Chapter 4
Age 13.
Zuko stood ankle-deep in a small river flowing through the forest. He formed a ball of water, which he attempted to shape into various shapes. However, the water refused to obey his commands. After a moment, the ball disintegrated, and the water flowed back into the river.
Iroh shook his head.
"No. This isn't firebending or earthbending. Forget about quick movements. Now focus on the fluidity of your gestures. Your hands should be in constant motion. Water is an element that is constantly in motion. Use this movement to bend it to your will."
Zuko closed his eyes, focusing on the flowing water. He slowly began to move his hands in a wavelike motion, mimicking the flow of a river. The water rose upward.
Zuko tried to shape the water into a spear, but all that emerged was a serpent, moving in various directions.
"Too stiff, Zuko. Now you're focusing on specific points instead of letting the water take shape."
Zuko sighed. The water receded back into the river. He turned to Iroh.
"Grandfather... how do you know so many things? How do you know how to train me if you have a different quirk than me?"
Iroh smiled brightly.
"Ah, it's all thanks to my travels. In my youth, I traveled the world and learned from others. Just because I can't control water doesn't mean this knowledge is useless to me. Based on this, I managed to create an entirely new technique, which I passed on to your father, and one day I will pass on to you."
*Oh. So he finally revealed the secret... maybe I can convince him to tell me more.*
"What technique? Some new way to manipulate fire?"
Iroh shook his head.
"It's a long story. I'll tell you someday, and I'll even teach you this technique."
"Will you at least tell me the name of this technique?"
"Hmm.... well. Lightning generation."
Zuko smiled.
"You're bluffing, Grandpa."
Iroh laughed heartily, stepped closer, stood at the edge of the river, and patted Zuko on the shoulder.
"I'm not bluffing, grandson. One day I'll teach you this art. It's very dangerous, not only to those around you, but to yourself as well. If you're not ready... if you make one wrong move, the energy you wanted to master will destroy you."
Zuko narrowed his eyes. The moment had finally arrived.
"Is... is that how Dad died?"
Iroh frowned.
"What? Who told you that? Of course not. Your father was... he was the best firebender I ever knew..."
"That... what happened to him, Grandpa?"
Iroh turned slowly, not wanting to show the pain of losing Zuko... He tried to convince himself that the boy wasn't ready yet...
"Grandpa..."
"No, Zuko. It's... not my place to tell you what happened... you'll find out someday... but please... not today."
Zuko understood that his father's death had hit Iroh hard... how could it be otherwise... Iroh was a role model for his father...
He just didn't know at what point the Avatar storyline changed... thanks to that conversation, he learned that Zuko could now use lightning... I wonder... if he'd become a member of Team Avatar yet...
Furthermore, that answer... "It's not my place to tell you what happened." ...suggests that someone who witnessed his father's death is alive... Who is this person? His mother? All Might?
So many questions, so few answers.
It irritated him that he was still treated like a child.
He was actually 13 years old.
Although he didn't have to go to school. He was homeschooled and only went to school for exams.
He didn't care about his lack of friends either. He preferred training, though he knew Pixie-Bob was worried about his... individuality in that regard.
But how was he supposed to make friends his own age? He wasn't interested in games meant for children his own age. He preferred training.
He understood the impending threat.
All For One.
Unfortunately, he hadn't finished watching the anime or read the manga to the end. He didn't know what the ending would be.
Zuko turned his head towards the water, where he saw the reflection of the sky. This world had its differences too... perhaps it wasn't the same world.
Perhaps there was no such thing as Izuku Midoriya...
What if All Might didn't find a disciple?
There were too many unknowns, and he couldn't ask God for an explanation.
Perhaps... AFO killed his father... and no one wanted to tell him to protect him.
That would make sense. Zuko was a powerful firebender... but more questions came to mind.
At what point in the Avatar, Zuko, and Iroh's life had arrived in this world? How long had they spent here? How powerful was his father at the time of his death?
What bothered him most was that he didn't know where he was in the MHA storyline.
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Age 14.
The water responded to his every gesture. Summer came, and his family discovered he could form ice from water. So he became a portable refrigerator.
For as long as he could remember, teenagers from UA had come to their forest every summer. Zuko had scanned the newcomers each time, searching for familiar faces. Today, however, he saw a certain familiar trio.
It was the future Big Three of UA: Mirio Togata, Nejire Hado, Tamaki Amajiki.
If they were first years...then they were 16...which means Zuko was born in the same year as the heroes of Class 1A...the one from the anime, of course.
So he was two years old...He had already mastered firebending and earthbending. His waterbending was far from perfect, but he was trying.
The arrival of the students at summer camp meant one thing to Zuko. One big, constant problem, entitled 'Mother will try to force him to socialize with others again.'
What the hell was that to him? In the forest, he had peace and quiet, and he could train without interruption.
After all, his goal wasn't to make as many friends as possible.
In his previous life, he'd had few friends. He'd shared a passion for climbing with them. He remembered it like it was yesterday... the three of them climbing Mitikas in Greece.
Now that life felt like a dream. He'd been living in this world for fourteen years... Something subconsciously told him he couldn't remember important details.
He tried to recall the faces of his family... he remembered the general outline of their bodies... but not their faces. His friends... he remembered exactly what they'd done together... he remembered conversations they'd had while camping in the mountains on their way to the peaks...
Zuko realized he couldn't remember not only their faces... but also their names.
He clenched his fists in a gesture of helplessness. He hadn't expected the memory loss to hurt so much... but now he had a different purpose.
God had given him free will, and he had chosen... that's why he was in this world now.
He must continue to develop his skills... he must ask Iroh for more challenging sparring... he mustn't fail.
He must be strong to protect those who cannot protect themselves. This is the way...
He shook his head with a slight smile. Now, of course, he had to think of a quote from 'The Mandalorian'.
All that was left was for him to start stealing quotes from Marvel and DC heroes.
There was one more quote that had a profound effect on him... When he first watched Spider-Man... he was a child... in a previous life...
He remembered Uncle Ben's words...
"With great power comes great responsibility."
He spoke those words... quietly... as if to himself... unaware that a certain pro hero who had come here with his students was listening.
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Age 15.
Fire.....Earth.....Water...
Three elements in the hands of a teenage boy.
Zuko had increased the rigor of his training over the past year. Tiger was pleased with his hand-to-hand combat. Iroh was trying to unleash the final element of the Avatar in Zuko....Airbending.
Unfortunately, Zuko couldn't even begin airbending training at the moment....
"Zuko. I repeat. Airbending is about defense, not attack."
His grandfather's words echoed in his mind.
He didn't have time for something like this. A year ago, a terrible crime had occurred, one he could have stopped.
He didn't do it because he simply didn't remember.
Now, five-year-old Kota had lost his parents, and it was his fault.
How could he have forgotten something so important?
This isn't any anime after all. This is real life now.
He could have known.....he should have known.....he should have REMEMBERED.
He felt as if something was erasing his memory. Little by little... day by day.
He remembered having a family... he just didn't remember how big it was...
He remembered climbing mountains... often in the company of others.
He remembered the TV shows he watched...
He remembered The Legend of Aang... MHA... and many others.
Why was he losing his memory?
Was it a punishment? Had he done something wrong? Jesus had said... that he would remember...
Well, yes... he had said he would remember... but that didn't mean he would remember forever...
He felt as if new memories were replacing the old ones...
He closed his eyes. He recalled the last thing he remembered.
To his death.
He remembered... a cold gust of wind... that seemed to be trying to wake him up...
The wind rose gently, scattering leaves across the ground.
Autumn.....
Leaves fell around him in shades of yellow, orange, and red.....
He frowned. He began to realize that it wasn't God who had taken his memories... but himself.....
He hadn't cared for his memories... from before his death... and because of that, an innocent family had paid for it with their lives, and their son... Kota... must now live without his parents.
He had to do something... he felt... that his memories were somewhere... deep inside.
The wind shifted restlessly, kicking up leaves that began to swirl around Zuko.
He began to understand... he had focused too much on gaining as much power as possible... at the cost of his soul...
Now he had to find himself again... so he took that first step.
He didn't try to remember... he simply let the thoughts come to him...
He took a deep breath.
The essence of airbending... is freedom...
Zuko began to move in fluid motions, letting himself be carried away by his senses. He let the wind guide him.
The leaves began to fly in an orderly fashion... and slowly fell where he directed them...
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Iroh watched his grandson from a distance.....
Zuko stood in the center of the symbol he had made from leaves.
Air....Water.....Earth....Fire.
Four symbols.....now united as one.....
Iroh nodded slowly, pleased with Zuko.....
He was right...the time had come for this world to have its own Avatar....
Avatar Zuko.....
End of Chapter 4