The chapter opens with a close-up of a snow-covered patch of grass, standing behind it is Aang, with Katara, Sokka, Appa and Momo in his trail, reaching the top of a hill. Aang spreads his arms wide revealing to the group their view.

"The Earth Kingdom city of Omashu!" The group look into the distance to see the entire pyramid structured city of Omashu. With a very an excited Aang. "I used to always come here to visit my friend Bumi."

Katara stares at the city impressed. "Wow. We don't have buildings like this in the South Pole!"

Sokka, meanwhile, is overwhelmed by the sight. "They have buildings here that don't melt!"

Aang stands between the siblings just ahead of them. "Well let's go, slow pokes. The real fun's inside the city!" Aang leaps off the top of the hill with his airbending, he starts to slide down the hill cheering.

Katara stretches her arm out to him, halting Aang with her cry. "Wait, Aang! It could be dangerous if people find out you're the Avatar."

Sokka agrees somewhat seriously. "You need a disguise."

Aang looks up at the pair. "So what am I supposed to do?" He jokes in a slightly sarcastic tone. "Grow a mustache?"

Minutes later Aang wiggles his nose under which is now a patch of Appa's fur, serving as a mustache Aang is also wearing a tall wig made of the same material. Aang scratches underneath the wig. "Ugh. This is so itchy." Aang is standing beside Appa he turns to his flying companion. "How do you live in this stuff?"

Appa slowly turns his head toward Aang and snorts at him as if he was scoffing. Sokka sits on a rock with Katara standing beside him, arms crossed. "Great! Now you look just like my grandfather."

Katara glances at Sokka. "Technically, Aang is 112 years old."

Aang nimbly kicks up his staff and spins it rapidly around before placing it upright on the ground to be used as a walking stick. He hunches his back and leans heavily on his staff like an old person. Aang speaks in an old man's voice. "Now let's get to skippin', young whipper-snappers. The big city awaits!"

Aang shuffles forward, while Sokka and Katara questioningly look at each other. Aang, Katara, and Sokka a few minutes later walk down the long path to Omashu.

Aang speaks as they approach. "You guys are going to love Omashu." The three friends walk toward the gate. Aang looks over his shoulder at Sokka. "The people here are the friendliest in the world." Aang's eyes widen in surprise as he hears the harsh voice of a young man. The trio stops walking.

"Rotten cabbages?!" A teenage boy with black hair and bright green eyes shouts, at a cabbage merchant with his cart in front of the closed gate of Omashu; harshly. "What kind of slum do you think this is?!"

They approach as the teen squishes the cabbage he is holding and knocks another two cabbages out of the merchant's hands. A guard next to him proceeds by earthbending a rock under the cart, catapulting it high in the air, making it tumble down the chasm with all the cabbages.

The Cabbage merchant leans over the rim of the path. Dramatically waving his arms in despair. "No! My cabbages!"

Tai swipes his arm pointing away from the city. "Leave and only return once you have fresh cabbages." Katara, Sokka, and Aang appear and look over the rim, their mouths open in shock, as a loud crash is heard.

Aang broadly smiles; somewhat nervously. "Just keep smiling!"

While Aang walks over to the guards, Katara and Sokka give each other an uneasy look. Katara flashes her teeth in an awkward way and chuckles uncomfortably, while Sokka merely raises a doubtful eyebrow. Aang approaches the sentries at the gate. The earthbender steps to the front and raises a boulder out of the ground before Aang and levitates it above his head.

The Gate guard speaks to the young avatar, aggressively with a glare. "State your business!"

Aang quickly runs from underneath the boulder and toward the guard; he halts right in front of the surprised man as the young teen takes a step back. Aang speaks old man voice, poking the chest of the sentry. "My business is my business, young man!" The boulder chrashes down due to the guards lack of concentration beside Katara and Sokka as they along with the teen jump up slightly from the impact; close-up of Aang pointing a finger at the guard. "...and none of yours!" The guard is taken aback by the threateningly pointing finger just centimeters from his face. "I've got half a mind to..." Sokka's eyes and mouth wide open in shock at Aang's audacity to talk to the sentry like that, and Katara's shaking her head with eyes wide open in shock. "...bend you over my knee and paddle your backside!"

The Gate guard raises his arms and speaks in a calmer voice. "Settle down, old timer! Just tell me who you are."

Aang slightly grins. Sokka, and Katara are still in shock in the background; in old man voice. "Name's Bonzu Pippinpaddleopsicopolis, the Third." Sokka raises a questioningly eyebrow while Katara walks up, smiling friendly. "And these are my grandkids."

Katara waves. "Hi. June Pippinpaddleopsicopolis. Nice to meet you."

The Gate guard pensively rubs his beard while eying the two children before him. He points at Katara. "You seem like a responsible young lady. See that your grandfather stays out of trouble. Enjoy Omashu!" The guard steps aside and motions at the city's entrance.

Katara nods politely. "We will!" Katara, Aang, and Sokka start walking toward the gate. Sokka passes the guard with an uneasy look on his face, never letting the guard out of sight.

The teen guarding the gate eyes Sokka as he passes. "Wait a minute!" Sokka halts, eyes widening in fear as Tai grasps his shoulder. Aang and Katara turn around to see what the holdup is. He turns Sokka around; sternly. "You're a strong young boy! Show some respect for the elderly and carry your grandfather's bag!"

Sokka's eyes change from fright to disbelief and annoyance while Aang removes his shoulder bag.

"Good idea!" Aang shouts in his elderly voice. Aang throws the bag at Sokka; the bag bounces off his head to drop into his arms. Sokka shoots Aang an annoyed glare over his shoulder. The trio resume walking to the gate once more. The trio stand before a big Earth Kingdom emblem on the wall before them. The giant earthen wall splits open in the middle of the emblem, opening up to let any passengers through. The guard opens up the gate walls. As the first wall slides open, a second and third are bent aside as well. Katara and Sokka watch in awe at the spectacle while Aang is smiling behind them. They walk through as the walls already start to move again to close right after them. As Aang walks through the opened gates suddenly Momo's ears pop out of his wig. Close-up of the guard and Tai who granted them entrance, as their eyes widen in surprise. They try to keep an eye on Aang as long as they can, but the airbender is obscured from his view by the closing gates.

Tai turns speaking to the guard. "I'm going to speak with King Bumi."

The guard nervously glances to Tai. "As you wish."

Sokka and Katara excitedly take in the city spread out before them as Aang pulls up next to them, Momo's head now entirely popped out of his wig. He leans on the rim as well and joins the siblings in mouth open gazing at Omashu's scenery. The trio stare at the streets filled with people, then their gaze pans up, revealing an intricate system of chutes. The aqueduct like structures are built over and beside the houses with typical green roofs.

"This is the Omashu delivery system. Miles and miles of tubes and chutes."

Aang and the others stare as four earthbenders standing beside a platform where one earthen cart slides away from them and another one filled with vegetables comes into view. As the cart passes one earthbender, he uses his bending to change the cart's directing and pushes it to the front, where another earthbender bends it up a tube to two other earthbenders standing at the ready to receive it. One earthbender quickly bends stone lintels underneath the cart so it would not fall down again, while the other one thrusts it off the platform, where it slides down a chute at high speed.

"Earthbending brings the packages up, and gravity brings them down."

Sokka scoffs, unimpressed. "Great, so they get their mail on time."

"They do get their mail on time, but my friend Bumi found a better use for these chutes." Aang says excitedly.

Scene fades to a flashback to a hundred years ago, when Aang visited the city before. Back shot of a young Bumi watching over the city. When Aang walks up, he excitedly jumps around.

"Look around you! What do you see?"

"Um ... The mail system?" Aang asks unsure.

Bumi points his finger in the air and waving it around while Aang walks up to him. "Instead of seeing what they want you to see, you got to open your brain to the possibilities."

"A package-sending system?"

Bumi speaks Excitedly. "The world's greatest superslide!"

Aang looks at a crazed smiling Bumi, himself broadly smiling. "Bumi, you're a mad genius!"

Bumi chuckles with an odd snort as the camera slowly moves to a close-up. Aang and Bumi ride down the "superslide", happily laughing. Bumi throws his hands in the air as they hurtle down.

Slowly, the scene fades back to present day; the lush, green tree the duo passed, now old, snow-covered and without leaves. A persons gaze slowly peers up the slope, where the heads of Aang, with Momo in his wig, Katara and Sokka are above the rim. A closer inspection would reveal that they are sitting in a mail cart. Aang looks excited, while the siblings look around them, unsure and slightly frightened.

Aang raises one finger to emphasize his words; the cart rocking back and forth, creaking. "One ride. Then we're off to the North Pole. Airbender's honor."

"It sounded like fun at first..." Her voice has become uneasy by the steepness of the chute. "...but now that I'm here, I'm starting to have second..." Aang leans forward, tipping the balance of the box, sending it down the slope at a tremendous speed, making Katara scream out her last word. "...th-o-o-oughts!"

Aang laughs happily. Momo is still in Aang's wig, holding on to the hair, squinting his eyes due to the wind. Katara screams in fear, Sokka grits his teeth in terror as the cart makes a turn, and follows the path down the slope. The chute they are riding pulls up next to a parallel one, where a cart with a rack of six spears is racing down. The cart of the trio pulls up next to the cart with the spears and they all stare at it, no one making a sound. They race past it and both tracks join together. Sokka and Katara scream as the two chutes merge into one chute with the spear-cart behind them, but quickly gaining. Sokka hears it coming and turn around. He gasps and ducks just in time to avoid being skewered by the spears. Katara turns around, and screams in fear as she sees the weapons so close. Aang, smiling excitedly, turns as well to see what the commotion is all about.

Aang Excitedly shouts. "I'm on it!"

Aang begins to rock the cart. Hitting each side once, the cart flies out of the chute and onto a roof, where it continues its descent.

Below them the captain of the city guard speaks to some soldiers, behind him Tai watches silently in the shadows.

"Men, you'll be going off to combat soon. It's important that you be prepared for anything."

Aang, Katara, and Sokka come in riding the cart between the soldier and the warriors. The scene freezes for a second at that shot as the sound of a little bell can be heard, before continuing. The warriors gasp in surprise as the cart ricochets and continues moving. Tai's eyes widen seeing the three kids causing him to step forward briefly. The cart with the trio breaks through the railing closing off the other chute and crosses the track, knocking over one of the supply carts, spilling a load of pumpkins all over the ground. The knocked over cart lies on the track, where another incoming cart crashes into it.

Katara, scared looks down to her traveling companion. "Aang, do something! Use your airbending!"

"Yeah! Good idea! That'll make us go even faster!" Aang airbends behind him. They pass by a restaurant, where a couple is eating together. They look up in surprise at the kids flashing by while the waiter dashes over to see what is going on. An earthbender soldier waits for the arrival of the next cart. As a cart of scrolls stops in front of him, the camera tilts to the right, showing how the cart with the trio is flying down an incredibly steep slope. As the slope flattens out, the kids cry out in alarm as they are moments from colliding with the motionless cart in front of the bender. The earthbender on duty at that station sends it on its way, briefly relieving the trio in the speeding cart. Much to the riders' horror, another cart instantly pops up from the tube below the bender. Before it can be moved, the kids' cart crashes into it, catapulting them and their cart into the air, high above a lower level of the city. Aang airbends the cart in front of them as they fall, making them drop back into the cart. The kids ride down several roofs, leaving damaged tiles in their wake. Inside a craftsman's home he whistles serenely as he puts the final touches on a vase. The cart flies through one window, ricochets off of the floor where the vase is, smashing it and making the riders grunt, and flying out the window opposite. The craftsman peers out the ruined window as a dust cloud emerges, revealing that the cart has crashed against something else.

"Sorry!" Aang shouts. They land on a balcony and slide through another house. Emerging on the other side, a bearded cat chases Momo around Aang's wig until the lemur pushes it off. The cart smashes through a parapet and drops vertically. The cart and the kids, scream as they plummet, below the cabbage merchant that had his cabbage cart thrown into the abyss earlier, now cuddles a cabbage at a replacement cart. Alerted by something coming from up above, he walks from underneath the cart's roof to check it out, and gasps in horror as the kids' cart drops on it, smashing the replacement cart to pieces and scattering what intact cabbages are left all over. Aang, Katara, and Sokka are in a tangled heap by the remains, while Momo elegantly floats down.

The Cabbage merchant grasps is head in despair. "My cabbages!" Angrily, he glares at the trio. "You're gonna pay for this!"

Guards along with Tai walk up, surrounding the still dazed trio. Aang sits up, his disguise pretty much gone, revealing his youthful face and airbending arrow.

Aang Sheepishly looks to the cabbage merchant. "Two cabbages please."

Tai Smirks at Aang. "Funny." He says dryly.

The scene fades to the ceiling of the palace of Omashu. The camera pans down, revealing a watch guard in the front, and the King of Omashu sitting on his throne, flanked by two guards and Tai in a flowing purple robe, in the back of an enormous room. The first watch guard slightly moves aside to let the three children pass. Sokka looks very uneasy, Katara slants her eyes up in an attempt to look sympathetic, and glances to the side. As she gazes at the king, the scene switches to a close-up of the elderly king, who looks at them questioningly, arching an eyebrow and grunting in wonder. The scene switches to a frontal view of the "visitors" as they are being pushed into a kneeling position by two guards.

"Your majesties, these juveniles were arrested for vandalism, traveling under false pretenses, and malicious destruction of cabbages."

The Cabbage merchant jumps around agitatedly, waving his left fist in the air. "Off with their heads! One for each head of cabbage!"

The Guard raises his hand at the merchant. "Silence! Only the king and prince can pass down judgment. What is your judgment, sire?"

The camera slowly moves in on the king who squints his eyes and grunts pensively. Switch to a close-up of the trio, who uneasily eye each other. A close-up of a whimpering Sokka, moves to one of a smiling Katara, her hands folded in front of her and her eyes twinkling hopefully. Aang is the only one who keeps staring at the side, one eyebrow arched and pouting. Switch to a close-up of the dissimilar eyes of the elderly king, followed by a close-up of the prince's glare before going back to a shot of Aang who now whistles nonchalantly.

The king raises his hand. "Throw them..." Sokka, Katara, and Aang gasp. "...a feast!"

The guard gasps and the merchant grasps his head with both hands in dismay upon hearing the king's verdict. Sokka is smiling, while Katara darts a questioningly look toward Aang, who arches his eyebrows in wonder. Cut to a richly-filled dining table. The camera pans to the right, revealing all sorts of different dishes and teapots. Camera zooms in on Momo as he eats a lot of the food, chittering contently. Switch to a frontal view of the children sitting at the table, the king standing behind their chairs.

"The people in my city have gotten fat from too many feasts." The king leans in over Aang, grabbing the chicken leg that is on his plate, holding it in front of him. "So I hope you like your chicken with no skin."

"Thanks, but I don't eat meat." Aang apologizes.

Tai hums. "How about you? I bet you like meat." He asks Sokka.

The king stuffs the chicken into Sokka's mouth, who eats it appreciatively, and walks over to his own seat.

Katara turns whispering to Aang. "Is it just me, or..." she turns circles with her index finger beside her temple, implying the king is crazy. "...is these guy's crown a little crooked?"

The kings pulls up to his seat. "So tell me, young bald one, where are you from?"

"I'm from ... Kangaroo Island!"

the King, Tai, and two guards stand watch behind him. "Oh, Kangaroo Island, eh? I hear that place is really hopping!"

Tai covers his face with a silent groan. "Not another one..."

A moment of silence occurs, someone coughs off camera. Cut to a frontal shot of the three children, looking straight at the king with blank faces. Sokka bursts out laughing. Katara and Aang look at him, still with a blank expression.

Sokka stops laughing; unsure of what his friends are looking at. "What? It was pretty funny."

Cut back to the king, who lazily stretches his arms, and yawns. "Well, all these good jokes are making me tired. Guess it's time to hit the hay." The king eyes the children with a weird expression as he leans to the left on his chair. Suddenly, he hurls a chicken leg at them. Close-up of the meat as it flies through the air. Cut to a side shot of the three children, as Aang nearly tumbles off his chair in reflex of catching the chicken leg in a small airball. Switch to guards gasping in surprise. Cut to a side shot of the entire table. Aang is still suspending the chicken leg in the airball.

The king smirks pointing at Aang. "There's an airbender in our presence, and not just any airbender." Close-up as he decisively stands up. "The Avatar!"

A smile slowly forms on Tai's face. "The Avatar...?"

Close-up of a shocked Aang, who quickly stops bending and puts his hands behind his back. The chicken leg falls on his plate. Back shot of the three children, as The King continues.

The King sits down again. "Now, what do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Pippinpaddleopsicopolis?"

Camera fades to black before cutting to a frontal shot of the entire city of Omashu. Cut back to an overview shot from inside the dining room from behind Aang, Katara, and Sokka. Momo is still sitting in the middle of the table, eating.

Aang stands up, throwing his hands in the air. "Okay, you caught me. I'm the Avatar. Doing my Avatar thing, keeping the world safe. Everything checks out. [Aang looks underneath table.] No firebenders here. So, good work, everybody!" He pulls Katara and Sokka into a hug. "Love each other,respect all life..." Cut to a shot of the threesome walking backward toward the exit. "...and don't run with your spears. We'll see you next time!"

As they near the guard at the exit door, the two men cross their spears, effectively blocking their paths. Camera zooms back to a back shot of the king and prince.

"You can't keep us here! Let us leave!" Katara shouts.

The king questioningly picks up a lettuce leaf from his plate and waves it in the air. "Lettuce leaf?"

Switch to a side shot of The King's mouth as he takes a bite out of a lettuce leaf and chews it slowly.

Sokka holds his hand for his mouth; whispering. "We're in serious trouble. This guy is nuts."

Tai smiles, it beams out to Sokka specifically. "Oh he's just old. I'm crazy."

"Tomorrow, the Avatar will face three deadly challenges. But for now, the guards will show you to your chamber."

The Chamberlain leans in toward Bumi and Tai "My lieges, do you mean the good chamber or the bad chamber?"

The King turns to the guard. "The newly refurbished chamber."

"Wait, which one are we talking about?"

Tai sighs. "The one that used to be the bad chamber, until the recent refurbishing. Of course, we've been calling it the new chamber, but we really should number them."

The King speaks again. "Uh, take them to the refurbished chamber that was once bad!"

As the children and their guards walk out of the room, the camera rapidly zooms in on The King's face. He stares at them before chewing on a new lettuce leaf. The scene changes to inside a room. A wall cracks and moves down, revealing Aang with Momo perched on his shoulders, Katara, and Sokka. They are roughly pushed inside, and the wall is immediately bent up again after them. Switch to a scene of the room, panning to the left, revealing the content of the room, and the fact that there is no door anywhere. The room has three green beds in the center with three green drapes hanging from the ceiling above them. The scene stops on the children.

"This is a prison cell? But it's so nice." Katara appraises the room.

Momo jumps off Aang's shoulders and onto a bed. "He did say it was newly refurbished."

"Nice or not, we're prisoners!"

"I wonder what these challenges are gonna to be."

"We're not sticking around to find out. There's got to be some way out of here." Katara gains some more determination.

Aang excitedly points at something at the other side of the room. "The air vents!"

Scene quickly moves around the room and halts at a hole in the wall. Cut back to the trio. Aang smiles happily, staring at the hole, while Katara and Sokka eye each other in wonder.

"If you think we're going to fit through there, you're crazier than that king." Sokka says

Aang turns to Sokka. "We can't, but Momo can!" Aang happily points to Momo lazily lying on the bed, licking a half-eaten apple. His belly protrudes from eating so much. Aang appears at the side of the bed. "Momo, I need you to find Appa and bust us outta here!"

Momo looks up surprised to his friend, blinking and chittering softly. Cut to a shot from inside the air vent looking out. Momo's head appears and the animal is pushed inside the tube. The animal is shoved back and forth a few times, much to its displeasure. Cut to Aang standing on a chair, trying to push Momo into the air vent without success.

"Go on, boy, get Appa!" Aang quits trying, looking down discouraged, leaving Momo stuck in the vent. Cut to Sokka who is relaxing on a bed.

"Eh, how was Appa supposed to save us anyway?" As Sokka asks this, Momo is trying to free himself by pushing against the wall with his hind legs.

"Appa's a ten-ton flying bison; I think he could figure something out." Momo was unsuccessful and gives up, his hind legs hanging down in defeat. Cut to an overview shot of the three beds.

Katara climbs into her bed. "Well, no point arguing about it now. Get some rest, Aang." Aang walks toward his bed. "Looks like you'll need it for tomorrow."

Aang sadly sits on the side of his bed, looking down.

Tai stands before The King in the throne room as the pair are preparing to sleep.

"What's wrong, kid?" The King asks his eyebrow raised.

Tai lowers his head, hiding his face. "I wanted to ask a favor."

"You want to try the mail system?" The King asks.

"What?" Tai recoils looking at The King. "No. I was going to ask if after the Avatar completes his challenges if I could join him on his adventures. I need to know more about the world I'm inheriting when I ascend to the throne in two years."

The King hums. "Ask the Avatar."

Tai stays silent with a quiet clicking of his tongue as the King enters his own chambers. Tai sighs walking to a large arena filled with dirt and stones and begins taking a stance.

Switch to the next scene of Aang lying on his bed, snoring loudly and drooling on his pillow. The room is only dimly lit, casting a somewhat green glow. The wall behind Aang opens, revealing a guard. The crunching sound of the earth being moved wakes Aang, who quickly raises his head and glances around.

"Sokka?" Aang says alarmed, from Aang's point of view; the other beds are empty. "Katara?" Aang turns toward the person standing at the door, which is Tai. "Where are my friends?"

"Gramps King will free them if you complete your challenges."

Aang looks up at the teenager unsure. "And if I fail?"

Tai hums. "He didn't say." Tai extends his arm; switch back to a shot of Tai. "Your staff, please?"

Aang lifts his staff with his foot, grabs it, and spins it around, places it upright next to him, before tossing it to Tai. Switch to a frontal shot of Aang, flanked by Tai, entering the large throne room. The scene slightly pans to the left, showing a bit of the King back.

"First, Avatar..." The King spread his arms, showing off his purple outfit, lightheartedly asks. "...what do you think of my new outfit? I want your honest opinion." Aang blankly stares at the king. Tai coughs during the ensuing silence. "I'm waiting."

Aang scratches his head. "I ... guess it's fine."

"Excellent! You passed the first test."

Aang grows excited. "Really?"

"Well, not one of the deadly tests." The King waves his finger from side to side, emphasizing his words. "The real challenges are much more, uh, challenging."

Cut to a side shot of Aang as he suddenly dashes forward to the surprise of his two guards. Using his airbending, his speed is enhanced. Close-up of his feet as he quickly crosses the distance between him and the King. Cut to a back shot of the king as Aang halts in front of him, the wind passing over them.

"I don't have time for your crazy games!" Aang shouts as he glares at the King. "Give me my friends back! We're leaving!"

"Oh, I thought you might refuse," A wall opens, revealing Katara and Sokka struggling in the grasp of a guard. Aang turns to them. "so I will give your friends some special souvenirs." A

Aang looks back at Bumi. Cut to a frightened Katara as her guard slides a green ring over her finger. Close-up of the ring being put on. The moment the guard retracts his hand, the ring glows and tightens around her finger. The scene broadens, showing Sokka has gotten a ring as well, his being blue, and is now frantically trying to remove it from his finger. Katara tries to pull it off as well, both are unsuccessful.

"Those rings are made of pure jennamite, also known as creeping crystal. It's a crystal that grows remarkably fast." Tai hums seeing a piece grow, his voice growing more and more sinister. "By nightfall your friends will be completely covered in it." Tai sighs his voice turns Slightly sympathetic. "Terrible thing, really." Seriously, Tai crosses his arms. "Gramps or I can stop it, but only if you cooperate."

The King glances toward the siblings. Cut to a shot of Sokka's finger now donning a blue jennamite ring. The ring glows and expands toward his hand.

Sokka panics. "Ah! It's already creeping!"

"I'll do what you want."

Close-up of an evil grinning King. Scene changes to a cave filled with stalagmites and stalactites. Camera pans to the left where Aang stands on a flat rock with a waterfall in front of him. In the waterfall, there is a ladder, and above the ladder hangs a rope. Sokka, Katara, and the King are on a balcony cut into the wall to the left of the waterfall. The King is laughing. Cut to a frontal shot of the king looking over the balcony rim. Katara and Sokka are guarded behind him. The jennamite ring has already expanded to engulf part of their right forearm. The King glances back at the siblings with a grin on his face. Close-up of the jennamite as it glows and creeps a bit further on the arms of Sokka and Katara. Switch to a back shot of Bumi as he is looking out toward where Aang is standing.

"It seems I've lost my princes lunch box key and he's hungry. Ooh, there it is!" The King points to inside the waterfall. "Would you mind fetching it for me?" Tai huffs at the King's explanation of the trial.

The key hanging from a chain and a vertical iron ladder are dimly visible behind the waterfall. Aang airbends to the base of the fall and plunges into the waterfall. He manages to climb up the rock face to the base of the ladder and grasp it with one hand. Before he can get any further, the torrent of water pushes him away and out.

Tai Sarcastically comments on the events. "Ooh, climbing the ladder. No one's thought of that before."

Panting, Aang rests a moment between two stalagmites, leaps from them to the stalactites above, and closer to the waterfall still high by the roof of the cavern. He dives into the fall above the key and tries to grab the key as he falls with the water; the rush of the water carries him past and in a moment he shoots out again, keyless.

"That's right. Keep diving head in. I'm sure it'll work eventually."

Aang cuts a stalagmite with airbending and throws it like a spear at the key, accelerating it with another air blast. The stone spear snags the chain suspending the key, and carries it out of the waterfall. The spear pierces the stone wall above the King's balcony, the key now dangling right in front of Tai.

"There! Enjoy your lunch! I want my friends back now!"

"Ah, not yet. I need help with another matter. It seems I've lost my pet, Flopsie."

Scene changes to Aang in a large sunken enclosure in a new room, with The King, Katara, and Sokka up above. Aang finds a lop-eared bunny.

"Okay! Found him!"

"Bring him to me. Daddy wants a kiss from Flopsie!"

"Come here, Flopsie." Flopsie jumps down behind Aang, startling both him and the bunny. "Huh?"

Squealing with terror, the bunny bolts across the arena with Aang in pursuit until it goes into a hole. Aang puts his arm in the hole up to the shoulder trying to grab hold of the frightened rabbit. The light dawns on his face.

"Flopsie, wait! Flopsie!" Cut to Bumi laughing. Back to Aang chasing the bunny. "Flopsie!"

Aang puts his arm in the hole up to the shoulder trying to grab hold of the frightened rabbit. The light dawns on his face. The snarling goat gorilla bounds toward Aang but instead of attacking, picks him up and licks him.

"Wait a minute." Aang turns to the snarling creature behind him. "Flopsie?" The snarling goat gorilla bounds toward Aang but instead of attacking, picks him up and licks him. "Flopsie!"

Flopsie puts Aang down and, obeying a whistle from the king, climbs up from the arena to him and rolls onto his back, offering his belly.

The King rubs Flopsie's belly. "Oh, that's a good boy. Yes, who has a soft belly?"

Aang jumps up to where Katara and Sokka. Both are encased in crystal to their shoulders. "Guys, are you okay?"

"Other than the crystals slowly encasing my entire body, doing great!"

At that moment, a crystal grows on one side of Sokka's body, making him become unbalanced and fall. Aang walks over to the King.

The King continues rubbing Flopsie's belly. "Oh, yes."

"Come on! I'm ready for the next challenge." Aang says confidently.

The king and the prince give an evil laugh and the scene dissolves to an earthbending arena. Aang and the king are on a balcony overlooking the arena, Sokka and Katara along with a guard are on an adjacent balcony. The crystals are past their heads, leaving their faces exposed. Tai meanwhile stands in a center balcony not paying them any mind.

"Your final test is a duel. And as a special treat, you may choose your opponent." Two tough-looking men come out, standing next to the king. Aang looks at them uncertainly. "Point and choose." The King says.

"So ... you're saying whoever I point to, that's the person I get to fight?"

"Choose wisely!" The King says.

"I ... choose ... you." Aang points to the king. Tai starts laughing off screen

"Wrong choice!" The king straightens up and removes his outer robe, proving himself to be a powerfully built old man. He earthbends Aang off of the balcony, making him fly into the arena. The king jumps down right in front of Aang, and laughs.

"You thought I was a frail old man, but I'm the most powerful earthbender you'll ever see." The King shouts towering over Aang.

"Can I fight the guy with the axe instead?" Aang asks.

"There are no take-backsies in my kingdom. You might need this." The King points to Tai standing on his balcony. Tai tosses Aang his staff. The king bends several rocks at Aang who just avoids and evades the attacks.

"Typical airbender tactic: avoid and evade. I hoped the Avatar would be less predictable." The king attacks Aang some more. Aang just keeps avoiding and evading. "Don't you have any surprises for me? Sooner or later you'll have to strike back!"

Aang uses his staff to helicopter into the air. The king bends a large boulder into the ceiling, raining rocks onto Aang, knocking him from the air. He charges at the king on foot, but a series of bending attacks leaves him flat atop a large rock pile

"You'll have to be a little more creative than that!"

Aang bends an air scooter and charges forward on it, throwing a huge air blast at the king as he comes. The king throws up a stone barrier and the blast deflects to both sides of it.

"Did someone leave the windows open? It feels a little drafty in here. Are you hoping I'll catch a cold?" The king bends more attacks at Aang, leading him across half of the arena. "How are you going to get me from way over there?"

Aang charges forward on foot again, using airbending to accelerate but the king softens the arena floor, leaving him sunk to the waist. The king bends two stones to collide on the spot but Aang pops out at the top of them when they meet. Visibly angry now, he bends the slab the king is standing on all the way to the back of the arena. The king bends the largest boulder yet to come at Aang from behind but he does an air-assisted back flip over it. The king makes more bending moves, cracking the floors and walls of the arena, tearing out a huge chunk of the wall and balcony they had been standing on. Seeing what is coming, Aang gasps and runs in tight circles, conjuring a tornado. When the king flings the huge piece at Aang, it is caught in the tornado and instantly whips around right back at the king. The king bends it to sand before it can smash him, but before he can recover, Aang attacks from the top of the tornado, landing at the king's feet with his staff poised to strike. The king's arms are raised as if surrendering but a small pebble strikes Aang's head, drawing his attention to the large boulder suspended over the both of them.

"Well done, Avatar. You fight with much fire in your heart." He tosses the boulder aside and bends up to the balcony where the two siblings are almost completely encased. Aang joins him. "You've passed all my tests. Now, you must answer one question."

"That's not fair! You said you would release my friends if I finished your tests."

Tai returns to King's robe to him. "What's the point of tests if you don't learn anything?" He says staring down at the Avatar.

"Oh, come on!" Sokka shouta

"Answer this one question and I will set your friends free. What ... is my name? From the looks of your friends I'd say you only have a few minutes." The King and Tai walk out of frame. Aang confers with Katara and Sokka.

"How am I supposed to know his name?" Aang says panicked.

"Think about the challenges. Maybe it's some kind of riddle."

"I got it!" Sokka shouts. "He's an earthbender, right? Rocky. You know, because of all the rocks."

"We're going to keep trying, but that is a good back-up." Katara says hesitantly looking at her brother before turning back to Aang.

"Okay. So back to the challenges. I got a key from the waterfall, I saved his pet, and I had a duel."

"And what did you learn?" Katara asks.

"Well, everything was different than I expected."

The jennamite grows as Katara talks with a little more anxiety. "And?"

"Well, they weren't straight forward. To solve each test, I had to think differently than I usually would. I know his name."

Later Aang confronting The King. "I solved the question the same way I solved the challenges. As you said a long time ago, I had to open my brain to the possibilities." The king laughs with the same odd snort Bumi did a hundred years ago. "Bumi, you're a mad genius."

Aang and Bumi hug like old friends.

"Oh Aang, it's good to see you. You haven't changed a bit. Literally."

"Uh, over here!"

Sokka wiggles forward. "Little help?"

Tai sighs breaking the crystals using earthbending, making pieces fly everywhere. Bumi catches one of them.

"Jennamite is made of rock candy." Bumi takes a bite into the crystal. "Delicious!"

"So this crazy king is your old friend Bumi?"

"Who are you calling old? Okay, I'm old."

"And crazy." Tai says offhandedly.

"Why did you do all of this instead of just telling Aang who you were?" Sokka asks standing next to Tai and Katara.

"First of all, it's pretty fun messing with people. [Snorts.] But I do have a reason. Aang, you have a difficult task ahead. The world has changed in the hundred years that you've been gone. It's the duty of the Avatar to restore balance to the world by defeating Fire Lord Ozai. You have much to learn. You must master the four elements and confront the Fire Lord. And when you do, I hope you will think like a mad genius. And it looks like you're in good hands. You'll need your friends to help defeat the Fire Nation." Momo climbs up on Aang. "And you'll need Momo, too. "

Tai then steps forward bowing to Aang. "Avatar Aang, Gramps here has told me a lot about you. I wish to join your travels. Learn more about the world I will be entering when I take King Bumi's throne in two years. If you would have me that is."

"It'd be an honor to take on Bumi's student. Thank you for your wisdom, but before we leave, I have a challenge for you." Aang says turning back to Bumi.

Scene changes to show Bumi and Aang riding down the mail system. Cut to view of the entire city. A cloud of dust is raised as a crash is heard.

"My cabbages!"

Chapter End.

Here we are again folks. And we're changing things up. 1st it's not a male reader, cause I prefer oc, and, because,