"Haha, just like the Aang, I know!" Said Bumi with a faint yet crazy grin as he quickly stood up and glanced at Aang, who flashed a small smile.
"And just like the Bumi, I know." Said Aang lightly while looking at Bumi, who quickly embraced him in a powerful hug, causing him to wince in pain.
'E-Even with all of my training, h-he's still so strong.' Thought Aang with a wry expression as he suppressed a grunt before heaving a sigh of relief when Bumi finally released him.
Fixing my outfit, I gave Bumi a good look as it's been a few years since we'd last met, and I wanted to see how life has been treating this Mad Genius. Though it seemed I was needlessly worrying, given his new clothes and filled-out frame, he was doing great for himself. I did notice a few scars on his hands and arms, but I was unsure whether to attribute it to his 'genius ideas' that I'm sure he's made plenty of or because of the constant battles.
'Let's just say 50/50.' Thought Aang lightly as he glanced at Bumi before shaking his head.
"Come, Aang, let me show you to my humble abode!" Said Bumi with a grin as he grabbed Aang's shoulder before darting into the distance.
"I see your manners haven't changed one bit… Not that I excepted them to." Muttered Aang lightly as he glanced at Bumi, who was dragging him through the street before leaping into the air.
With Bumi holding my shoulder, I twisted his arm by jumping over him, forcing him to let me go lest he wished to risk dislocating his shoulder. Landing beside him, I gave a side-glance before darting forward much faster than he could run; Bumi may be far stronger than me, but his agility was nothing compared to mine.
"Too slow, Bumi. I'll meet you there." Said Aang with a faint smirk as he glanced behind him at Bumi before continuing through the streets of Omashu.
"Haha, a race Aang!? You may be fast, but I know this city better than anyone!" Stated Bumi with a large smile and a crazy glint as he eyed Aang before suddenly dashing to the right, disappearing down a narrow street between two buildings.
Sensing the path Bumi took, I faintly smirked and further increased my speed, creating tiny Air Scooters underneath the soles of my feet; rather than sprinting, it was more like I was skating. Taking the same path Bumi used when I first visited Omashu, I eventually came to a dead end, though by closing my eyes and focusing on the ground beneath me, I stopped my foot to the side, creating a small slit in the ground.
'Haa, my Earth bending is truly mediocre.' Thought Aang with a disappointed expression as he looked at the tiny slit in the ground before shaking his head and repeating his actions until the slit was big enough to fall through.
Falling to the ground, I created a vortex to slow my descent before landing on the side; as I was in the sewers of Omashu, I had no desire to fall into the sludge of fecal matter and urine. The smell down here is also very putrid, though I had created a vortex around my face, saving me from inhaling the nasty putrid smell. Still, the air would only last for a few minutes, which was more than enough for what I was doing.
Dashing along the ground, I took a few turns, running down a long tunnel before nearing a ladder, where I leaped into the air, using a vortex to lift me through the air until I reached the hatch that led to the house Bumi had been using as his hideaway for years.
However, just as I landed on the ground, my face twitched when I saw Bumi calmly sitting down while grinning at me, a sight that slightly annoyed me.
"How did you beat me? I'm rather confident I took the fastest path." Asked Aang curiously as he looked at Bumi, who took a sip of tea while pointing at the door with his foot.
"Through the front door… I've been waiting for you to arrive and have even made some tea in the meantime." Replied Bumi with a faint smirk as he spat the tea out while looking at Aang, whose expression twitched in annoyance.
"Haa, I'm confident you're the only one I know who can so easily stir my emotions, Bumi." "Hahaha, it's my genius, Aang. It'll leave those who fail to comprehend it confused!" Remarked Aang and Bumi, respectively, as the former softly sighed before shaking his head and sitting down, while the latter swiftly stood up while tapping his head with a crazed expression.
Rolling my eyes at the nonsense he was spouting, I leaned forward and grabbed a teacup, carefully inspecting it before I consumed it as I couldn't trust Bumi with anyone; for all I knew, this could contain some kind of laxative. Only after ensuring it was normal tea did I drink it, prompting Bumi to sit down while propping his feet onto the table, which held the teapot, causing me to spit the tea back into the cup.
'Haa, j-just don't think about it, Aang.' Thought Aang softly as he gently set the teacup down while glancing at Bumi, who curiously eyed him.
"Yes?" Asked Aang with a raised eyebrow as he looked at Bumi, who rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression.
"Why are you here?" Asked Bumi curiously as he eyed Aang, who cleared his throat before standing up.
I'd yet to tell Bumi I was the Avatar, and while I wasn't exactly keeping it a secret, the only people who knew were the Fire Nation, and I doubt they'd just willingly give way such information. So, like I've done previously, I revealed my status as the Avatar to Bumi by bending all four elements, though by the end of it all, he didn't seem phased at all.
"You, you don't seem surprised." Said Aang lightly as he snuffed the small flame on his finger while observing Bumi, who nodded.
"No. I've already expected this, Aang." "Y-You have?" Remarked Bumi and Aang, respectively, as the former lightly nodded while the latter skeptically gazed at him.
"Yes. When I learned the Air Temple had been invaded by the Fire Nation, on the day the Great Comet flew overhead no less, the fact you all weren't wiped led me to believe the Avatar was with them. Considering when we first met, you were already a Master, it only made sense that with you, your people avoided being slaughtered." Stated Bumi solemnly as he gazed at Aang, who raised an eyebrow before nodding.
"You're not called the 'Mad Genius' for nothing, I suppose." Muttered Aang softly as he glanced at Bumi, who suddenly stood up with a grin.
"You've come here to learn Earth bending from me, haven't you, Aang?" Asked Bumi with a grin as he looked at Aang, who opened his mouth before furrowing his brows.
Although I didn't intend to ask Bumit to teach me, partly because I was concerned about his teaching methods, I already planned to learn from the Badgermole similar to how Toph learned, and considering how she turned out to be arguably the greatest Earthbender to live, I figured it would be a smart idea.
'Though on second thought, unlike Toph, I'm not blind… Well, I could always make myself blind.' Mused Aang with a thoughtful expression before shrugging his shoulder.
While I still wished to learn from Badgermole, I also figured getting a solid grasp on the basics of Earth bending from Bumi couldn't hurt; after all, he did things Toph couldn't, like bending crystals.
'He's also one of the greatest Earthbenders to ever live as well.' Thought Aang as he looked at Bumi before nodding in agreement, causing his smile to deepen.
"Haha, perfect. Perfect! I shall teach you everything I know and make you the most fantastic Avatar ever! Now call me Teacher Bumi!" Declared Bumi with a maddened expression as he looked at Aang before proudly raising his head.
'T-This blockhead!' Thought Aang with an irritated expression as he narrowed his eyes at Bumi with a twitching expression before lowering his head and sighing.
"Please teach me, Teacher Bumi." Said Aang reluctantly as he clasped his hands slightly and bowed to Bumi, who grinned before suddenly tossing him clothes.
"If I'm to teach you Earth bending, you'll need to learn like every other Earth Kingdom citizen. Put these on and meet me outside!" Stated Bumi firmly as he looked at Aang before exiting the house, causing him to hesitantly look at the clothes in his arms.
Feeling as if I'd made a grave mistake, I sighed and changed clothes, wearing coarse and dirty clothes that made me uncomfortable, but after a few moments and forcing myself to get used to it, I stepped outside the house, where I saw Bumi lying sprawled on the ground.
"Lay with me. If you wish to bend earth, you must know the earth and feel it with your whole body." Said Bumi solemnly as he glanced at Aang before closing his eyes, prompting him to do the same.
Lying on the ground beside Bumi, I closed my eyes and focused on the earth beneath me.
'I hope I'm not just wasting our time.' Thought Aang softly with a wry expression as he silently lay beside Bumi.