Kai's Perspective
The Fire Nation palace was built on power. It echoed in its towering golden pillars, in the flickering flames that never died, in the way every noble in the room held their breath when she walked forward.
Azula.
The Fire Lord's prodigy. The sharpest blade in the royal family's arsenal. The storm that no one dared challenge.
And yet, here Kai was, standing in her path.
"You think you're special," she mused, golden eyes gleaming like molten metal. "Everyone in this room sings your praises, but I've yet to see anything worth admiring."
Kai smiled, unfazed. "Then why challenge me?"
Azula's smirk was sharp as a dagger. "Because I love crushing disappointment."
The room tensed. A duel.
There was no turning back now.
The nobles whispered, their excitement bubbling beneath the surface. The Fire Nation lived for spectacle, and tonight, they would feast on fire.
Fire Lord Ozai's voice carried across the room, steady and absolute.
"This will be a formal match," he declared. "No killing blows. The first to incapacitate or force submission is the victor."
Kai's heart pounded—not in fear, but in anticipation.
He had never fought Azula before, but he knew her reputation. Precision. Ruthlessness. The embodiment of fire itself.
But tonight, he wasn't just any noble's son.
Tonight, he would show them something they had never seen before.
The attendant raised his hand. "Begin!"
Iroh's Perspective
Iroh took a slow sip of his tea as the battle began, eyes twinkling with curiosity.
Kai had intrigued him from the start—his stance, his presence, his control.
But Azula?
She was a force of nature.
And yet, as she lunged, fire swirling around her fingers like a dragon ready to strike, Kai did not flinch.
He moved.
Not like a firebender. Not like a soldier.
He spun.
His movements were smooth, fluid—unnatural even for the most disciplined warriors. He became the eye of a storm.
Azula's first strike should have burned him. It did not.
Her fire met nothing but empty space as Kai twisted around it, his feet gliding across the marble floor like he was part of the wind itself.
Iroh's eyebrows lifted. Interesting.
Azula narrowed her eyes. She wasn't just skilled—she was smart. She adjusted instantly, her next strikes sharper, faster. Blue flames erupted from her palms, cutting through the air like lightning.
Kai did not block.
He danced.
The nobles gasped as he spun mid-air, his body twisting, his momentum redirecting the very flames meant to consume him.
This… this was not just firebending.
This was something else.
Iroh chuckled. "Oh, my dear niece… I believe you may have underestimated this one."
Azula was no fool.
Her golden eyes flickered with something between frustration and excitement. She had fought countless opponents. She had defeated warriors twice her age.
And yet, this boy would not stand still.
"Enough," she hissed.
Lightning crackled at her fingertips.
The nobles gasped. Lightning was not something to be used lightly—not in a friendly duel, not against a fellow noble. But Azula never cared for rules.
She fired.
A bolt of pure destruction split the air, aimed straight for Kai's chest.
For a fraction of a second, everything slowed.
The crowd sucked in a breath.
Zuko, watching from the sidelines, froze.
But Kai? Kai moved.
His body twisted, his hand caught the lightning—and redirected it in a spiraling arc that shot toward the sky, dispersing harmlessly.
The hall fell into absolute silence.
Azula stood frozen, her hand still outstretched.
Kai straightened, exhaling slowly. "Nice try."
The tension in the room shattered. The nobles erupted in whispers, eyes darting between the two duelists in disbelief.
He had stopped her lightning.
He had made it look easy.
Azula clenched her fists. "You—"
Kai struck.
He moved faster than she expected, closing the gap with a spinning kick, flames igniting in a powerful arc that swept her feet out from under her.
Azula hit the floor.
The attendant hesitated—he had never seen Azula lose.
And then Kai did something no one expected.
He turned to Zuko, ignoring the murmuring nobles, ignoring the stunned silence.
He bowed.
"This victory," he said clearly, "is for Lady Zuko." The room exploded.
Gasps. Whispers. Some nobles even gawked.
Azula, still on the floor, clenched her jaw. And Zuko? Her face flushed red.
Ozai's golden eyes flickered with something unreadable. Iroh chuckled into his teacup. The nobles lost their minds.
Azula stood, shoulders stiff, face unreadable.
The flicker of something dangerous beneath her golden gaze. Not even Kai saw it.
Jealousy.
And perhaps… something else.
As the crowd cheered, as Zuko tried (and failed) to hide her flustered expression, Kai met Azula's eyes.
She smirked.
"This isn't over."
Kai smirked back.
"Good. I'd hate for this to be too easy."