Ally Beifong

39: Meeting Toph

"For the first time in twenty years, I met my grandmother. And I gotta be frank, she's exactly what I expected, short, abrasive, basically the older version of mom, which is a bit scary all things considered. She might be the key to helping Korra, and to help me get the metal out of my body."

"We need your help," Ally told her grandma. "It's been 3 years, Korra can't go into the avatar state, and neither can I now that I think about it."

"I'm getting my butt kicked everywhere I go," Korra mumbled. "The world needs us back."

"Oh, stop with the pity party!" Toph exclaimed. "The world needs you two like it needs a hole down its center. It doesn't need either of you."

"For the years we've been the avatar, we've been kicking some serious butt," Korra retorted.

"Listen to me, both of you," Toph said. "A long time ago, when I was the chief of police, for many years I worked my butt to the bone trying to bust criminals. Because of my hard work, did crime go anywhere? No way. If there are things I learned, especially on the beat, it's the street stays the same even though the name changes."

"So Ally and I have been doing all this... for nothing?" Korra asked. "Man, and I thought Ally's mom was cranky."

"And I'm Lin's mom! The original Beifong!" Toph put her hands on her hips.

"Holy shit, you're just like mom!" Ally laughed.

"So you won't help us? Korra inquired.

"I was going to relax, put my feet up," Toph started. "But seeing as you're so pathetic, I'll help."

"Yay!" Korra went to give Toph a hug but was greeted by a rock to the face as Toph's raised her arm up.

"Oh no you don't," she snapped. "Go hug a tree or something, that's what they're there for. In the meantime, we're here right now to work."

Toph started with Ally, sparring her with ease, but noticed that her granddaughter could fight with her eyes closed, sensing things through the earth, just like she could. Toph was impressed with her granddaughter, but her hope faded when she sparred Korra, who was easy to beat. "Of the three avatars I've worked with, you're the worst," Toph scoffed. "Even my granddaughter can fight better than you."

"Hey! What gives, it seems you like having me around, someone to beat up," Korra snapped back.

"The people around here are weak," Toph sighed and took a seat on a tree root. "Can't take anything, not even a punch."

"Can I ask, why did you leave, disconnect from everyone?" Korra prompted.

"Oh please," Toph replied. "I'm quite connected to the world, do everyone. The vines you see here go all over the world, I can see all the way to Republic City, Zaofu, I can see my daughters, everything." Korra tried to hit her with a stream of water, but was thrown back into the mud.

"Compared to me, kid, you're basically blind." Meanwhile, in Republic City, Kuvira refused to step down from power, dethroned the king, and declared a new earth empire, threatening to crush anyone in her way.

"That stunk," Korra grumbled.

"Maybe for you," Toph laughed, picking up her skirt to sit down. She picked a green weed out of her toes and threw it aside. "That was awesome, after all these years, I forgot how fun it was to torture my family and the Avatar. I do wish that the both of you had fought more, but still a good time.

"You've been tossing us around for the entire day," Korra protested.

"Right! And I'm old!" Toph exclaimed. "Imagine me when I was in my prime, ooh, I would have kicked your butts." She let out a laugh and leaned back against a tree stump taking a deep breath of relief.

"I just don't get why I'm so slow," Korra muttered. "Instead of moving faster, it's like I'm going backward."

"Yeah, I mean it probably doesn't help that you have a bunch of metal in your body," Toph scoffed. "Both of you do."

"Yeah, I noticed, I've been trying to get it out," Ally told her. "Something's blocking me. I saw Zaheer, faced my past, but I'm still stuck." Toph put her hands behind her back and walked up the side of a tree.

"Metal?" Korra asked. "Ally, what are you talking about, metal in our bodies."

"The poison in your body," Toph said. "Don't tell me you can't feel it."

"When I was poisoned, I thought Ally and Su got it out," Korra stammered.

"My girls never got metalbending as well as I hoped, but Ally, she's an incredible bender," Toph praised her. "She was able to get most of it out, but even that little girl has her limits." Korra ran up the side of the tree and grabbed Toph by the shoulders. 

"YOU CAN HELP!" she exclaimed. 

"Who on EARTH do you think you're demanding favors of," Toph snapped, she put her hand on Korra's face and shoved her back. They went back to Toph's house where she prepared to get the metal out of the two girls. She started with Korra, but the young Avatar curled up in pain as the memories of Zaheer came back to her. 

"I can't!" Korra shouted. 

"Okay, you know what, you're going to need to bend it out yourself," Toph said roughly. "It's  like you want the metal to stay."

"That's crazy!" Korra snapped back. "I don't want this in me. Why would I?" 

"Beats me," Toph replied. "Maybe it's so you have a good and valid reason not to go back to fighting, to being the Avatar. So you won't get hurt." 

"That's insane," Korra stammered. 

"I don't really care," Toph walked away with her hands behind her back. "When and if you want it out, it's up to you to do it. I'm not dealing with everything for you." She sat cross-legged on a rock and turned away. 

"What now?" Korra murmured. 

"If you want someone here to be where no one will find or bug you, you found a great place," Toph told her.