We are at a Senlin village and it's leader exits the building but stops when seeing Zuko and I standing in his path, surprised. Iroh is sitting on a Komodo Rhino behind us.
"Having trouble sleeping? Zuko asks as he pushes the man back through the door, knocking him down. He approaches him. "Seen the Avatar lately?"
The man tells us where to Avatar and his friends are heading off to. We get on the ship following them. The trio spotted us and the horned creature flies faster.
"Sailing into Fire Nation waters ... Of all the foolish things you've done in your sixteen years, Prince Zuko, this is the most foolish!" Iroh tells his nephew.
"I have no choice, Uncle." Zuko replies.
"Have you completely forgotten that the Fire Lord banished you?" Iroh asks him angrily. But then his tone turns into fear. "What if you're caught?"
Zuko breaks away from telescope to talk to Iroh. "I'm chasing the Avatar! My father will understand why I am returning home!"
"You give him too much credit. My brother is not the understanding type!" Iroh states. He's right. Even if we might return home completing our quest, I don't think the Fire Lord will show his self respect to us.
Zuko looks back into his telescope. "There they are. Helmsman! Full steam ahead!" he orders.
A Fire Nation catapult is raised to the deck of Zuko's ship. It is loaded with a steaming projectile.
Iroh waves his fan on his face. "Uh, really Prince Zuko, couldn't you shoot them down with something more fragrant?"
Zuko lights of the stinking ball with his firebending.
"On my mark! Fire!" he yells and a guard beside him slices the rope that's holding the catapult. The flaming projectile head towards the horned creature. The creature avoids the projectile.
I sigh in relief but widen my eyes at the sight of a shut off.
"Guys! We have a problem" I inform.
Zuko's eyes also widen at the sight. "A blockade."
"Technically you are still in Earth Kingdom waters. Turn back now and they cannot arrest you." Iroh suggests.
The horned creature sailed forward even quicker.
"He's not turning around!" Zuko noticed.
"We're in trouble now." I said.
"Please Prince Zuko! If the Fire Nation captures you, there is nothing I can do! Do not follow the Avatar." Iroh tells him.
Zuko lowers his head, closes his eyes, and clenches his hands into fists. "I'm sorry, Uncle." He tells Iroh sorrowfully before raising his head, opening his eyes, and thrusts his right hand forward commandingly. "Run the blockade!" he orders.
As we are about chasing the trio and the horned creature through the shut off, the sky is littered with fireballs coming from the barricade that heads in our direction and the trios.
The creature evades several fireballs with some exploding in mid-air. It flies through a blanket of fireballs and then through one that exploded before them. The creature's fur darkens from the explosion. I witness Katara, Sokka, and a smaller animal slap out embers on it's fur.
Back to us on the ocean surface, Zuko's ship narrowly missing many falling fireballs. Sheets of ocean water crash over the ship, and crew members run for safety. A single fireball explodes on the aft side of the vessel.
"Prince Zuko! The engines are damaged! We need to stop and make repairs!" the engineer informs.
Zuko turns arounds from the engineer, facing the blockade. "Do not stop this ship." he orders.
"That's a bad idea Zuko! If we keep this ship going, it will sink!" I tell him.
Zuko turns his head to face me. "Trust me! This ship will not sink." he reassures. His head turns facing the blockade once more.
"Hopefully it won't." I said.
Fireballs head towards the trio and they duck away. Katara and Sokka grips on the creature's saddle. It dodges many of them before two collide and explode in front of him. Sokka is thrown from the saddle and begins to scream as he's about to plunge in the ocean.
Aang whips the rein downs and begins a speedy descent in the chase of the Water Tribe Warrior. It reaches Sokka in time. Katara grabs his hand, pulling him back into the saddle. The creature skims the ocean surface before continuing it's swift flight mere feet above the ocean. Fireballs crash into the water all around them.
A fire blast head towards the creature's direction. Aang airbends forward off of the creature's head. He uses a powerful airbending kick, and the flaming boulder explodes in a large smoky blast. Aang falls back to the creature's head with Sokka and Katara grabbing him. It flies safely over the blockade, passing the Fire Nation navy ships.
Zuko's small vessel approaches two ships in the blockade. These two ships sail opposite directions. In a moment they will close off the ship's path.
"We're on a collision course!" Iroh informs us.
"And we're gonna crash!" I yell.
"We can make it!" Zuko yell at us confidently.
Each ship in the blockade halts, allowing Zuko's ship to glide by beneath their deck, untouched. Zuko, Iroh, and I look behind them in silence as we sailed safely through. Iroh strokes his gray beard curiously.
Zuko tightens knuckles on ship's railing while smoke billows behind the ship. "What's he up to, Uncle? Why didn't Commander Zhao arrest me" Zuko asks Iroh.
"Because he wants to follow you. He knows you'll lead him to the prize you're both after: the Avatar." Iroh states. I don't think that's the only prize Zhao's after. There's a 'someone' that he wants to keep for himself
"If Zhao wants to follow a trail of smoke, then that's exactly what I'll let him do." Zuko says. "Uncle, keep heading north. Zhao will follow the smoke trail, while I use it as a cover." he orders Iroh.
Iroh grunts in doubt, stroking his beard in deep thought. The boat settles on the ocean's surface.
The ship stops at the docks. Iroh decides to remain on the remain while Zuko and I walk down the walkway dash into the Fire Temple.
As we're running in the hallways, we hide behind a column. Zuko steps out from our hiding spot and grabs Aang from behind, pinning his arms behind him.
"The Avatar's coming with me!" Zuko tells the Water Tribe siblings.
The captured sages use their captors' surprise to reclaim the upper hand, pinning their captors down. The small animal flies off with the Great Fire Sage's hat.
"Close the doors! Quickly!" he calls out.
Walking down a few steps with Zuko still holding him from behind, Aang glances over his shoulders to see his friends being chained to a column. He breaks free, spinning behind Zuko to send him down the stairs with an airbending blast. I step out of the column and shoot a fire blast at Aang, who disapparates it with a stream of air. He air kicks at me and I fall down the stairs. Aang runs for Katara and Sokka.
A chained Katara sees him coming to her. She turns head toward the closing door. "Go!" she tells Aang.
Aang listens without hesitation and turns to charge for the door guarded by two sages. He leaps into the air to avoid the Great Fire Sage's fire punch. Aang bounces off his hands from each of the two sage's heads before sailing through the door just as it closes.
"He made it!" Katara says in satisfaction.
We all looks away as the door seals with a blinding flash of white light. I rise from the floor and see Zuko and four Fire Sages launch streams of fire into the door locks. Nothing happens.
"Why isn't it working? It's sealed shut!" Zuko asks in frustration.
"It must have been the light. Avatar Roku doesn't want us inside." The Great Fire Sage tells him.
"Why did you help the Avatar?" Zuko asks Shyu firmly who is kneeling before him with his hands behind his back.
"Because it was once the sages' duty. It is still our duty." Shyu responds.
Zhao claps, interrupting the interrogation and approaches with six firebender guards by his side. "What a moving and heartfelt performance. I'm certain the Fire Lord will understand, when you explain why you betrayed him."
The Great Fire Sage places both palms together and bows his head forward. "Commander Zhao."
"Prince Zuko and Akira. It was a noble effort, but your little smokescreen didn't work." Zhao tells us. Zuko and I scowl sharply at him. Firebenders step behind us, seizing our arms. "Three traitors in one day, the Fire Lord will be pleased."
Zuko strains against his captor. "You're too late, Zhao! The Avatar's inside and the doors are sealed." he snaps.
"No matter." Zhao grins confidently. "Sooner or later, he has to come out." Katara and Sokka share a worried glance. Me and Zuko are chained to the same columns as Sokka, Katara, and Shyu.
Zhao noticed that I'm struggling against my restrains and walks up to me. He places his thumb under my chin with the index finger curled around it, forcing me to look at him. I breath heavily.
"You're even more beautiful than the last we've meet, Akira." Zhao lustfully tell me.
"Get away from her!" Zuko yells at him, still struggling to free himself from the chains.
I glance at Zuko and smile. I never knew that he was this protective of me as much I'm protective of him.
Zhao ignores the Prince and forcefully turns my head to face him once more. This time with his hand around my jaw, applying more force.
"I'm giving you an opportunity to join me. You'll be my second-in-command and together, we will conquer anyone who gets in our way." Zhao declares as he releases my face and takes a few steps back.
"I appreciate the offer, Commander Zhao. But I've chosen my side." I stated, rejecting the proposition.
"Such a shame." Zhao said with disappointment in his tone. Him, his crew, and other firebenders circle around the door's perimeter, assuming a firebending form.They wait patiently for the door to open.
"When those doors open, unleash all your firepower!" Zhao orders.
"How's Aang gonna make it out of this?" Katara asks worriedly.
"How are we gonna make it out of this?" Sokka also asks
The door glows bright white once again. Smoke streams come through into the room. The door unlocks itself, beginning to open. As it opens, a blinding white light forces all of us to look away.
"Ready ..." Zhao prepares himself as the light fades, revealing a pair of glowing white eyes in the darkness.
Sokka struggles against the chains.
"No! Aang!" Katara cries out in terror.
I look helplessly in dread as they are about to attack the Avatar.
"Fire!" Zhao and his guards cooperate in blasting fire onto the unseen target.
The wall of fire amasses, circling its new host as an elderly firebender, eyes aglow, is revealed behind the flames, untouched. horror-stricken Zhao looks at him in horror.
"Avatar Roku ..." awes Shyu.
Avatar Roku draws the circling fire together in one motion. He sends it forward in one powerful wave that sears the room, blasting the offenders off their feet and melting the chains binding Katara, Sokka, Shyu, Zuko, and I with precision.
"Come on Akira! Let's get out of here!" Zuko yells and we run out of the Fire Temple.
We head back to the ship and Zuko orders the Helmsman to sail it to safety. The Fire Temple behind us collapses in lava.
Iroh walks up to us and asks of we're alright. I tell him that when Zuko and me tried to capture the Avatar, Zhao saw through our diversion and had us restrained. But out of nowhere a manifestation of Avatar Roku came through the doors and knocked down Zhao, his soldiers, and the Fire Sages. The firebending he use to defeat our opponents melted the retrains off of Me, Zuko, the head of the Sages, and the Avatar's friends. Zuko and I managed to escape and got back on the ship before the Temple melted into the lava.
Zuko spies on the trip with his telescope, seeing them fly off on the horned creature. We may have failed to capture the Avatar once again, but we escaped a collapsing Fire Temple without a scratch.