7 years later.

Pov: Huzo

After many months of preparation, the day many had been waiting for finally arrived. 

Most of the soldiers, residents of Jang Hui and a few nobles surrounded a platform floating in the sea, split up on the beach or on the ships.

Everyone was betting heavily on the event that was about to take place, none other than Kai against Jeph. I won't deny that I bet a lot of money against Kai, so I was rooting against him like crazy.

The duel had a few rules that put the fight on the same level. Kai couldn't use his flames, while Jeph could use any gimmick. Surprisingly, Jeph was being cornered into hand-to-hand combat, not having much chance against the martial arts albino.

- Is that all you've got, old man? - teased Jeph with obvious tiredness, feeling pain from a few bruises on his body. 

- I'm just warming up. - joked Kai with a proud smile.

Kai lunged forward at high speed, trying to land a vertical kick on Jefh, who quickly responded with his air bend, thrusting even faster against Kai's stomach, causing him to be thrown to the edge of the arena.

In the air, Kai managed to change position and land his feet firmly on the ground, causing the platform to rock in the water.

- GOOOOOOOOOO JEFF! - said a soldier, raising a large flag.

- TAKE HIM DOWN, GENERAL! - shouted another fan.

I watched the fight from a box with Ayumi, who was munching on some snacks. 

- Whose side are the bets on? - I asked Zoho, who had just arrived with some fish snacks. 

Zoho had finally retired and returned home, but since he couldn't live a quiet life, he decided to become one of the teachers of the elementary academy students.

- The odds are 40/60 for Kai. - said Zoho sarcastically. 

- Who did you bet on? - Ayumi asked.

- Obviously against Jeph. The boy may be talented, but he's far from having the combat experience of Kai. - Zoho commented, as if he had returned to his days as a general. 

Jeph began to throw several kicks with bursts of air, in an attempt to push Kai into the water, but his attacks were easily predictable, not realizing that he was being dragged into a fight of attrition.

Noticing a clear slowdown in Jeph's consecutive attacks, Kai resumed his momentum in the hope of ending the duel at that very moment. Thanks to his superhuman ability, he covered the distance in less than a second, his fist outstretched to punch his rival in the stomach.

However, Jeph gave a subtle smile that made Kai's eyes widen when he realized he wasn't on the ground.

Without Kai realizing it, the air bender prepared a trap in front of him, waiting for his target to enter his attack zone. A strong current of air pushed Kai up at least four meters from the platform, making the albino look confused for a moment.

- Shit... - said Kai unconsciously.

The crowd was surprised by the trap left by Jeph, who didn't hold back and fired a strong push of air into Kai's chest, finally throwing him off the platform.

- Nooooo! Damn it! - shouted Zoho.

- Yesmmm, finally! - shouted Ayumi with her arms raised.

The crowd went wild, many whistling and shouting insults at each other, but the truth was quite clear.

Kai emerged from the water with a smile on his face, letting out a sigh of satisfaction. A shadow covered the sun's rays, noticing that it was Jeph with his hand out to help him out of the water. 

- You shouldn't have underestimated me, Dad. - teased Jeph with a victorious smile.

- Next time will be different, I promise. - Kai accepted the help with a big, defiant smile.

The duel was nothing more than entertainment, a way to start the festival.

The truth was that Kai wouldn't be returning to Jang Hui Village for some time, as he would be staying in the royal capital indefinitely. For in a few weeks, Princess Azula would finally come of age.

Last year, Kai and Azula's relationship became public, and they were destined to marry when the princess came of age. Inevitably, it caused a lot of controversy at the time, but the Fire Sages prophesied that the union would be extremely important for the future of the Fire Nation, so the majority of the population accepted it because of the religious figures. 

As I'm his right-hand man, I asked him to tell the truth, since they were practically brothers. To my surprise, he said no, that they never had that blood tie, but that they had had a relationship for a long time.

Of course, I was upset that he hadn't contacted me, since we had fought side by side for almost 10 years, but in return he had helped me win Ayumi.

I had been in love with her for a long time, but she had always been suspicious of me, so I did everything I could to convince her to go out with me. 

I confessed to her two weeks before leaving with Kai for the Earth Kingdom to conquer Omashu. It came as an incomprehensible surprise to me to discover that the woman I was in love with was a spirit. 

She was afraid of becoming attached to me because of the considerable difference in longevity compared to a normal human. Fortunately, when I returned, we decided to try a relationship and today I'm married to her.

As for Kai being a dragon, it wasn't that surprising to me, unlike Zoho. To be honest, Kai looks too exotic for me not to suspect that there's something wrong with him.

- Let's go - Ayumi said and pulled Huzo's hand. - I don't want to miss the chance to try these sweets. 

- Wait, I'm sure there are plenty left.

- No! Let's eat now! - Ayumi complained, looking indignant. - I'm not going to miss the chance to eat those sweets like last year.

In less than 20 minutes, our entire group was eating as if nothing had happened.

- Jefh, pass me the sauce! - Kai asked, taking a fried fish from his plate.

- Right away! - Jefh used his air bend to pass the container to Kai's hand.

- Watch out for the wind, I don't want dust in my food! - I complained angrily. 

Zoho stared, slightly irritated by the use of bending over in a restaurant, thinking it was rude.

- It's extremely rude to use your powers in a place like this. - said Zoho angrily, trying to concentrate on her food.

- You turned into a grumpy old man when you became a teacher. - said Kai, spitting fire to heat the fish. 

- I'm a teacher, I have to set an example... - Zoho was interrupted when he realized that water was falling on him.

The group turned to look at Ayumi, who was feigning total ignorance about the recent domination of water over Zoho.

- What? Just because I'm a waterbender doesn't mean I did it! - Ayumi ate her sweets, using her acting skills that she had practiced over the years. 

Zoho gritted her teeth and used her firebending to heat her body and dry her clothes in a few seconds.

- Dad, when are you going to the capital of fire? - Jeph asked.

- I'm leaving tonight, have you changed your mind? Do you want to come with me? - Kai asked, looking at him curiously.

- No, I want to continue my training here. - replied Jeph, discouraged.

- Come on, Jefh, the capital has the best food in the country! You can't stay here forever. - I said angrily to Jefh. 

- I hate to agree with Huzo, but you should go to the capital with your father. - Ayumi commented, realizing Huzo's indignation.

- I don't know... I wish I'd learned to fly, I don't want to be made fun of by my teacher. - Jeph vented.

- Ty Lee is like that, she just wants to cheer us up. - commented Kai. - Don't think her jokes are meant to offend you, it's her way of telling you to relax.

- I don't understand my problem, because I can't fly. - Jeph crossed his arms indignantly. - I can reproduce all the techniques of that element, but not the most important one.

- It's a pity that, even in the archives of the Air Nomads, there's no mention of Air Dominators with the ability to fly. - Zoho commented analytically. 

- Or flying was never your strong point - I commented.

Without Huzo having time to react, Ayumi sent a jet of water through the window, hitting her target and freezing him in seconds. 

- Ignore my husband. - Ayumi commented, oblivious to the ice statue next to her.

- Maybe a change of environment will help you improve your skills, maybe it will help you have another point of view on flying. - commented Kai.

Jeph wondered and tried to weigh up his options.

- Maybe you're right. - Jeph admitted, still not completely convinced.

- So pack your things, I'll wait for you on the ship. - Kai commented, satisfied with Jeph's decision. 

The group enjoyed the rest of the day until Kai and Jeph left.

I walked along the beach with Ayumi, a quiet, intimate stroll for just the two of us.

- It's been a long time since we've had some time to ourselves. - Ayumi commented, holding Huzo's arm.

- Taking care of so many responsibilities made the time pass more quickly. We should make it a routine to go back to this beach. - I say, watching the sunset.

- Do you want to say goodbye to Kai? 

- No need, I've already said goodbye. 

The last few years have been full of struggles and challenges, I've had to push my limits, get married and learn. I felt I had achieved more than I needed to in my life, but I still felt there was a lot to do.

Next chapter: The Hunt - Part 1