…”

“I know, I know! I’m thinking,” he whispered, chewing his bottom lip as he attempted to come up with some kind of plan. Slowly he peered back into the room and as he did so Suki moved to mimic his actions however she made the wrong step and tripped over Cubone! 

“Cubone!” It yelped as Suki was knocked off-kilter and into Sokka sending them both sprawling onto the ground and in full view of the security men in the room.

“What’s going on out there!” The one on the left demanded.

“Sorry, we just tripped!” Suki said honestly, her throat tightening after she spoke as the man who was speaking quickly approached them. 

“Y-Yeah we were…um just looking for the bathroom and my klutzy colleague over here fell on me haha!” Sokka said nervously, a single drop of sweat sliding down his temple. “Uh…do you think you could point us in the direction of the bathroom? We’re a little lost!”

“Lost? Don't you two work here?” The other security guard said as he started to work here. “Didn’t they teach you this on the first-day kid?” 

“It is our first day!” Suki blurted out. “So much going on and we forgot! So um…help us out maybe?” The first security guard sucked his teeth, clearly annoyed now. He moved closer and both Sokka and Suki scrambled back.

While Sokka scrambled backwards he hadn’t noticed two other workers coming behind him holding a very large, fragile vase in their hands. He knocked into them and sent them falling to the guard along with the vase which shattered into a million little pieces!

“Oh shit!” One of the workers hollered.

“It was an accident!!!” Sokka blurted out as he jumped onto his feet, a look of horror stretching across his face. 

“What the hell did you do?!” One of the workers hollered as he looked at the mess around him. “Do you know how much this vase is worth you fucking moron?!” 

“No!” Sokka said honestly.

“A LOT, you dumbass!” The other worker said.

“Hey! Did you hear him when he said it was an accident?” Suki demanded, feeling protective of Sokka as everyone now turned on him. 

“You think that matters?” The security said to her now, shaking his head as his colleague quickly headed over to check out what was happening. “Oh, your friend is so fucked…dude, I hope you have the money on you to pay for that!”

“Um…” Sokka murmured, turning to Suki in uncertainty.

“Um?!” The first worker demanded. “Did you just um?! UM?! You fucking douchebag!!! You realize that it’s not just your ass on the line now! You better have a lot better than an um!” Sokka gulped thickly as he glanced over at Suki who looked equally as nervous. 

An idea then popped into Cubone’s head. It let out a little whine as it looked down at its own bone. Cubone held it tightly, its heart aching slightly as it came to terms with what it was about to do. It continued to hold its bone close to its chest. The bone meant everything to the little Pokémon…the same way that Sokka’s club meant a lot to him. 

And Cubone found that Sokka, who had been incredibly kind and fatherly to him, also meant a lot to it. This thought and feeling caused Cubone to slip underneath the cloth that covered the display case now. A second later, it slipped out and hurried back over just as one of the workers was getting in Sokka’s face.

“Do you have the money to pay for this or not?” they asked.

“No!” Sokka blurted out. “...So, uh, now what?” Everyone went quiet; all the people who really worked there looked at each other.

“Call the cops?” One of the security guards asked.

“Oh no, I don't want to go back to jail again !” Sokka cried.

“What?!” The second security guard said, looking completely shocked. 

“Uh…this is a good time to get the fuck out of here!” Suki said suddenly, using her agile reflexes to flip over the guard’s head as she bolted towards the door.
“W-What?!” the security guard said, flabbergasted. Just then, Sokka and Cubone pushed the guard out of the way as they followed behind Suki.

“Oh no you don't!” One of the security hollered. However, they underestimated their speed; Suki, Sokka, and Cubone were already sprinting down the hallway! The guards did what they could to chase after them! The three retraced their steps, hurrying into the locker room and back out of the door they had come through. The large room they had been in was still incredibly crowded so they were able to slip back into it.

“Crap crap CRAP! W-What do we do?!” Sokka questioned frantically.

“Let’s go back the way we got in!” Suki suggested. 

Sokka and Cubone didn’t argue as they pushed their way through the crowd. Behind them they heard the door to the locker room bust open, causing everyone within earshot to spin around. The trio didn’t stop as they flew back into the hallway that led to the basement. They didn’t stop running until they came back out into the alleyway. Sokka collapsed onto the ground as he attempted to regain his breath. 

“Holy shit,” Suki gasped as she leaned against one of the alleyway walls. “That was close…we should probably-”

“Fuck!” Sokka hollered, slamming his fist onto the ground. “Fuck! That was it! Our only chance to get and I…I messed the whole thing up…I’m never going to get my club…damn it!” He hung his head low as anguish and a feeling of failure came over him.

“Oh, Papa Bear…” Suki said, tears welling up in her eyes as well as she saw the pain her boyfriend was currently in. She moved forward to comfort him but before she could Cubone walked forward until it was in front of Sokka.

“Cu Cubone,” It said gently as it reached forward and tapped Sokka’s forehead with the club in its hand. Sokka sniffed as he picked his head up. His eyes went wide as he saw what Cubone was holding in its hands. 

“My club! You have my club?!” Sokka asked. Cubone nodded ‘yes’... “B-but how?!” Sokka continued.

“Cu Cubone!” It said, shaking Sokka’s club in his face. Sokka leaned back and looked back feeling shocked and happy. As he looked at Cubone he noticed his Pokémon’s own club wasn’t in its hand.

“Cubone…you only have my club…where’s your bone?” Cubone’s shoulder sagged a little as it looked down at its little feet. Sokka seemed to understand as he reached forward and held Cubone in a tight embrace.

“Cubone…you sweet little thing,” he whispered gently. Pulling back he rested his hands on Cubone’s shoulders as he stared down at it. His own idea came into his head now. “...That club actually seems to fit in your hand really well…I think you should have it!” 

“Cu…Cubone Bone?!” It exclaimed, surprised by this twist of events. Sokka nodded as he stroked Cubone’s skull. 

“Seeing the club made me really homesick; I did so much with that club, and it’s really important because of that! But you, Cubone, are also important to me! Knowing you are protecting it over some lying tycoon is waaay better!” said Sokka.

“Cuu!...” said Cubone, as a tear started to fall from its eye. Suddenly, the three all heard shouting. They turned to the double doors that they had just come down from.

“Oh no… Looks like those guys caught up with us…we better cut this loving moment short!” Suki said nervously. “Come on!” Sokka nodded, scooping Cubone up in his arms, and rushed out of the alleyway. Turning onto the street they ran for a few steps before bumping right into someone…again! 

“Ouch! Will you watch where you're going!” A familiar, disgruntled voice said. Sokka, Suki, and Cubone all looked up to see they had bumped right into Azula and Pikachu! 

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

Meanwhile, nestled within a quiet park of Yishu City…

Since leaving the larger group with Katara and Toph, Aang has done all he can to mentally prepare for not just the next hang glider test, but also to find his center and peace with all of the possibilities. They sat underneath a large tree surrounded by a group of bushes and shrubs. It was quiet here and the perfect place for meditation. Katara and Toph hadn’t said much since they had found this spot, both girls seemingly in their own thoughts and leaving Aang to his. Aang breathed deeply and kept the breath in his chest for a few heartbeats before gently releasing it. He continued this action to establish a deep state of meditation. His goal was to clear his mind and, maybe, reunite with the Avatar State. 

It has not been truly long since Aang's arrival in Huoli, during which time he has contemplated losing the link he had with his ancestors; hence, he wants to embrace this moment. The natural chakra points in his body that ordinarily lead Aang to nirvana when he tapped into them now only lead to a metaphysical brick wall with each passing breath and effort. It was a sensation of emptiness and isolation. As though he had been severed from a portion of himself that he could not restore whatever of his efforts. After many more tries, Aang opened his eyes and sank against the tree against which he was seated.

Katara, seeing his movement from the corner of her eye, turned her head to see Aang had shifted. She frowned upon seeing the expression written across his face. 

“Aang? What's the matter, sweetie?" Aang heard Katara ask. Katara was seeing Aang's distressed mood from the corner of her eye, unbeknownst to him. As Aang regarded her, he saw that she was drowning. "You seem quite sad," she said. Aang's expression got more despondent as he raised his eyes to stare at her.

“...I guess I’m just feeling really discouraged right now,” he said in a defeated tone. “I’ve been trying hard to connect to the Avatar State and reach out to my past lives but nothing is happening. I feel like I’m coming to a dead end with no way forward in sight…I’m unsure what I should do next.” 

“Oh, honey…” Katara’s tone dripped with sympathy as she moved forward to give him a hug. “I’m sorry you’re having trouble. I wish I could do something to help…” Aang’s frown deepened as they pulled away from each other. 

“I know…I just wish I knew where to find these answers…I feel so lost and in turn that makes me feel so helpless.” He admitted. Above him, the branches of the tree shook and a second later Lemaki appeared. Hearing the sadness in Aang’s voice, the small Pokémon scaled down the tree and made its way over to him.   

“Hey Lemaki,” Aang greeted, reaching forward and gently petting Lemaki’s back. He smiled a little when Lemaki hopped into his back.

“Lemaki Le,” Lemaki said as it settled itself into Aang’s lap. Aang continued to smile as he was able to find some comfort in his companion. That didn’t last long, though as the reality of his situation began to descend on him once more. 

“I just wish I had some idea of what to do but I don't know…” Aang continued on

“I wish I had the answer.” Katara reached forward and took Aang’s hand in her own before giving it a gentle squeeze. 

“Well… maybe right now the answer isn’t to pour over the answer,” Toph spoke up, causing Aang and Katara to look towards her. “Maybe you should switch gears and focus on something else, like the gliding test you have coming up.”

“You think so?” Aang asked.

“Yeah, that actually sounds like a good idea,” Katara agreed before turning back to her boyfriend. “Maybe right now you’re focusing too hard on regaining the Avatar State and that’s creating a kind of mental block, putting your energy into something else might help clear that path for you.”

“Maybe you guys are right…” Aang said with a thoughtful look. “Come on, let’s head back to the gym and start practicing!”
Both girls happily agreed, and soon the four were making their way back to the Yishu City Gym. When they entered the courtyard it was empty and they were just about to start heading up the floating pathways when they heard voices getting closer and closer.

“What’s that?” Toph asked with a frown as they all turned back to the front of the courtyard.

“Sounds like-... arguing,” Aang said as Lemaki began to chatter from where it was perched on Aang’s shoulder. 

“Yeah, those voices sound familiar…” Katara’s tone was disapproving now as she recognized at least Suki’s raised voice.
A moment later, Sokka, Suki, and Azula appeared with Cubone and Pikachu. Suki and Azula were engaged in a heated debate, as Sokka attempted to resolve the situation. Neither seemed to be paying him any attention.

“Hey! What in the world is going on here?” Aang asked, moving forward to approach them. “Why are you guys arguing?” Azula raised an eyebrow as she turned to look down at Aang. She opened her mouth to answer his question while Suki still snipped at her. 

“Don't turn away from me when I’m speaking with you Azula!” Suki huffed. “I have WAY more to say to you!” 

“Pikachu! Pika!” Pikachu snapped at Suki, leaning forward on Azula’s shoulder in order to get in Suki’s face. 

“Don't you get in my face, you!” Suki said, her argument with Azula now spilling over into an argument with Pikachu! 

“What in the world is happening here?” Katara demanded, placing her hands on her hips. She directed the question to Azula who still hadn’t gotten a chance to address Aang. 

“Why are you asking me like I’m the one who started it?” Azula demanded back.

“Um because you probably did!” Katara said quickly. Azula’s face immediately filled with indignation at the accusation.

“For your information-” 

“-It doesn’t really matter who started what!”Azula was swiftly cut off by Sokka who stepped between her and everyone else save for Suki who was still getting into it with Pikachu. “Nothing important happened, just a petty argument that’s all! An argument that is basically over!” Sokka said so quickly that it came off as suspicious to both Toph and Katara. Aang however nodded his head in understanding. 

“Okay well as long as nothing serious happened…” Aang responded nervously.

“Yeah… Nothing happened, right?” asked Sokka to Suki and Azula.

“Hmph!...” Azula and Suki muttered, his question caused the two girls to back off from each other and pout. The rest of the group looked on in silence; each feeling as if more was to the story, but did not want to pry…

*****

A few minutes prior, outside of the auction house

“Ouch! Will you Huolian peasants watch where you’re going!?” Azula demanded in a disgruntled tone. As she looked up to see who had dared to bump into her she was surprised to see Sokka, Suki, and Cubone standing in front of her. “Oh, it’s otherworldly peasants…” she continued. As Azula analyzed them, they all looked out of breath and were just as surprised to see her and Pikachu.

“A-Azula?!” Sokka questioned in shock. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion upon seeing them. 

“What in the world are you three doing? Why are you running out of an alleyway? And why are you bumping into royalty?” she asked.

“Pika! Pikachu!” Pikachu added from its place on Azula’s shoulder. Azula nodded her head at her Pokémon’s words.

“Pikachu would like me to add that you, Suki, bumping into me means by extension you bumped into Pikachu,” Azula amended. “It said to watch where you're going!” 

“Sorry Azula, we're kind of in a rush to get out of here and weren’t watching where we were going!” Sokka said as he looked over his shoulder. “Um, we actually need to keep going so can we run and talk about this at the same time?” 

“What-” Sokka, Suki, and Cubone did not wait for Azula’s response as they all ran around her and away from the security guards who had been after them! 

“There, there is another one with those thieves!!!” shouted the security guards, assuming Azula was their accomplice!

“What?! Thieves!? I didn’t steal anything today !...” Azula shouted back. 

Azula, having no other option, turned around and pursued the gang. She quickly caught up to them and sprinted beside them at a casual pace. There, they sought to evade the guards by moving through Yishu City's winding back alleyways. Due to Sokka and Suki's many experiences with the Fire Nation and Azula's pursuit of the Avatar, Sokka, Suki, and Azula were all adept at racing through streets. They ran for a few more blocks until the original trio felt like they were clear of any of the security guards. 

“Does anyone want to explain what that was about?” Azula demanded. Sokka and Suki exchanged a questioning look not sure if they wanted to share with Azula their criminal activities. Azula sensing this, shook her head. “Neither of you are smart enough to cultivate an excuse for why guards would be chasing you and calling you all ‘thieves’! And the audacity to get me involved when I was just minding my fucking business! Spill what happened, before I spill your guts!”

“Are you calling us stupid?” Suki asked, taking offense at the statement.

“Stupid? Not exactly… you just aren’t smart enough to outwit me; do with that information as you will now stop stalling and tell me what happened!” Suki’s face screwed up at this but Sokka realized that it would just be easier to tell Azula the truth. He placed his hand on Suki’s arm to quiet her before he launched into what happened from the moment they decided to visit the audition house to the moment they had run into her and Pikachu.

As he told the story of their trek to steal his club back, he could tell by the expression on Azula’s face that she was growing displeased with each new detail she learned. By the time he finished the tale of their adventure, Azula was looking at them like they were indeed idiots.

“...What in the world were you two thinking?!” She demanded once Sokka finished speaking. 

“I was thinking I wanted my club back!” Sokka said in his defense. “You don't understand how important it is to me!”

“I must not,” Azula said icily. “After everything that happened with your arrest, I just don't understand how you could put yourself in that position for it to possibly happen again and for a much heavier crime than before! And one you actually did! I mean- can you imagine what that insane Officer Jenny would have done to you if she caught you again ?”

“I know! I know!” shouted Sokka apologetically.

“And Suki, how could you even think to go along with it?” Azula demanded. “You had no plan, no idea of the layout of the auction house, you just decided to commit such a wide-scale crime on a whim! A Kyoshi Warrior ?! How could you agree to that?”

“I figured it was already stolen so what’s the harm in stealing it back? I’m shocked that you aren’t more sympathetic about stealing since you tried to steal the Air Nomad's, the Water Tribe’s, AND the Earth Kingdom’s freedom!” Suki countered, shocking Sokka with her words. “And I did it because I love my Papa Bear, and you wouldn’t understand throwing yourself in the line of fire for love though because you have no one to love like I love Sokka! Has anyone ever even loved you, you despicable little cretin?!” 

“S-Suki!” Sokka said, half shocked by her statement but also in love. Azula laughed coldly at Suki’s words, appearing as if she wasn’t affected by them. 

However, the fact was that Suki's jab had struck one of the few sensitive points in Azula, who had been rejected by her family and friends and felt she had never been genuinely loved. The only expectation she had for this was Zuko, despite the fact that their relationship remained tense at times and may be challenging owing to their history. Still, Azula refused to ever let anyone see her sweat; least of all someone like Suki. 

“...First off, I didn’t steal the Air Nomad’s freedom; that was my ancestors. And Zuko did more to the Water Tribe than me really... Second, Good! If loving someone means being a blind idiot then I’m happy to never experience that emotion,” Azula shot back as she continued to keep her temper at bay. “And if you really loved Sokka you might have had enough forethought to stop him after everything that transpired! I mean Sokka could have had his freedom taken away for a second time…did neither of you stop and think about that?”

“Well…no,” Sokka admitted sheepishly.

“Freedom! Ha! I laugh!” shouted Suki, “Coming from the leader of a country who wanted to take everyone’s freedom away from them, that’s rich!” 

"Easy digs. Do not deflect Suki; both of you can only think about that ridiculous club!" But putting Sokka's run-in with the cops aside, what about the rest of the group?" Azula huffed. "Are you not considering the amount of time and labor we'd have to expend in order to escape from this situation? How would it alter our present plans and delay our mission further?"

“Spirits Azula, do you always have to be such a fucking asshole?!” Suki demanded. “We made a bad choice, we get it but stop riding us about it!”

“You deserve to be raked over the coals. You guys aren’t the only people missing home but if you keep making foolish decisions you’ll make finding our way home more difficult!” Azula said and on and on the argument like this went as they began to make their way back to the courtyard… 

*****

Back in the present time…

“Alright, alright let’s all just not fight…” Aang said loudly, quieting down Suki and Pikachu as well as Azula and Katara. In this lull, Cubone, proud of his new club, shyly walked forward and showed it to Aang, Katara, and Toph. 

“...Hey, is that Sokka’s club?” Katara asked, kneeling down in front of Cubone. “And Cubone has it…that’s surprising!”

“Did I hear that right?” Toph asked, turning to the sound of Katara’s voice. “Cubone has Sokka’s club? Like Sokka’s club ?”

“I can’t believe you found it!” Aang added as he knelt down in front of Cubone as well. 

“Why does Cubone have it?” Toph questioned.

“Thought it fit Cubone better!” Sokka laughed nervously. Wanting to quickly change the subject he looked around the group. “Hmm… we’re missing Yuu and Zuko aren’t we? Wonder where those guys have gone off to!”

“They didn’t really say,” Aang said as he stood up. “Just that Yuu wanted to start training…actually we’ve come here so I can train for my Glider test…I was kind of hoping that Yuu would be here when I trained myself…”

“Right, I’m sure we can catch up with Zuko and Yuu later,” Katara said gently. 

“I guess you’re right,” Aang said with a smile. “Let’s head up!”

“We’ll come with you!” Sokka said quickly. 

“I’ll go anywhere you want to Papa Bear 🥰🥰🥰🥰 just lead the way!” Suki purred happily. Sokka blushed and Azula shook his head, finding a new level of disgust for their interactions. Despite this, she still followed the couple up to the gym with everyone else.

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

Aang, along with the rest of the group made their way back into Guway’s gym. Like the last time, they were here a plethora of trainers were battling with each other, practicing in preparation for their own gym challenges. Azula, Zuko, and Sokka took interest in this and began to casually watch a match in the closest practice arena. 

Aang, however, found no interest in this and in fact turned away from the violence as he instead made his way toward the theater part of the gym. His eyes widened when he saw the acrobats up towards the ceiling, happily flying around on their hang gliders. 

“Wow look at them go,” Katara said, tilting her head up as she watched the acrobats as well. “They remind me of when we met Teo.” She added, thinking back to one of the many friends they had made during their journey to end the 100 year war. Teo’s father had been a mechanist who had engineered air gliders based on the ones the Air Nomads had used before their destruction. 

Aang nodded his head, indeed remembering arriving at the Northern Air Temple to find Teo and some of his friends using new, modified air gliders to fly through the sky. The same excitement he had felt then, he felt now as they drew closer to the group. 

“Oh man, I remember Teo!” Sokka said, folding his arms behind his head as he too remembered their old friend. “I wonder what that guy is up to…” he continued, his voice becoming a bit somber as he remembered home.

“Well, look who we have here!” A familiar voice called out to them. They turned to see Guway making their way toward them with an easy going smile. “How are you guys doing?” 

“Good!” Aang said as he hurried over to the gym leader. “I’ve been meditating and trying to get ready for my hang glider test…I’ve come here hoping I can get some practice in with an actual hang glider.” Guway smiled brightly.

“I think I can arrange that; I’m happy to hear you’ve been trying to get your mind right.” Guway turned around and motioned for them to follow her. “I actually have a class that’s just about to begin, I could enroll you guys in it and you can start training.”

“You guys?” Azula asked, lifting an eyebrow. “As in all of us ?”

“As in anyone interested,” Guway shrugged. “We have a lot of open slots, so we can accommodate anyone who wants to join.”

“Oh sounds like it could be fun!” Sokka said before turning to look down at Suki. “What do you think, my love?” Suki preened at the attention Sokka was giving her, smiling up at her boyfriend lovingly.

“Oh, Papa Bear, I’ll go anywhere for you😍!”

“Except to jail …” Azula said under her breath, nonchalantly checking her nails as she spoke. Suki turned to Azula to give her a nasty look.

“What was that Azula?” Katara asked, not exactly catching what the other girl said. She gave Azula a suspicious look and placed one hand on her hip. “Are you talking trash under your breath?” 

“It’s nothing of substance I’m sure,” Suki sniped before turning back to Sokka, raising her voice so she could tune out any rebuttal Azula might have. “And besides Papa Bear, I already know how to fly, the passion I feel for you deep within my heart causes me to sore with love and adoration every single day😍😍😍😍💖💖💖💖💖💖💕💕💕💞💞💞💞💞💞🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰💗💗💗💗💗💖💖💖!!!!!” 

“Spirits,” Katara whispered as she pinched the skin between her eyes. Azula curled her lip as she turned to look at Katara. 

“That’s your friend.” She reminded her while Sokka sputtered with embarrassment, his face turning bright red as he started to rub the back of his neck.

“T-thanks Suki, I love you too!” He said, his blush growing.

“Wow what a declaration,” Guway laughed as they looked at the young couple. “It’s always nice to see young love…so what do you kids say? Are you all down for the class? It’ll start pretty soon so I’ll need to know, like, right now!”

“Well I can’t do it,” Toph said gruffly. “So you can cross my name off the list…or not put it on…or whatever…” She grumbled.

“I can stay here with you,” Katara offered, giving Toph a kind look.

“Whatever you want,” Toph shrugged.

“Well, I have no interest in this…I leave the circus performances to Ty Lee. I guess I’ll be staying down here with you two.” Azula shrugged. 

“Well, I want to try, so sign me right up!” Sokka said, pounding his fist in the air. By his feet Cubone made the same motion, only it was a little more hesitant.  

“Being able to soar the skies with Papa Bear sounds like a dream! Sign me up!” Suki said, causing Sokka to smile.

“Good, get her out of here,” Azula whispered, causing Toph to crack a smile while Pikachu snickered. “If we’re lucky she’ll fall and break her neck.”

“Hey!” Katara scolded. “Don't say stuff like that!” 

“What?!  I don't want her to die…but if she breaks her neck maybe her vocal cords will be paralyzed and we can be spared the asinine drivel that spews from her mouth on a constant basis.” Azula shrugged, causing Katara’s frown to deepen.

“I don't know if it works like that…and there are less violent ways for you to say things like that!” Katara said, causing Azula to shrug. While they bickered with each other Sokka, Suki, and Aang followed Guway. She took them to the edge of the area the acrobats were training and they found a few other students with their own practice hang gliders waiting for their own class to begin.

“You guys wait here; I’ll be right back,” Guway instructed before disappearing through a door not too far from them. She came back a few minutes later with three hang gliders in her hand. “Alright I got you kids all enrolled, here are your gliders.” 

Aang gasped happily as Guway placed the glider in his hands. It didn’t look exactly like his old one did but it was more than enough to cause a nostalgic feeling to come over him. He smiled as he gripped it tightly, members of air gliding back home filling his mind. 

Sokka was equally as excited to get his and Suki was as well, twirling it around her hands like it was a staff. As they got familiar with their new tool, Guway moved to address them and the other students waiting for the class to begin. 

“Alright listen up, today our class is going to take place up on the hang gliding platforms,” she explained, pointing her finger towards the ceiling. Everyone turned up to see multiple platforms attached to the wall and some hanging from the ceiling. Aang watched as acrobats jumped off the platforms attached to the wall and flew around for a while before landing on of the many platforms that were suspended from the ceiling.

“Before we get up there I want to spend some time here on the ground getting ourselves acquainted with the hang gliders.” She explained as she held her own out. She started to go through how to work the gliders, the basics of how they worked, and how to use them while up in the air for not just the beginners in the class but any of the more seasoned students that might need a bit of a refresher. While the other students listened closer, Aang found he didn’t need to.

While the gliders might not look identical to the ones he used to own, they did work exactly the same. Aang found working the mechanisms within the glider Guway gave him was second nature. His excitement only grew and he found himself ready to fly. After Guway finished speaking she went to each student and made sure they comprehended what she said and if they could work the hang glider she gave them.

When she got to Aang she smiled, observing that he was working with it easier and seemed to pick up on it faster than the other students.

“Looking good Aang,” Guway complimented. “You seem like a natural.”

“Haha yeah…thanks!” Aang said peachily. Guway smiled before moving again to address the class as a whole.

“Alright everyone, it seems like we’re all ready to move to the next stage,” Guway announced. “We’re going to head up to the first platform, it’s the lowest and has the most net under it. If you fall, you will be caught so don't worry.”

“Well, that’s a relief!...” Sokka said with a little smile. Suki nodded her head in agreement. 

“Come on, follow me!” Guway began to make her way over to the ladder that led to the platform she had motioned to. She went up first with Aang quickly following her. Sokka, Suki, and Cubone followed next with the rest of the class coming up after them. Once on the platform, Guway stood on the edge and placed her hand out. 

“You feel that?” She asked as the rest of the students followed suit. “These are the artificial currents that are pumped through this area of the theater. They come in three modes; low, medium, and high. Since most beginners come onto this platform low currents mostly pass under here but some medium and high ones will blow through on a rare occasion.”

“Alright now everyone gets your gliders ready. When the time comes you're going to jump off this platform and catch the current,” Guway explained. “...I would like for us to start with one person at a time while you guys still get the hang, no pun intended, of moving around with your gliders. So do we have any volunteers to go first?”

“Me! I’ll go first!” Aang said excitedly before anyone else could. Guway nodded and motioned for him to stand beside her. “Alright, when you’re ready just jump. Remember there are plenty of nets below to catch you so you have nothing to be afraid of.”

“I’m not afraid,” Aang promised, causing her smile to grow.

“Good!” Guway said, gesturing for Aang to start when he was ready.

Taking in a deep breath Aang stepped back before jumping off of the platform. He expanded his glider and easily caught the current. He let out a tremendous laugh as he began to fly! He soared around in the air, catching current after current as he did so. He laughed wildly as he spun about, his glee sending his mind back nearly a hundred years ago when he was more innocent and not war-stricken.

He remembered the times he spent doing just this, riding the winds in the Southern Air Temple with his old friends. His heart beat with happiness as he started to think of a more recent time back home when he was flying just like this as well. 

"Well, I'll be…" Guway mumbled, seeing Aang's gliding prowess and ease in the air as if he were a gliding expert; was this a fluke, or had Guway discovered a flying prodigy? As Guway and the other students gazed in astonishment, these were the thoughts rushing through their heads.

He let out another laugh as he dipped and turned, twisting in the wind like a leaf. When he straightened back up there was a rustling coming from his bag. A moment later Lemaki, who Aang had forgotten was in his bag, crawled out and onto his shoulder. Lemaki clung to Aang’s shoulder as he continued to fly. 

“Woah, teach, he has a Pokémon with him!” one of the male students said in shock.

“I-Is it going to fall?!” questioned a scared female student looking up. Guway, however, could only laugh.

"Rest assured, children, that Pokémon was in his bag the whole time he was doing acrobatics; if the Pokémon seems to be so calm... It must demonstrate the finesse of his skill"  Guway, pondered their ideas further and concluded, "They must have a particular relationship."

Aang turned his head when he felt Lemaki burying its claws into Aang’s shoulder. When he looked at Lemaki he didn’t see his Pokémon though. 

“We’re flying! W-We’re flying!” Aang cheered, a large smile plastered on his face now as tears of joy came down his cheeks. “How does it feel Momo? It’s been so long hasn’t it?!” Upon hearing this Lemaki tilted its head to the side. It let out a chirp of confusion upon getting called by a new name to it.

“Lemaki Le?” Lemaki questioned, causing Aang to frown. His mind immediately stopped and he was immediately slammed back into the present moment. He quickly remembered where he was and that it was Lemaki who was with him and not Momo. He felt his chest constrict upon hearing this and his mood immediately shifted.

When the next current came Aang leaned into it and made his way back to the platform. When he landed he was met with a chorus of applause for the other students and Guway; however, the sound of the void in Aang’s heart now forming was even louder. Right then and there, he couldn’t even muster the courage to look at Lemaki; feeling as if calling Lemaki ‘Momo’ was a cardinal sin that he just committed. Sokka and Suki were cheering him on as well, but they had knowing looks written across their faces; they knew something was up. 

“Well done Aang!” Guway said, clapping the loudest. She seemed both in shock and awe at what she had just seen. “That was amazing, I’ve never seen a performance like that from a beginner!” Aang smiled, trying his best to hide the sad feeling that had now taken root deep in his chest.

“Thank you…” he said, bowing towards her humbly. Lemaki remained perched on Aang's shoulder the whole time, perplexed by his sorrowful face; had it done anything wrong? As Guway turned to other classmates, these ideas entered Lemaki's consciousness.

"Class, do not be intimidated by Aang's skill; he is only a novice with plenty to learn. Take what you saw to heart and execute to the best of your ability!" said Guway.

“Yes, Guway!” The class all responded back.

“Alright, who’s next…” Guway asked, looking around to the next possible student…

*****

After everyone had gotten their turn they all began to descend back down to the ground. Guway called the class to a close and the other students began to hand their practice gliders back in before dispersing. 

“That was so much fun!” Sokka laughed, coming to his friend's side as he stretched out his limbs, “Did you see me when I went ‘WOOSH’? Or- or, when I did that twist in mid-air and I turned around like ‘WA-BOOSH’?!” he asked joyfully. 

“I saw it all, Papa Bear!💖💖💖” Suki agreed, while Cubone and Lemaki both nodded their heads in agreement.

“I also saw you fall flat on the net and go, ‘Waaah! Waaah!’” said Azula as she couldn’t help but laugh as she, Katara, and Toph made their way over.

“Oh, I WISH I coulda’ saw that! But I did hear it! Bwahaha!!!” said Toph, now joining in on Azula’s laughter.

“L-Lay off!!!” Sokka demanded, “That was like- one of my first times ever doing it!”

“Guys, guys, let’s not start right now…” said Katara, shaking her head in disappointment at them making fun of her brother.

“Blah blah blah! You are just saying that ‘cause you feel guilty for giggling when he fell!” said Toph.

“K-Katara?!” Sokka asked in a shout.

“T-There’s no proof I laughed even a bit!!!” said Katara as she blushed. She then glanced across at Aang, who was uncharacteristically quiet. Katara saw that his eyes were not as bright and colorful; he did not seem enthusiastic about being in the air like she would think he’d be.“...How do you feel now, Aang?” asked Katara, concerned.

"huh?" he said, returning to reality. Katara didn't even notice he was zoned out! "... It definitely was enjoyable..." Aang stated, attempting to maintain a positive outlook.

“What’s with him?” asked Azula, noticing Aang’s demeanor as well which caused everyone else to look over.

"Uh... I'm not sure; I mean, he did the best of all of us; maybe he is disguising his true feelings so as not to make Suki feel insecure about how she did!" said Sokka, tone-deaf and all.

“Huh? And what does that mean, Papa Bear?!” asked Suki as she got in his face, “While I am the most loyal and supportive girlfriend you ever will meet, I am also a realist; I did better than you”

“N-Not by a lot though!...” Sokka rebutted.

“HA!” Azula burst out with a loud laugh she tried her best to keep in, which shocked the others. “* ahem *... My apologies… It’s just that liars make me crack up.” she said as she looked at Suki with a smirk.

“Grr…” Suki muttered as she and Azula started to have a stare off.

“Aang! There you are” said Guway happily as she walked over, “I know I said it early, but that performance was great.” 

“Oh, Guway, thank you once again. Here” said Aang, as he handed Guway his hang glider. Sokka and Suki then followed suit by handing in theirs.

“I have a very good feeling you’ll be getting one of these soon enough, I have a great deal of hope you’ll be passing your test!” This praise lifted Aang’s spirits a little.

“Wow, thanks Guway for your support!” Aang said.

“Of course, I’m looking forward to your test.” She said before bidding them farewell and going to put the hang gliders away.

“She has no idea, you’re going to ace that test.” Sokka chuckled as he ribbed Aang’s side.

“You’ll do great,” Katara promised, causing Aang to nod his head. At that moment, Aang felt a nudge at the side of his face. It was Lemaki, brushing its head against Aang’s softly.

“Lemaki!” it said with a small, lemur-like smile. Looking into Lemaki's face, Aang felt as if his previous transgressions were forgiven, and the light inside his soul began to return in full.

“Yeah…thanks, guys.” He said, feeling a little more upbeat now as they made their way back to the others waiting for them. 

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

Aang, Lemaki, and the rest of the group all made their way out of the Guway’s gym and back down to the courtyard below. When they returned, they found Zuko, Matoic, Yuu, and Lingliu standing in the courtyard; Yuu with some knick-knacks in hand. All were surprised to see the rest of the group approach them.

“Hey, guys what’s up!” Yuu asked, smiling up at them easily as he made his way over to the large group with Zuko and Matoic following behind him. “We were wondering what was taking you guys so long…I had no idea you were planning on going to the gym.”

“We were wondering where you guys went,” Zuko added. 

“Mato!” Matoic chimed in.

“Well yeah, I just thought it would be a good opportunity to practice with the wind gliders before my actual test,” Aang said happily. 

“Oh, and how did that go?” Yuu asked, looking just as excited. 

“Really well, Guway said I’m a natural!” Aang said, giggling as he spoke. “She thinks I’m going to do really well!”

“Well, of course, I would be a little concerned if you were having trouble,” Zuko said with a smile. 

“Where were you two?” Azula asked, hoping off the last platform before approaching her brother. 

“After you all left, we stayed back here and trained a little, where we had a battle with some of my Luckrane’s family!!” Yuu said as he turned to look at her. 

“Huh?” asked a confused Suki. 

“Ling Ling!” said Lingliu as it nodded its head.

“Yeah… family troubles that were not resolved when I obtained Luckrane, I suppose…” said Yuu as he nervously laughed, “Afterward, we decided to head to the Pokémon Center and heal up our Pokémon. Once they were taken care of, we decided to just take a little walk around the neighborhood doing a bit of window shopping before doubling back here, entertaining the artistic depictions the city has to offer!” 

“Oh that sounds lovely,” Katara said with a smile.

“Yeah, sounds like a lovely date,” Azula snickered, looking at Zuko with a mocking half smile. Zuko’s and Yuu’s faces immediately turned red. 

“A d-date?...” Yuu said, stammering over his words.

“N-No! We were just having a nice, platonic, stroll through this stupid town! That’s all!” Zuko said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. His reaction only caused Azula and Pikachu to laugh harder. Zuko crossed his arms over his chest as he turned his head away from his sister. 

“Sure you did; that reaction is really convincing...” Azula said, causing Yuu to roll his eyes. 

Yuu tried what he could to not continue a meaningless argument. Katara, on the other hand, could not; turning to her, she gave Azula a stern look as she placed her hands on her hips. 

“Azula, will you leave them alone,” Katara demanded, Azula rolled her eyes as she turned back to give Katara an equally annoyed look. While the two dissolved into bickering, Yuu put his focus on Aang who was still cheerful from his experience in Guway’s gym. 

"The takeaway from all of this is that I'm delighted things went well for you at the gym," he stated to Aang before his face brightened up. “Oh! That reminds me, while you were out and about, I was going to ask you... Did you hear about the bizarre break-in that happened at a local art gallery?

“Crazy break-in?” Toph asked interestingly. 

“No, we didn't hear anything like that.” Aang, shaking his head.

“What happened?” Katara asked, momentarily looking away from Azula. No one noticed the annoyed look Azula shot toward Sokka, Suki, and Cubone who looked incredibly nervous now. 

“I’m not sure exactly, but while we were out we heard rumors that this insane ‘alien artifact’ was stolen from a gallery showing,” Yuu said, causing a gasp to sound off among the group who were in shock. “Apparently it could shoot lasers! Honestly, I’ve never heard of such a thing so I’m not sure of the validity of these rumors.”

“An alien artifact? And a laser? I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of those things before,” Katara said, giving Yuu an inquisitive look. Yuu raised his eyebrows a little bit, more so when everyone else seemed to nod their heads in agreement.

“Oh yeah, during the auction they did say something about ‘lasers’ and ‘aliens’... ” Suki started to think, as she thought about what was said during the auction.

“I was so focused on getting my club that I didn’t realize I didn’t know what those were! ” thought Sokka, recalling back to the same time.

“Oh…okay, sorry, I guess I assumed you guys might have had the concept of aliens and lasers in your world as well,” Yuu said with a small smile. “Sometimes I forget that not everything in this world is analogous to yours as well! But, well, in this context… an alien would be a being that comes from a different planet than this one. Sometimes, they're called extraterrestrials; they're just a person or thing that might come from a place outside of earth…So, this alien artifact would just be an artifact from a different planet.”

“Hmm… I definitely have never heard of that concept back home,” Aang said thoughtfully. “I mean, we do have spirits and the spirit world but those don't really exist on a different planet outside of our world per se.” 

“...So does that mean we’re aliens by that definition?” Sokka questioned as he thought of Yuu’s explanation. “Since we come from a different world than this one?”

“Oh! Well…you know I’ve never thought of that,” Yuu said honestly, pondering Sokka’s question with a little frown. “I suppose, technically?”

“I would make sense, we are from a different planet,” Azula shrugged. “Although, we can’t shoot lasers…or maybe we can? What’s a laser? Do you need to have to shoot a laser to be qualified as an alien? Explain further.”

“Ah, no… you don't have to shoot a laser to be qualified as an alien; I don't even know if aliens can shoot lasers…” Yuu shrugged. “But, a laser is a technology here on my planet it’s…how can I simplify the explanation…basically it’s a beam of light that can vary in intensity if that makes sense?”

“Kind of?” Zuko said. “Like a ray of sunshine?”

“Something like that, I mean do you guys have lighthouses in your world?” Yuu asked. 

“We do,” Katara said with a nod. “So it’s like a light from a lighthouse?”

“Sort of, but imagine it being more condensed and if you get hit with it you might possibly be burned or just evaporated depending on how strong the laser is,” Yuu explained the best he could. “Or! I mean I guess you can say Pikachu uses moves like thunder attack, the lightning that it produces is kind of like a natural laser.”

“Interesting,” Azula said, causing Zuko to snicker as he looked at her.

“I guess that does make you an alien that can shoot lasers,” He teased her.

“If she had her bending maybe,” Toph muttered. 

“Well anyway, my point remains that this alien artifact that can shoot lasers is nothing more than rumor and conjecture, I’ve never heard of such a thing ever truly existing.” He said with a shrug, causing Toph’s frown to grow. 

“Well, yeah, if it was an alien artifact that means it would be from another world right? So of course you would have never heard of it before,” Toph pointed out bluntly. “It wouldn’t really be alien if it was from Huoli and everyone was familiar with it, now would it?” She asked, causing Yuu to blush again.

“I, uh, yeah I guess that’s a good point Toph.” Yuu stammered a little as he grasped the back of his head, his embarrassment growing. 

“Well, I’m sure it’s nothing more than a rumor!” Sokka finally said, his voice shaking a little bit as beads of sweat started to collect around his hairline. Beside him, Suki nodded her head emphatically as she straightened up a little. 

“What Papa Bear said! This all just sounds like one big rumor to me, nothing for us to worry about at all.” She said quickly, her voice going up an octave. “And I mean why in the world would we be worried about something like that? How do alien artifacts help us with our own journey in any way, shape, or form?” She demanded. 

“Cubone! Cu!” Cubone said standing up straighter as he hid Sokka’s club behind his back.

“What Suki said! The last thing we need to worry about is silly rumors like that!” Sokka said, puffing his chest out a little in an attempt to sound confident.

“Yeah!” Suki added.

“Yeah!” Sokka repeated.

“Cubone!” Cubone said in the same tone. After this, a bit of a shocked silence fell over the group at their odd rambling. 

“Uh, alright then…I mean I didn’t really say it was terribly important but I just thought it was something interesting to note.” Yuu finally said, causing Azula to scoff. He shrugged before turning away from the two to speak to Aang. At that same time, Zuko leaned forward toward Azula.

“That was weird.” He whispered.

“That’s one word for it,” Katara, who was close enough to Zuko, whispered back. 

“Tsk, if only they knew… ” Azula thought to herself as she rolled her eyes at the conversation.

Sokka, whose attention was instantly drawn to the three of them by their murmurs, worried somewhat, fearing that Azula had revealed the truth to them. Afraid, he looked back to Yuu who was in mid-conversation with Aang.

“...So, tell me more about the Hang Gliding, Aang! I wanna know if it’s any similar to hoverboarding!”

“Huh? What’s ‘hoverboarding’” Aang asked.

“Oh, you know what- I don’t think I ever mentioned to you that besides my skills at the Clarinet and obviously Pokémon battling, I love to ride my hoverboard! Um… imaging it as being like the ‘scooter’ you saw my mom using, but with no handles, and floats like a boat!” said Yuu with a smile.

“Oh really?! That sounds kinda cool!” said Aang as he laughed.

“I’d show you it, but-... I didn’t bring it. I also like break-dancing!” Yuu added.

“Is that dancing, while you break things?” asked Aang, “I-I’d rather not break things, but I love dancing!

“N-Not particularly…” Yuu stated as he placed his bag on the ground and began to take a position on the ground. Eventually, he began to twirl and do acrobatic choreography in front of the gathering.

“Woah!” Suki said, surprised at Yuu’s talents.

“Lingliu! Lingliu!” Lingliu said, cheering his trainer on as he continued to dance.

“Kinda looks like you when you do your airbending stances, Aang” Zuko mentioned. 

Aang continued to observe Yuu's dancing while inquiring, "Heh, you think?" At this point, passersby began to glance over at Yuu, who was clapping rhythmically to encourage him; it was possible that they all believed Yuu to be a street performer.

Yuu exclaimed "Woo!" after doing a backflip and landing on the ground. There, he stood with his hands in the air, expecting the applause of the surrounding throng. There, an old lady approached him and extended her hand to Yuu.

"Do take this, young man," said the old lady. Yuu turned over and saw that she was holding money! "You are very gifted! I hope your dance career takes off someday!"

“O-Oh, no, you have the wrong idea! I was just dancing for my friends! I’m actually just a Pokémon Trainer!” said Yuu, attempting to refuse the donation.

"He's also rich!" said Sokka, envious of the fact that the wealthiest of them all was going to get free money.

“Hmm?...” the old lady said, sizing up Yuu as she looked him up and down, “...Wait, I recognize you… Are you the son of Yuufuu Yuumen?!” she said with a giant shock, retracting her arm immediately.

“Urm… yes…” Yuu said nervously.

“Oh? Is Yuu’s family so famous that random people recognize his face?...” Toph questioned.

"I've attended her performances on the rare occasion that I had adequate money to pay the outrageously exorbitant admission price! You were always her accompanist on clarinet... the clarinet made out of solid diamond!" the older woman remarked, her tone getting more irritated. She promptly said, "I'm very sorry, young man, but you do not need this money."

“Uh-... I know…” Yuu said with a sigh as the crowd started to disperse from the overheard conversation. There, he went to pick back up the bag off the floor where Sokka noticed that he had it the whole time.

“Hey Yuu, what did you have there?” He asked. Yuu frowned as he turned to look at Sokka, feeling a little annoyed that he was inquiring about anything after basically instigating the whole ordeal just now.

“Oh Yuu, I didn't even notice you were holding anything!” Aang said, genuinely curious. “Did you guys do some more shopping while you were out?” Yuu turned back to Aang and gave him a kind smile. He nodded his head as he held up the bag.

“While window shopping, I did use my black card to buy some food. I figure we could have a little cookout before getting some rooms at an inn for the night.” Yuu explained. “Zuko actually gave me the idea; he said that you guys used to camp out all the time and would cook and eat outside regularly. I thought it would be nice if we could do that now.”

“You sure it wasn’t food for your date?” asked Azula, still egging on Yuu and Zuko.

“Tsk, you know- this could be food for anyone but people named Azula…” Yuu taunted as he gave her an annoyed look.

“Give him a break, Azula… How thoughtful of you, Yuu!” Aang cheered, a look of joy coming over his face. “That sounds like so much fun!”

“I don't know about fun but I could definitely use some grub right about now,” Toph gruffed, reaching down and placing her hand on her stomach. Sokka, Suki, and Cubone both nodded their heads quickly at this idea.

“Yeah, I love that idea!” Sokka said. 

“I love that idea almost as much as I love you Papa Bear!” Suki added.

“It does actually sound like a lot of fun,” Katara said now, pulling away from Azula and Zuko as she turned to look at Yuu and Aang. “It would feel a little bit like home.” 

“It would be nice.” Zuko nodded, while Azula simply shrugged; her mind was too preoccupied with her growing annoyance with Sokka and Suki as well as Yuu’s smart comment. Yuu smiled, feeling happy that everyone liked his idea so much! 

“Great! I saw this little park not too far from here and it had some grills we could use.” He informed them. 

“I wonder if it was the same park Katara, Toph, and I went to,” Aang said as the group set off out of the courtyard once more. 

*****

Moments later…

Once they got to the park, they saw a few unoccupied picnic tables separated by a grill. Toph took a seat at one of the tables as Pikachu and Azula silently left the gathering. Everyone else assisted Yuu in unpacking the groceries in preparation for cooking. The prospect of a barbeque uplifted everyone's spirits, and they were all giddy with excitement... save for Azula, whose mood remained strangely silent. Azula and Pikachu found a shady location for themselves under a huge tree. A distance separated them from the rest of the group, but they could still faintly hear their voices. 

Azula could hear in particular Sokka's loud and boisterous voice, followed by Suki's shrill and annoying laughing. Azula rolled her eyes as she rested against the tree and reclined back. Pikachu slid down Azula's arm and leaped into the grass to avoid being crushed between her and the tree. It extended itself before curling at her feet. Azula gazed at her Pokémon for a time before lowering herself till she was seated on the grass next to it. She reached forward and started to gently stroke the red fur of Pikachu with the tips of her fingers. 

She was startled that it provided her with some solace, but it was insufficient to relieve the irritation she was now experiencing. The conduct of Sokka and Suki in the courtyard revived her anger, which had subsided while they were in the gym. She was so irritated that they had done something so foolish in the first place, which had almost jeopardized the whole group, and now they were going to act as if nothing had happened.

Azula clenched her jaw as Suki’s words played back in her mind: “...You wouldn’t understand throwing yourself in the line of fire for love though because you have no one to love like I love Sokka! Has anyone ever loved you, you despicable little cretin?!” The insults dug under Azula’s skin like a splinter and only fanned the flames of her anger. 

“How dare she speak to me that way, I am the Fire Lord! Ruler of the strongest nation in the world! All she does is paint herself in outlandish makeup and slobber all over that idiot Sokka!” Azula slowly curled her hands into fists, trying not to think about Suki’s words themselves and the fact that Azula felt as if they held some truth.

Azula heaved a little sigh of frustration as someone caught her eye. She turned her head to find Katara standing opposite her. She was preparing vegetables to go alongside the main dish of the meal they were all to share and seemed to also be instructing Aang with seasonings. Although, Azula wasn't entirely paying attention. Instead, her mind's cogs started to turn rapidly as an idea began to shape.

“Pikachu, come.” She said softly, causing Pikachu to pick its head up. She was moving forward by the time Pikachu got up to its feet and didn’t bat an eyelash when it hurried forward and climbed up her back so it could perch itself on her shoulder. 

“Katara,” she called out as she walked around the picnic table. Katara picked her head up and watched Azula with raised eyebrows. “Do you need help with anything?” Katara narrowed her eyes at the unprompted offer from Azula. 

“Uh, I mean-... yeah, I guess.” Katara’s tone reflected her skepticism. Azula smiled at her as she stood beside the other girl. “What are you up to?... You would never just offer to help with something like cooking.” 

“I’m being genuine.” Azula said, lying through her teeth, “It just looked like you needed some help and since no one is really helping you in the way you need I thought I could offer my services to you.” Katara’s look of skepticism turned into pure confusion. 

“I-I’m helping her!” Aang said, turning to look at Azula in confusion.

“We all are helping each other,” Yuu said matter of factly as he continued to focus on his own task of trying to light the grill. 

“Oh, I see… Well, I certainly hope the help you're giving Katara now isn’t the same kind of help you were giving her after she was wrongly arrested in the cave,” Azula said, her tone laced with a feign of sympathy. This caused everyone but Sokka and Katara to freeze as the mood around the tables immediately shifted. 

“...What? What are you talking about?” Katara asked, feeling not just confused now but upset as well as she felt everyone’s change in demeanor. “Azula? What help are you referring to?”

“Ugh…maybe ‘help’ isn’t the right word, I’m sorry...” Azula sighed as she frowned a little, explaining, “It was more like Suki blaming you for your arrest, Aang and Yuu siding with her and the cops, while Zuko and I- the only royalty in this group, tried to fight back and save you two…Toph didn’t really do anything, so she’s clear I guess.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Yuu said as he whipped around to look at Azula furiously. 

“You’re phrasing it all wrong, Azula!... K-Katara, that’s not!-...urm…” Aang responded at the same time in a more panicked state. He didn't know what to say to rectify the situation.

“Oh shit! I can’t believe she’s going there!” Toph muttered, rubbing her chin as she listened closely. At the same time, Sokka turned and gave Suki a distressed look. 

“What is Azula talking about?” He asked her.

“Uh…” Suki was nearly speechless, and her face was riddled with guilt. Seeing this, Sokka became very uncertain. Yuu then walked over to get into Azula’s face.

“You start shit on the backs of lies and no evidence all the time, Azula, but this is going too far! I helped break her out at the end of the day!” he continued in full defense.

“Your mom did; stay on the subject” Azula shot back, “And it might be best for you to not get in a Fire Lord’s face with your lies”

“W-What?!... Agh!” Yuu said as he backed off from her, fearing the worst, “Mitigating the situation was the top priority for me! You guys don’t know the police here! Anything can be said and used against you in a court of law! We were self-incriminating ourselves for crimes we didn’t commit!”

“R-Right!” Aang chimed in agreement, “And I didn’t want anyone hurt!” 

“...So this actually happened, and no one told us?!” Sokka questioned, getting slightly annoyed now feeling his friends are lying to him, “Azula, you kept this to yourself!?”

“Yes. So I can use it as ammo later,” Azula said truthfully. Zuko sighed as he stepped forward.

“While the phrasing is a bit misleading, that essentially is what happened.” Zuko said, adding his voice to the fray, “Tsk, you guys were so fine fighting against the Fire Nation all those times regardless of how it made you look or what happened as a result… Why buckle in your boots now?...” he said slightly under his breath, recalling how he felt back then.

“Oop!” Toph said, somehow having the time of her life with all the drama happening.

“A-Are you serious?!” Aang questioned, his anger slightly showing, “You all were on a global conquest to conquer every nation! What force was there to criminalize us besides you-” 

“ Everyone shut up!!! ” Katara hollered, causing everyone to stop talking as they turned and looked at her. Her cheeks had turned bright red and her face was twisted with anger as tears collected in the edges of her eyes. “I’ve had it, officially!!! I want to hear what Azula has to say without everyone interrupting!” Azula flashed her eyes over to Suki for half a second, enjoying the anxious look that had come over Suki’s face. She looked back over to Katara before speaking again.

“My pleasure~... After you and Sokka got arrested, Suki went into a fit. She sided with Officer Jenny and rationalized that if you had just calmed down and complied with Officer Jenny then the situation could have been assuaged.” Azula explained, watching as her words had the intended effect. Katara’s breathing got heavier as her anger grew with each word.

“... I mean, it would have…” Suki said under her breath, causing Sokka, who overheard her, to gasp! He couldn’t believe it so much, he mentally blocked out that she ever said it…

“She said that she was sure Officer Jenny had a good reason to arrest you, and if you hadn’t overreacted then her ‘precious Sokka’ wouldn’t have been arrested. Sooo… basically, she is blaming you entirely for your guy’s arrest,” Azula explained.

“N-No, she didn’t really do that!...” Aang shot back.

“Mmm…” Suki mumbled with uncertainty; she didn’t know if saying she didn’t was entirely true…

“Look, still defending her!... If that isn't proof what I’m saying is true, I don't what is…” Azula said as she chuckled a bit, “I was shocked and appalled that your supposed good friend painted you to be such a villain while she stood up for a stranger who had, in my opinion, wrongfully taken you and Sokka away.” Azula shook her head in disappointment. 

“...” Katara muttered; while no audible words escaped her mouth, her mind was nearly exploding with curses and insults for her so called ‘friends’ as she kept still and listened as Azula continue speaking.

“Of course, what was even more shocking was that your beloved Aang and his dearest friend Yuu both agreed that if you had just calmed down none of it would have happened,” Azula said, sighing heavily. 

“...Like I said, mitigating the situation was top priority… Our tempers are included…” Yuu said, feeling nearly lightheaded as his anger and guilt swirled inside him.

“They all lied and played it coy… me and Zuko, on the other hand? Got electrocuted … ” Azula said, her first clenching from anger remembering what Officer Jenny did to her. Katara bowed her head slightly as she shook now.

“Katara…” Yuu began but trailed off when he saw the look of pure rage written across her face as she picked her head back up. Her attention was not on him, however, but she was looking at Suki. 

“Is that true?” She asked in a tone that sounded far too calm for her demeanor. When Suki didn’t answer right away Katara slammed her fist on the picnic table, causing the plastic cutlery on it to clatter together violently. “Is Azula telling the truth!” She hollered, her voice echoing and bouncing off the nearby trees. 

“I…” Suki trailed off as she tried to find her voice. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her stomach clenched. She looked up at Sokka for some kind of support but felt her chest constrict when she saw he was looking back at her with a hurt expression. Tears were falling down his cheeks and his bottom lip was quivering. 

“Suki…tell me…Azula is lying right?” He cried, his voice sounding small and wounded. “You…you wouldn’t say those things would you?” Suki felt her heart breaking as she heard his words and just how pained he sounded. She whipped her head around to Azula and found the other girl was smiling at her sharply. 

Realizing she had no recourse but, to tell the truth, she turned back to Katara who was still looking at her furiously. Taking a deep breath she nodded her head.

“I’m sorry Katara… but if you had just complied-” She was cut off by Katara who let out a feral rage-filled scream. Reaching down, she planted both hands on the picnic table before hauling herself over it. When she landed on the other side she took off running right for Suki!

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

“K-Katara! No!!!" exclaimed Sokka as he attempted to pull her back as she attacked Suki. At that point, Yuu and Aang offered Suki her own security; however, Katara, who was certain of their conspiracy with Suki, did not see this in a favorable light. Katara was so enraged that she almost began to execute waterbending techniques as if the only thing that would bring her close enough and through the wall of men to attack Suki was her defunct bending ability.

“Let me at that Kyoshi cunt!” Katara screamed, kicking Sokka accidentally in the groin!

“Yowch!!!...” Sokka groaned, letting go of Katara as she charged for Yuu and Aang.

“A-Aang, I can’t fight! I’m just a trainer! You are technically my bodyguard! Stop her!” Yuu said, cowering behind Aang.

“W-What?! I don’t wanna fight either…” Aang said. 

Suki was practically defenseless since her sole protection from Katara's rage was two pacifists. Azula and Zuko felt compelled to intervene since they were the only sensible ones remaining; save for Toph, who laughed maniacally at what she was hearing. Katara was halted by the two, and she continued to struggle to reach Suki, who remained immobile. 

Suki was puzzled at this time; although she was resolute in her opposition to Katara for escalating the situation, she knew Katara's emotions had been harmed. She was also aware that Azula's intention was to harm her, but she was unaware of the impetus. Katara abruptly threw Azula and Zuko off of her and began to walk away.

“Agh!!! Just leave me alone! Everyone!!!” she screamed, walking off into the forests nearby.

“K-Katara, wait!” shouted Sokka, running after her as he held onto his hurt groin.

“P-Paba bear?!” Suki said, finally moving to grab Sokka’s hand, “D-Don’t leave! W-We can talk this out-”

"Let go!..." Sokka spoke with a tone of fury and pain. 

Suki was virtually star-struck upon seeing this; her darling papa bear had wanted nothing to do with her. He remained silent as he turned around and followed his distressed sister into the woods, they both disappeared. The group who had been left behind stood in silence, uncertain of what to say; should Aang and Yuu continue to argue with Azula since she had brought this topic up with ill intent? However, they did conceal the occurrence from their friends... Should everyone criticize Suki, as nothing would have occurred without her actions? Yet, nearly everyone was complicit... No one knew how to respond. The picnic that Yuu helped organize was finally abandoned, and the group remained fractured for the remainder of the day…

*****

The next day…

Two days before the Hang Gliding exam and Yuu's gym battle, the party was still somewhat splintered following their massive quarrel. Katara, not wanting to be around anyone in the group, once again went off on her own to gather her thoughts. Sokka followed, not comfortable with being around Suki or anyone else in the group at that moment.

Despite this Toph decided to follow them both as she felt no desire to be around anyone else in the group either, not because she had any particular ill will after the events of the day before but because she simply couldn't be bothered to be around anyone else. 

Meanwhile, Yuu and Zuko attempted to make the best of their day, committing to continue training in order for Yuu to continue his preparation for his gym battle with Guway. Aang, who felt quite melancholy and sad after yesterday decided to go with them in hopes to help distract him. It wasn’t working out well for him, however, his mind drifted back to the pain looked on Katara’s face as Azula revealed the truth to her about Suki.

“Le…Lemaki,” Lemaki said gently as it nudged its face against Aang’s. Aang smiled sadly as he turned to look at Lemaki who was sitting on his shoulder.

“Will you look at that, is that a smile on your face, I see?” Yuu teased as he noticed how Aang seemed to cheer up for the moment. 

“Ling! Lingliu!” Lingliu cheered as it turned away from Luckrane. The two had been in the middle of a practice battle. Luckrane said nothing, raising an unimpressed eyebrow at Aang who had been in a mopey mood all day. 

“Yeah, I guess so,” Aang said gently as he glanced at his friends. “I guess it’s obvious that I’m not in a good mood today, huh?”

“Oh, about as obvious as the sky being blue,” Zuko said, smiling gently at his friend. Beside him, Matoic nodded its head.

“Ma, Matoic,” it said in a more serious tone. 

“S-Sorry…I don't mean to bring down the mood,” Aang said as he glanced down at his hands in his lap. “I guess I just can’t help it…”

“Understandable; yesterday…did not end how I hoped.” Yuu sighed as he placed a hand on his hip. “I really wanted to do something special and recreate something familiar to you guys, would not have guessed it was going to end in Katara trying to kill Suki.”

“Well don't feel too bad,” Zuko said as he glanced at his friend. “When we were back home, during the war, Azula did have a knack for showing up and ruining our plans…so you kind of succeeded in recreating something from back home.”

“Uh…well that doesn’t make me feel too much better,” Yuu said before sighing heavily. Lingliu frowned as he bounced over towards Yuu.

“Ling! Lingliu!” It said in a gentle tone before leaning forward and brushing his face against Yuu’s ankle. Luckrane tilted its head to the side as it looked at Yuu.

“Luck…Luckrane,” it said a little awkwardly in an attempt to help cheer his trainer up. Yuu smiled at them both as he reached down and scooped up Lingliu in his arms. 

“I really just hate that Katara thinks we were in agreement with Suki and Officer Jenny,” He finally said as he gently pet Lingliu. “It just really wasn’t the case…I wish Katara would have let us explain ourselves before flying off the handle.”

“Yeah, well that’s Katara, she can be really-... ‘ passionate ’…” Aang frowned as he began to pet Lemaki. “I just don't understand why Azula had to even say anything…I mean what was her end goal there? Was it just to start trouble?”

“I’m unsure, I tried to speak to Azula last night when we went back to the Inn, but she didn’t really provide much insight,” Zuko said as he crossed his arms over his chest. “And honestly I don't really think it’s productive to dwell on that right now, this is clearly not the last time we’re going to talk about this…let’s just have this moment of reprieve.”

“Yeah I guess that’s a good point,” Aang said with a nod of his head. As he continued to pet Lemaki an idea came to mind. “You know I think I’m going to head back up to the gym and do some gliding…it might be a good way to have some fun and forget about this whole mess for a while.”

“That sounds like a great idea!” Yuu said happily. “I actually didn’t get a chance to see you guys gliding, so it would be cool to tag along.” 

“Sure!” Aang said happily. The boys then turned and made their way up toward the gym. 

When they arrived, Guway was unavailable but one of her assistants happily led Aang and his friends back toward the gliding area. The assistant handed Aang and the glider before turning to Yuu and Zuko offering them one as well.

“Uh no thanks, I think I’d rather stay on the ground but thank you,” Zuko said politely.

“Hmmm… I wouldn’t mind trying!” Yuu said. “Thanks!”

“Come on Yuu, you’re going to have a blast just follow me!” Aang said, excited that Yuu was going to join him. The two boys headed up the ladder and up towards the platform Aang had been practicing on yesterday. Once there, Aang showed Yuu how to use the glider before taking off into the fake air currents.

Yuu gulped nervously as he peered down the platform and down to the nets below. He glanced back up at Aang to see him happily gliding through the air currents, spinning and twirling like an expert.

“I guess he is one…” Yuu thought with a smile. Despite his nerves, he desperately wanted to join Aang as his friend looked like he was having the time of his life! Yuu opened up the glider as Aang had instructed before releasing his inhibitions and jumping off the platform!

He twisted and tried to catch the current…but he timed it poorly and plumped straight toward the net below!

“Y-Yuu!” shouted Zuko concerningly.

“Ahhhhhhhhh!” He cried before landing safely in the net.

“Yuu are you okay?!” Aang called out, he had witnessed the fall and glided over to the platform so he could look down at his friend. Zuko, Matoic, Luckrane, and Lingliu made their way over to him.

“Are you hurt?” Zuko asked with concern. 

“Physically no? But I think my pride might have been bruised…” Yuu said as he struggled to get back on his feet, the net made it difficult. 

“Is he okay?” Aang called back down again.

“He’s good!” Zuko said, turning back up and giving Aang the thumbs up. Yuu did the same, glancing up at his friend sheepishly as he put his thumb up. Aang smiled and repeated the action before taking off and catching another air current.

“Are you going to go up and try again?” Zuko asked as he turned back to Yuu.

“Uh…I think once was enough,” Yuu laughed, causing Zuko to smirk as he nodded his head in understanding. 

Reaching forward he took Yuu’s hand and helped him out of the net and back onto his feet. Once Yuu brushed himself off he followed Zuko and the Pokémon back to their spot to watch Aang continue to glide…

*****

At the same time…

As this was going on, in a different part of town, Suki and Azula found themselves in isolation from the rest of the group. Despite their opposition towards one another Azula and Suki found each other in the same boat. No one wanted to be around them and therefore both girls were by themselves today. At least Suki found herself alone while at least Azula had Pikachu to keep her company. They had elected to stay near the Inn the group had spent the night in.

A small courtyard was attached to it, meant for relaxation and recreation. Azula herself wanted to clear her own mind and organize her thoughts after yesterday. 

Suki, wanting to do the same, decided to walk around the neighborhood where the Inn was located a melancholy feeling taking over her as she did so.

“Oh Papa I don't know where you are at the moment but please open your heart to mine,” she cried as she looked up towards the sky. “Hear the pain and anguish I feel without your presence…and the love and worry I felt for you on that day...this is what spurred my actions my beloved Papa Bear 😢😢😢😢😞😞😞😞😞😞☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️😔😔😔😔😔😥😥😥😥😥😥😪😪😪😪😪😪😪😪💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔!” 

*****

At the same time, in the small park, the Gaang had been in yesterday…

Sokka sniffed as he placed his hand on his chest. He felt like his heart was constricting…almost as if it had heard Suki calling out to it! 

“I just can’t believe this…” Katara said, pulling Sokka’s attention away from his hurting chest. He turned to look at his sister and frowned. Katara was leaning up against a tree with her arms crossed over her chest and an aggravated look written across her face. 

“...I…If being arrested for something we didn’t do wasn’t bad enough!” She cried as her face twisted up with anger and pain. “It turns out we were stabbed in the back by all of our friends! I can’t fucking believe this!” She shouted, causing Sokka to wince. 

It was rare for Katara to curse but since Azula’s revelation from yesterday, she had been so worked up that the words were starting to slip out of her mouth more freely. Sokka couldn’t help but feel bad, knowing that Katara was this upset. 

“Hey don't rope me in with everyone else,” Toph said with a frown. She was sitting down and leaning against the trees next to Katara’s. Beside her Cubone was taking a little nap in the shade using Sokka’s club as a pillow. “I didn’t do shit…”

“You didn’t say shit either,” Katara snapped as she glared down at Toph. “Why didn’t you tell us what happened? You were there, you heard Aang, Yuu, and Suki agreeing with Officer Jenny but didn’t think to tell us?”

“Hey, hey calm down!” Toph commanded, causing Katara’s ire to grow. “Truth be told it wasn’t exactly on the forefront of my mind when we reconnected. We got out of the cave, Yuu’s fucked up mom showed up, blew some shit up, argued with Officer Jenny, and then sprang you from jail. After that, we were all focused on moving forward…didn’t really have a lot of time to slow down and assess…”

“Which is a good point,” Sokka interjected, trying to prevent Katara from going off again. “There’s no reason to get mad at Toph!”

“Yeah I didn’t agree with Officer Jenny like Suki did,” Toph shrugged. Sokka cringed a little bit as he slowly rubbed the back of his neck. 

“I guess that does make sense, everything happened so quickly afterward…” Katara sighed as she shook her head. “Still…I don't even know what to think! Suki and Yuu were supposed to be my friends and they just agree with that deranged bitch? And Aang ugh! I don't even know what to think about him!”

“H-Hold on Katara, I’m not sure it’s fair to call Suki a deranged bitch,” Sokka said, feeling himself becoming defensive over his girlfriend. “I mean I don't agree with what she did but I know Suki, there had to be some reason she sided with Officer Jenny.”

“What? Are you kidding me right now?” Katara demanded, her eyes growing wide with anger upon hearing Sokka’s words. 

“Look I’m just saying there has to be some logical explanation about what happened…”

“And what the fuck would that be?” Katara demanded.

“I- I don't know! Maybe because she’s a Kyoshi Warrior and she just knows how these things work? I would have to talk to her or something but-”

“-I don't want to hear this Sokka, there’s no excuse good enough for what she did." Katara snapped, cutting off her brother, “She betrayed us both and you shouldn’t be trying to overlook that just because she’s been worshiping the ground you walk on since we got here!” 

“Hey now, that’s not what’s going on!” Sokka shot back.

“Are you sure because from my point of view, it looks like you're just trying to defend your number one fan at any cost,” As Katara spoke she gave her brother a disgusted look. Sokka winced, feeling hurt by her expression and her words. “I don't need to know the reason why Suki backstabbed us…what I need to know is everything that happened that day.”

“Well I certainly can help you with that,” Toph said, pulling Katara and Sokka’s attention away from one another. “I’m probably the only unbiased person you can speak about on the matter.” Katara and Sokka exchanged a look, silently agreeing to put their own argument on hold before turning back to Toph once more.

“Alright Toph, tell us what happened. And don't leave anything out.” Katara instructed.

“Well it’s simple really; after you and Sokka got arrested everyone started to freak the fuck out. Azula and Zuko charged forward to try and stop you guys from being taken away, and they got electrocuted…so Azula was telling the truth about that.” Toph began, her tone becoming much more serious now as she spoke.

“Suki then proceeded to go on a tirade about how you, Katara, should have just sat down and complied with Officer Jenny. That if you had just listened and not provoked her, none of it would have happened so again, despite how Azula dressed it all up, she was telling the truth.” Katara squeezed her eyes shut as she turned her head away from Toph, feeling the pain of Suki’s betrayal fresh. 

Sokka dipped his head down low as Toph confirmed what had happened. Despite him trying to make excuses for her earlier, he couldn’t help the hurt he felt as well.

“It was pretty fucked up the shit she said- I’m not going to lie. Everyone was kind of put off by what she was saying.” Toph continued on. “Not only that but Zuko and Azula wanted to give chase to Officer Jenny and you guys…that’s when Yuu and Aang stepped in.

“...So not only did Yuu and Aang still agree with Suki but they wanted to prevent Zuko and Azula from coming to our rescue?,” Katara said.

“Hmmm… I remember Yuu and Aang both agreeing that things might have turned out differently if everyone was calm down,” Toph said thoughtfully. “So…yeah I guess in a way they were agreeing with Suki. As for why they stopped Azula and Zuko, I guess they figured it would be better if we got you guys out of jail the way we did…but you’d have to talk to them for more insight.” 

“Oh don't worry we’re going to talk to them,” Katara said as she turned back to Toph with a fire in her eyes. “Come on, we need to go and get the exact details of what happened in the cave.” Katara to them both just as Cubone began to wake up. 

“...Alright,” Sokka said as he reached down to help Toph up. He seemed a little hesitant but ultimately he wanted the same information as his sister. 

“I know just who I want to start with as well,” Katara said once everyone was on their feet and ready to go. Turning around she led the group back towards the Inn…remembering that’s where she had seen Azula and Pikachu hanging around this morning…

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

Katara, Sokka, and Toph found Azula and Pikachu in a small courtyard attached to the Inn they had stayed in the night previously as Katara suspected they might. She was standing in the middle of the courtyard with her arms crossed over her chest, watching with a critical eye as Pikachu practiced its flame charge spinning around the courtyard furiously as it cloaked itself in fire. 

“Geez, it got hot all of the sudden!” Toph complained as she started to fan her face with her hands. “Damn it almost feels like we’re back in the Fire Nation!”

“Cu! Cubone!” Cubone said as it shielded its face from Pikachu’s furious flames.  

“Yeah, Azula’s Pikachu is…well it’s basically on fire right now,” Sokka explained, causing Toph to raise an eyebrow. 

“This place is fucking weird.” She grumbled, causing Sokka to laugh a little as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Azula!” Katara called out, ignoring all three of them as she moved closer to the other girl. The sound of her voice caused Azula to turn around while Pikachu ceased to spin, landing on all four feet as it turned to Katara as well. “I need to speak to you.”

“I’m a little busy at the moment,” Azula said, motioning to Pikachu. 

“Pika Pikachu,” Pikachu said, giving Katara an annoyed look after shaking itself out.  

“You have all day to play with your pet,” Katara said as she came to a stop in front of Azula. “This is more important, I’m sure I don't have to tell you why I’m here.” Azula picked up what Katara put down quickly as she sighed;

“First of all I’m not playing with Pikachu, we're training,” Azula corrected in a snotty tone. “And second of all we already spoke about this yesterday, what more is there left to say?” Katara sucked her teeth as she placed her hand on her hip. 

“There’s a lot left to say Azula, I want to know more about what happened in the cave.” Azula opened her mouth to speak but Katara swiftly cut her off. “No bullshit this time either, I don't want any of your bluster or inflammatory words in order to sway the situation one way or the other! I just want the simple truth, the bare details of what happened!” 

Azula remained quiet for a moment, watching Katara closely as she considered the request. As she did so Pikachu climbed up her back and rested on her shoulder. After a moment Azula simply shrugged before thinking to herself;

“The truth still paints everyone else but Zuko, Toph, and me in a bad light.” 

Azula responded, "Very well," before detailing what transpired after Katara and Sokka were hauled away by Officer Jenny. 

As previously, she described the group's effort to save Katara and Sokka, which consisted of just Azula and Zuko, while everyone else, with the exception of Toph, maintained a stance of submission and complacency. It was the identical tale she had just recounted, only in a different light. It was the same story from Toph's point of view as well. 

Perhaps Katara was hoping to hear something that would change her perspective of her friends and partner; it was evident to Azula that she was still in denial. There were no surprises; she was told the entire truth. Perhaps, due to Katara's agitated mood, she was unable to understand the whole meaning at the time; even now, her eyes are filled with fury. As Azula talked, Katara listened attentively, her face distorted with anger and despair. Next to her, Sokka felt similar; but, he was more apprehensive to believe Azula's truth.

“How do we know you aren’t lying again?” Sokka inquired with a little frown, his gut churning with incredulity. “...I’ve heard Zuko say you always had a tendency to lie and it's something we've seen for ourselves in the past as well…not to mention you weren’t exactly forthcoming with this information for altruistic motives.”

“Well, do you believe Suki?” Azula asked, turning to Sokka now. “If you remember correctly Katara lunged at Suki because your girlfriend told her she should have complied. These were the words from her own mouth, you can’t deny that can you?”

“I was thinking more about the part where you ran off after us like some kind of hero,” Sokka said with a scowl. “That seems a little questionable.”

“I can see why you’d say that Sokka and I might question it myself…if not for the fact that it falls in line with what Toph said at the park,” Katara said.

“Yeah, you aren’t calling me a liar are you?” Toph asked, looking up at him with an annoyed look. Sokka bowed his head as a look of defeat came over him. 

“I know it must be very hard to come to terms with your girlfriend selling your sister down the river,” Azula said in a condescending tone while Pikachu snickered. No one else was laughing, however, least of all Katara who felt her anger and hurt growing by the second. 

“Azula ran after me before Aang did…how did it come to this?” She thought, a feeling of betrayal welling up deep in her chest. 

“Hey, guys…” Everyone turned to see Zuko, Yuu, and Aang making their way toward them. It was Yuu who had spoken, waving at them as he spoke in a hesitant tone. “What’s going on?” 

“Just... catching up,” Azula said, her smug look growing. Yuu felt his own unease growing as he looked at Katara and the look on her face. He didn’t have to be told what they were currently catching up on. Aang and Zuko were both frowning now as they stopped beside Yuu. They both shared a concerned look, both of them accustomed to the look on Katara’s face. 

Zuko slightly motioned his head towards Katara, while darting his eyes in her direction as discreetly as possible trying his best to silently convey to Aang to speak with his girlfriend. Aang quickly picked up on the message, nodding his head as he turned back to Katara. Clearing his throat he smiled as best as he could as he moved towards her.

“Kat-”

“-Zuko, do you think I could speak to you for a moment?” Katara asked, pointedly ignoring Aang as she approached the older boy. 

“M-Me?” Zuko asked, surprised by this request.

“Yes, I’m trying to get every detail of what happened in the cave. I’d like to get it from everyone’s perspective.” She explained. “I’ve spoken to Toph and Azula as well, I would like to speak to you now as well.” Zuko nodded his head in understanding. Aang frowned as he looked back and forth between Zuko and Katara.

His chest tightened as he reached his hand out for Katara. She caught the movement out of the corner of her eye and moved away from him before he could touch her. 

“K-Katara-”

“-I’m not talking to you right now Aang, we can speak later,” Katara said harshly, giving him an upset look. Yuu frowned and turned to Katara now.

“Hey, Katara, look-”

“-I’m not speaking to you right now either, Yuu- back off!” She snapped, causing him to physically recoil. Zuko winced a little bit, feeling sorry for both Yuu and Aang. He knew better than anyone else what it felt like to be on the other side of Katara’s anger.

“Come on,” Zuko said gently, seeing no reason to prolong her request. As the two stepped to the side to speak, Yuu glanced over at Aang whose eyes were welling up with tears. 

“I’m sure it’s okay,” He said just as the uncanny feeling of being watched came over him. He looked over to the source of that feeling to see Azula openly staring at him with a victorious look written across her face. “I hope you’re as happy as you look!”

Azula took in a deep breath as her already large smile grew. Reaching up she placed her left hand over her chest as she slowly exhaled.

“Oh, elated.” She said, holding his contemptuous gaze. “You know, all these years later I’m starting to realize that my mother might have been right; it feels so good, to tell the truth.” She mocked, laughing snidely as she watched the angry expressions on both Aang and Yuu’s faces. 

Yuu felt himself gearing up to retort, but stopped himself, holding his tongue before he could lash out at her.

“If I start fighting with Azula, the only progress that will come of it will be fracturing the group further.” He thought sullenly. “Besides… that’s just what she wants, she’s enjoying seeing us get worked up like this!… I’m not going to be able to make her see why she’s out of line for this... She knows she just doesn’t care.” He shook his head as he turned away from Azula, resolute to ignore her. 

After a few moments of speaking, Zuko rejoined the group, leaving Katara to her own thoughts as she carefully pieced together the story based on the other's retelling. 

“H-How did it go?” Aang asked, giving Zuko a wide-eyed look. Zuko shrugged as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“I told her what happened,” he said. “She’s not happy but this isn’t exactly a situation where the truth is going to make her feel better.” Yuu chewed the inside of his cheek as he glanced over at Katara, wondering just how Zuko had phrased the truth. As he was thinking this Katara turned and made eye contact with him.

An understanding seemed to quietly pass between them and Yuu moved forward towards Katara. Aang watched as the two began to speak. It wasn’t long before Katara started to grow visibly upset while Yuu started to make exaggerated hand movements. Within minutes, Katara had put a hand in front of his face to stop him from talking more. 

“Tsk, I’m just trying to explain myself! You have to let me get a word in edgewise if you want to hear my side,” Yuu said in an exasperated tone. Aang moved forward now, feeling a need to intervene. 

“No, I actually don't,” Katara said. “Nothing you're saying is really worth listening to anymore, you’re just trying to make excuses!”

“Excuses?!” Yuu said in shock.

“Guys, guys don't fight,” Aang said as he came to their side.

“Aang, don't get into our conversation!” Katara said hotly.

“I wouldn’t call this a conversation,” Yuu said with a sigh as he started to shake his head in disappointment. “...This ‘conversation’ isn’t productive; you are just finding reasons to shout at me! And I don’t wanna hear it! If you want to speak again when we’re both a little calmer, I’d be open to that.” He added, not wanting to leave their conversation on a bad note.

“I’ve heard enough from you,” Katara said coldly, causing Yuu to frown before turning around and heading back to Zuko. 

“You didn’t have to be so rude to him,” Aang said with a frown. 

“Oh, I didn’t? Both you and he agreed with Suki’s position. Do you expect me to be polite to him or you at the moment?” Katara demanded.

“Yuu and I weren’t agreeing with her,” Aang said quickly. “Azula deliberately twisted things to make it look that way, but that’s just not the truth.”

“Oh really?! Because after speaking to Zuko, Toph, and Yuu- it still seems like Azula was ultimately telling the truth!” Katara said hotly. 

Aang grunted, responding, “You don't understand…”

“So then make me understand, tell me what really happened from your point of view.” She said, her tone breaking down as she gave Aang a pleading look. It caused a sharp pain to shoot up in the center of Aang’s chest as tears began to well up in his eyes. This was the girl he loved, he hated how hurt she was and how he was at the center of that pain. 

He launched into the story from the beginning, going through everything he could remember from the point of Katara and Sokka being taken. 

“...When you got taken away and Suki said all those crazy things… I didn’t agree with her!” Aang said quickly. “What she said was out of control!”

“But you agreed that none of that would've happened if I had just ‘calmed down’, right?” Katara demanded, tears slipping down her cheeks now. 

“Uh… I feel like this just turned into a ‘lover’s quarrel’ type thing…” Toph muttered.

“Y-Yeah…” Zuko murmured back, the group steadily listening awkwardly.

"Though quarrel might be an understatement," Azula said cheekily, earning a dirty look from Yuu and Zuko.

“All Yuu and I said was that we would have been able to handle the situation better if everyone had calmed down!” Aang shouted. 

“Which is what Suki said!” Katara snapped. “How are you not seeing that, you’re agreeing with what she’s saying but phrasing it differently!” 

“No, you just aren’t getting it!” Aang said hurriedly.

“No, YOU don't get it!!!” Katara snapped. “I…I can’t talk anymore, I need to be by myself. I need to think!” She said quickly before spinning around and hurrying away from him.

“Katara! Katara, wait!” He called out desperately, reaching for her again. 

“Aang just give her a moment!” Yuu said, suddenly appearing by Aang’s side as he wrapped his arms around Aang and pulled him in close. “Neither of you are going to resolve things while you’re this worked up!”

“That sounds familiar,” Azula taunted.

“Oh, will you shut up!” Yuu shouted. 

“Come over here and make me,” Azula invited. Yuu gave her a disgusted look before turning back to Aang. Just as he was trying to console his friend, Suki appeared in the courtyard looking perplexed at what was happening.

“Um…what did I miss?” She asked, causing Azula to snort. Zuko shook his head before moving to help Yuu comfort Aang. “What?... What?”

“You have the worst timing,” Toph commented, causing Suki to frown as she crossed her arms over her chest. She said no more as she awkwardly slinked away from the group…

*****

The Next Morning In The Lobby of the Inn…

It was one day before the Gym Challenge as well as the Hang Gliding Test. As Aang made his way into the lobby of the Inn, he felt completely exhausted. He had barely gotten any sleep last night, his mind occupied with his and Katara’s last conversation. Why he didn’t even know where Lemaki went! Her hurt, her tears, and her words all played in his mind over and over again. 

All he wanted to do was go to her room and hold her close, kiss her and apologize, and do anything in his power to make her feel better. To resolve this situation so they could move on from it. He was determined to find her today and was about to go looking for her but found he didn’t need to go far. Everyone, not just Katara, was gathered in the lobby. 

Everyone had splintered off into small groups; Zuko and Yuu stood by the front doors as they spoke gently to each other. Sokka and Toph were standing at the free breakfast bar, quietly eating while Suki awkwardly stood to the side and watched them. And lastly, Katara was sitting with Azula, of all people, near the front desk. 

Pikachu was laying across Katara’s lap and she was slowly petting it as she listened to what Azula was saying. A spike of annoyance went through Aang as he looked at the two together. He approached them without preamble, catching the last half of what Azula was saying as he got closer.

“...Find his warm fur comforting when I pet Pikachu.” 

“Pika Pikachuuuuuu~” Pikachu said happily as its tail twitched under Katara’s ministrations. Aang cleared his throat as he came to a stop in front of them both. Katara picked her head up, she frowned deeply when she looked up at him.

“Uh, good morning…” He blushed a little as he glanced down at his feet. “How are you doing? Did you sleep well?”

“I did,” Katara said gently, yet apprehensively. “...Did you?”

“It was alright…I was wondering if there was any way we could speak?” He asked, his voice shaking a little as he spoke. 

“Yeah, I think that would be a good idea.” Katara agreed, patting Pikachu’s bum to get it to move from her lap. It let out a loud yawn before scrambling back into Azula’s. Azula for her part remained quiet as she watched the interaction, suppressing a smirk. 

“Why don't we go outside?” Aang suggested. Katara nodded her head before pushing herself up to her feet. The two quietly made their way across the lobby, catching the attention of all of their friends who tried their best to discreetly watch them. 

As Aang and Katara made their way outside and found a sitting area near the lobby windows, the group as a collective eased their way closer to the windows. Neither Aang nor Katara noticed as they got as comfortable as they could. 

“...I’m sorry you’re so upset.” Aang finally said, after a few awkward moments sitting together. “You know I love you, I never want to hurt you.” Katara sighed heavily as she turned to look down at her boyfriend.

“I love you too and I hate that any of this happened. I hate that we’re in this place right now,” her voice quivered as she spoke, her eyes growing watery as she held Aang’s gaze. His chest constricted heavily as he nodded his head.

“I am to…I want to make this Katara right, I want to take away all this pain from you.” He sniffed, trying his best to keep his tears at bay. 

“I don't know if it’s that simple Aang, there’s no magic words or something simple you can do to make this right…what you did…the way you betrayed me after everything we’ve been through together,” She whimpered, her lips quivering. “I…I wouldn’t even know where to begin to forgive you.” Aang’s heart became crushed upon hearing this.

“Katara, please! I didn’t betray you-”

“-You don't get to tell me that, you don't get to dictate how I process what you’ve done to me.” Katara snapped, her stare turning angry now as tears continued to fall down her cheeks. “You sided with Suki which inadvertently means you sided with Officer Jenny.”

“No, it doesn’t! It doesn’t mean that at all!” Aang said, jumping up to his feet as his tone turned frantically. His heart was slamming in his chest as he began to pace back and forth. He could feel, almost physically, that Katara was slipping through his fingers. 

“It does! You can try and dress up your words any way you want but it’s true you said it from your own mouth and everyone else has backed it up as well…you said…you thought if I and the others had just remained calm then the situation with Officer Jenny wouldn't have happened.” Katara shook her head. “Like it was my fault she targeted Sokka and I…I…” She trailed off.

“Katara please…just listen.”

“I’ve listened enough Aang, there’s nothing more to say.” She said gently. “This betrayal, it’s too deep for me to just simply forgive. When Officer Jenny arrested Sokka and me unlawfully…I felt like an animal. Like I was nothing, and it didn’t matter if I was innocent or guilty; she just saw the color of our skin, and made a decision based on that and not fact.”

Aang’s heart twisted as he listened to Katara speak and heard the raw pain in her voice. Her eyes were unfocused as she continued to speak. 

“It felt like…it felt like when the Southern Raiders target and attack our villages…it was horrible… and to know you sided with Suki,” She demanded, her voice shaking with pain. “You can say that Azula’s reasoning for telling me the truth was wrong, that she had ulterior motives…but at least she told me. Something you or any of my other supposed friends were not prepared to do! How can I forgive that?”

“Katara…” Aang didn’t know what to say.

“And if I can’t forgive that, then how can I be with you?” She cried, causing Aang to let out a broken sob.

“Don't say that!” he shouted.

“It’s true,” Katara said as she furiously tried to wipe her tears away. “If I can’t forgive you on this, how can we move forward in a relationship? And it's not just that…but since we’ve gotten here, all you’ve done is pull away from me. And I get it, you have the weight of the world on your shoulders right now… but every time I reach for you, you push me away.” 

“...” Aang muttered. 

Her words were like decrypting a code that unlocked a door to Aang's psyche; there, vivid visions of his whole voyage in Huoli came to the forefront of his thoughts, and every moment in which he prioritized anything other than her welfare became crystal clear. 

“I’m your partner, it’s my responsibility to help shoulder your burdens but how can I do that when you turn away from me?” She cried. “This on top of the lies? Our relationship is... broken … Who knows for how long it really has been… and I don't know how it’s possible to fix it right now.” 

"But a relationship is built on trust and love...and while I love you, I'm not sure how I can trust you after this..." She whispered.

Aang lowered his head and tightly closed his eyes. His entire body was trembling, his heart breaking at Katara's words. This was fixable, and it wasn't as big of a concern to Aang as Katara made it out to be; but then again, what could compare to an Avatar stripped of their supernatural abilities, and put into a world filled with fantastical creatures whilst staying focused on everyone’s salvation?

“I have loved you for so long,” he whispered, the words tumbling from his mouth. “Since the moment you found me at the South Pole my heart belonged to you. All I wanted was to devote myself to you, to be by your side always…and when you finally confessed that you returned my feelings it was one of the happiest days of my life.” There, he took her hands in his.

“I can’t imagine my life without you as my partner…but I couldn’t imagine us in this situation either,” He cried as he picked his head up to give her a wounded look. “You’re right I have pulled away, I haven’t been able to reach out to you, to devote myself to you the way you deserve…but it’s not because I don't love you Katara I do, my heart still belongs to you.” Katara listened closely now, finding herself unable to speak. 

“But right now… I-I don’t know what force brought us here… But, when I think back to the vortex that sucked us up, it was only supposed to be me and just me… I know it!... And so, I have a duty to fix this, to reverse us being here…and I can’t focus on this relationship in a way we both deserve.” He cried as more tears came down his face. His heart broke further as he spoke his next words. “So maybe you’re right… maybe right now, we just can’t be together.” He watched as Katara began to nod her head swiftly, sobbing heavily now.  Katara had not been expecting Aang to double down on her wants to end the relationship.

“...I’m sorry I still want to be with you more than anything else but not like this.” He said, reaching forward to embrace her. Katara quickly stepped away from him. He recoiled as if she had hit him. 

“I’m not ready,” she said. “I’m…I need…I need to leave,” she said before spinning around and hurrying back into the hotel’s lobby. Aang cried loudly, covering his face with his hands as he sank down to his knees.

His shoulders heaved up and down as snot and tears streamed down his face. He felt like he was shattered into a million pieces. This was not what he wanted, this was never what he wanted…but it was hard to deny that there wasn’t truth to what Katara said. He couldn’t focus on their relationship right now, in this situation it just wasn’t viable. 

He couldn’t lean into her and he knew he wouldn’t be equipped to help her if she needed to lean into him either. It wasn’t fair for either of them to stay in a relationship like that, especially now after everything that had happened in the past few days. 

“But maybe this would have happened anyway,” He thought as he pulled his hand away from his face. “I would have pulled away from her with or without the incident in the cave…maybe our relationship just wouldn’t have survived either way…but still…it didn’t have to end like this…I don't even know if she wants to be friends now!” 

A fresh wave of emotion came over him but it wasn’t sadness. It was anger. A white hot anger built it just as quickly as it appeared. Slowly he picked his head up as he looked into the lobby of the Inn and saw that Katara had gone back to sit with Azula and Pikachu.

“ Azula… Azula! She was the catalyst for all of this! She had twisted everything for her own gain!!! ” thought Aang, as he started to become enraged. 

Perhaps it was inevitable that Katara and Aang would break up in the future, but there could have been a chance to salvage their friendship. Now their relationship was in shambles, all because of Azula’s selfishness! His anger bloomed into fury as he jumped to his feet, shaking with the dark emotion now. If Azula wanted to toy with him and ruin his relationship then she wasn’t going to do it without consequence!

He rushed into the lobby of the Inn, his vision red as he stormed towards Azula, ready to confront her for what she had done!

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

Anger, pain, and grief whipped around inside of Aang in a hideous maelstrom of emotion. His heart was hammering in his chest, the sound pounding in his ears as she stormed into the hotel lobby. His whole body was vibrating as his emotions overtook him.

He let out a shaky breath as his large, gray eyes landed on the target of his anger. Azula was sitting in the same place she had been earlier. Once again Katara was by her side, a look of distress painting her face as she cuddled Pikachu. The scene was identical to this morning, with Azula whispering something to Katara. Nearby, everyone else in the Inn looked on at Katara, wondering why she was seemingly in such turmoil.

Aang’s right hand twitched at the sight of Azula so close to Katara. His chest constricted heavily as a dark feeling swept over him.

“...Aang?” Yuu called out, his voice shaking with worry as he took in the state of his friend. He reached out for him but Aang quickly brushed past him not noticing the older boy as he made a straight line for his target.

“Azula!” He hollered his voice echoing around the nearly empty lobby, with only the members of their group occupying it at the moment. “What is wrong with you?!” He demanded as he stomped toward the Fire Lord. Everyone looked on in shock; Katara’s face turned mortified as if seeing Aang at this moment was something traumatizing. There, Azula slowly raised her eyebrows as she turned to look at Aang. She suppressed a smile as she feigned a look of innocence.

“Why, whatever do you mean?” Her question only stoked the flames of Aang’s ire. 

“You know exactly what I mean, Azula! Shut up!” Aang demanded as he balled his hands up into fists. Seeing Aang in such an enraged sight caused the rest of the group to get anxious. 

“Pika!” shouted Pikachu, leaping from Katara’s lap as it stood as a line of defense for Azula against the Avatar. 

Pikachu scanned the area to determine the whereabouts of Aang's Pokémon, preparing for an immediate battle against trainers. Lemaki, meanwhile, was distracted at the snack bar, where it was deep inside a bowl of berries that were out for everyone to enjoy eating as much as they could. Azula, seeing how irritated Aang was getting, started to feel enjoyment.

“Oh, look what we have here! Has this dragon grown fangs?” Azula mocked. Beside Azula, Katara let out a small cry; finally reaching her breaking point from seeing him after their relationship ended. She had her face buried in her hand as she quietly sobbed. “Oh, it’s alright…” Azula said in a gentle tone as she turned back to Katara. 

Seeing this, Aang clenched his jaw tightly as watched Azula with disgust. Her actions felt like a mockery and her sugary tone sounded like poisoned honey to him. His heart twisted as he watched Katara lean into Azula’s touch and seemingly take comfort in her words. Seeing a clear disaster on the horizon, Zuko stepped forward to intervene between his sister and friend.

“Aang, why don't we-”

“-Why don't you mind your business, Zuko!” Aang shouted. He kept his back to the older boy as he continued to snap at him. “This is between me and your stupid jerk of a sister! Just stay out of it for once!” Zuko flinched at Aang’s harshness. He stood shocked, it was rare for Aang to snap in such a manner and Zuko wasn’t prepared for Aang's response to be filled with such anger. 

“Aang…” Sokka muttered, his voice filled with the same shock that Zuko was feeling. Beside him, Toph frowned.

“Damn…I guess the conversation with Katara didn’t end too well,” Toph observed, causing both Sokka and Suki to cringe.

“I wonder…do you guys think they…split up?” Suki asked, looking over at Sokka and Toph nervously. “I wasn’t really able to hear most of their conversation… but Katara came in here in tears a moment ago… And now this…”

“I think that’s a safe assumption to make,” Sokka let out a heavy sigh after he spoke. 

He felt his heartbreaking for both his sister and best friend. He had been there for the entirety of their relationship and knew how much they cared for each other. To think they had split up caused his heart to splinter. Toph shook her head, a similar feeling of sympathy for her friends filling her. Yuu got the assumption they had just broken up as well; so, being the one standing closest to Aang, he felt the urge to try and step in as well.

“Aang… I get you’re upset but please let’s not do this here,” Yuu said, placing his hand on Aang’s shoulder. This only served to upset Aang further, however.

“Don't try to calm me down Yuu, I don't want to hear that right now! Especially from a stuck-up rich kid who doesn't know anything about what I’m talking about!!” Aang hollered, brushing his hand off of him as he looked over his shoulder to glare at Yuu. 

“H-Hey! I’m not stuck up!...” Yuu shot back in complete shock.

“Just leave me alone! You to Zuko! Don't try to intervene, just back off me right now!” 

“Aang stop it!” Katara pleaded as she gave him a pained look. “Just stop it! Why are you doing this right now?”

“Me?! Are you really asking me right now Katara!” Aang cried as his own tears began to fall down his cheeks. “Come on, why are you letting Azula manipulate you like this? Don't you see what she’s doing?” Hearing this led the gang to glance about in confusion; some, such as Zuko, who had evaluated their whole journey to and in Yishu City up to this point, understood what he may have meant. 

Yuu, however, was still speaking from a place of emotion as he doubled down his resolve to intervene and said, “We just want to help; regardless of what just happened, we are all still a team,” His voice was laced with hurt at Aang’s dismissal. He continued, “I just think-”

“-I don't care what you think, can’t you understand that!” Aang questioned his glare becoming harsher, cutting him off. “If you respected me then you’d let me handle Azula.” Zuko’s eyes widened as he quickly darted his gaze over to his sister. He let out a troubled noise as he looked at his sister.

A sharp smile had slipped across Azula’s face as she looked at Aang with malicious glee. No longer could she contain her expression as she saw just how worked up he was. Zuko, eyeing his sister, saw exactly how her expression changed.

“I don't know what I was expecting…of course, she’s enjoying this,” Zuko thought with a shake of his head. Slowly Azula turned to look at her brother as she felt his gaze on her. Her smile grew as their eyes locked with one another. 

He narrowed his eyes and slowly shook his head at her, trying to convey a silent message to his sister; “Don't. ” But, that was not going to stop Azula’s antagonistic drive to continue to anger Aang.  

“ Handle Azula?...” Azula repeated, ignoring her brother’s warning as she turned to Aang again. “But… you couldn’t even handle the heart of the girl you claimed to ‘love’...” she said, causing Suki, Toph, and Katara to gasp. When Aang's manhood was challenged, Sokka, Zuko, and Yuu all gazed attentively at him, as though an unsaid male bond had been forged between them. 

“W-Why don't you just get away from her!” he shouted. A fresh wave of anger came over him as he watched them! He couldn’t fathom how Katara couldn't see Azula’s clear act. Azula smiled as she wrapped her arms around Katara and held her tight. Katara turned up to look at Azula with wide eyes, shocked at the sudden embrace. Though she felt surprised, Katara didn't pull away. 

“Well someone has to be here for Katara,” Azula said, turning to Aang now as her smile from before returned. “Clearly all of you have proven you don't care about her feelings.” Aang flashed his eyes at Azula before shouting again.

“Cut the crap Azula! You don't give a shit about Katara all you care about is causing trouble and you’re taking advantage of Katara to do it!” Katara picked her head up now as she looked up at Aang through tear-filled eyes. “You’re using her feelings like weapons against us! You did it at the park and you’re doing it right now!”

“Of course, you’d call that manipulation because that fits your narrative of making me be the bad guy…instead of admitting to your own shortcomings,” Azula said back.

“Are you kidding me?! Don't try to spin this around Azula, you big jerk!” Aang screamed, reaching up he began to point his finger at her. “You know exactly what you’re doing! If you really cared about Katara and her feelings you’d have never told her in the manner you did, you only did it to make Katara angry and you know it! Don't try and frame yourself as a good person because you aren’t.”

“That’s enough Aang!” Katara called out, now feeling herself becoming defensive over Azula. “No matter the circumstance, she told me the truth! Something you didn’t do!” Aang recoiled at her words, the storm inside him growing as he watched Katara side with Azula. 

“How could you think that!? How could you be taking her side over mine, Katara?! I know we’ve broken up… but we’ve been friends for longer, and we know each other better…why doesn’t my word count for anything!” He cried out.

“People tend to lose trust in you when you allow them to be kidnapped, falsely imprisoned, agree with their captor, and then lie by omission about it,” Azula informed him. 

“Allow…like I could have stopped any of that from happening!” Aang shouted.

“I didn’t see you try, you weren’t with Zuko and me when we chased after Officer Jenny to get Katara and Sokka back.” Azula shrugged, “Zuko acted more like a man than you… Ugh, it feels so weird defending him…” 

“Don’t use me as ammo against Aang!...” Zuko demanded.

“You’re just being a bully right now…” Suki muttered.

“Y-Yeah!...” Sokka added.

“This coming from the person who started literally all of this…” Azula said, pinning Suki doesn't with an amused look as she chuckled to herself over the irony, “Aang, you were oh so happy to let someone else try and save your girlfriend while you sat back, and what? Cried? So much for being the Avatar.” An audible gasp reverberated across the group as she spoke those words; this was an unfathomably low blow. However, Yuu was a bit left out of the shock as he looked around in confusion. 

“ I feel like that was a horrible insult based on everyone’s faces… But, I've never seen Aang as an Avatar… ” Yuu thought.

“P-Please Azula don't,” Katara said now. I was too late, however. Aang’s entire face turned bright red as anger finally turned over into rage. 

“So much for being the Avatar? So much for being the Avatar? So much for being the Avatar!?” He bellowed as his entire body began to shake again. “You think you know what it’s like being me? Do you think you can fathom even the slightest bit of what I’ve been through?! Not even back home but since we’ve been brought here!”

“ I don’t think I’ve ever heard him this mad… ” Toph reflected to herself. She seemed to be able to interpret Aang's manner as unlike anything she had ever encountered, but having no seismic sensations to confirm this she still felt left in the dark.

“I’m the one who has to keep everyone together! I’m the one who has to figure out why I’ve been brought here! I’m the one who has to shoulder the guilt of you all being sucked into my mess and get us all back home safely and I’m the one who will have to deal with the potential spiritual fallout of us being brought to this world!” Aang wailed.

“Hmm…if I recall no one asked you to do any of that…” Azula said back.

“W-What?! Don't you remember?" Aang yelled back, his voice straining from how loudly he was shouting. "When everyone was pulled into that strange black nothingness... It got me first! And… I can still faintly hear the voice in the back of my head telling me that the world needs my assistance... We are here because of me!!!" Suddenly, all but Yuu started to think back to their very last moments back in their home world.

“Wait, really?” asked Sokka, “I don’t think you ever mentioned a voice to us…”

“Yeah… I at least don’t recall being told that…” Zuko added as he turned to Aang, “So… that’s why you took the helm as you did…not just because you're the Avatar...” he then muttered.

“Wait, I feel like you did say before that you had to find out why you were brought here though… Or did you?... Ugh, I don’t know why I didn’t put 2 and 2 together!...” Toph said annoyingly.

“ ...So…something here called for Aang? ” thought Katara, wiping her tears as she started to focus on her ex-boyfriend, “ ...Maybe… I didn’t realize everything he was going through… ” 

“Aang…” Yuu said somberly, feeling bad for his friend at that moment; slowly he began to understand the weight that was always on his shoulders.

“...” Azula didn’t have much to respond to that new news; she didn’t once consider the fact that someone- or something took Aang purposefully to this world. But, one thing was certain to her. “...So, what you mean to say is that whatever Being brought you here wanted you… and we are all here by accident? So, then us being here truly is your fault!” 

“YES! And I NEVER asked for this!!! I NEVER asked to be the Avatar!!! I never wanted it! I just wanted to be a normal kid that’s all but here I am!” Fresh tears were streaming down his face now as he relived every burden he felt on his shoulders as he Avatar. “You don't know what it’s like to live with this weight…I’m supposed to be the protector, the keeper of balance…and yet I’m helpless and stuck here relaying on some stuck-up spoiled brat to guide me…when I’m the one who's supposed to be the guider…”

“ And now… he can’t do any of that… And his only way of going back to that is me!... ” thought Yuu at that moment. He then turned to Katara as he continued thinking, “ ...I don’t think I would be focused on a relationship either… ”

“Do any of you know how that feels? What that does do to someone?” He demanded as he spun around and gave them all a wild look. He was so caught up in the heat of the moment that he didn’t notice Yuu’s reaction. 

How a look of pain and shock struck the other boy. And while on some level Yuu understood Aang was breaking down and speaking out of anger and not from his heart…this didn’t mean his words hurt any less. 

“You’re right Aang, you’re right,” Azula said as she let go of Katara and slowly stood up. Aang spun back around to look at her again. “I don't know how you feel…I don't think I could ever know how you feel because I don't know what it’s like to be a failure .” She shrugged, causing Zuko to groan while the others shifted uncomfortably. 

“Yikes!...” Toph muttered.

“Azula, I think you might be going too far…” Sokka said.

“... Yes Azula, just drop it,” Katara said as she stood up as well. 

“No, no Katara, he needs to hear this,” Azula said as she put her hand up to quiet Katara. “Avatar Aang, let’s take stock of the failures you’ve accumulated since you began your tenure as Avatar… Now, I want to keep this short so let’s just list your biggest ones shall we?” She taunted as she moved forward now. Slowly she began to circle him like a dragon circling her prey. 

“You failed to save your own people from genocide. You failed to stop my forefathers from waging war for over a century. You failed to keep us all from being dragged into your newest mess. And you failed to keep Katara and Sokka safe.” She came to a stop behind him and she leaned forward so her lips were nearly pressed to his ear. “And the more I speak, the more I wonder how you plan on successfully getting us home. Because you fail. That’s what you do, that’s your legacy as the Avatar.” She said now. 

Aang carefully moved around so that they were now facing one another. At that time, no one knew what would occur; thus, with the exception of Toph, everyone began to approach them, prepared to intervene if they began to fight. Somehow, despite his rage, Aang found his center; he took a breath, as he started Azula straight into her facetious eyes.

“I’m not a failure Azula despite what you might think. I put an end to the war, and I put an end to your father’s reign of terror.” He reminded her. “I stripped him of his bending and put him in jail where he belongs…I put him in his place and you’re about to experience that same humiliation.” 

“Is that so?” Azula chuckled, amused by his posturing. “Yes, you should congratulate yourself on stopping my father. I mean there are no more Air Nomads left, only one waterbender in the Southern Water Tribe left, and the Earth Kingdom has been colonized and ravished…but please congratulate yourself for stopping Ozai. I’m sure all the people who died during my great-grandfather and grandfather’s reign while you napped for 100 years would be so proud of you.” 

Around them, everyone remained silent. Too shocked by Aang’s rage and Azula’s vitriol to speak. 

“...I’m done talking,” Aang said now as he tilted his chin up and stepped closer to Azula. “I’m done hearing you speak, you vile woman! I am going to pound your ego into dust, I’m going to strip you of what little honor you have left, and I’m going to teach you what it means to be humble!” Azula tilted her head back and let out a sharp peel of laughter.

“Oh Aang,” she began as she brought her head down to look at him again. “I might be humbled one day but it won’t be by you.” 

“AHHH!” Aang shouted in her face, causing everyone to jump. “LEMAKI GET OVER HERE!” 

“...Maki?” Lemaki muttered, its attention taken away from the mountain of berries it was enthralled in.

“What? What are you doing?!” Yuu asked as Aang’s yelling shook him from his stupor. Here, Aang removed a random berry from his pockets and waved it in the air. Lemaki dashed towards Aang upon seeing this.

“Aang you aren’t,” Zuko began as he got an idea of what Aang was planning.

“I have had it! I have had it! We might not have our bending right now Azula but we have our Pokémon,” Aang hollered. His face wasn’t one of someone even remotely thinking rationally; he looked manic. “You think I can’t humble you?! Then get your stupid Pikachu over here and let’s put that theory to the test!” he shouted as he started to walk toward the entrance of the building. Instantly, the air in the room changed; they were past a point of no return.

“Holy shit, he’s challenging her to a Pokémon battle!” Suki gasped.

“Oh, spirits…” Sokka whimpered as Toph smirked.

“Twinkle Toes is actually growing a spine and sticking up to Azula,” She laughed. “Damn…if ever there was a time I wish I could see…”

“You really want to challenge Pikachu and I?” Azula laughed, following him outside.

“Pika pika!~” Pikachu added, puffing out its chest as it stood valiantly in front of Aang; not fazed by the call of battle.

“No, this is ridiculous,” Yuu said quickly, attempting to run towards the door to stop them both from exiting. “Aang this isn’t the way, please we all just need to separate again and calm down!” 

“No!” Aang said stubbornly, shoving him away from the door to exit outside. “We’ve passed the point of peace Yuu! I’m not going to let Azula get away with everything she’s said and done!” 

“But Aang… you have no experience with Pokémon battling, it would be cruel to throw Lemaki against a Pokémon like Pikachu.” Yuu pleaded, his heart racing now as he attempted to stop this madness once and for all. He knew Pikachu would easily dominate the battle and he wasn’t sure he could stomach watching such a one-sided battle.

“I can’t believe this,” Zuko said, taking a step back as he watched everything unfold. He felt horrified at Azula's behavior. He felt sickened at how Azula taunted Aang with the genocide of his people and the 100 year war…both events that their ancestors has enacted. 

At the same time, he did feel opposed to Aang's Pokémon battle challenge. He was aware of his rage. As he reflected on all the horrible things Azula had said, he understood that Aang was carrying a tremendous amount of weight on his shoulders. But, he was perplexed; he didn't believe all of that warranted sending Lemaki like a lamb to the slaughter in order to bring his wrath down on Azula. Especially since he understood that if Aang's ultimate goal was to humiliate Azula, it was a futile objective. He doubted that anything, including Aang, could humiliate his sister.

“D-Do something!” Yuu said after hearing Zuko talk. “She’s your sister! Aang is also your friend can’t you do-”

“I can’t! I just can’t!” Zuko said suddenly as he stepped away from Yuu. 

It was at this moment that everyone started to pile around outside, where Aang and Azula started to face each other with a bit of playing room between them; enough fit for a Pokéon Battle. There, Katara had walked over to Azula and was standing by her side now, trying to calm down the situation as well. 

“Azula, please don't do this,” Katara said quickly. “You’ve done and said enough…just let it go.”

“He’s the one who wants to fight me, I can’t back down,” Azula told her.

“Yes you can…please don't,” Katara said again. Remembering Azula's embrace, she hesitantly reached forward and grasped Azula's shoulder. “You already know you’ll win. What is fighting him going to prove?” Aang’s scowl grew as he heard Katara.

“You really think I can’t win Katara?” He demanded, causing her to frown as he looked at him. 

She could hardly recognize him in this worked-up state and it hurt her heart to see. The last time he had been this upset was in the desert after Appa had been kidnapped and sold by the sandbenders. Back then she had been able to reach out to him and stopped him from doing something he regretted. She doubted that she could do the same thing for him now. Still, she felt like she at least needed to say something…to try for Lemaki’s sake if nothing else.

“You’ve never battled before Aang,” Katara said gently. “Azula has and Pikachu is a…tenacious Pokémon. This fighting isn’t going to solve anything.”

“I disagree,” Aang said hotly.

“So do I!” Suki said suddenly, causing everyone but Azula and Aang to look at her. “Aang, you can beat Azula, I believe in you! Azula has always made our life a living hell and enjoyed doing it! I say it’s time that someone taught this bitch a lesson, and wiped that smug look off her face once and for all.” 

“Aang come on! Suki is supporting you right now, don't you think that’s enough to reconsider?!” Yuu asked desperately, “Like-... who here isn’t wishy-washy?!”

“Oh well fuck you too, Yuu!” Suki snapped while Toph laughed. Aang ignored them as he turned down Lemaki.

“Lemaki…” He trailed off as his question died in his throat. Lemaki didn’t need him to answer it, however. It knew what he was asking and he simply nodded its head. Aang nodded back before turning up to Azula. 

“Reconsider,” Katara asked Azula one last time.

“I’m not backing down Katara.” Katara shut her eyes and let out a pained breath. Shaking her head she moved away from Azula. Not wanting to be near Suki she moved to stand with Zuko and Yuu so she was safely out of the way. 

“Pikachu, are you ready?” Azula asked, adrenaline beginning to pump through her as Pikachu moved forward and got into position. “I don't even know why I asked, you’re always ready.” She said with just a hint of affection in her voice.

“Pika Pikachu,” it said as it twitched its tail.

“Lemaki, let's knock these two down a few pegs,” Aang said now.

“Lemaki Le!” It said as it took a step forward as well. Despite never being in a battle before, Lemaki was unafraid. After witnessing the abuse Azula had laid on Aang, it was ready to help defend its master in any way that it could. 

“Then let’s get started…Pikachu, Flame Charge!” Azula called out, causing Pikachu to spring forward as the battle began!

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

Pikachu rolled towards Lemaki at a furious rate, the temperature around it quickly rising as flames began to engulf its entire body. Lemaki stood in place, waiting for Aang to give it a command. However, Aang, with his nonexistent battle experience, did not know this and instead watched with bated breath as he waited for Lemaki to get out of the way.

A feeling of nervousness began to set in for Lemaki as it glanced back at Aang worriedly, unsure if its trainer was using some kind of battle tactic it wasn’t aware of. When Lemaki looked back toward Pikachu, it saw the other Pokémon coming up on it quickly! Deciding that it didn’t have much more time to wait for Aang’s command, Lemaki jumped out of the way just as Pikachu rolled over the spot it had just been standing in!

“Whew! I was wondering if you were going to dodge that in time,” Aang said to Lemaki, causing his Pokémon to scowl at him.

“Lemaki Lemaki!” It snapped at Aang.

“W-What?” Aang asked, unsure of what he had said to provoke Lemaki’s ire.

“...You’re supposed to give Lemaki commands in battle,” Yuu said now, causing Aang to blush as he glanced at his friend. 

“Oh…I guess I thought that I didn’t really have to command Lemaki… When you guys call out moves, I thought it was a bit optional…” He said hesitantly, his stomach twisting with unease at the prospect of instructing Lemaki to fight. In that moment the haze of anger and hurt that had spurred Aang to challenge Azula and Pikachu cleared and he was reminded of the aversion he had to Pokémon battling. 

“Lemaki!” Lemaki snapped again, causing Aang to turn and look at his Pokémon. He winced a little as Lemaki gave him a look that read ‘ You better learn how to battle and you better learn fast! ’. At the same time, Azula let out a mocking chuckle.

“How exactly didn’t you realize that? It isn’t like you haven’t seen a Pokémon battle before,” She pointed out. “You really are pathetic.” Pikachu snickered at this while Aang’s entire face twisted as his mind began to cloud again with anger and despair. 

“I’ll show you pathetic ,” He snapped.

“You’ve been doing a good job of it so far,” Azula laughed.

“Aang, don't give into her taunting,” Yuu said as he walked up to his friend, with Rotom Pokédex floating beside him. Despite how Aang has treated him, he knew that it is an unspoken duty as a more seasoned trainer than Aang to guide him through this; not only for Aang’s success but to mitigate harm to his Pokémon. “Here, I pulled out Rotom Pokédex so you can learn Lemaki’s attacks!” Aang nodded his head and watched as Rotom Pokédex pulled up Lemaki's entry. 

“Lemaki is the ‘ Lemur Pokémon ’, its type is Normal, and its ability is Pickup ; this allows the Pokémon to pick up the item an opposing Pokémon used during a battle. It may also pick up items outside of battle, too,” Rotom Pokédex said, causing Aang to turn at Lemaki. For the first time, he noticed that there was a pink and green berry wrapped in Lemaki’s tail. 

“Lemaki must have picked up that berry when he was in the bowl earlier,” Aang thought to himself as he turned back to Rotom Pokédex. 

“Can you give me Lemaki’s moves?” Aang asked.

“Here, let’s go into the Attackdex,” Yuu said as he clicked on the next page in Lemaki’s entry. “So Lemaki knows four moves; Fury Swipes which is a Normal-Type move, Bite , a Dark-Type move, Fling , which is another Dark-Type move, and finally, Mud Shot which is a Ground-Type move…”

“...And would be the most effective against Pikachu given its Electric typing…” Yuu thought as he glanced down at Aang. “Should I tell him…” 

Yuu struggled with this for a moment before shaking his head. “No, right now it’s important for Aang to learn how to direct Lemaki on his own…” Aang, who hadn’t noticed Yuu’s inner struggle turned to Lemaki.

“Alright Lemaki I want you to-”

“-Oh I’m sorry, are we battling?” Azula asked, looking up from her nails which she had been pretending to inspect while Yuu helped Aang. “Sorry I got so bored waiting for you to actually do something that my mind wandered off for a moment.” In front of her, Pikachu raised its paw to its mouth as it pretended to yawn.

“Don't rise to their bait, focus on the battle,” Yuu advised again before stepping off to the side with Katara and Zuko. 

“Shit I’m with Sparky and Sparky Jr,” Toph called from the sideline. “This is supposed to be a battle, but I’m not hearing any battling!”

“Just give them a moment, Aang is still trying to learn the ropes,” Sokka said to his friend. “He’s never done this before!”

“Cu! Cubone,” Cubone said in agreement with Sokka. 

“Should have thought about that before challenging Azula to a battle,” Suki said with a frown, causing Toph and Sokka to turn to her with questioning looks.

“Um, aren’t you the one who encouraged him to fight Azula?” Sokka asked while Cubone used its club to scratch its skull in confusion. 

“Yeah, where was this energy then?” Toph demanded. 

“Hmph…” Suki muttered with a shrug of her shoulders; clearly, this hypocrisy she was indifferent about.

“Lemaki, use Fling!” Aang said now, ignoring all the chit-chat happening on the sidelines. Lemaki nodded and jumped forward, whipping its tail around it, releasing the berry it was holding, and flinging it at Pikachu.

“Pikachu, dodge!” Azula commanded. Pikachu nodded and jumped out of the way…but it was too slow! The berry sailed through the air and hit Pikachu square in the face causing it to stumble backwards! 

“Pika! Pikachu!” It cried as it held its forehead.

“Ha!” Aang cheered, his eyes lighting up as a wave of adrenaline rushed through him. It was as if, at that very moment, Aang started to feel the rush of being a Pokémon Trainer; something completely foreign to the pacifist nature of an Air Nomad. “Lemaki, use Fling again!” 

Lemaki turned back to Aang and shrugged while shaking his head disappointedly. Lemaki held out its paws to show there was no berry in sight to be thrown. Aang suddenly felt embarrassed.

“Oh… It must need something to ‘fling’ to use Fling… Duh…” Aang muttered as he shook his head. 

Aang didn’t have much time to dwell on this, however, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Pikachu closing in on Lemaki at a rapid pace! Aang decided to give Lemaki a new command.

“Lemaki…use Mud Shot!” Lemaki nodded as it moved forward. There, it dug its arm into the ground and pulled out a small mound of mud. Lemaki moved as if it was a pitcher in a baseball match, and chucked a fastball straight at Pikachu!

“Dodge,” Azula said strictly. Pikachu nodded and moved out of the way again but once more Pikachu was too slow and the mud slammed right into it! 

“Pikachu!” Pikachu cried as it went sailing backwards this time, hitting the ground hard as it obtained a massive amount of damage.

“Spirits!” Katara gasped, her eyes growing wide with shock at just how hurt Pikachu appeared to be. Everyone but Yuu watched with shock as Pikachu struggled to get back on its feet. Its bright red fur was covered in mud and grim and it looked like it was gritting its teeth to hide the amount of pain it was in. 

“That must be some special mud if it hurt Pikachu that badly!” Zuko exclaimed. 

“I don't get it, how could a ball of mud cause that much damage?” Katara asked. 

“It’s not just a ball of mud…well I mean it is, but Mud Shot is a Ground-Type move,” Yuu explained. “And Ground-Type moves are super effective against Electric-Type and Fire-Type Pokémon! Remember, Huolian Pikachu are dual-typed Fire and Electric… Meaning, it gets that super-effective status twice ! So, it’s at a clear disadvantage with Lemaki knowing that move.” 

“Ma-Maotic,” Maotic said now, nodding his head in agreement with Yuu.

“Heh, seems like Azula might have finally chosen the wrong Pokémon to start a battle with!” Zuko teased.

“Hmph… Barely…” Azula muttered, attempting to shrug off the critique.

“Ling Lingliu!” Lingliu said happily from its spot on top of Yuu’s head, more than pleased to hear that the ever arrogant Pikachu was at a disadvantage in this battle. “Ling Ling Ling!” Lingliu cheered on.

“An advantage…” Aang said, his smile growing now as it saw a clear path to victory against Azula and Pikachu. His excitement grew as he looked at Pikachu in its weakened state, his confidence building now. “Lemaki, use Mud Shot again!”

“Lemaki Le!” Lemaki said as it gathered another ball of mud before throwing it at Pikachu again. 

“Predictable…” Azula thought as she looked down at Pikachu who was still struggling from the first Mud Shot. 

Not only was Pikachu greatly hurt by the attack, but with the mud and grim from the first Mud Shot now tracking deep in Pikachu’s fur; it had lost the speed boost it had gotten from using Flame Charge. Despite this, Azula seemed unphased, nor was she phased by Aang’s newfound edge. 

“ ...Logically, Pikachu will struggle to dodge that attack… Likewise, taking a ‘direct’ hit from another Mud Shot will be detrimental to my victory… ” Azula continued to think as she glared at Pikachu. ”...“Pikachu, use Flame Charge again,” she commanded. Pikachu nodded and to the surprise of the entire group, charged straight toward the incoming Mud Shot! 

Midstride, Pikachu ducked its head into its body and rolled forward. It quickly picked up speed and started to violently spin around as bright orange flames engulfed its entire body! Speeding forward, Pikachu hit the mud ball Lemaki had thrown at it and cut right through the attack!

“Woah!” Sokka cheered out.

“W-What happened?” asked Toph.

“Pikachu blasted straight through the Mud Shot! It doesn’t even look like the attack hurt it that much!...” Suki responded.

“Hm… But, it was damaged nonetheless…” Yuu said to himself. 

Lemaki and Aang didn’t have time to properly react as Pikachu barreled forward and right into Lemaki!

“Lemaki!” Lemaki hollered as the raging inferno around Pikachu Burned it! 

“Le-Lemaki!” Aang cried, frozen in place as he watched Pikachu striking into his Pokémon. Lemaki snarled and acted independently of Aang. Reaching forward, it used Bite and sunk its sharp teeth into the back of Pikachu’s neck whilst withstanding the burning sensation on its body!

“Pikachu!” Pikachu cried out as Lemaki then reached forward and raked its sharp claws along Pikachu’s back as it used Fury Swipes! Pikachu let out another cry and used all of its strength to pull away from Lemaki, quickly skirting away from the other Pokémon.

“Damn!” Sokka said in shock. “Lemaki just forced Pikachu to retreat!”

“Really…” Toph said with a frown. 

“Lemaki looks like it’s...stronger than Pikachu,” Zuko said in awe. He and everyone else had been so worried that Azula and Pikachu would destroy Aang and Lemaki in a battle…none of them had truly considered that the opposite could have been true.

“I can’t believe it withstood those flames like that,” Katara said, looking at Lemaki with the same expression that Zuko did. It was clear that Lemaki had been badly burned from Pikachu’s Flame Charge but as she looked over at Pikachu she could see that Pikachu had by far taken more damage from Bite and Fury Swipes, as well as the Mud Shot attack!

“That’s right!” Suki cheered now, pumping her fists into the air. “You got this Aang, wipe the floor with these smug assholes!” Toph rolled her eyes as she shook her.

“Fake bitch…” She muttered.

“Cu, Cubone,” Cubone agreed wearily while Sokka remained quiet, awkwardly trying to ignore his girlfriend’s flip-flopping behavior. 

“I do wonder… is it possible that Lemaki is so strong because of all the berries it eats?” Toph wondered now, moving her attention away from Suki. Yuu heard this and frowned as he turned to look at Toph.

“As far as I know, there are no berries that grant Pokémon experience…" Yuu answered before he started to hum, “... From what I can recall, there are only certain kinds of berries that boost certain attributes depending on what kind of berry it is…But… Who knows?” He finally shrugged.

“Lemaki, use Fury Swipes!” Lemaki nodded before springing forward. Azula didn’t even get a chance to give Pikachu another command as Lemaki landed on top of Pikachu and again raked its sharp talons along Pikachu’s back, opening fresh wounds parallel to the others. 

“Pikachu!” Pikachu wailed in agony. Azula’s body went rigid and she clenched her jaw tightly as she watched Lemaki use Fury Swipes a second time, along the same cuts.

“Did I enter into a battle we can’t win?” She thought with aggravation. She snapped her eyes up at Aang and saw him giving her a wrathful look. She tore her eyes away from him as Lemaki used Fury Swipes a third time, her mind racing as she tried to come up with a tactic. 

However, as Azula was scrambling to think of something, Pikachu found itself at the end of its rope as Lemaki pushed it to its physical brink. Rage welled up within Pikachu as it felt humiliated that Lemaki had beaten it badly and seemingly made a fool of not only Pikachu but by extension Azula as well.

Pikachu roared and gathered all of its strength as it pushed itself up to its feet. Pikachu reached behind itself and tightly grasped onto Lemaki’s wrist. Pikachu’s strength increased tenfold as it pulled Lemaki forward and slammed the other Pokémon into the ground destructively!

“LEMAKI!” Lemaki squealed as pain erupted over its entire body. It withered on the ground as it withstood a large amount of damage! 

“What was that?!”  Zuko questioned in shock. At that same moment, Yuu pulled out Rotom Pokédex to pull up Pikachu’s Attackdex as the others kept reacting to the attack.

“That sounded like an earthquake !...” Toph added.

“That looked like a defensive martial art technique We Kyoshi Warriors would learn to respond to imminent threats!” Suki said.

“... I’ve never commanded it to do such a move… Was that attack new?” Azula asked her Pokémon, though Pikachu said nothing as it stalked forward.

“Aha!...” Yuu said, finding the answer right in front of him finally, “That attack…it’s a move called Reversal ,” Yuu announced to clear up the confusion everyone was feeling. 

“Reversal?...” Azula muttered, overhearing his explanation.

“It’s a Fighting-Type move…it says here that the move grows stronger the more hurt the Pokémon is. So, the attack was fed by all the damage Lemaki dealt during the battle.” 

“Talk about a turnaround,” Zuko said.

“It’s a useful move, that’s for sure,” Katara said now, causing Matoic to nod in agreement.

“But… how does Pikachu know that move?” Yuu thought to himself, feeling very confused. “No Pikachu in the world, even Huolian ones, can learn fighting moves naturally…and even if they could, I’m positive that Reversal is a TM . But that would mean-... D-Did Pikachu have a trainer prior to Azula catching it?…” Yuu hummed softly but kept this idea to himself, not seeing a reason to share this theory at the moment.

“Wait…so does this render Lemaki useless now?” Sokka asked. “I mean every hit it gives to Pikachu can now be used to power Reversal and…that move looked like it hurt…a lot!” 

“Cubone Cu…” Cubone said wearily as it nervously grasped at its club. 

“Well, that isn’t far from the truth… Fighting-Type moves are super effective to Normal-Type Pokémon, which Lemaki is!...” Yuu explained. Hearing this only made Aang anxious.

“Tsk!... W-We haven’t lost yet Lemaki, come on get up!” Aang said desperately. Lemaki nodded as it forced itself up to its feet. “Use Bite!” Lemaki dashed forward and bore its teeth at Pikachu. Seeing this Azula smirked and remained quiet, not giving Pikachu an instruction. Instead, she watched as Lemaki bit Pikachu’s leg causing Pikachu to cry out angrily.

“Pikachu, use Reversal!” Azula said, watching with delight as Pikachu reached down and grabbed Lemaki by the scruff on the neck. Pikachu pulled Lemaki off of its leg and slammed it into the ground. Lemaki cried out as it now sustained critical damage.

“No!” Katara hissed as she and Zuko winced. “Why did he use an attack that gets him so close to where Pikachu could grab it?!... Wouldn’t it make more sense to use Mud Shot again?!”

“Yeah,” Yuu sighed, feeling disappointed that Aang had decided to use Bite. “He could have kept Lemaki at a distance and if Mud Shot hit Pikachu again there’s a good chance that it could have fainted Pikachu given all of the damage that it's taken so far.” 

“But, Aang isn’t thinking straight,” Zuko said now, looking at Aang who was shaking like a leaf and sobbing as he watched Pikachu begin to pummel Lemaki with a barrage of random punches! 

Yuu saw all of this and began to feel uncomfortable. Azula did not order it to attack, but her smirk indicated that she approved of what it was doing. It was as if Lemaki were an innocent victim, and Pikachu was a bully who enjoyed abusing them. It was wrong. Lemaki wailed in agony as Pikachu bombarded it with punches. And shortly afterward, Lemaki stopped shrieking... nonetheless, Pikachu's strikes did not. It proceeded to viciously attack the downed Pokémon, its wrath blinding it. Yuu was astonished.

“Azula, stop Pikachu!” Yuu said now, horror filling his voice as he watched Pikachu attacking Lemaki after it had seemingly fainted. “You guys won! Recall Pikachu before it kills Lemaki!” 

“Pikachu, come here,” Azula said, having seen enough. Pikachu immediately pulled itself off Lemaki and turned to Azula, limping towards its master. Azula knelt down and collected Pikachu, who was beaten and exhausted beyond belief, into her arms. Meanwhile, Yuu and Aang rushed forward toward Aang. There, as Aang saw Lemaki’s deposition, he froze. Meanwhile, Yuu readied himself with a potion and began to spray the medicine on Lemaki’s wounds.

“Tsk!... It’s out cold…” Yuu muttered. That was the last thing Aang wanted to hear.

“I’m done! I’m done !” Aang cried as he looked down at Lemaki’s broken form. “I can’t do this anymore, I told you Pokémon battling was wrong! Look, look how hurt Lemaki is and Pikachu to-”

“-Oh shut up ,” Azula snapped as she glared at Aang. “Don't grandstand now, you were enjoying the battle when Lemaki was tearing into Pikachu. Stop crying because you lost .” 

“Pikachu,” Pikachu spat, giving Aang a hateful look. 

“No, that's not why I’m crying, you jerk!” Aang screamed, feeling like he was coming unhinged. He felt horrid and monstrous as the weight of his actions came crashing over his head. “I can’t…I don't even want Lemaki anymore…I can’t!” He sobbed as he spun around and hurried away from the scene, unable to look at Lemaki anymore.

“Aang?...” Katara murmured as she saw her ex bolt off to around the backside of the inn.

“Le Lemaki…” Lemaki groaned, regaining its conscience as he heard Aang’s words. As Lemaki’s wounds healed it was able to stand again. 

“Lemaki, d-don’t do too much- you are hurt!...” Yuu insisted. However, Lemaki wouldn’t listen. Limping forward, Lemaki went after Aang without letting up on its limp-like stride. Yuu followed behind it, not wanting Lemaki to get into any serious harm along the way; seeing this, Zuko and Sokka were the only ones in the group to follow behind Yuu. There, as they came to the other side of the building, Aang was; collapsed in a corner nearby a garage container outside. Lemaki crawled onto Aang’s lap.

“...Lemaki?...” Aang mumbled as he noticed his Pokémon before him. Soon, Lemaki began to cry as Aang instantly wrapped his arms around it and began to cry into Lemaki’s fur.

“Aang…” Yuu said gently, stepping forward to go to his friend. He stopped though when Zuko reached forward and gently grabbed his shoulder.

“Don't,” he said in a serious tone. There, Sokka looked over Zuko’s shoulder nervously.

“I-I think they both need a moment to themselves...” Sokka said gently. Yuu saw how hurt Lemaki was; he still needed treatment. But, it being beside its trainer right now was what it really wanted. Realizing that, Yuu then sighed.

“Y-Yeah…” said Yuu as he nodded in agreement. Soon, he and the others turned back to Aang and then the rest of the group. 

In this time, Azula had gotten her own potion and was using it to heal Pikachu’s wounds. Katara had left for the inn lobby while Sokka, Suki, and Toph all remained quiet as they tried to comprehend what they had just seen.

Yuu let out another sigh, feeling that the group was hopelessly fractured and he was unsure now more than ever if they would be able to come back together again…

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

As others maintained their watch on Aang and Lemaki, Azula took care of Pikachu at the inn's front. Despite having instigated the conflict, Azula found herself restless and vexed, irritated by the nearly losing the battle, as well as the things she had shouted at Aang.

Though she didn't feel ashamed of what she said, Azula believed that her words were justified, and ultimately, she was proven right. As time passed in Huoli, Aang's list of failures and flaws continued to grow, increasing the gap between his experiences in the new world and those in their own.

Azula frowned as she continued to tend to her Pokémon. "...Every move we've made here in Huoli so far has been the wrong one," she said to no one in particular, "...We're wasting our time following Yuu, who only cares about challenging gyms and getting badges…We need to actively be looking for a way home. Not playing around."

“Hey!... I care about more than just gyms and badges!" Yuu protested, after overhearing what she had said. Alongside him was Zuko with a slightly perturbed look on his face; Azula was unaware anyone could hear her.

Azula glared at him. "Could have fooled me…” Azula said with a roll of her eyes, “...How’s the bald crybaby doing?...”

“Azula… don’t you think we have done enough fighting?...” Zuko said with an exhausted sigh. 

“Here we are stranded in a strange world, thrown into the fire with no way to put out the flames… and our supposed ‘leader’ is crying in the corner..." Azula shot back.

Yuu crossed his arms. "Fine, if that's what you think," he said in irritation; as if Aang’s crying wasn’t Azula’s own doing. "...But I'm not going to stop training. It's important to me. And, it isn’t as if we haven’t been learning as we have been going along. I’m sure that through the Pokémon League, we will have answers to your missing powers and reasoning for being here if ‘something’ brought you all here; especially through the Gym Challenge!"

“Meaning… that ‘something’ is a Pokémon, correct?” asked Azula. “Professor Pine had the same theory.”

“Has to be,” Yuu answered. “I have been thinking of ways to aid with that… You remember being explained about how Pokémon Energy is stored within the Pedestals , correct?” he then asked.

“Yes, I do,” Azula responded, recalling the explanation he and Professor Pine gave them some time ago. “And it would be offered to ‘The Ancient Ones’ back in the old days...”

“Well… I don’t understand ‘Bending’ that much…but, Bending is like- using energy, right? And that you losing that ability is due to you losing energy?” he asked.

“In simplest terms, Yes.” Zuko chimed in.

“Okay… So, who do you think controls all the energy collected in Gyms?” Yuu questioned.

“...The League?” Azula answered.

“The League in conjunction with the Royal Family , yes,” Yuu said as he started to smirk. “The League is the one that mass collects this energy for the purposes that were mentioned before; like powering cities. And… There are special people who have priority ruling on what happens with this energy within the League… Care to guess who?” Yuu questioned. Azula and Zuko, at that moment, looked quite puzzled.

“...A Gym Leader?” Zuko guessed. Yuu shook his head “ No ”.

“A Champion, ” he responded as he looked over to the side of the fall in the inn; there, a flier advertising the Yishu Acrobatic Theater School. “...If I became Champion, who has a say on what happens with this energy… Perhaps, replacing energy that was once lost,? Surely, there must be a way to use this energy to help get your powers back, right?” Azula and Zuko both gasped.

Zuko then hummed before saying, “Hm… I dunno how successful such a thing would be, but..." he looked nervously towards his sister, and back to Yuu. “So… Was that your goal all along?... To become Champion to help us?” Zuko asked.

“It’s what I realized I could do with that amount of power after meeting you, yes.” Yuu clarified. “Sure, Professor Pine recommended asking the gym leaders for aid… But upon meeting Guway, I doubt she would know anything… So… From trying to stop the Vekros Virus and thwarting Team Vekros… to uncovering the various oddities in our region like Domestication… They are all interconnected to Pokémon, and thus, the League… And on top of that, just the amount of resources I would have at my disposal being in that position; no scholar would shy away from collabing with me on that task.”

“Hmph… Can’t your mom just buy you into the Champion’s seat?” asked Azula.

“N-No! That’s not how it works!” Yuu lashed back. “The League has integrity and dignity! No amount of money could ever buy the charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent that a Pokémon Champion wields! It’s a title that is hard to get for a reason… And besides, my mother has already tired too, and the League declined any amount of payment she sent over…”

“I see… I initially was thinking we were coming along in the hopes that we find answers along the way to you being Champion… So then, you have confidence that our paths actually converge together at being Champion…” Zuko said, verbalizing his thought process. 

“Mhm!” Yuu nodded happily. “But, I would be lying in saying that the initial thought wasn’t what I was gunning on to begin with,” he continued with a nervous laugh.

“...” Azula muttered; it was the first time where she felt anything close to guilt over her thoughts and treatment of another this far. To Azula, up until this very moment, there was zero logic in Yuu’s path; but, it didn’t free her completely of her reservations about how they would proceed forward. “...That all sounds well and dandy, but it also sounds like a bunch of ‘what ifs’... So, I won’t stand corrected,” Azula said as she started to walk away.

“Pika? Pika!” Pikachu said, turning to follow after her.

“Azula!...” Yuu said as he attempted to reach out to her. Zuko, however, stopped him.

“Just let her be; she’s always gonna give you a hard time… it’s how she is,” Zuko pointed out.

“...Sure, he says he has a plan to get our bending back… but while that blue-haired kid has an inkling of a plan, our fair Avatar does not…” Azula said as she started to become angry all over again, “...Inch by inch…Piece by piece, I'll pull apart his authority until he realizes I was right all along."

“...Pika?” Pikachu asked, turning around to its master with a furrowed brow. Pikachu could feel a shift in his master. Azula ignored her Pokémon as she turned to the front doors of the inn, watching as Katara made her way back outside. A sharp smile slid across Azula’s face as she watched the other girl closely, an idea quickly formulating in her mind. 

“ And I know just how to do it! ” she thought as she made her way toward Katara. 

“This day couldn't get any worse!” Katara sighed to herself. 

“Katara!” Azula called out, causing Katara to stop in her tracks. She turned to Azula with a frown as a look of exhaustion crossed her face. 

“Maybe I spoke too soon…” Katara said as she turned to face Azula. “...What do you want?” Katara asked as Azula approached her.

"I was hoping to get a chance to speak with you again." She spoke kindly but laced her words with false sincerity. 

"I’m really not in the mood to talk right now Azula."

"It’ll just take a moment of your time," Azula promised, but Katara remained apprehensive.

"Alright," Katara relented, nodding her head slowly.

Azula then donned an apologetic expression, saying, "I know I should have told you sooner, and it was awful of me to hold onto what happened in the cave for my own gain. I hope you can forgive me for my deception."

Katara frowned and gave Azula a suspicious look. She had never received a genuine apology from her before. "What are you up to, Azula?" she asked.

"Nothing," Azula lied. "I just felt the need to let you know I messed up. I made a mistake, and I’m sorry that I ended up hurting you."

"...Why are you saying this now?" Katara questioned.

"Because I feel like I can open up with you and truly share my feelings," Azula said as she took a step toward Katara. "It’s not easy for me to apologize when I’ve done something wrong, but this is different. I feel like you’re the only person in this group who gets me. I feel like we’re on the same wavelength." Whether Azula was sincere or not was something uncertain to Katara, but what she did know is she did need some comfort.

"...Azula, everyone else is concerned about getting back home," Katara admitted. "I’ve felt the same way as you too but you heard Aang. I’ve only ever seen him that enraged once… I think he cracked back there, Azula. It’s clear he’s feeling the pressure of trying to get us all home."

"Feeling is one thing, actions are another," Azula said gently. "He can feel the pressure all he wants to, but if he isn’t turning that into something productive, if he isn’t using that pressure as a catalyst to push us forward towards a solution, what good does it do besides him throwing a tantrum?"

"It wasn’t a tantrum, Azula. He was responding to you egging him on," Katara said sternly. "You said some really horrible things to him. You were out of line."

"I know, but I’m just so frustrated!" Azula exclaimed. "Aang is the Avatar, and that has somehow landed us all here, in a different universe. And I feel like instead of finding answers, he’s playing games. I let my anger get the best of me, I will admit that. However, I can’t help but think of home most days and what potential chaos the Avatar, his team of Masters, and The Fire Lord’s sudden absence might have sown…"

"...I know," Katara said anxiously. "I think about that all the time. What’s going on back home without us? I feel trapped."

"Me too," Azula agreed. "Useless and scared. As The Fire Lord, I have a duty to lead and protect my nation, but I’m stuck here. I just want to go home." Katara sighed deeply as she started to feel the strong urge to cry but didn’t feel any tears coming out… it was as if she had no more tears to cry, but still had all the anguish.

"...Azula, can I hug you? I need one really badly," Katara asked, her emotions getting the best of her.

"Of course, come here," Azula said, opening her arms. Katara eagerly stepped forward, wrapping Azula up in a tight hug. Azula held her tightly, shivering a little as Katara buried her face into the crook of her neck. 

"I just want to go home too… I hold it together for the others, but… I'm scared ," Katara said tearfully.

"I know," Azula whispered as Katara sniffled and pulled back, Azula’s embrace and soft words making her feel a little better.

As Katara pulled back, wiping away her tears, another idea came to Azula."Why don't we get out of here for a while? There’s a Poké Mart just down the block. We can get away from all of this craziness," she said.

"That sounds good," Katara hiccuped, causing Azula to give her a small smile. Azula took Katara's hand in hers, and they began to make their way out of the small courtyard, with Pikachu quietly following behind them.

As they walked, Azula said again, "Everyone seems so preoccupied with their interests. Yuu wants to get badges, Aang is focused on getting his hang gliding license, Suki only cares about Sokka, Sokka is only concerned about his Cubone, and besides a comment here and there, Toph has gone mute. It feels like it hasn't occurred to anyone else that we’re in a different world."

"I've noticed that too," Katara said, nodding in agreement. "But we can't give up. We have to keep trying to find a way back home."

Azula gave her a small smile, "I know, that's why we're in this together."

Just as they were leaving, Aang came walking around the side of the building. He was holding Lemaki close to his chest and watched with confusion and Azula and Katara left the Inn’s courtyard hand in hand.

“What is that about?” He wondered with a frown. 

“Aang!” Yuu called out, pulling Aang’s attention away from the two girls. 

“Oh, Yuu!... and, Zuko!” Aang responded as he saw them both tentatively approach.

"How are you feeling?" Yuu asked with slight nervousness.

"Horrible," Aang replied honestly. "I don't know what happened back there. I just snapped, and I feel like I lost control over myself."

Zuko sympathetically chimed in, "I know what happened… My sister saw you in a vulnerable state and said some messed up things until you blew your top. Anyone would have snapped dude. It's nothing to beat yourself up over."

Aang smiled softly as he heard this; while he appreciated Zuko's attempt to make him feel better, he couldn't help but feel frustrated. "I can't say I agree with that, Zuko, but I thank you for your words... Azula's words shouldn't have been able to touch me. I should have had more control over my emotions."

“Lemaki…Le…” Lemaki said, nudging its nose against Aang’s cheek.

Zuko reassured him nonetheless, saying "It's understandable, Aang. Being taken over by emotion can be scary."

Lemaki nudged its nose against Aang's cheek, and Aang continued to express his concerns. "Letting my anger get the best of me resulted in putting Lemaki in danger. It was almost killed by Pikachu, all because I had to prove a point to Azula."

"No, I get it… Being taken over by emotion can be scary." Yuu acknowledged.

“Maki!” Lemaki said with a nod of his head. 

Nonetheless, Aang couldn't help but feel guilty. "I don't like what my anger made me become. I don't like the levels I stooped to in order to 'humble' Azula. Honestly, even the idea of me trying to humiliate her makes me sick."

"Well, I'm just glad that it didn't go further than it did, and we're all okay," Yuu interjected. 

Aang took a moment to bury his face in Lemaki's soft fur before turning to Yuu. "And Yuu, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what I said about you during the battle."

Yuu tried to brush it off, "It's okay Aang-"

"No, it isn't Yuu," Aang interrupted. "I don't want you to let me slide. What I said to you wasn't right. If it wasn't for your help and guidance, we would all still be stumbling around. We might not even have reunited!"

"I know your words were just out of anger. I don't hold anything against you," Yuu said, acknowledging Aang's apology as he tried his best to assure him,

"Thank you. I want you to know that I really appreciate the help you've given my friends and me up until now." Aang smiled up at Yuu and felt grateful for his forgiveness. 

“Ling! Lingliu!” Lingliu cheered happily as Yuu and Aang shared a warm embrace. 

"I just hope you don't beat yourself up too much," Zuko said, trying to ease Aang's mind. "I never realized how much pain and anxiety you've been shouldering since we arrived here. In hindsight, it seems a little silly for me to have overlooked the gravity of the situation."

Aang nodded sadly, but Zuko's reassuring words made him feel a little better. "Yeah," he said before perking up when Zuko reached forward and squeezed his shoulder.

"For what it's worth, I trust you can get us home, Aang. I don't care what my sister says. You're a good Avatar and a great friend," Zuko said, comforting Aang. "I have faith that we'll be okay in the end as long as we stay the course."

Aang was grateful for Zuko's words and hugged him tightly. He relaxed in Zuko's warm embrace as a comforting feeling blossomed throughout him. However, the nagging feeling of doubt still lingered.

*****

Sometime later…

After some time passed the group naturally came back together as everyone returned back to the lobby of the inn. Sokka, Toph, and Cubone came in first with Suki trailing behind them…sulking as she did so. After a few minutes, Azula and Katara came in behind them looking to be in high spirits. They were both still hand in hand and laughing between them.

“What is that about?” Sokka whispered to Zuko, looking at their sisters with bewilderment. 

“I don't even want to know,” Zuko grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Knowing my sister I’m sure it’s some bullshit though.” Aang frowned as he watched them as well, a spark of anger reigniting in his chest as he watched Katara be friendly with Azula after everything that had just gone down between them.

“Azula, Katara,” Yuu called out, waving to the two to get their attention. “I’m glad you’re finally back and we’re all together again.” 

“Did you want something?” Katara asked as the two girls approached the group.

“Yeah I actually wanted to talk with everyone,” Yuu began, giving them all a measured look. “...Look I know these past few days have been hard on us all-”

“-That’s an understatement,” Katara interrupted with a roll of her eyes. Azula fought back a smile, keeping her amusement hidden behind a neutral expression.

“Like I was saying … I know tensions have been high between all of us,” Yuu tried again. “I get we’re not all seeing eye to eye on things right now…I hope in time we can come together and resolve the issues between us. But right now I think it’s important that even if we can’t get along completely we still need to stick together.”

“If we fall apart now, then we have no hope of reaching our goals, it’s paramount that we stay together no matter what.”

“Our goals?” Azula repeated, raising her eyebrows a little.

“Uh, yeah?” Yuu frowned, not quite getting what Azula was implying. He braced himself for a cutting remark but all Azula did was turn to Katara, giving her a smug expression as she tilted her head towards Yuu almost as to say ‘See what I mean?’. Katara rolled her head but when both she and Azula remained quiet, Yuu decided to ignore the interaction. 

“I’m just saying we’re only going to get through this if we stay together, no matter what…I guess that’s all I wanted to say.” Yuu concluded.

“Yuu is right,” Zuko said now. “If we fall apart at the seams… if we fail to cooperate with one another, then we might as well forget about any dream of going back home. We’ll be stuck here as permanent citizens of Huoli.” 

“Yeah, that’s true,” Sokka said now, while Toph and Suki nodded their heads in agreement. Azula nodded her head as she turned to Katara.

“If we stick together, everything will work out.” She said to Katara. 

“I agree,” Katara said, giving Azula a soft smile as she nodded her head.

“You’re right Yuu, this fighting is getting us nowhere.” Aang finally said. 

“Great, is this meeting adjourned then?” Toph asked gruffly. “I’m tired as shit, I need a damn nap.” 

“Well I think I said all I need to,” Zuko said. “Come on Toph, I could use a nap too.”

“I second that…or third that I guess?” Sokka said.

“I need a nap too!” Suki said quickly. “...Maybe there’s room for me in your bed Papa Bear 🥺😜🥺.”

“I’m not too tired,” Katara said as she turned back to Azula, pointedly ignoring Suki and Sokka. “Let’s go find something to eat.”

“I’m famished,” Azula agreed before the two headed off to where the breakfast bar had been earlier that morning. Aang tried his best to ignore them as he turned towards Yuu.

“I think I’m going to do some meditating on what we spoke about earlier.” He said before heading back to his room. He took a seat on his bed and crossed his legs in the lotus position. Taking a deep breath he began to center himself as he meditated. After some time passed a calm feeling came over Aang as his anger completely washed away.

“I have to let this anger go completely.” He thought, feeling better as he breathed out the negative feelings. “That’s the only way I can keep myself and the rest of this group on track.” Aang took in another deep breath as he opened his eyes, feeling confident and calm as he turned to look out of the window, a renewed feeling coming over him now as he did so. 

-CHAPTER END-

Chapter Text

As Aang and his group struggled with their own issues, in a distant corner of Yishu City, another group faced their share of difficulties. Concealed within a dim, cramped alley, James, Jessie, and Meowth took cover behind a dumpster, each sporting expressions of discontent. The threesome had shed their customary Team Rocket uniforms in favor of more sophisticated attire.

James was clad in a sleek black turtleneck, form-fitting slacks, and polished penny loafers, topped off with a pair of rectangular glasses that lent him an air of intellectualism. Jessie, too, embraced the business-casual aesthetic; she donned a tailored black pantsuit, a crisp white blouse, and matching black kitten heels that conveyed an air of understated elegance. As for Meowth, he wore a coordinating black turtleneck and a jaunty beret perched at a rakish angle.

“I can’t believe we spent all this time picking out these outfits…only to end the day at the back of a filthy alley!” Jessie cried, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at a suspiciously colored puddle leaking out of the dumpster.

“I hate to waste a perfectly good disguise!” James said in agreement. “I belong inside the art house drinking wine and eating off a charcuterie board…this fate is almost as criminal as we are!” Meowth frowned as he grabbed his chin.

“We’d be eating off ten charcuterie boards if we hadn’t been out crooked,” Meowth growled, the hair on his back raising as he thought about it! “It was the perfect heist! Stealing just one or two pieces of art from that auction would have set us up for life!”

“We would be living like kings,” James sniffled.

“And yet here we are, standing in filth like peasants!” Jessie snapped. “Now it’s impossible, after those other thieves stole that club, the security around that art house has increased tenfold…how are we ever going to get back in?!”

“And not just that art auction either…I imagine the security around all the art houses in this city is going to increase,” Meowth groaned. “...There goes our careers as art thieves!”

“Ugh?! If I ever find the thieves who caused this trouble I’m going to make them pay for stealing our pay!” James cried. “Who do they think they are stealing from Team Rocket, don't they know we're the premier thieves in any region we go to.”

“ The Boss isn’t going to be happy to hear about this one…” Meowth groaned. 

“Well…it has been a while since we’ve reported to him,” Jessie said now, her own tone becoming nervous at the idea of Giovanni - of all people, finding out about their newest failed heist. “But it’s not like he knows what we planned on doing-”

“-So why tell him!” James agreed. “What he doesn’t know can’t hurt him!”

“Agreed!” Jessie said excitedly. “In fact, this particular scheme was really just a small side gig! All that really matters is our discovery of Huoli, the real good news!”

“Right! I mean, we found a whole new region for Team Rocket to pilfer and pillage!” Meowth said excitedly. “When we hear about all the new and rare Pokémon we can steal here, he won’t even think twice about a silly art auction!”

“Right!” Jessie and James said in unison.

“And think of how he’ll reward us for what we’ve found 🤩!” Jessie cried. “A whole new region…we’ll be promoted to the upper echelon of Team Rocket, probably just one rank below The Boss himself!”

“We’ll finally get the respect from the other members of Team Rocket that we deserve! We’ll be loved and envied 😍!” James cheered.

“And just think with a big promotion comes a big bonus, we’ll be filthy rich 🤑!” Meowth said finally. “While…what are waiting for! Let’s call The Boss right now and let him know what we’ve deserved!” Jessie and James nodded as James quickly pulled out his Rotom Phone and dialed Giovanni’s number. The trio all swayed happily as they waited for him to answer. 

After ten rings Giovanni finally picked up. He was sitting in a plush exclusive chair with his beloved Persian laying across his lap. He pulled his lips into a tight line as he narrowed his eyes at the trio while Persian stared at them with disinterest. 

“Jessie? James? It’s been a while since you’ve reported in,” He said in a way of a greeting. “I was beginning to think those children you’re always being thwarted by finally got the better of you.”

“Perrrrsian,” Persian purred as it gave them a condescending look. 

“No! No, we’ve just been really busy,” James said quickly. “...And we’re not always thwarted by those twerps.”

“Busy failing I presume.” He quipped, causing the three to flinch while Persian laughed at Giovanni’s insult.

“No boss! We called you because we have some good news,” Jessie said quickly. “You’ll never believe it but while we were on our way back from Galar we saw this strange rift in the sky! We stopped to investigate it and found ourselves in a whole new region called Huoli!”

“That’s right!” James said now. “It’s located between Kalos and Sinnoh and it’s filled with so many new Pokémon! And some interesting variants of other Pokémon-”

“-Like Pikachu!” Meowth cut in. “We’ve run into a whole new group of twerps and they have a Pikachu that’s dual-fire and electric!”

“Hmm… that is unbelievable,” Giovanni said now, causing Jessie, James, and Meowth to puff their chests out. “Unbelievable that you think you’ve discovered Huoli, that is.” He added, causing the trio's mouths to fall open as their eyes wide with shock.

“W-What?! You mean you’ve known about Huoli?” James stammered.

“Not only do I know about Huoli, but I currently have operatives in the region and have for some time,” Giovanni explained, talking to them like he might speak to a child. “What, don't give me that look, do you really think I would be so ignorant as to not know the existence of such a large region?” He demanded.

“Of course not! You’re the smartest guy around!” Jessie praised. “We would never imply something so badly about our beloved boss!”

“No one is smarter than you!” James added, causing Giovanni to roll his eyes. “...You said there are already members of Team Rocket in Huoli, but who? We haven’t seen any other members of Team Rocket around since we arrived here!”

“That’s because we’re undercover, idiots!” said a random- yet familiar voice behind them. The trio's eyes widened in shock once more as they turned around to see they were no longer alone in the ally! Jessie gasped loudly.
“C-Cassidy?!” Jessie cried in outrage. Right next to her was a green-haired male; one who sent a shiver down James’ spine.

There, the male said, “Well, well…Jessie and James; how unsurprising to find you here among all this garbage.”

“And Butch !” James added in the same tone.

"Y-You two are undercover too?!" Meowth stammered as the other two members of Team Rocket drew near. The more intently the astonished trio observed Cassidy and Butch, the clearer the situation became. It was evident that neither Cassidy nor Butch sported their usual Team Rocket attire; rather, they were clad in the distinctive garb of Team Vekros.

“Yes, I sent Cassidy and Butch to infiltrate Team Vekros, our rivals in this region,” Giovanni said now. “They’ve been working here for quite some time, and have successfully managed to work their way into Team Vekros ranks without suspicion,” Giovanni added proudly, causing Jessie, James, and Meowth to flinch at his praise of their own rivals. 

“That’s right!” shouted Cassidy with a hearty laugh, “Unlike you idiots , we’ve been able to blend into Huoli without much trouble… Well… Save for a little run-in with Officer Jenny a little while back.” Cassidy gloated. 

“You guys had issues with Officer Jenny as well?!” James asked, sounding shocked now.

“Of course, we’re criminals, idiot,” Butch said now. “Brushes with the law are only natural, the trick is getting out of them unscathed, something I’m sure you dummies couldn’t claim!”

“Hey, we always get away from Officer Jenny’s just fine!” Jessie shot back. 

“Yes, but you're always failing in all of your missions,” Cassidy said arrogantly. “So by proxy, you’re aiding all the Officer Jenny’s of the world in their quest to eliminate crime!” Jessie clenched her jaw at the insult while Butch snickered.

“I wouldn’t brag too much,” Giovanni said now. “ Burton . Cassandra . You might have gotten away from Officer Jenny, but the fact remains she did get descriptions of you after your run-in with her, she could still be a problem later.” Instantly, Cassidy and Butch straightened up.

“B-Burton? I’m-... Eh…” Butch said as he sighed- forgoing The Boss’ blunder, “...Don't worry, Boss, we can deal with any problem that comes our way!” 

The thought of correcting came across Cassisdy’s mind but didn’t dare talk back like Butch attempted. Instead, she said, “T-That’s right, we’re not bothered by a measly Officer Jenny!” Cassidy added. 

“The fact that it’s even a problem to consider proves that you two are the real incompetent duo!” Jessie said haughtily.

“Are you stupid?” Butch demanded. “Have you not been paying attention?! We’ve managed to infiltrate Team Vekros while you two have been once again traipsing after a single Pikachu!”

“Don't you call us stupid, Biff!” James snapped.

“It’s Butch! How many times do I have to tell you that?!” Butch hollered as he clenched his hands into fists.

“And besides, you two are on a first-name basis with nearly every Officer Jenny in each region!” Cassidy shot back, ignoring the boys. “Don't try to act like you’re better than anyone, you can’t even catch a single Pikachu!”

"She only has one name!" James cried.

“And that’s not our fault!” Meowth said.

“Well, whose fault is it?!” Butch demanded. “Do you three have some other useless group constantly failing in your name?”

“How horrible, you should really get something like that taken care of,” Cassidy suggested in a condescending tone. “Those other people are ruining your good name!” 

“Why you horrible little,” Jessie growled as she pulled out a Poké Ball. “I ought to teach you a lesson!”

“I’d love to see you two idiots try,” Butch said as he pulled out his own Poké Ball. “You two couldn’t fight your way out of a paper bag!” 

“You want to bet?!” James demanded.

“We’ll kick your butt!” Meowth said as he unsheathed his claws. As the five went back and forth Giovanni scowled, his annoyance rising as he listened to his subordinates going back and forth with one another.

“Agh! Will you all stop it!” Giovanni snapped, causing them all to shut up as they turned to look at the phone still in James' hand. “Are you all so interested in this petty squabbling that you want to ignore the profitable heist right in front of us?”

“No, Boss,” they all said in unison. 

“In that case stop arguing,” He warned. “...And let’s start talking business… It is no coincidence Cassidy and Butch found you,” Cassidy and Butch nodded as they turned to Jessie, James, and Meowth. 

“Huh?... Wait, that’s right!” shouted Jessie, “How did you two know we were here out of all places in this entire region?” 

“Have you been stalking us?” James then asked. There, Cassidy pulled out a locator, which showed a big blinking dot in the middle; clearly being Jessie, James, and Meowth’s current location!

“Um… Yeah, basically,” Cassidy then admitted.

“W-WHAT?!” shouted the trio.

“Wasn’t that hard to do, honestly” Butch said, “Vekros has some killer tech and are very good at keeping tabs on people; and Pokémon! ... I wonder where those grunts get it from…” The trio was flabbergasted.

“ Buford and Cassie told me some time ago that Vekros spotted a UFO in the Huoli skies and realized it belonged to you; so, I let them deal with you," Giovanni divulged, his revelation leaving Jessie, James, and Meowth in a state of shock. "It seems Vekros was planning to launch an operation to investigate and potentially eliminate the threat; somehow under the impression Team Rocket was somewhere within Huoli already… I’m still investigating how they could even know… At any rate, if it weren't for Buford and Cassie's clever efforts to disrupt the communication signals, you would have been captured long ago."

"Huh?..." Jessie uttered, glancing at Cassidy and Butch, who appeared slightly annoyed by Giovanni's continued mispronunciation of their names.

"I never imagined our hot air balloon would be detected by foreign forces..." James confessed.

"S-So, you've been tracking us since the moment we set foot on Huoli?!" Meowth inquired.

"Pretty much," Butch responded. "We only arrived in this part of Huoli recently, where we utilized Vekros technology to triangulate your location based on the last coordinates of your balloon. It wasn't easy convincing the others that our keen interest was focused on what we led them to believe was a 'dead-end case'... Though… I wonder why it was Vekros that looked into it, and not Lumos …" he elaborated.

“W-Wow…” Jessie and James muttered, secretly conceding to the brilliance of Cassidy and Butch.

“Enough of this…There is a reason we sought you out,” Cassidy said now, an annoyed look coming over her face as she admitted their intent. “On the outskirts of Yishu City, along Route 4 , there’s a factory that’s keeping a massive load of stolen Pokémon .”

“Stolen?” James asked.

“Pokémon?!” Jessie then added.

“Sounds like the perfect place for Team Rocket to be at!” shouted Meowth with a snicker.