Kahn and Azula were sparring.
Calling it a "spar" was generous.
To anyone watching, it looked far more like a lethal duel—every strike ruthless, every movement deadly, enough to make an onlooker's legs shake.
Their childhood close-quarters brawling was long gone. As their bodies grew stronger, their Firebending grew sharper, heavier, more explosive.
Their fighting style evolved from scrappy warriors wrestling to full-fledged Firebenders unleashing devastating blasts like dueling battle mages.
If an ordinary Firebender saw their fight, they would probably be dumbstruck.
The power these two produced simply wasn't something an average Firebender could achieve.
They stood about five meters apart as surging flames collided and merged between them, scorching the ground.
The intensity of the heat warped the air itself.
With a flick of her wrist, Azula sent a several-meter-long arc of blue fire slicing straight toward Kahn's face.
Without even blinking, Kahn shaped his right hand into a blade and cleanly split the arc in half.
But Azula was already following up—several more arcs curved beautifully through the air, surrounding him from every direction.
Kahn raised both hands over his head. A towering fire wall erupted upward, swallowing every incoming flame.
Yellow and blue fire clashed, merging into a dazzling, mesmerizing swirl—beautiful on the surface, murderous underneath.
Azula's barrage burned out quickly, and the blue flames faded. But Kahn's fire wall remained, standing tall and unbroken.
Then Kahn shifted his stance.
The wall of fire shifted with him—softening, flowing, transforming into a cascading waterfall of fire that crashed down and swept toward Azula like a molten tide.
Azula lowered her stance and thrust both hands forward.
A pillar of blue fire erupted like a spear, cleaving the flaming waterfall cleanly in two and surging forward with no sign of slowing—aimed straight at Kahn.
But in a blink, Kahn had vanished.
Azula's heart jolted. She felt a gust of wind behind her. Instinct took over—she ducked, rolled forward, and spun around.
There Kahn stood, still in the finishing pose of his strike, grinning.
"Tsk."
Azula dropped her stance with an irritated click of her tongue. She hurled a fireball at him out of spite, which he casually slapped aside.
She knew she'd lost. If Kahn had actually attacked from behind—Firebending or Chi Blocking—the outcome would've been ugly.
High-intensity Firebending drained stamina fast. The leftover heat clung in the air, making Azula sweat through her clothes, her throat dry, her breath heavy.
But she ignored all of that and marched over aggressively.
"How did you get behind me?"
Kahn shrugged.
"I hid inside the flame waterfall. If you were paying attention, you would've noticed."
"Hmph. Always using sneaky, underhanded tricks."
She kicked him in annoyance. Funny, considering half of Kahn's tricks had originally come from her.
"Heh, either way, I won this time!"
Kahn boasted, grinning wide. Azula rolled her eyes.
"Don't flatter yourself. You still have a lot more losing ahead of you."
"Heh. You think I'll believe that? We're pretty much even now. Honestly, I might even have more wins."
"Bullshit."
They bickered as usual. Kahn, as today's victor, graciously allowed the loser to vent.
He walked over to the stone steps, grabbed their water bottle, and poured two cups.
The once-cool water had warmed from the heat of their duel. The training ground felt like midsummer, every inch baked by fire.
Azula joined him. He handed her water, and both sat down to rest.
Sparring with Azula always required absolute focus. After a fight like that, exhaustion hit both of them hard.
Looking at the charred, warped training ground, they felt their growth more clearly than ever.
From the early days where Kahn survived only through physical advantage…
to losing more often than winning…
to now being able to stand equal with Azula…
His talent was monstrous.
Iroh had assessed him as already surpassing most Firebenders in the world—standing firmly at the upper levels of the pyramid, and unquestionably one of the strongest prodigies of his generation.
The other, of course, was Azula.
Kahn couldn't help smiling smugly. "My talent is honestly terrifying. As expected of me!"
"Heh. In shamelessness and narcissism, yes, you're truly gifted." Azula snorted, still annoyed at losing.
"You can brag for now. Once I learn that move, we'll see who's laughing."
Kahn perked up.
"That move? What move?"
Azula's expression immediately shifted into that smile—the kind that said she had just successfully baited him.
"Guess."
"Tsk."
Kahn clicked his tongue in irritation. But the curiosity gnawed at him. Hard.
He hated people who spoke in riddles.
Playing it cool, he scoffed.
"Whatever. You still won't beat me."
"Heh. Sure."
She saw through his provocation instantly.
Eventually, he cracked.
"It's gotta be an advanced Firebending application, isn't it?"
Iroh had always insisted he master the fundamentals before experimenting.
And now, his foundation was deep—his understanding of flame growing sharper every day.
He was certain Firebending wasn't just about throwing fire around.
If Azula had learned something new…
"Who knows? Maybe I'm learning Earthbending."
Azula shrugged, lying through her teeth.
"You—"
Kahn took a deep breath… then used his ultimate weapon:
"Azula, do you seriously not realize your personality is terrible?"
Nothing beats an honest insult.
If she wanted to hurt him emotionally, he would hurt her spiritually.
"Huh?! Do you want me to beat you up?!"
"You started it!"
"Who cares!"
The argument resumed without hesitation.
Maybe Kahn hadn't noticed it himself, but after living in this world for two years, his personality hadn't matured—it had regressed.
He acted more and more like a real twelve-year-old. His mannerisms, tone, and habits naturally shifted, blending with this world.
And the influence worked both ways. People around Kahn also changed under his presence.
Kahn had grown taller, too. He still had some childishness, but he looked bright and spirited—enough that several girls in school had confessed to him.
Kahn, of course, rejected them.
He wasn't a creep—kids were kids.
That afternoon, he waited eagerly at the door for Iroh. He had looked forward to this day for a long time.
His Firebending fundamentals had finally reached the standard Iroh demanded.
And now, the road ahead lay clear before him—
The path toward becoming a Firebending Master.
...
Author's Note
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— Shadow_demon_007