A massive mudslide was heading his way. He stood alone, like a rock in its path. He stood motionless on his bare feet. He listened to every sound. He detected even the faintest vibrations through his feet.
He searched for a way to stop the powerful element.
He searched for weak points he could exploit.
His entire body was covered in a mixture of mud and sweat.
For a week, from morning until dawn, he had been training in earthbending.
First, he would trigger an avalanche... then rebuild the mountainside, and repeat the process.
On the first day, he had no success. The avalanche swallowed him up every time.
He would dig himself out of the earthstorm and rebuild the mountainside.
Several hours of work, only to trigger another avalanche that would last only a few minutes.
The following days did not bring the success he had hoped for.
Slowly, he began to understand how the element worked. He began to take control.
The avalanches were slowing down... the slope began to rebuild itself.
But it still wasn't what he wanted. What he demanded of himself.
Perfection.
Only complete control of the element would allow him to save civilian lives.
He stomped his foot so hard that it sank into the ground.
Just before the avalanche, a huge crevasse opened, absorbing some of the mud flowing down.
But... that didn't stop it.
The longer the avalanche flowed down, the more earth it carried with it... and the faster it grew.
He gestured with his fist to the sky.
Immensant stone pillars rose in the avalanche's path, taking on the shape of a checkerboard.
Tons of earth bounced around and lost momentum.
Another stomp...another crevasse.
The avalanche cleared that obstacle as well. It had lost about 50% of its power... but the remaining half was enough to launch itself at the boy in a deafening charge.
He didn't flee. He pulled his foot from the ground and took a step forward... then another... and another.
He struck a blow with his fist straight ahead, simultaneously digging his heel into the earth.
A third, final trench had formed. He also managed to partially control the earth coming towards him.
He directed it downward and let it fall into the ever-widening crevasse...
But the mud was accumulating too quickly...
He couldn't widen and deepen the crevasse fast enough to swallow everything.
He managed to sink deep underground, where he waited out the threat.
After a minute, he emerged.
He looked back and marked the distance the avalanche had reached with another boulder.
Two hundred meters.
On the first day, it was four hundred meters.
In seven days, he managed to reduce his range by 200 meters....
Some would call it a success, but Zuko was far from that.
The avalanche that claimed lives was far more powerful than those he had trained on.
He looked toward the setting sun.
He knew it was time to go home...
He would be met with stares he quickly grew to hate.
Glances that always told him he had failed, had failed in his duties as Avatar.
Glances of pity.
His mother had stopped asking him how he was feeling after the third day. He always answered her without looking in her direction.
Ragdoll tried to persuade him to play a round or two of Tekken or some other game.
He refused.
Tiger tried to convince him to spar.
It was pointless. He could defeat anyone on the team, but fighting wouldn't save the people.
He knew he was a good fighter... but the problem was, he should think like a Pro Hero.
A true hero should rise to the occasion. He should neutralize the threat before it could harm civilians.
With each passing day, he felt himself growing stronger...
But it wasn't enough. Too little progress... too slow... too late.
.
.
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Pixie-Bob, Mandalay, Ragdoll, Iroh, and Tiger were sitting at the table in the living room. A letter addressed to Zuko from UA arrived today. No one had opened it out of respect for the boy's privacy... but they were certain he had passed the entrance exams.
Today's meeting, however, had a different purpose.
Iroh asked first.
"So how did the preparations go?"
"Everything's ready, Iroh... But I still have doubts... I don't want to leave my child..."
Mandalay shook her head at her friend's words.
"Ryuko... we all knew Zuko would go to UA one day... he can't spend four hours a day just commuting to and from school... and Iroh's plan makes sense."
Tiger nodded.
"Exactly. Plus, Iroh will always be around UA, so he'll be able to react quickly... besides, it's not like we're saying goodbye to him forever. He'll be visiting us... you'll be able to take more days off to go to the city."
Ragdoll placed a hand on Pixie-Bob's shoulder.
"Zuko has a month and a half before he starts at UA. Look what he does instead of resting... he doesn't listen to anyone. He disappears for the entire day and returns at sunset. He doesn't need any more training... so he needs a change of environment... and Iroh's plan to open a small tea shop where Zuko can help is simply a good one."
Iroh interjected.
"I don't mind the training, but the pace he's set for himself is simply excruciating. Zuko needs to open up to other people. He needs to start hanging out with people other than just us. A little work will do him good, and Nezu also asked for Hound Dog to examine Zuko. We're all worried about his mental health."
"Iroh...but he's so young...he's only 16."
"When my nephew was 16, he was already traveling the world in search of the Avatar. He was severely wounded by his father and, on top of that, he was exiled. Despite this, he managed to become a good person, though the road was full of twists and turns. Your son has different problems, but the principle is similar. We need to change his surroundings as soon as possible."
Pixie-Bob shook her head.
"He won't agree to that.... Zuko will prefer to train..."
Iroh took a sip of his tea and said.
"He will....I'll convince him."
"How?"
It's simple. I'll remind him of his duty, and if necessary... I'll tell him who he is."
.
.
.
Zuko emerged from the forest and saw Iroh sitting outside with tea ready, two mugs, and a letter on a small table. He knew what awaited him now. Iroh would probably try to tell him that none of these deaths were his fault and that he should take better care of his health. There was no way to avoid this conversation.
As he approached, Iroh looked him up and down and said,
"Looks like you didn't spare yourself that day either."
Zuko used waterbending to wash away any dirt... but he couldn't fix the torn clothes or hide his exhaustion. He simply sat down across from Iroh and reached for the letter. He opened it, and inside was a device resembling a disk.
He placed it on the table, and a moment later, All Might's face appeared.
"I am here as a projection!"
All Might practically shouted. The camera panned back, revealing his silhouette. He was dressed in a suit.
"Hello, young Tsuchikawa! You're probably wondering why I have to present your exam results to you. Well, starting this year, I'll be one of the teachers!"
The smile on the pro hero's face didn't fade, in fact, it grew even wider.
"Here are your results! You did well on the written exam, though you barely passed math! You have room for improvement there! However, I know you're waiting for your practical exam results, and here they are! You managed to score 137 villain points, but that's not all! What kind of school would we be if we only paid attention to that! You also scored 92 rescue points! A total of 229 points, which guaranteed you first place! Congratulations, Young Tsuchikawa! This is your hero academia!"
The video ended, and the disc turned off. Zuko wasn't very impressed. He had knowledge from the previous world, so he knew how he was being judged. Iroh, however, spoke up.
"Congratulations, my favorite grandson!"
Zuko glared at him.
"I'm your only grandson."
"Exactly!"
Iroh smiled broadly... but then turned serious.
"Zuko. We need to talk. I know you blame yourself for what happened. It wasn't your fault..."
Zuko cut in.
"Yes, it was. I should have been better prepared. I had the time and opportunity to train to save people. Instead, I focused solely on fighting and admiring myself."
Iroh shook his head.
"No, my grandson. The fault lies with me... I am your main teacher. I allowed myself to be so negligent."
Now Zuko shook his head.
"You're wrong, Grandpa... I should have thought like a pro hero... instead, I admired myself for what a great warrior I am... but fighting isn't everything. I failed because I was too weak. I didn't save them."
"No. But you can save others. UA is the school that will teach you how to do that... but I want to show you something else..."
"What?"
"I want to show you the people you'll have to save... I'm opening a teahouse in the city. We'll have an apartment upstairs."
"We?"
"Yes, Zuko. We. The teahouse will be only a ten-minute walk from UA. You'll be able to attend school without having to constantly come back here. It would be a hassle... but I want to offer you something."
"I'm listening."
"There's still a month and a half left until your studies at UA begin, but I want you to move in with me now."
"There's no point... I can train here without interruption."
"True... but it's time for you to start developing other skills."
"What kind?"
"Social skills, my grandson."
"I repeat. There's no point."
"On the contrary. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it doesn't make sense."
"Grandpa. I'm tired and I don't feel like guessing. Just tell me what you have in mind."
Iroh poured tea into cups for Zuko and himself.
"I want you to meet the people you'll be saving. You've spent your entire life here practically in isolation."
"I'm not interested."
Iroh shook his head sadly.
"Zuko... that's not the point. You're incredibly powerful, but you lack the understanding of how ordinary people who will need your help think. I want you to help me run the tea shop. Then, when you start your apprenticeship, you'll have a choice whether you want to continue helping me or not. You want to save people, and you're needlessly punishing yourself for something you had no control over."
Zuko tightened his fingers around the mug. He felt a warm hand enveloping his.
"You think a few weeks of pouring tea for strangers will teach me how to save people?"
"No. It will teach you how to talk to people. It'll make it easier to make friends at school... and remember, many Pro Heroes work in groups. Working together, you'll be able to save more lives."
Zuko stared blankly at the speck of dust that had fallen into his tea. He watched the wind swirl it, drawing something on the surface of the liquid. After a moment of silence, he looked up and met his grandfather's eyes.
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.
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And...cut! I know it's a terrible cliffhanger, but now I have a task for you! Tell me in the comments what Zuko should do. Continue training alone? Go with Iroh to the city? Or maybe something else?
Think fast, because I want to write the next chapter as quickly as possible so I don't keep you in suspense for too long!
Please leave a review and leave a power stone if you think I deserve it. Thank you.