𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐎 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍 ꩜ prince zuko

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CHAPTER NINETEEN

        AS SOZIN'S COMET approached, the group intensified their training to prepare, Aang dedicating himself especially hard. He focused primarily on firebending, practicing tirelessly alongside Zuko who had only recently begun teaching him. Zuko, however, was relentless, pushing Aang to his limits with every lesson. As the days wore on, though, their rigorous training began to slacken; the group had grown more relaxed, spending time lounging at the vacation home once owned by the Fire Nation Royal Family on Ember Island. When Katara offered them both a glass of refreshing watermelon juice, Aang eagerly rushed over, but Zuko quickly reminded him that his training wasn't finished yet.

        "Come on, Zuko. Just take a break. What's the big deal?" Suki sighed as she sat beside Sokka who was leisurely drinking from a watermelon, both of them watching the Fire Prince put the Avatar through his paces. Zuko, noticing Aang's fatigue, sighed and reluctantly allowed him a break.

        "Fine. If you want to lounge around like a bunch of snail sloths all day, then go ahead," he said hotly as he turned and walked away from the group, Momo following after him.

        "Maybe Zuko's right. Sitting around the house has made us pretty lazy, but I know just the thing to change that! Beach party!" Sokka yelled as he ripped off his robe, causing Yan to grimace and look away in disgust. With a reluctant sigh, she decided to join the group at the beach, though she wasn't particularly fond of the sand and surf. Toph was absorbed in her sandbending, crafting a tiny diorama of the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se and Katara was gracefully riding the waves on an ice surfboard while Aang and Sokka competed to make the best sand sculptures of their respective loved ones. 

        The fun was short-lived when a fireball suddenly streaked through the air, smashing into Sokka's sand sculpture. Aang dashed away as more fireballs were hurled in his direction, leaving the group stunned and confused about why Zuko had started attacking him. The group rushed toward the vacation home just in time to see Zuko crash through an upstairs window and land in a tree, abruptly ending the skirmish.

        "What's wrong with you? You could've hurt Aang!" Katara scolded him while they hurried over to Zuko who laid in a pile of leaves and branches after tumbling out of the tree.

        "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with all of you? How can you sit around having beach parties when Sozin's Comet is only three days away?" Zuko shot back as he noticed that no one was taking action to prepare. He paused, realizing everyone was staring at him with the same blank expression. "Why are you all looking at me like I'm crazy?"

        "About Sozin's Comet... I was actually gonna wait to fight the Fire Lord until after it came. I'm not ready. I need more time to master firebending and I need to work on my earthbending." Aang explained to a shocked Zuko.

        "Honestly, if Aang tries to fight the Fire Lord right now, he's gonna lose. No offense." Sokka added in.

        "The whole point of fighting the Fire Lord before the comet was to stop the Fire Nation from winning the war. But they pretty much won the war when they took Ba Sing Se. Things can't get any worse." Katara further explained, her expression saddening.

        "You're wrong. It's about to get worse than you can even imagine. The day before the eclipse, my father asked me to attend an important war meeting. It was what I dreamed about and wanted for so many years; my father had finally accepted me back. During the war meeting, he discussed what he had planned to do: during Sozin's Comet, the firebenders have enhanced bending. My father proposed that they attack the Earth Kingdom and burn it to the ground, turning every town, city, and village in the world into the new Fire Nation so he can rule everything as the supreme leader.