Both Huobano and Kugo faced their backs against each other. Then, they kneeled and lowered their heads. Both had determined expressions on their faces as they prepared themselves to fight each other in the mock Agni Kai.

A few minutes passed. Soon enough, Kugo and Huobano stood and turned towards each other. Then, they formed their fighting positions. After that, they waited until one of them made their first move while their determined eyes stared at each other.

After about thirty seconds, Kugo let out a battle cry as he launched his right fist in Huobano’s direction. Huobano evaded by moving to his right. Kugo blasted more flames in Huobano’s direction, but every time he did, he kept dodging.

“Die, Die, Die, DIE!!!” Kugo exclaimed as he kept launching more flames.

After about one minute, Huobano decided to perform an attack. He stretched out both his hands ahead of him and swiped them open. This created a stream of flames blasted in Kugo’s direction.

Upon seeing this, Kugo let out a yelp. “Whoa!”

Kugo jumped and flipped over the flames. He landed ahead just as the flames almost brushed against his skin. He charged forward to deliver a punch to Huobano’s stomach. Unfortunately, it was blocked by Huobano’s hand.

Huobano looked at Kugo and smirked at his victorious block. Kugo smirked at him back.

Confusion appeared in Huobano’s eyes. Before he could do anything, Kugo blasted his flames on Huobano’s feet. This caused Huobano to immediately jump over the flames. Then, he felt Kugo grabbing his right leg and was thrown to the ground.

As Huobano turned his body to look up at Kugo, he found him standing with a serious expression. Then, it turned to a confident smirk as he ignited his flames.

“Do it, Avagham!” Huobano exclaimed.

“Hehehe,” Kugo chuckled. “Alright. You asked for it!” Then, his confident smirk turned into anger. He let out a battle cry as he shot his flame forward. But it did not land on Huobano. Instead, it landed beside his head on his right.

A surprised expression appeared on Huobano’s face, but he decided to let things slide. He smirked. “You have outstanding firebending talent, Avagham, but there’s still a lot to learn about firebending.”

Huobano stood on his feet.

“Avagham, are you willing to learn more firebending and become a worthy Protector?” he asked with a proud smirk.

Kugo smirked determinedly. “Yeah! I’m ready for it, Huobano!”

“Good,” Huobano said. “Then, let’s get started with our first training lesson.”

With that, Kugo started learning his training lesson with Huobano.

———————————————————

Kugo stood in front of Huobano. He listened intently to his words with a serious expression.

"Your first firebending technique is called 'Blocking Fire.' It is used to put out flames from any firebender by using a swift kick, jab, or any other defensive maneuver, allowing them to stop attacks," Huobano explained. "For me to demonstrate, try and hit me with your firebending."

"Right," Kugo said, knowing what was about to happen.

Kugo positioned himself in his fighting form. His elbows were near the sides of his body and his flames ignited in his hands. His body and knees also bent. His right foot was slightly in the northeast direction and his left foot was slightly in the southwest direction. His serious expression met Huobano's smirk.

Huobano formed his own fighting position. His legs were a bit open and his arms were slightly near the sides of his body as he readied himself to do his demonstration.

Soon after, Kugo let out a battle cry. Then, he blasted a stream of flames towards Huobano.

Huobano raised his arms and swooped them down as he was drawing two lines of the letter "X" at the same time. This extinguished the stream of flames Kugo just launched to him.

Upon seeing this, Kugo's serious expression turned into an amazed one. "That was amazing!"

"Thank you, Avagham. Blocking Fire is essential in battles, especially when you're against a firebender or two. Once you master it, you'll be able to overcome a firebending enemy," Huobano said.

"Got it!" Kugo said, nodding.

"Now, let's practice it. Don't worry. When you do that, the fire won't hurt you," Huobano said.

A determined smirk appeared on Kugo's face. He ignited his flames in his hands again. "I'm not afraid of the fire or being hurt by it."

Huobano's smirk widened. "Good."

With that, Kugo proceeded to mastering Blocking Fire. For a few tries, Kugo received burns on his forearms by Huobano's flames. This led to Huobano wrapping bandages on his forearms. After he rested for a few minutes, he tried Blocking Fire again. Still, he was far from fully mastering it. After about two days, he finally mastered it.

———————————————————

Kugo’s Internship Training — Day 3

Right after he mastered Blocking Fire, Kugo stood before Huobano again as he learned how to master another firebending technique.

"Now that you've mastered Blocking Fire, we'll move to the more challenging firebending technique. 'Fire Blade,'" Huobano said. "It is a more advanced version of a blazing arc. By narrowing and condensing their flame projections, firebenders can create thin blades of fire to slice through objects without completely destroying them. Have you mastered Blazing Arc already?"

"Yes. I have. I learned it from my parents," Kugo said.

"Good," Huobano said. "Then, I will teach you how to master Fire Blade."

With that, Huobano taught Kugo how to master Fire Blade. Huobano demonstrated by turning his body behind him. Then, he jumped ahead and flipped forward while unleashing the flames. This formed a long knife-like flame that can slice anything head of him.

During Kugo's first few tries, he tried doing the same thing as Huobano did, but he ended up making fire streams while flipping forward. For another few tries, he managed to form a small knife, but Huobano thought his flame wasn't long enough. After almost two days, Kugo finally mastered it.

———————————————————

Kugo’s Internship Training — Day 5

Kugo stood before Huobano to listen to his feedback about his firebending so far.

"Avagham, so far, you have mastered two firebending techniques," Huobano said. "Mastering all the firebending techniques was too much for one week. So I decided to take the time for us to patrol in the Fire Nation Capital."

Kugo's eyes lit up as he gasped excitedly. A big smile appeared on his face as sparkles twinkled in his eyes. "Really?! We'll do that?!"

"Of course. After all, there's no Internship without an intern patrolling with his mentor," Huobano said. "Now shall we begin patrolling?"

Kugo nodded immediately. "Yes! Let's begin!"

Huobano chuckled. "Alright. Let's prepare our things needed for patrolling and fighting our enemies just in case. After that, we'll go to the Fire Nation Capital."

Kugo nodded determinedly. "Right."

With that being said, Kugo and Huobano prepared their things needed for patrolling in the Fire Nation Capital. For Huobano, the things he had prepared were his sword and the small sack of miscellaneous essential items attached to his belt. For Kugo, he had prepared extra bandages just in case he needed to change them on his forearms and the small sack of burn ointments. He didn't prepare any weapon because he preferred to use firebending when fighting his enemies.

———————————————————

Fire Nation Capital, Fire Nation

Huobano and Kugo were walking down the streets of the Fire Nation Capital. Kugo had witnessed people working to earn their finances, playing gambling games and running around playing tag. Kugo laughed as he witnessed them.

Huobano, on the other hand, scanned his surroundings for any villain lurking in the Fire Nation Capital. A serious expression appeared on his face. Once he heard Kugo laughing a bit, he turned to him. It crossed his mind to reprimand him for not focusing, but he knew there are times when people get bored during the patrolling.

With that, Huobano spoke, "I'll say. You're braver than I thought."

Kugo turned to him in surprise.

"Most of my interns are afraid from the start. But you. You may also be afraid at the start, but you showed guts later on," Huobano said.

Kugo's surprised expression turned to a smile. "Thanks. I've been practicing back at home, so that I don't have to be afraid of fire."

Huobano turned to Kugo with a smile. "Really? Who taught you?"

"My parents taught me," Kugo said.

"Nice. So your parents must be firebenders," Huobano said.

"Yup," Kugo said.

"You never gave up mastering your new firebending techniques. That's great determination. You didn't even have the slightest hesitation in your eyes and I can feel your competitive spirit rising in you," Huobano said.

Kugo laughed nervously as he turned his head away and his right hand clasped his nape. "Well, that's the thing. I tend to get competitive sometimes, especially when I play kuai ball."

Huobano's eyes widened in surprise. "You play kuai ball?"

"Yeah," Kugo said as he laid his hand to his side and turned to Huobano. "Although, I tend to go too overboard."

"I've seen people play kuai ball in Ember Island. It'll be interesting if you go there, so that I can watch you play," Huobano said.

Kugo's face formed an open mouthed smile. "Ah, Ember Island." He turned straight ahead. "My family used to go there with my dad's best friend, Iroh, and his child, Lu-Ten, when my sis and I were kids."

"Really?" Huobano asked.

Kugo nodded. "Yup."

Huobano's eyes narrowed as he continued to stare at Kugo with fascination. He wondered whether or not his dad was actually Morizhito. Huobano had heard of Morizhito as the Co-General in Iroh's military team, so naturally, when Kugo mentioned 'Iroh,' he started putting pieces of a puzzle together and he wanted to confirm his genealogy.

I wonder, he thought.

———————————————————

Later that night...
Huobano's Cave, Near the Fire Nation Capital, Fire Nation

Kugo and Huobano had bought ingredients from the market in the Fire Nation Capital when they saw that the sun was about to set. After that, they walked back to the cave where Kugo had his training under Huobano.

Upon arrival, Huobano cooked food from the ingredients he and Kugo bought from the market. A few minutes later, he made chicken skewers. It contained a few chunks of chicken poked through by a skewer. Spices were added to the chicken as it was common for Fire Nation food to be spicy.

Once the chicken skewers were ready, Huobano picked a chicken skewer first. Then, as Kugo reached his hand for the chicken skewer, his mouth watered. He snuck his tongue out of his mouth and licked his lips.

Noticing this, Huobano smirked. "You really are hungry, aren't you, Avagham?"

"I am hungry," Kugo said, holding a chicken skewer. "I may be the hungriest in my family."

Huobano chuckled.

As Kugo took a bite of the chicken skewer, Huobano's eyes narrowed again. He went into deep thought about the speculation he had thought about back from when he and Kugo were patrolling.

Once Kugo took a bite and he chewed the chicken, spices exploded from his mouth. When he swallowed his chicken, he immediately opened his mouth and let out a breath of fire.

Once he finished, Kugo commented with a concerned look. "This chicken is so hot."

"It is common for the Fire Nation food to be spicy," Huobano said.

Kugo turned to Huobano. "But I've never eaten any spicy food before."

"I'm sure you'll get used to it," Huobano said.

With that, Huobano and Kugo continued eating.

Once they finished, Kugo and Huobano helped clean things up before sleeping in the cave in their own sleeping blankets.

———————————————————

Fire Lord Ozai's Throne Room, Fire Nation Royal Palace, Fire Nation Capital, Fire Nation
Kugo’s Internship Training — Day 6

Huobano had told Kugo that they'll be visiting the Fire Nation's Fire Lord Ozai. Kugo was confused and asked Huobano who Ozai was. Huobano told him that he'll see when they meet him.

Right now, Huobano and Kugo were at the throne room in the Fire Nation Royal Palace. The throne room contained many black pillars with elaborate gold bases that support the roof and has black tiled floors. The pillars were located on the sides of the road towards the throne.

The throne itself was an ornate-covered one. It was laid on a higher platform surrounded by a wall of fire. An enormous bas-relief image of a dragon breathing fire adorned the wall behind the Fire Lord.

The walls, floor and ceiling were filled with shades of red, gold, brown and black.

Huobano and Kugo knelt and bowed before Fire Lord Ozai on the throne.

Ozai’s long black hair tied to a bun with a Fire Lord's crown on his forehead, black triangular beard tied with a red bow, light skin, amber-gold eyes and clothes of red, gold, brown, maroon and mahogany made a striking appearance as the fearsome Fire Lord. A serious expression appeared on Ozai's face as he spoke.

"So... you have brought a child as your intern before me?"

"Of course, Fire Lord Ozai," Huobano said. He raised his head to look at Ozai. "I've had a hard time finding the Protector-in-Training you want for years. And now, I found him."

Kugo glanced at Huobano in confusion. Ozai wants a Protector-in-Training like me? What did he see in me? Oh wait... His eyes glanced back to the ground. ...Fire Lord Ozai hasn't seen me yet. So why would he want a type of Protector like me?

Kugo's eyes widened. And also... how did he know Protectors exist?

"What have you observed in him?" Ozai asked.

"He's someone who's not afraid to fight people with his firebending and he's not afraid of being burned by the flames. He's also determined to get things done," Huobano said. He chuckled. "His competitive spirit is endearing. That makes him the fiercest Protector-in-Training in all the Fire Nation."

Ozai smirked. "A fierce Protector-in-Training? I'm impressed." Ozai glanced at Kugo. "Perhaps, he should be part of my collective."

Kugo's eyes widened in concern. What kind of collective? he thought questionably.

Huobano raised his body into a sitting position. "May I grant Avagham permission to speak?"

Ozai chuckled. "Of course, he may."

When Kugo heard that he had permission to speak, he, too, raised his body into a sitting position. His concerned expression switched to his serious one.

"What kind of collective do you have?" Kugo asked.

Ozai’s smirk widened. "A collective where you can become the strongest Protector in the world. I need someone with a 'spark' that my daughter, Azula, and I have." His smirk grew even wider. "I also need someone who likes watching people fear the Protector, and shares his greatness by becoming the strongest Protector in the world. And I believe Huobano needs someone like you, Avagham."

Hearing those words sent horror in Kugo's heart. His serious expression suddenly switched to a confused, concerned and horrified one. "What?" he whispered.

"We will build this nation together, Avagham," Ozai said. "When you graduate from Protector-Training Island, you will work with me as one of my fiercest Protectors."

"This...!" Kugo turned to Huobano. "This isn't what I signed up for! I wanna be the Protector to help the Avatar, not become the strongest and most feared!"

At that moment, Ozai's evil smirk turned into a disappointed look. "So you side with the Avatar?"

Kugo turned to Ozai with a determined expression. "Yeah. My parents told me stories about the Avatar, and how Protectors help protect the world and keep it in balance whenever he disappears. Protectors are invented to help the Avatar do his purpose. That's the original reason why they want to become one.

"Sure, there are other reasons, but becoming a Protector to spread greatness by becoming the strongest is no good."

Rage took over Ozai.

"And so, I have come to the final decision. I won't join your collective," Kugo said.

At that point, Ozai let out an angry scream, causing the flames in front of him to rise. Kugo would've been shocked or scared by the rising flames, but he wasn't. Instead, he kept up his serious and determined expression.

Once the flames died down, Ozai spoke, "You have disrespected me and your trainer. I will leave the consequence to Huobano. You may now take your leave."

With that, Kugo and Huobano stood on their feet. They bowed to Ozai before leaving the Fire Nation Royal Palace.

———————————————————

Later on…
Huobano's Cave, Near the Fire Nation Capital, Fire Nation

Kugo stood in front of Huobano, with a serious expression on his face. He prepared himself to face the consequence Ozai had left to his trainer.

Whatever consequence I get can be a new challenge, Kugo thought.

A few seconds later, Huobano spoke with a cold and merciless tone, "For your consequence, I challenge you to a real Agni Kai."

Kugo's eyes widened in horror and shock. "What?!?!"

"Yes. Since you refuse to face an Agni Kai, I will assign it as a new challenge for you. You did say that you're not afraid of the fire nor being hurt by it, didn't you?" Huobano asked.

Kugo's tears filled his eyes, but he managed to hold them in.

"If you win, I’ll have to let you go and do whatever you want. If you lose, you will have Internships and Work-studies with me until you graduate," Huobano said.

Kugo was more shocked. Then, it turned into a glare. "I won't work with you, Huobano! Not even in a million years!" At that moment, a question popped in his head. "Why did you tell the Fire Lord about the Protectors' existence?! Why did you decide to work for him?!"

"Back then, I wanted to become the Protector because I wanted to be strong like Avatar Roku," Huobano explained. "During my training, I got called out by my Fire Department trainer. He told me that my admiration for Avatar Roku is a shackle that stops me from achieving my dream. I tried to justify, but he wouldn't let me.

"After my conversation with my trainer, I felt afraid. At that moment, I decided to set aside my fear of my trainer and work harder to become stronger and more feared than my trainer.

"After I graduated, I became the Protector of one of the Earth Kingdom cities.

"One day, we were attacked by the Fire Nation. When the Fire Nation soldiers tried to conquer one of the Earth Kingdom cities, the Protectors defended it. Then, just as all hope was lost, they turned to me and desperately asked me for help. I stabbed them on the back and joined the Fire Nation's side.

"I helped the Fire Nation conquer the Earth Kingdom city. We captured the Protectors that defended it and brought them to Fire Lord Ozai.

"When I spoke of my story and my decision to join his side, Fire Lord Ozai was pleased. He told me to develop a collective that contains fearsome and strong Protectors who are loyal to him. The ones with a 'spark' inside them like him and his daughter, Azula, are special bonuses. I obeyed.

"For years, I sought the Protector who has the 'spark' of a fearsome and strong Protector.

"Eventually, I found you, but you refused to join our collective. And for that, I challenge you into something I know you don't like: Agni Kai. There is no other way to resolve this than that, Avagham."

Kugo slightly turned away and went into deep thought. After a few seconds, he turned to Huobano with a serious expression. "Bring it on."

Huobano smirked in return.

———————————————————

Like the first day of Kugo's Internships, Kugo's and Huobano's backs faced each other. They knelt down and lowered their heads as they prepared themselves to fight each other in the real Agni Kai.

Kugo didn't want to participate in the Agni Kai, but he knew he had no choice. He transformed himself to someone who was determined to not lose in the Agni Kai, but not merciless.

It took about one minute before Kugo and Huobano stood on their feet and turned to each other with serious looks on their faces.

"Give it all you got, Kugo," Huobano said.

"I will," Kugo said.

With that, Kugo and Huobano formed their usual fighting positions. Kugo ignited his flames in his hands as his serious expression turned into a death glare.

Kugo let out a battle cry. "YOU DIE, TRAITOR!!!!!" He then, blasted his long stream of flames against Huobano. Unfortunately, Huobano evaded by moving to his right.

Huobano returned the attack by blasting his flame against Kugo. Kugo raised his hand and swooped it down as he wrote the letter "X" in one second. This extinguished Huobano's flames.

Huobano launched more flames against Kugo, but he dodged every last one of them.

I have to dodge every flame Huobano is throwing at me. I don't want to stay under his tutelage, Kugo thought.

From time to time, Kugo gave every firebending technique he got on Huobano. Unfortunately, Huobano dodged every last bit because he had seen those techniques over the years.

Soon after, Kugo let out a battle cry as he ran towards Huobano. He raised his fist and was about to land a punch on his face, but he was blocked by Huobano's hand. Kugo was surprised at this. Huobano threw Kugo's body in the air and launched a roundhouse kick at his stomach.

This sent Kugo flying. His body tumbled over before he landed on the right side of his body.

Kugo slowly raised his head as he heard footsteps approaching him. He knew for sure that Huobano was approaching him to give him the final blow.

Just as Huobano ignited the flames, fear immediately took over Kugo. Without giving himself a chance to think, he spun his legs around him and flipped himself back on his feet. This created a ring of flame that sent Huobano backwards.

Immediately after he got on his feet, Kugo launched huge streams of flame against Huobano, using both hands. This sent Huobano flying. Like, Kugo, his body tumbled, but he landed on the left side of his body.

Huobano slowly rose to his sitting position. He let out grunts of pain as he did so. Once he finished, a large burn on his left stomach appeared.

Realization hit Kugo. A shock of horror immediately appeared on his face. Tears filled his eyes as guilt overtook him. What did I do? he thought.

Huobano smirked evilly at the sight of his burn. Then, he let out an evil laugh as he stood on his feet.

Once he stood on his feet, Huobano packed up this things and walked outside the cave. Before he could step out into the sun's light, he turned to Kugo with an evil smirk.

"Congratulations, Avagham. You have won the Agni Kai while showing no mercy. Fire Lord Ozai will be proud of you," he said.

With that, Huobano left the cave.

Kugo was silent. He was still horrified after what he did to Huobano. At that moment, he came to the conclusion that not all new people are meant to be good people.

Kugo decided to pack his things, leave the Internship and go back to Protector-Training Island. And that's exactly what he did.

On the way to Protector-Training Island, trees surrounded Kugo and there were no signs of any sea, any boat nor any shore.

———————————————————

Plains Village, Earth Kingdom
Nidoria’s Internship Training — Day 1

Nidoria and Huaiying saw the gates of the Plains Village from a distance. When Nidoria saw the gates, hesitation occurred in her, but she knew she had to go inside if she wanted to train in the Internships.

Nidoria took a deep breath and exhaled to calm herself.

As they approached the gates of the Plains Village, a familiar figure stood at the entrance.

As Nidoria examined the figure's features, her eyes widened in surprise.

It's dad. He's standing at the gate waiting for us, Nidoria thought.

Once Nidoria and Huaiying arrived at the gates, Huaiying was the first to greet him.

"Hey, baby. We have arrived," Huaiying said.

"Hello, baby. It's great to see that you and Nidoria arrived safely," Morizhito said.

"Hi, dad. Long time, no see," Nidoria said with a smile and a wave.

"Hey, Nidoria," Morizhito said. "Or should I call you your Protector codename?"

"Well, you can call me my Protector codename, ‘Yili,’ in public, but you can call me 'Nidoria' when it's just us and mom in private," Nidoria said.

Morizhito chuckled. "Very well... Yili. It's sad that Kugo wasn't able to join our Internship."

"Yeah. True," Nidoria said. "He wants to overcome new challenges. That's why he picked a different mentor for his Internship."

"I hope Kugo knows what he's doing. In the meantime, shall we get started in the Internships?" Morizhito asked.

Nidoria nodded. "Yes, dad. I'm ready to learn."

Morizhito chuckled. "Very well. Let's start nearby the village where no one can see us."

"Right," Nidoria said with a determined smile.

———————————————————

Near Plains Village, Earth Kingdom

Nidoria stood in front of Huaiying and Morizhito. She listened intently and carefully to every word they said.

"Before we get to our first lesson, I want you to demonstrate what you have learned in Protector-Training Island," Morizhito said.

Nidoria nodded. "Right."

With that, Nidoria formed her fighting position. Her torso was slightly turned towards her right. Her left fist drew near her side of the body. Her left elbow made contact with it. Her right fist slightly reached ahead of her. Her left foot was slightly forward and her right foot was slightly behind her.

Nidoria started her demonstration with kicks and punches she had learned from Protector-Training Island. The only kicks she demonstrated were roundhouse kicks, back-kicks, foreward kicks and double kicks — a kick where she delivered two kicks at her opponent in one second. As for her punches, she demonstrated her forward punch, roundhouse punch, a punch on the opponent's stomach and the uppercut punch.

Next, Nidoria demonstrated her firebending abilities. She started by igniting flames in her hands and letting out fire balls from her palms on her right. Then, she did the same with her fists. She turned towards her left and let out a fire stream from her left hand, then she did the same with her right hand. After that, she let out fire streams from both hands.

Nidoria raised her right leg and used it to kick the air multiple times. This sent fireballs out of her feet.

After a few kicks, Nidoria laid her right leg down and turned to the other side. She switched positions of her feet. She raised her left leg and did the same thing as she did a few moments ago.

After a few more kicks, Nidoria turned to Morizhito. Her lips stretched out a smirk. “Try and hit me with your flames.”

Morizhito was surprised. “Are you sure? You might get hurt.”

“Trust me. This is part of my demonstration,” Nidoria replied.

It took a few moments until Morizhito sighed. “Very well.”

With that, Morizhito took a few steps forward while Nidoria stood, readying herself to deal with Morizhito’s flames. Huaiying looked at Morizhito and Nidoria in concern.

Morizhito took a deep breath and exhaled. A serious, but merciful expression appeared on his face. He ignited his flames in his fists and sent out a stream of fire at Nidoria.

A split second later, Nidoria raised her arms and swooped them down, drawing two lines of the letter “X” at the same time. This extinguished Morizhito’s flames.

Both Morizhito and Huaiying were surprised. Huaiying even covered her mouth with her right fingers. A few seconds later, Morizhito formed an impressed smile.

Nidoria bowed to Morizhito and Huaiying, ending her demonstration.

Morizhito clapped. "Very good, Nidoria.” He laid his hands down. “Although, you still have a long way to go before you master all firebending abilities. For now, let's get to our first combat lesson."

Nidoria nodded determinedly. Then, she listened to what Morizhito and Huaiying were about to say.

"Some Protectors fight their enemies using brute force. Others fight them using intelligence, awareness and adaptability," Huaiying said.

Morizhito pulled out a long maroon rectangular cloth from the secret pocket he had on his shorts. "Which is why what we're about to teach you is using other senses."

Morizhito unfolded the cloth. Then, he walked towards Nidoria. Once he was close enough to her, he walked towards Nidoria's back.

A slight surprise expression appeared on Nidoria's face, but she knew what's going to happen next. She closed her eyes and prepared herself for them to be covered by the cloth.

Nidoria had read a book trilogy about a non-bender boy who was bullied by a Fire Nation soldier-in-training. He wanted to defend himself from that bully, so he started training martial arts with his sensei. The title of the book series was "Kenji: The Martial Arts Kid."

Morizhito had liked that book series when he was little. His friend from the Earth Kingdom gave the series to him as his eighth birthday present. He introduced the series to Nidoria. After Nidoria read the series, she liked it, too.

As Nidoria's closed eyes became covered by the cloth, she heard Morizhito speaking, "Most Protectors observe their opponents with their eyes, but there are times where they're blinded by them or when they're in the dark room. "

Nidoria could feel Morizhito tightening the cloth on the back of her head. She revealed her slightly pained expression, but she felt okay with it.

"If they don't know what to do, they already lost," Morizhito continued as Nidoria heard his footsteps going at her front. "I am teaching you this, so that you'll be prepared for more difficult challenges."

"It's okay if you don't get it right for your first try," Nidoria heard Huaiying's voice. "But if you keep practicing, you'll get used to it."

"That's correct," Nidoria heard Morizhito's voice. "For this time, we'll just use our combat skills. Then, when you're ready, we'll use our firebending techniques. Now, shall we get started?"

"Yes," Nidoria said. She inhaled and exhaled. "Let's start."

With that, Nidoria formed her fighting position, mentally opened her ears and waited for her parents to make their first move.

After a few seconds, footsteps rang in her ears. Nidoria could tell that her parents were walking towards the edge of the area where Nidoria was demonstrating her combat skills and firebending abilities.

After about thirty seconds, the footsteps became silent.

Nidoria waited. After thirty seconds, footsteps were heard from her right. This time, she heard running footsteps. Nidoria turned to her right and prepared herself to launch an attack. Before she could do anything, she felt a punch on her left stomach. Then, she felt a jab on her back. After that, she felt a kick on her stomach, sending her stepping backwards. Fortunately, Nidoria maintained her balance.

After a few seconds, another set of running footsteps were approaching her. This time, it came from behind her. Nidoria turned behind her and prepared herself to launch an attack. But as she did so, she felt a kick on the back, then the punch on her left shoulder. This sent her falling on her right side of the body.

"You concentrated one at a time, Nidoria," Nidoria heard Morizhito's voice.

Nidoria rose to her sitting position. Then, her right hand grabbed hold of the cloth that was covering her eyes and slipped it off. After that, Nidoria opened her eyes and let out a few breaths. What she saw now was the deserted area near the Plains Village and no one else was here except herself, Huaiying and Morizhito.

Nidoria could see Huaiying standing in front of her and Morizhito standing slightly behind her.

"You need to learn to adapt to other people's movements. Most especially difficult opponents," Morizhito said.

"Yeah," Nidoria said. She turned to Morizhito. "Sorry, dad. Guess I was not used to fighting people blindfolded."

"It's alright, Nidoria," Huaiying said with a kind smile. Then, she pointed her fingers at herself. "I, too, had problems when I fought blindfolded for the first time."

"As did I," Morizhito said. "Your grandfather, and mine and Iroh's mentor taught us that same lesson when I was younger. It was hard for the first time, when I was taught to fight using other senses from your grandfather, but soon enough, I got used to it.

"When Iroh and I were taught the same technique under our mentor, I mastered it quicker than Iroh. He had to ask me for advice on how I did it."

"What did you tell him?" Nidoria asked.

"I advised him to adapt to the environment surrounding him," Morizhito said. "I told him to feel the elements of earth, fire, water and air.

"What I told him doesn't come from the bending itself. It comes from the surroundings that make up natural elements.

"In a sense, when he adapts to the environment, he can feel other people's movements. Only then, would he master the technique of using other senses."

Nidoria's eyes widened in surprise and realization. "Oh."

Nidoria pulled out a notebook and her pen from her utility belt. She opened her notebook to the first blank page and wrote what she just heard. "I just have to open my mind and think differently? Only then, would I learn to adapt to different environments?"

"Yes, Nidoria," Morizhito said, nodding. "It seems you're getting what I'm saying."

After a few minutes of writing, Nidoria closed her notebook. She then, put it and her pen back where she just pulled them out. After that, she looked at Morizhito.

"Now, are you ready to continue our training?" Morizhito asked.

Nidoria nodded with a determined smile. "Yes. I'm ready."

With that, Nidoria continued to master the technique of using other senses to fight her opponents while being blindfolded. This time, she focused on adapting to the environment instead of just hearing sounds from nearby.

For the few tries, Nidoria received multiple hits from Morizhito and Huaiying without making a single attack. Then, for another few tries, Nidoria managed to deflect Huaiying's attacks and take her down, but she received punches and kicks from Morizhito.

After another few tries, Nidoria managed to deflect attacks from both Morizhito and Huaiying, but every time she tried to deliver a punch and kick to them, they were deflected. After the whole day, Nidoria managed to take Morizhito and Huaiying down while being blindfolded.

Right now, Nidoria stood as she mentally opened her ears to hear Morizhito's and Huaiying's feedbacks.

"Good job, Nidoria," Nidoria heard Morizhito's voice.

Nidoria stripped the blindfolded off of her head. What she saw in front of her was Morizhito. Beside him was Huaiying. She took a brief glimpse at the sky and saw that it was sunset. Nidoria's eyes immediately switched to Morizhito and Huaiying as a smile appeared on her face.

"You finally learned to adapt to the environment," Morizhito said.

"It was all thanks to the story you told me and the advice you gave to Iroh," Nidoria said.

Morizhito chuckled. "The advice I gave to Iroh... could very well be the same advice I have given you."

"Now that you've learned how to use other senses to fight your opponents, let's take a break at our house. Then, we'll train here tomorrow morning," Huaiying said with a kind smile.

"Yes," Morizhito said with a smile. "The next two lessons I'm about to teach you are very important. Be prepared for them."

Nidoria bowed respectfully to her parents. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Morizhito said.

As Nidoria rose back to her standing position, Morizhito continued, "Now, let's go home."

With that, Morizhito, Huaiying and Nidoria walked to their home in the Plains Village.

———————————————————

Nidoria's House, Plains Village, Earth Kingdom

Morizhito and Huaiying entered Nidoria's house, with the latter going in last. Nidoria could spot mean looks on the other villagers' faces, but she managed to ignore them.

Once Nidoria entered, she shut the door right away. She took a look at the surroundings she hadn't seen since she stayed in Protector-Training Island.

On Nidoria’s left was the living room. It contained a yellow-green sofa, a brown, wooden, slightly horizontal rectangular table and an oval-shaped rug with colors of green, chartreuse, brown and dark brown.

On Nidoria's right was the wall. It contained two pictures. One was the picture of Huaiying and Morizhito smiling at the camera. Huaiying was on the right and Morizhito was on the left. Another was the picture of herself, Morizhito, Huaiying and Kugo, smiling at the camera. Kugo and Nidoria stood at the front. Nidoria was on the left and Kugo was on the right. Behind Nidoria was Morizhito. Behind Kugo was Huaiying.

Ahead of Nidoria was the dining room and the kitchen. The dining room contained a brown, wooden, horizontal rectangular table. Surrounding it were four brown wooden chairs.

Behind the dining room was the kitchen. Most of the kitchen table, stove and oven had shades of green on it. On the far left part of the kitchen table was the area where the home cook had to cut fruits, vegetables and meat. Beside it was the stove. Below it was the oven. Beside the stove and oven on the right was the kitchen sink. On the far right beside the kitchen sink was a space for the white dish rack and the green container for kitchen tools. Below it were two drawers and one cabinet. The drawer on the left held utensils. The one on the right held wooden cups. Inside the cabinet were miscellaneous items needed for the kitchen. This included kitchen towels and rags. Above the whole kitchen table were more cabinets, attached to the wall. All of them contained fruits, vegetables, meat and other ingredients needed to make food.

Nidoria could see Huaiying cooking food in the kitchen. She could also see Morizhito sitting on the sofa in the living room, reading a book that he got from the master bedroom.

Nidoria walked in front of the kitchen and went to her right. Ahead of her was the green door that led to the bathroom. Inside, she could see the white toilet on the right and the bathing area on the left. The bathing area contained a bucket of water with a faucet above it. There was also a small wooden dipper in the bucket, which people used for dunking water on their bodies for bathing. Nidoria could see a drain beside the bucket.

Nidoria exited the bathroom and walked towards the other side. Before her was a small hallway. Ahead of her was one door. On her left was another door and on her right was the third door.

Nidoria entered the door in front of her and opened it. There, she saw an empty room. The floor was wooden brown, the walls were green and the ceiling was pale green. Two windows were also seen. One was ahead of Nidoria and another was on her left. By the looks of it, Nidoria knew it was her own bedroom before she moved to Protector-Training Island.

Nidoria exited her empty bedroom. She closed the door before she moved to the left one. When she opened the left door, the room was also empty. The colors of the floor, ceiling and walls were the same as ever. Nidoria rarely entered the room because the room she visited was Kugo's bedroom before he moved to Protector-Training Island.

Nidoria closed Kugo's bedroom door before she moved to the right door. When she opened it, the room was not empty. Instead, she saw a wide white bed with two white pillows on the upper center, a green blanket and a brown wooden bed board. Beside the bed on the left was a small, brown, wooden cabinet with two drawers on it. In front of the bed was a brown, wooden desk with a couple of books laid on the upper left and a container full of pens laid on the right. Between the bed and the desk was a brown, wooden chair. On the other side was a large dark brown closet. Inside was the wardrobe of Morizhito's and Huaiying's clothes. The room Nidoria just saw was the master bedroom.

Nidoria closed the master bedroom door and walked into the opposite direction. She stopped at the end of the table and walked towards her left. Ahead of her was another door. When she opened it, she saw a large space that was surrounded by brown wooden fences.

On the far left corner, Nidoria saw several scarecrow-like training dummies with a target symbol on its chests. Beside it were logs used for sitting. On the far right corner was a brown rack filled with swords, axes, bow and arrows, and clubs. Beside it was a basket full of kuai balls. Beside it was another basket. This time, it was full of equipment used for kuai ball nets. A broomstick was also inside it. It can be used for sweeping the sandy area.

Nidoria recognized it as the backyard. Nidoria and her family used it for playing kuai ball, but only Morizhito, Huaiying and Kugo used it for martial arts and firebending training.

Nidoria closed the door as she fully entered the backyard. She walked towards the log and sat on it.

Nostalgia overwhelmed Nidoria. Images of her times playing kuai ball and watching Kugo train appeared in her vision.

Nidoria could remember Kugo mostly winning kuai ball for the first few months of playing it. After that, Nidoria became a clear winner for the next few months, much to Kugo's dismay. She could remember Kugo playfully glaring at her whenever he lost. Then, ever since Zeno played kuai ball, he won the games, along with Nidoria, which made Kugo mad.

In terms of her times watching Kugo train, Nidoria remembered chuckling and smiling at Kugo's enthusiasm whenever he learned a new skill and technique, and how excited he was upon learning that the Avatar had finally returned after a hundred years.

Nidoria smiled at those memories. She felt like she wanted to experience them again, but she couldn't because she's now living in the dorm located in Protector-Training Island.

Nothing else occurred in Nidoria until she heard the door open.

"Dinner!" she heard Huaiying calling her.

Nidoria turned to Huaiying and replied, "Just a sec, mom!"

Huaiying smiled as she closed the door in front of her.

Nidoria stood from the log and stretched out her body. After that, she walked towards the door and entered.

———————————————————

Dining Room, Nidoria's House, Plains Village, Earth Kingdom

Nidoria sat on the right chair behind the path that led to the main exit door of her house. Sitting beside her was Morizhito. No one sat on the chair in front of her, which indicated that Kugo usually sat there. In front of Morizhito was Huaiying.

The dinner Nidoria, Morizhito and Huaiying ate was roasted duck breast with a cup of rice on each plate. In between eating their food, Nidoria stayed quiet while Morizhito and Huaiying conversed with each other. After a few minutes, Huaiying turned to her.

“It feels nice to remember your times here, right?” she asked.

Nidoria nodded. “Yeah. It felt nostalgic when I explored my old home after a few weeks of training in Protector-Training Island.”

“Do you like living in Protector-Training Island?” Huaiying asked.

Nidoria turned to Huaiying with a smile. She nodded. “Yup. I get to spend time with my friends and Kugo.”

Morizhito chuckled. “You must have liked hanging out with them.”

Nidoria nodded with a smile. “Speaking of, Kugo, Zeno, Izugail, Khelsi, Liyah and I met four new friends in Protector-Training Island.”

Upon hearing this, Morizhito and Huaiying were surprised.

“Oh, you guys made new friends? What are their names?” Huaying asked.

“Their names are Bokio, Gianso, Ryoske and Shang-Yo. They’re all boys. Bokio is the firebender, Gianso is the non-bender, and Ryoske and Shang-Yo are waterbenders,” Nidoria explained.

Huaiying nodded with a smile. “I see.”

“Nidoria, while we’re eating dinner, I have something important to discuss with you,” Morizhito said.

“What is it?” Nidoria asked.

“There are times when rescuing people is a must. When most new rescuers tried to rescue them, they were just doing anything in their power to strategize and think carefully on a plan to save them properly. This leaves people fearing and worrying that they will not be rescued while in reality, the rescuers are doing it. But…” Morizhito paused. “...when they reassure those people with a smile that they’ll be okay, they will be relieved. They will start to have faith that rescuers will save them.

“The most essential thing for rescuers to do aside from reassuring people is to show them kindness and generosity, especially after they’re rescued. Most of the time, after disaster strikes, people don’t have food and water, so some rescuers take the time to share food and water to the people they have rescued.”

Nidoria’s eyes widened in realization. No word came out of her mouth. “I… never thought of that. During rescue training, all we do so far is reassuring the victims that everything will be okay, think carefully about the debris’ status and rescue victims while being kind to them. We never learned what to do after people have been rescued.”

“That is why I’m telling you this, Nidoria, so that you’ll know what to do whenever disaster strikes,” Morizhito said.

“And when disaster strikes, people need to be rescued,” Huaiying said. She smiled kindly at Nidoria. “But don’t worry, Nidoria. You’re not doing this all alone. Your friends, trainees from different departments and even Pro Protectors like me can help you with it.”

“Observe what we’re doing, Nidoria. Don’t pressure yourself,” Morizhito said with a smile.

Nidoria was silent. After a few seconds, she nodded with a grateful smile. “Right. Thanks, mom and dad.”

“You’re welcome,” Huaiying replied.

“It’s no problem,” Morizhito said.

With that being said, Morizhito, Huaiying and Nidoria ate in silence.

After dinner, Morizhito wiped the table while Huaiying and Nidoria washed dishes together. After that, they bid goodnight to each other. Then, Huaiying and Morizhito went to the master bedroom and slept there. As for Nidoria, she slept on the bed Morizhito and Huaiying had prepared for her in her own bedroom after they had cleaned up the table and the dishes.

Nidoria’s mattress was white. Her one white pillow was laid at the upper center of her bed. Her green blanket covered almost all of her bed.

Nidoria laid on her bed and looked at the ceiling. Nostalgia overtook her again. She remembered the times she used to sleep in this room before she moved to Protector-Training Island.

Nidoira let out a sigh before turning her body to the right side of her body. Fatigue took over her. Unknowingly, she drifted off to sleep.

———————————————————

Six days later…
Training Area near the Plains Village
Nidoria’s Internship Training — Days 2 to 7

Nidoria’s Internship training with Morizhito and Huaiying went well. She learned advanced combat techniques, things she should be aware of and advanced firebending techniques.

Right now, Nidoria stood before Morizhito and Huaiying with a smile. Today was the last day of her Internship and right now, the sun was setting. Tomorrow morning, she would leave with Huaiying back to Protector-Training Island. When they’d arrive there, Huaiying would drop her off there.

Final words were heard from Morizhito.

“Today, you have mastered everything I taught you, Your firebending abilities, your combat skills and many others. Now, Huaiying and I will conclude your—”

Morizhito stopped mid-sentence when he noticed a red flying creature approaching him. Huaiying and Nidoria glanced his way. As the creature flew closer to them, they realized. It was a messenger hawk.

The messenger hawk landed on Morizhito’s left shoulder. Attached to it was a small, rolled-up paper.

“What is it?” Huaiying asked.

Morizhito pulled out the paper from the messenger hawk and unrolled it. Once he read it, his eyes widened in shock. “It’s Iroh.” He turned to Huaiying and Nidoria. “He needs our help. In Ba Sing Se.”

Huaiying and Nidoria gasped in shock.