Avatar - The Last Airbender (Storyteller Version)

Chapter 26: The Firebending Masters

The next day, Aang began his training with Zuko.

ZUKO: I know you're nervous, but remember—firebending in and of itself is not something to fear.

AANG: (Sighing) Okay. Not something to fear.

ZUKO: But if you don't respect it, it'll chew you up and spit you out like an angry komodo rhino!

AANG: (Yelping in Fear)

ZUKO: Now show me what you got. Any amount of fire you can make.

Nervously, Aang took a deep breath and extended his palm... but all he could emit was a puff of smoke.

AANG: Maybe I need a little more instruction. Perhaps a demonstration?

ZUKO: Good idea. You might want to take a couple steps back.

Zuko inhaled for a moment, then drew back and lunged with his fist. A small flame shot from his hand.

ZUKO: What was that?! That was the worst firebending I've ever seen!

AANG: (Weakly) I thought it was nice.

Zuko threw punch after punch — only to achieve the same result. As the day wore on, the prince kept trying, but still no luck. Zuko and Aang couldn't figure out why. That night, the two sat with Katara, Sokka, and Toph.

ZUKO: Listen, everybody—I've got some pretty bad news. I've lost my stuff.

TOPH: Don't look at me. I didn't touch your stuff.

ZUKO: I'm talking about my firebending. It's gone.

KATARA: (Laughing Uncontrollably) I'm sorry, I'm just laughing at the irony. You know, how it would have been nice for us if you'd lost your firebending a long time ago?

ZUKO: Well, it's not lost. It's just... weaker for some reason.

AANG: Maybe your firebending comes from rage and you just don't have enough anger to fuel it the way you used to.

ZUKO: Even if you're right, I don't want to rely on hate and anger anymore. There has to be another way.

TOPH: You're gonna need to learn to draw your firebending from a different source. I recommend the original source.

SOKKA: How's he supposed to do that, by jumping into a volcano?

TOPH: No. Zuko needs to go back to whatever the original source of firebending is. For earthbending, the original benders were badgermoles. One day when I was little, I ran away and hid in a cave. That's where I met them. They were blind, just like me. So we understood each other. I was able to learn earthbending, not just as a martial art, but as an extension of my senses. For them, the original earthbenders, it wasn't just about fighting. It was their way of interacting with the world.

AANG: That's amazing, Toph! I learned from the monks, but the original airbenders were the sky bison.

ZUKO: The original firebenders were the dragons, and they're extinct. But maybe there's another way. The first people to learn from the dragons were the ancient Sun Warriors.

AANG: Sun Warriors? Well, I know they weren't around when I was a kid.

ZUKO: No. They died off thousands of years ago, but their civilization wasn't too far from where we are now. Maybe we can learn something by poking around their ruins.