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♯ ❝ I HAVE ONE MORE CHALLANGE.❞
CHAPTER THIRTEEN ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ACT ONE ── water 🌊 ⁺⑅

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THEY EVENTUALLY ARRIVED AT THE LAST ROOM DOWN THE HALLWAY, WHICH WAS A TRAINING ROOM OF SORTS, and had an earth floor compared to the tiled one outside in the palace. (Y/N) noticed Bumi's hat was off his head now, revealing his grey locks and walked up to the middle where he was stood.

         "As promised, one final game to play, Avatar." He laughs amused like he had this planned from the beginning, which she was sure he did have, "The simplest one of all. You versus me." He holds up a shaky finger to motion between them, before ripping off his royal gear to reveal his chest and armor.

          Her blood runs cold standing in front of him as he exhales heavily, and scrunched up his knuckles in an eartbending pose, "To the death." He grunted out, before thrusting his arm up to make a rock appear up from the ground, and sends it flying towards her.

        (Y/N) gasped alarmed at the rock coming her way, quickly acting as she circles her arms in the air creating a gust of wind that made her fly out of the way. She landed back on her feet feeling Bumi send another hit, and reacted back by making an air slice towards him.

         When her defence didn't do anything to his bending, she deadpanned watching it just graze across the earth shield he made. The male grunts as he splits the rock in two pieces, levitating both in the air and breaks them down into tiny little rocks.

           He goes to send them spiraling towards her, and she spins her arm in front of her to create air as she circled the rocks around her body, that were caught in her air hold. She jumped in the air sideways with a kick, and leapt over the next hit he was trying to do, sending out a massive gust of air that made the dust fly up everywhere.

        "Please, Bumi! You don't have to do this!" She tried to get through to him by begging, pushing herself up from the ground as she landed in a knelt position, "There has to be another way--!"

          "Oh, but I do. Some of us have to fight even when we don't want to." He exclaimed over her speech before she could go on, "That's what it means to be in a war!" He finished off with slamming his fist into the ground below, making a crack as he bended up a massive rock from it and jumped up to kick it towards her.

           Her eyes go wide knowing she wouldn't be able to stop it, and acts before she could think about what she was doing. Her arms cross over her chest, creating a gust of air that sent her flying up into the air, and tried to jump over it, but her boot got caught on the rock causing her to yell as she tripped on over forward.

         "You'd have known about that if you'd been around, but you weren't." Bumi's voice started to become strained a bit now, as she stood up from the trip brushing off her clothes and stared at him sadly, "You left us. You were the Avatar. And you left us."

        Tears quickly lined her eyes hearing his words, knowing he was correct and that it was all her fault for leaving the world when it needed her the most. She watched with a teary gaze as Bumi shakes his head, and scoffed, "In this world, you can't reply on anyone, even your friends."

          He goes to stomp his foot out in front of him, thrusting his arm forward as he makes a rock float up from the ground and sent it towards her, but from behind this time. She gritted her teeth at this, bending out of her palms as she pushed herself into the air once more, and everything after that felt slow motion for her.

          Her figure gracefully goes to jump on over the incoming rock, her stomach facing upwards as she keeps herself afloat with her bending, and his words echo inside her mind. She does a backwards flip to land swiftly onto the floor, just as the rock smashed into Bumi and she goes to run towards him hearing him snarl frustrated.

He slides his foot around in front of him, making the sand pick up with the movement and he goes to flick his foot back out. The ground below him starts to break, all in a straight line towards (Y/N). She yelped not expecting that as her lower half gets trapped inside the sand, and tried to push herself out of it, but to no luck.

Bumi twisted his arms to the side, creating the sand around her to harden, and she was now officially stuck inside the ground below them. Her (E/C) eyes go wide watching him eartbend a piece of rock, and began to send slices of it flying towards her fast with each thrust of his fists.

Knowing she would get hurt badly from the impact, her arms thrusted upwards to shot up a bunch of air that managed to pull her out of the trap, and backflipped over the pieces flying at it, as one had caught onto her boot. She landed swiftly in a defensive pose and another gust of air shot out of her.

She threw away a piece of rock flying at her with her bending, reminding the girl of her recent fight with Zuko. She kept gracefully deflecting the rocks coming at her, all being caught in her bending and shot into another direction. The last one she shot up above her with a yell, as it crashed into the stadium above them, and broke some of the stands

Bumi laughed hysterically at the debris falling down from the hit she did, and he snorts now back watching her with a crocked smile, "Well, as fun as this has been, it's time for the games to end." He grunts as he thrusted his arm forward, causing a massive part of the stadium above them to break off and he sent it straight for (Y/N).

Before it could smash into her, she quickly acted. Her palms shot up above her head with a yell, airbending having caught the massive rock just above her much smaller figure compared to the boulder she was levitating with her power. She clenched her jaw feeling a strange amount of spike in her bending, as she continued to hold the boulder above her in an air grasp.

He raised his eyebrow impressed seeing her easily holding the rock, and tilted his head up hearing more of the stadium break into pieces from him destroying it. He chuckled with a shoulder shrug, and didn't move an inch as another bolder came flying down, as he trusted she would save him.

Out from the corner of her left eye she spotted the boulder, and a strangled gasp left her realising Bumi was going to get hit. Once more she outstretched her free hand to levitate the boulder in the air, using her bending to stop it just from smashing into her old best friend. Now she felt the strain.

(Y/N) clenched her teeth trying to keep both holds on the heavy boulders, feeling her muscles straining under the amount of strength she was using. Her hair blew around her face from the air she was using, and her wide eyes found Bumi's in the chaos, "Bumi, I can't hold both of them. Help me, please!"

"Let it fall." He casually offered almost making her grasps on the boulders drop, her stomach churning hearing what he was saying as she focused on the bending around the earth pieces, "Let it fall, and you win."

"Bumi, this isn't a game!" She shouts at him through a cry over the wind, it being created by the air she was manipulating around the boulders to keep them afloat, "I can't hold these both forever!" She added feeling her bending weaking by the second, and gritted her teeth more to push strength back into it.

  "Yes, it is." He sneered back in correction, lifting up his chin to stare at her with a frustrated gaze, one that held a lot of pain also, "One that requires you to make impossible choices. Do I save this town or that? Who gets the last of the food scraps? The orphanage or the soldiers? You have to make choices like that day after day, year after year. And that's just to save this one city. You have to save the wold world. Let it fall, (Y/N)! And learn what it means to be the Avatar."

Her face was scrunching up as her knees were almost touching the sand, from how much strength she was putting into the boulder above Bumi, not the one almost grazing her head, "NO!" She yelled fiercely almost like more than her own voice was behind it, and pushed up her arms to move the boulders more away from them.

Bumi's expression was a horror filed one, as he shakes his head slowly at her stubborn response, "Then the world is doomed." His words echo through her mind like a marathon, but she choose to ignore it and focus on the boulders she kept up from landing on them both.

Out from the corner where the rocks from their battle were on the sand, came out Katara, Aang and Sokka to see what the situation was. All their eye go wide witnessing (Y/N) keeping up two massive boulders in the air with her bending swirling around them, and how Bumi wasn't moving out of the way.

"Sokka, get the king!" Katara was quick to shot orders once they snapped out of their daze, as she bends some water onto the sand and froze it so her brother could slide across it. While that happened, Aang had no time to be excited over Bumi being alive but instead jumped in, and used his bending to help (Y/N).

She looked up through her messy locks feeling some weight off the boulders disappear, and released a thankful breath spotting Aang's back right in front of her, holding the boulders too with his bending. At the same time Sokka had tackled Bumi out of the way, causing the two to tumble onto the floor.

"Guys, now!" Katara yells to the airbending duo, who both act listening to the call. In sync they swiftly spin their arms in the air, which made the boulders spin and they released the holds they had on the boulders. When the cement hit the sand, it broke into smaller pieces of rock.

(Y/N)'s eyelids flutter a bit from the amount of energy she used in one go, her feet stumble back as she landed against a solid chest before she could fall to the floor. She panted heavily holding onto the person's forearm, and felt a warm hand brush her hair back, as well as caress her lower back.

She glanced up to meet the worried blue eyes of Sokka, the one whom caught her and was holding her on the sandy floor, "You're alright now, sweetheart." He reassured gently brushing the last piece of her bangs back with his fingers, as she rested her head against his shoulder, "Are you okay?"

Aang and Katara came running up to the pair stationed on the floor, giving them space a bit but was still in front as Aang was itching to reach forward and hug (Y/N), though stayed back since he wanted them to have their moment. The three shared a concerned look when she didn't answer, but relaxed a bit as she nodded her head slowly soon afterwards.

"Well, sky girl, you sure know how to bring the house down." He commented a joke a few seconds later, making (Y/N) chuckle weakly into his shoulder and nuzzle the side of his neck momentarily, making him shiver a bit feeling it, both of them still wrapped up together on the floor.

That was still the sound of Bumi's angry noises were heard. He earthbending the rock in front of him, splitting it into two pieces on opposite sides, "Cheater! You cheated!" He claimed pointing a finger at (Y/N), as he began to walk over to the four of them through the dust still lingering in the air, "You didn't do it on your own, so you didn't learn anything at all!"

Sokka had a warning glare on his face, keeping (Y/N) protected behind him with an arm outstretched out in front of her, as he didn't want the old grumpy man near after what he witnessed. However when he felt her soft hand on his arm, he reluctantly pulled the hand down and let her walk out from behind him.

"You were wrong. You can rely on your friends, and that's the only way I'm gonna save the world." She spoke confidently trailing up to meet Bumi in the middle, while looking back at her gang with a beaming smile, "With my friends. I can't do this alone, and they will be the support I need to succeed."

"You think like a child."

Her lips perked up even more hearing his baffled comment, and shrugged her shoulders a bit, "Is that really so bad?" She chuckled, before reaching to pull something out from her shirt. It was a necklace that was attached to a string, and she walked forward to show it to Bumi, "Remember this?"

Inside her hand was a small rock that was bended into a flower shape, one that younger Bumi made for her. Aang had gotten a similar one, and he smiled to himself seeing that old piece of jewellery, as he touched the one around his own neck with his fingers.

"I use it to call a friend." She takes it off fully from around her neck, careful to not get it caught in her locks, "That's what I'm gonna do now." She finished as she handed it towards Bumi, who grunted not understanding yet and gently took the piece from her, "Call on an old friend."

He squinted one of his eyes to see the flower rock better, holding it up more closely to his face to inspect it, while she talked to him again, "You were right. I wasn't here for the world. Or for you." His eyes widening realising what this rock was, and released a breathy exhale followed by a chuckle, knowing she kept it all these long years.

"But I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere." (Y/N) finished in a confident tone, standing up proudly with a warm smile as the other three come up to stand behind her, while Bumi looks up to her with a smile of his own and slowly nods his head. Finally, he both forgave her and was ready to move forward.

After that little event and misunderstanding, the group were now walking outside of the palace and onto the roof where it looked on over the entire Kingdom. (Y/N) was beside Bumi, and Sokka, while Aang and Katara were on the kings other side as they strolled out closer to the ledge.

"Your Highness," One of the fellow soldiers of the kingdom jogged on up to Bumi, who hummed in acknowledgement as he tilted his head towards him, and the solider told him, "we've called up the reinforcements."

"And... and you doubled the guards on the walls?" Bumi stuttered out his words but they were still powerful, as he received a head nod back, which pleased Bumi greatly, "Good. Tell them I'll be there soon."

When the solider nodded his head bidding his farewell, and walked away to go do as told, (Y/N) furrowed her brows confused not understanding what was happening, "Wait, what's going on?" She asked her other best friend, turned on her side so her back touched Sokka's chest as they stopped walking.

Bumi moved his attention towards her now, his hat's beads making a clinging sound as he turned his head, "Fire Nation forces are on the move. They'll be here by dawn." He tells the group, who's eyes widening realising someone had already told the king of what was coming to destroy his kingdom.

"You're under attack?" Aang spoke up in question next standing beside the quiet Katara, as he reached forward to grasp Bumi's arm to look at him better, since he was much taller then Aang, and pulled back once Bumi glanced at him next.

"We will be, but we will be ready." He both answered and reassured his friends, as a familiar figure comes up behind them while he talked, "Fortunately, a source tipped us off." He motioned with his hand to Sai, who appeared beside Sokka, the one whom told the king about the attack.

"Sai?" Sokka said his name through a wide smile in disbelief, it getting feeling (Y/N)'s hands wrapping around his clothed forearm as sent a thankful grin Sai's way, who returned their looks with one of his own and a head nod. None of them guessed it was him who told the king, but they were also glad it was.

"The mechanist alerted the generals to a network of spies in the city." Bum continued to inform the group staring at Sai, who bashfully looked down seeing all the smiles the four were sending him, "Helped us round them up. Now, all of you get out of here."

He placed a gentle hand on (Y/N)'s shoulder, as he now had a small smile gracing his mouth for her, "The Avatar has placed she had to be. We can take care of ourselves." He assured his old best friend knowing she would feel guilty about leaving them, "It's time Omashu rejoined the war."

The four grinned at each other, as Sokka playfully bumps his shoulder against (Y/N)'s still standing behind her, and she leant back on his chest chuckling amused, before Bumi began to talk again which caught the airbending best friends attention.

"Oh, uh, but I do have one more challenge for you." He says this in a playful and cackle that had them both tensing up, and shared a look as they wondered what he meant. But also, they knew what Bumi was like and figured it was something they did when they were younger.

Next thing they knew was that, (Y/N), Aang and Bumi were all laughing loudly together, as they were inside one of the carriages that was flying through the transport system through the city. The best friends held onto each other tightly, while Bumi was in front having the time of his life, just like old times for the trio.

❪ ✏️ ❫ 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳𝚂 : 3197
─►☆ AUTHOR'S NOTE :
been really motivated to write for this fic so heres another update that i kinda already wrote mostly but some of the last bit 😭 it's not as long as the previous update and im so sorry
about that, but i can be sure that the next one
will be a bit more longer like usual for you all

next ep is gonna break me writing when y/n goes into the spirit world to see gyatso as she gets to see him, talk with him and lose him in a single swoop which is gonna be so funnn lolll 🥲 it's gonna hit her after its happened though
and ofc sokka will make her feel
better like he normally does

anywaysss don't be a silent/ghost reader lovelies, i enjoy seeing your comments and
it helps me stay motivated <33