Chapter 16: Bumi and Aang Adventure's

Bumi didn't seem like the type of person to stay quiet for a long time, and my assumption was correct; after a few minutes of meditating, I heard him move, causing me to open my eyes and watch how he stood up with a crazy smile that always made me feel slightly unnerved.

'What is he going to do now?' Thought Aang with a faint frown as he stopped meditating and stood up, only for Bumi to aggressively grab his shoulders.

"Haha, I must thank you, Aang! Come, let me show you something amazing!" Stated Bumi with a large smile as he looked into Aang's eyes, causing him to nod while holding his wrists.

"I-I appreciate the gesture, Bumi, but that's unnecessary; can you let me go?" Replied Aang lightly as he tried to remove Bumi's hand from his body, but his strength wasn't nearly enough, and against his will, he was forced to follow Bumi.

"Haha, nonsense! We're friends, and friends help each other." Declared Bumi firmly as he approached the entrance door and exited the house while practically pushing Aang in the direction he wished to go.

"Okay, okay, I understand, Bumi; I'll follow; you don't need to forcefully lead me somewhere." Said Aang as he finally managed to break free from Bumi's grip after struggling for a while, causing him to nod while continuing through the empty street from before.

Sighing in relief, I followed closely behind Bumi while rubbing my shoulders; despite being the same age as me, he was unnaturally strong. I wasn't using all of my strength, but even if I were, I highly doubted I'd have managed to free myself if he genuinely wanted to keep me contained.

'My goodness, it's no surprise earth benders are physically strong naturally, but why is the difference so large? Are the two of us not the same age? We hadn't even hit puberty yet.' Thought Aang with a wry expression as he rubbed his two shoulders before glancing at Bumi, who, despite being much stronger, seemed to have the same physique as him.

While Bumi may completely outclass me in physical strength regards, I wasn't bothered by it; after all, he only touched me because I allowed it: these tattoos of an air-bending master aren't just for show. Anyways, while following behind Bumi, we left the empty street and entered a main road given the numerous and bustling civilians; walking down the street, we headed upwards, taking many different stairs after crossing several streets, and nearly half an hour later, we finally arrived at our destination.

Standing high above most of the city, I approached the edge and looked down, only to hear a loud thump as I glanced to my left, only to see Bumi grabbing a cart and placing it atop the many chutes that travel throughout the city, which I've come to learn are all interconnected and is called the Omashu Delivery System.

'Ah, yes, I should've realized this what we were doing when he took me somewhere this high; I thought it was to enjoy the view of the city.' Mused Aang lightly with a slight shake of his head as he approached Bumi, who smiled at him.

"You ever wanted to take a ride around Omashu, Aang?" Asked Bumi with a smile as he eyed Aang, who raised an eyebrow before shaking his head.

"No, not particularly." Replied Aang calmly, his words causing Bumi to let out a slightly crazy laugh as he patted the stone crate beside him.

"Haha, well, now you can! C'mon, let me show the beauty of the Omashu Delivery System! Also known as the World's Greatest Super Slide!" Said Bumi with a smile as he leaped into the crate and eagerly looked at Aang, who did the same with a nod and landed directly behind him.

"Well, it won't hurt to experience this." Muttered Aang lightly as he glanced at the long curving chute before looking at Bumi.

"Hold on tight; it's going to be bumpy!" Yelled Bumi with a smile as he seemingly grasped the air before pulling himself forward, causing the cart to be pulled forward.

Once the cart finally tipped over the edge and pointed downwards, gravity took care of the rest as we quickly gained speed while practically flying down through the chute while the wind rushed in our faces, something I was used to giving all the flying I've down, but this still carried it's own charm.

'Hmm, this reminds me of something from my past life; I just don't quite remember what it was.' Thought Aang lightly with a faint smile as he tightly grasped the side of the cart while it speedily slid down the chute, making several sharp turns and even making a few loops.

"WOOOHOOO!!" Yelled Bumi loudly with a large smile as he raised his hands in the air, causing Aang to lightly shake his head at his recklessness.

This cart ride was by no means safe, and if I weren't holding on extra tight, I would've flown off by now; heck, I was required to even use my air bending a few times to keep within the crate, however, after a good two minutes of adrenaline pumping fun, the crate began to slow down as we eventually reached our destination, causing us to come to a complete stop.

"Hahaha! That was fun!" Stated Bumi with a grin as he hopped out of the crate while sporting an even crazier hairdo than usual.

"Yes, it was surprisingly quite enjoyable; if only I had a better grip." Muttered Aang with a nod as he gracefully landed on the ground beside Bumi, who suddenly smirked.

"Hehe, let's go again." Said Bumi with a crazy smirk, one that caused Aang's expression to twitch.

"C'mon, let's do it again!" Added Bumi enthusiastically as he grasped Aang's arm before leaping back into the crate while pulling it back up the chute.

'Yes, Bumi is definitely eccentric.' Thought Aang lightly as he sat behind Bumi while closing his eyes and meditating.

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Sitting on the edge of Omashu's wall, I looked down at the long drop to the ground before glancing at Bumi, who was sitting to my right, enjoying the beautiful sunset.

"Today was great. I learned new things and made a friend. Today couldn't possibly get any better." Muttered Bumi with a smile as he sat on the edge of the wall while kicking his feet.

"It could, but it's highly unlikely." Said Aang lightly as he glanced at Bumi, who faintly smiled before turning his head.

"Aang, you said those tattoos symbolize an air-bending master; that means you're strong, right?" Asked Bumi curiously as he looked at Aang, who raised an eyebrow before hesitantly nodding.

"Well, I believe I am; I've never really tried to use my strength before as I've never had a reason to." Remarked Aang softly as he looked down at his hand before glancing at Bumi, who suddenly pointed out into the sky.

"Let me see it! I want to see what an air-bending master looks like!" Stated Bumi with an eager smile and shining eyes as he looked at Aang, who furrowed his brows.

"Hmm, I suppose that wouldn't hurt; I, too, am a little curious what an air-bending master looks like." Muttered Aang with a nod as he stood up and dusted off his clothes.

Bumi's words had stirred curiosity in me since, despite being an air-bender, I don't think I've ever used my full capabilities; after all, I've never been in a situation where I've been forced to. Even when I spar against my teachers or fellow masters, we primarily aren't using our strength and are simply battling each other on the pure technique and skill we've managed to refine throughout our lifetime.

So, Bumi's words greatly interested me, and following that, I fixed my stance and readied the very air as I took big, deep breaths, collecting my focus on all the air surrounding me; once I was ready, I brought my hands close to my sides while taking in a breath of hair. Composing myself, I stood still and slowly gained the power of the wind, causing a light gust of wind to first appear, which swiftly turned into a small, raging tornado that forced Bumi backward, and it only kept growing in power by the second.

"W-Woah, that's awesome!" Muttered Bumi with an awed expression as he swiftly backed away while eyeing the growing tornado, which had grown incredibly tall, nearly reaching the clouds up above.

Once I had reached what seemed to be my limit, I snapped my eyes open before sliding my feet forward and aggressively pushing the air I was grasping; it wasn't anything fancy; however, with my movements, the tornado surrounding me became unstable before it dispersed into my mighty display of power as large amounts of wind rushed out of the city, creating a roaring noise that served to awaken everyone on this side of the city while the area surrounding me momentarily became a vacuum devoid of air.

"A-Amazing; e-even the clouds above were affected." Muttered Bumi in awe as he looked up and eyed the clear sky with no clouds in sight, thanks to Aang.

After my attack, I released a deep sigh while lowering my arms to my side and looking at what I had just done; however, other than the now clear sky, everything looked to be the same.

'Disadvantages and advantages to having air bending.' Mused Aang with a faint smile as he glanced at Bumi.