Avatar - The Last Airbender (Storyteller Version)

Interlude I

On their way to the North Pole, Aang insisted on bringing Katara and Sokka to places he had once visited long before he was frozen in the iceberg. One of them was the remote Kyoshi Island somewhere in the southwestern Earth Kingdom. There, giant elephant koi fish dwelled in the ocean. To impress Katara, Aang showed how he could ride on the backs of these massive fishes like a cowboy on a bronco. But no sooner had he started when a massive gray eel called an Unagi stirred from the ocean, pursuing Aang. Frantically, he rushed back to shore, but before they could get away, the children were captured by a mysterious clan of warriors, who took them to their village. Aang revealed to the village chief that he was a reincarnation of the island's founder, Avatar Kyoshi. To prove it, he freed himself and performed some airbending moves. The villagers were very impressed—especially the young girls, who quickly took a liking to the young Avatar. Now convinced, the villagers released Katara and Sokka.

Soon Aang was spending time with his new fans, which didn't please Katara one bit. Not only was she jealous, she was very worried that Aang was letting all this "hero worship" go to his head. But Aang wanted Katara's attention, too, and was baffled by her apparent indifference to his newfound fame. That afternoon, Aang decided to show off to his new fans by riding the Unagi. When it didn't appear, the girls got bored and left him in the water. No sooner had they gone, then the monster itself rose out of the ocean! It sped toward Aang, growling ferociously. Fortunately, Katara had seen everything, and was just in time to save him. After that, Aang admitted he had gotten carried away. But he also learned that a true friend like Katara was far more valuable than fickle fans like those girls.

Sokka, meanwhile, had a different kind of learning experience. He discovered that the warriors of the village were, in fact, women. And he quickly got on the wrong foot with their leader, Suki. But Sokka soon began to have second thoughts about his views on women, and humbly asked Suki to train him. She agreed, and before long, found herself falling for Sokka.

Unfortunately, Zuko soon discovered where the Avatar was, and brought his fleet to Kyoshi Island. In no time, they set fire to the village. While Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors distracted the enemy, Aang, Sokka, and Katara made their escape on Appa's back. Aang blamed himself for this disaster, and vowed to set things right. He dove into the water and landed on the Unagi's head. This time, however, Aang took control and directed the beast toward the burning village. The Unagi spewed spouts of water from its mouth, and the flames were extinguished. Aang bounded off the creature's back, landing on Appa. They all flew off into the sunset, with Zuko and his followers still on their tail.

Next, Aang took Katara and Sokka to the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu. It was the hugest place the two siblings had ever seen, with tall buildings that stretched toward the clouds. But most amazing was the elaborate Omashu delivery system, a massive complex of slides and chutes which spanned the entire city. Parcels were sent down these gravity-powered chutes to their destinations. Aang took Katara and Sokka on a wild roller coaster ride down the delivery system, and they went speeding left and right, this way and that all across the slides. Unfortunately, their fun was cut short when they crashed into a merchant's stand. The three of them were soon arrested and brought before Omashu's eccentric, elderly king. Recognizing that Aang was the Avatar, the king decided to test him. In order to win their freedom, Aang would have to participate in three challenges—including a match with the king himself!

The challenges were treacherous, and the king proved to be quite a strong fighter, but Aang was persistent and determined. For if he didn't win, Katara and Sokka would be imprisoned forever in crystals! Thanks to his rapid skills and timing, Aang successfully completed the challenges. It was then that he discovered that the king was actually his old friend, Bumi, a mad genius who had devised the delivery system himself! Bumi explained that he had to test Aang because the Avatar had a difficult task ahead of him. He would have to master the four elements and confront Fire Lord Ozai. It was the only way to restore balance to their world. Before leaving, Aang decided to take one last ride down the mail system with Bumi—and as before, their journey ended with a collision into the same merchant's carriage!

(Crashing Noise)

By day, Aang, Katara, and Sokka traveled on Appa's back, but sometimes they had to set up camp on the beach or in a forest. On one such occasion, the children encountered Haru, a teenage earthbender. They soon discovered that his village was already under the control of the Fire Nation. According to their law, all earthbenders were to be imprisoned. When Katara tried to befriend Haru, they spotted an old man trapped by a cave in. At Katara's suggestion, Haru used his earthbending to rescue the old man. Unfortunately, as a result of that noble deed, Haru was discovered and arrested by the Fire Nation.

Feeling responsible, Katara got herself captured, too, with Aang and Sokka trailing her. She was taken to an offshore prison rig, where its prisoners were forced to build, repair, and refuel ships for the Fire Navy. There, Katara reunited with Haru and met his father, Tyro, who had been arrested for resisting the Fire Nation troops. Katara passionately begged the prisoners to take a stand against their captors, but it was no use, for all of them had lost hope. Especially because the entire rig was made of metal, which the earthbenders couldn't control. Even so, Katara was determined to set them free.

That night, when Aang and Sokka arrived to rescue Katara, she convinced them to help her. Exploring the rig, Aang and Sokka discovered that the prison was burning coal. It gave them an idea—if the prisoners could use the coal to their advantage, maybe they could fight against their captors. Using his airbending, Aang released the coal from its deposit to the prisoners' quarters. But the captive earthbenders still had no motivation, despite Katara's pleas.

However, when the cruel, merciless prison warden made fun of Katara, Haru got so angry that he earthbended a small rock against the evil man. In retaliation, the warden blasted fire, but Haru's father, Tyro, instantly blocked the attack by raising an entire wall of coal! Seeing this, the prisoners were finally inspired—and the fighting began, with Aang, Sokka, and Katara lending their support. In no time, the children and their new allies overpowered both the guards and the warden. They all escaped the rig by stealing the Fire Nation ships, leaving their captors marooned. At last the earthbenders were free and filled with renewed hope, for now they could return to their homeland and liberate all their villages from the Fire Nation's jurisdiction. Haru and Tyro were so grateful to Katara they invited her to join them on their quest. But Katara politely declined, for she knew that her destiny was helping the Avatar. Both sides parted company and set off on their own journeys.

But in all the commotion, Katara had lost something of special value—her mother's necklace. And when Zuko stopped by the prison rig a moment later, the necklace fell into his hands. Now the prince had a clue that would surely lead him to the Avatar.