Chapter 2
"A few hours of fighting, but you were worth it, little one.... Now you need to get a good name.... How about... Zuko."
Mandalay looked at her friend with concern. It had only been a few weeks since Zuko's death... his uncle was still grieving.
The man entered the room after the medical procedures were completed to look at his grandson.
His eyes filled with sadness, but also with renewed hope. He looked at his nephew's beloved.
"Ryuko? How are you feeling, dear child?"
The blonde smiled warmly at him.
"Iroh... I'm so glad you finally came. Meet... Zuko..."
Something tightened in the older man's chest. It was partly regret... partly love for the newborn, the son of his recently fallen nephew...
Zuko faced his sister, Azula, in battle once again... and Zuko would have won, except that Azula hurled a bolt of lightning at the pregnant Ryuko.
Iroh knew there was no escape for Azula. She had fallen completely into her madness, and he would have to stop her in the future. For now, she was a prisoner in Tartarus... but he feared she would one day escape.
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Zuko's eyes widened. His mother was Pixie-Bob... he'd entered the world of MHA...
*Oh fuck.*
During the examination, he couldn't help but complain in his head that the nurse and doctor were treating him like a child... wait. He was a child now.
They wrapped him tightly in some blanket so that only his head was sticking out and he couldn't move.
*They made me a damn burrito!*
When they handed him to his... mother, it was only then that he noticed the other members of the Wild Wild Pussycats in the room.
"A few hours of fighting, but you were worth it, little one... now you need a good name... how about... for... Zuko."
*Zuko?*
After a moment, the doctor and nurses left the room. Someone Zuko couldn't see entered the room, as his mother was holding him close to her chest.
"Ryuko? How are you feeling, dear child?"
*Wait...that voice...IROH!?*
"Iroh...I'm so glad you finally came. Meet...Zuko..."
Zuko stared at Iroh with wide eyes. Yes...this was THAT Iroh...The Dragon of the West, General and Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, Grand Lotus, and firebending master.
Iroh leaned over him, his eyes glistening with tears. Zuko managed to free one hand from the burrito and extended it toward the old man.
Ryuko laughed.
"How did you do it, little one? You're as agile as a cat, just like your mommy."
Iroh slowly extended his hand toward him. Ignoring his mother's comment, Zuko decided to do what all newborns do. He grabbed Iroh's finger and squeezed it tightly.
Iroh wiped away a tear. He smiled warmly.
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Age: 8 months
Little Zuko was crawling on the ground. The Wild Wild Pussycats had sectioned off a section of the garden for him and made it 'babyproof.' Iroh sat on the wooden floor and calmly sipped his tea.
Zuko knew he had to act like a child at least a little. He didn't expose himself unnecessarily, but he pretended. He tried to figure out where he was in the story. Was he younger or older than the heroes of Class 1A? Maybe the same age?
Unfortunately, he wasn't given the chance, as Iroh would turn off the TV or take him away to play with him, because, as he claimed...
"I won't let my grandson become a TV zombie like some kids his age."
It wasn't that he couldn't watch TV at all, but it was almost entirely children's cartoons, which held little interest for him.
Inside himself, he was grateful that Iroh took him to the garden. Then he pretended to crawl around the garden seemingly aimlessly, but secretly he was trying to feel something inside him... that would allow him to begin his firebending training.
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Iroh calmly sipped his tea and read the newspaper reports. He frowned as he read about the attacks. He was too old to play hero. His only goal in life now was to take care of Zuko.
He sensed something... fire... he looked in the direction of the source...
Zuko sat with his back to him, and a few inches away, a small tree was engulfed in flames.
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Zuko glanced at Iroh. Now was a good time. He was busy reading the newspaper and wasn't paying attention to him. He crawled toward a small tree that was as short as he was.
Instead of trying to make fire out of nothing, he decided to use a leaf on the tree as fuel. He remembered Iroh's words when he'd watched Avatar in his previous life.
*Power if firebending comes from the breath, not the muscles.*
He closed his eyes. He sat on his haunches like a child... he was a child, after all. He formed his hand into a small fist. It must have looked comical.
Inhale...and exhale...
He struck a blow at the small leaf. Nothing happened.
Inhale and exhale.
Another blow, and nothing.
He inhaled through his nose. Slowly. With a calm movement, he delivered the blow, simultaneously exhaling the air from his lungs.
The tip of the leaf caught fire.
"Zuko?"
Zuko heard Iroh's voice. He turned to face him. He couldn't speak yet, but he could make certain sounds, just like a child.
"Ga-ga!"
Zuko, his expression serious, pointed at the burning leaf.
Iroh threw down the newspaper and walked quickly toward him. He knelt down and placed a hand on his back. But they both heard his mother's voice behind them.
"Are you alright, Iroh?"
"Ryuko, dear child, please come closer. You need to see something."
Pixie-Bob stepped closer. Her hair was tied back, and she was wearing an apron over her clothes. Today it was her turn to make dinner.
"What happened..."
As she got closer, she looked in the direction Zuko was pointing.
"But... Iroh... this can't be a quirk... this is way too fast... is this... firebending?"
*Oho? Does Mom know about firebending? I wonder how much Iroh hey has told about it.*
Iroh nodded slowly.
"I think so. Zuko, my boy. Could you try again? Your grandfather is asking for it."
Iroh and the members of the Wild Wild Pussycats were already accustomed to Zuko understanding them. The first signs of this had appeared very early, for a child.
Zuko turned back to the tree. Inhale... exhale... inhale... and strike.
A small flame shot from the small child's fist and ignited another leaf.
Ryuko covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide with surprise. She leaned closer, cradling her son and lifting him up.
"Oh, my darling son, he has the same powers as his daddy! He would be so proud of you!"
Zuko already knew who his father was. He knew he was dead, but he didn't know how. Ever since his family realized he was so intelligent, they avoided certain conversations in his presence.
Iroh rubbed his chin.
"I don't mean to brag, but I think Zuko said his first word today. He called me ga-ga."
Ryuko looked at him in horror, then looked at Zuko.
"Zuko-chan! Tell me your grandfather is lying, right? You didn't say ga-ga, you said ma-ma, right?"
Zuko decided to take revenge on his mother for all the humiliation he had endured at her hands so far. He might be a little kid, but he feared he'd never get the memory of Ryuko changing his diapers while singing silly nursery rhymes about kittens and poop out of his mind.
Zuko looked at Ryuko with the most innocent expression he could muster and 'said,'
"Ga-ga!"
Then he turned his head toward Iroh and held out his small hands.
Ryuko sighed dramatically, feigning despair and dramatically pressing a hand to her forehead.
"My own son! Treason of the highest order!"
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Age: 5.
Zuko was performing a sequence of moves, each time releasing a burst of fire faster and faster. Iroh sat still, watching.
"Again."
He performed another sequence of blows. His grandfather shook his head in dissatisfaction.
"Stop using your muscles. The source of firebending is your breath. The breath becomes energy in the body. The energy extends past your limbs and becomes fire."
Zuko, out of breath, managed to say.
"I...I know that!"
"Then why do you keep making the same mistakes? You're out of breath after a minute."
Zuko thought that having the knowledge from the previous world would make it easier to master firebending. He was wrong. Theory was one thing, but practice was something else entirely.
"And stop flailing your arms like that idiot Endeavor! He's a disgrace to all Firebenders!"
Iroh told Zuko that he called all people with a fire quirk that. Of course, he knew the truth, but he still didn't know how Iroh ended up in this world. He couldn't just ask him.
He wiped the sweat from his brow, listening to his master. Iroh continued.
"Fire can be a devastating force if you don't understand it. If you act rashly, you'll end up like Endeavor. True power comes from knowledge and mastery, not pure violence. To control fire, you must first control your own body."
Suddenly, the door to the house opened. Tomoko called out.
"Guys! Dinner's ready!"
Iroh instantly transformed from a serious teacher into a smiling, hungry old man.
"Oh, good! I'm starving. What have you prepared today, Tomoko?"
Ragdoll replied with a sincere smile.
"Ramen! And don't worry, Iroh, because I made extra, so you'll definitely have seconds!"
"You're truly wonderful, Tomoko! What would we do without you?"
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Age: 8.
Zuko redirected a fire bolt towards Iroh. His grandfather, however, immediately seized the opportunity to unleash a jet of flame from his mouth, piercing the incoming fire.
Zuko planted his feet in place and focused his attention on the very center of the incoming threat. He made a gesture with both fists, and the fire split in two directions, giving him the opportunity to close the distance.
Instead of creating another flame, he used the existing one to shoot from behind him towards Iroh.
Iroh smirked at his grandson's maneuver. He quickly spun around, directing the fire with his entire body, simultaneously creating a fiery whirlwind of numerous small fireballs.
Zuko dodged to the side, but instead of fleeing, he decided to take control of the fire. Iroh stepped out of the flames to poke Zuko in the chest with his open hand.
"You were doing well, Zuko, but you were too focused on the fire. You could have attacked me directly."
Zuko waved his hand dismissively.
"Oh well. Mom would kill me if I broke you."
Iroh laughed loudly, patting Zuko on the shoulder.
"Ha! Your mother is a formidable woman, but I'm not that old yet."
Zuko smiled... after a moment, his smile was replaced by a grimace of confusion. He was barefoot, and his feet touched the scorched, warm earth... he felt something... like... vibrations in the earth.
"Zuko, are you alright?"
Zuko didn't answer; he felt something change. The earth beneath his feet was trembling.
"I think... I think I feel something... through the earth."
Iroh frowned. He wondered if it was his mother's quirk that had just manifested itself within him... or perhaps... it was something else... more powerful... coming from his world.
"Zuko, my boy. Tell me what you feel."
"I feel... vibrations... but from different directions... a lot... a lot of vibrations."
Iroh picked up a rock and threw it far behind Zuko. The rock landed several dozen meters away, and there was no sound of its impact.
But Zuko felt the wave of vibrations the rock created.
"Interesting... very interesting..."
Zuko opened his eyes, looking at his grandfather.
"Excuse me?"
Iroh put a finger to his lips and said.
"Don't speak... wait and listen... can you sense anything more?"
Zuko focused...to absorb as much information as possible...he had previously felt the ground, but now he could make out the boulders and larger stones...he felt the ground in constant, barely perceptible motion. Then Mandalay emerged onto the training ground.
"Iroh? Can you stay with Zuko? There was an earthquake in the city, and they need as many pro heroes as possible!"
Iroh just nodded, continuing to look at Zuko.
"Zuko...what do you feel?"
"I feel movement...the earth moving...deep down...somewhere far away..."
His grandfather's eyes widened in surprise...a theory was beginning to form in his mind...Zuko's strange behavior as a small child...as if he were...sensitive to something only he could sense...
Zuko was incredibly talented at firebending...for his age. Now he has confirmation... He knew how his mother's quirk worked, but this was something more powerful... earthbending...
He is the first child born in this world to have abilities from his world... perhaps this world also has its own version of Ravaa. Is it possible that his grandson is the Avatar?
End of Chapter 2