A.N. So here's the first half of The Blind Bandit episode. The second half should be up by tomorrow night! Thanks to everyone who's read, voted, and commented so far!

Azara sighed as Sokka continued to debate over whether to buy the large Earth Kingdom bag, which was sat on a grand podium in the middle of a store. "It's pricey . . . but I do like it," Sokka contemplated, rubbing his chin inquisitively.

"Then you should get it, you deserve something nice," Azara sighed, hoping to wrap up this shopping trip sooner rather than later. Aang had already given up and was sitting on the ground waiting for Sokka to come up with a decision.

"I do, don't I?" Sokka agreed, before huffing as he turned back to the bag. "But, no, it's too expensive. I shouldn't." Aang and Katara walked off, tired of the conversation and back-and-forth. Azara was about to follow after them when Sokka changed his mind. "You know what? I'm going to get it!" Azara chuckled to herself, shaking her head lightly as she leaned on the doorframe of the store while Sokka paid for the bag.

When he returned, bag draped over his shoulder, they walked out of the store and over to Aang and Katara, who were scrutinizing a flyer. "What's that?" Azara asked, peering over Katara's shoulder, and reading the description.

"An earthbending academy," Aang supplied, flipping the flyer over. "Look! There's a coupon on the back! The first lesson is free!"

"Who knows? Maybe this Master Yu could be the earthbending teacher you've been looking for," Katara shrugged as Azara nodded.

"I mean, worst comes to worst, you get a free earthbending lesson and we just move onto the next village," Azara agreed, staring down at the location written on the flier. "I think I remember passing that on our way into town."

"Alright, let's go," Aang smiled, rolling up the flier and tucking it into his pocket before hurrying down the street towards the earthbending academy. Katara walked slightly ahead of Sokka and Azara, leaving the two of them some space. They walked along silently, neither fully prepared to discuss the events that transpired at Chin Village yet.

"So, do you really think this is Aang's supposed earthbending master?" Sokka asked as Momo peaked his head out of Sokka's bag. Azara shrugged, glancing up at the buildings they passed by.

"Probably not, no," Azara sighed as they walked along. "But we have to start somewhere."

"Well, at least the search for his firebending master will be a little easier," Sokka teased as they turned a corner and walked towards the edge of town.

"Aang's still a way off from being ready to handle firebending," Azara replied, glancing over at Katara, and remembering the incident with Jeong Jeong earlier that year. "I don't think he's quite over hurting your sister."

"It was weeks ago," Sokka shrugged, both glad that Aang would be more cautious in the future, but also concerned that he would never be able to move past the event.

"Yeah, but . . . it's hard to accept that you hurt someone you care about," Azara spoke, looking up at Sokka as she spoke. "If I hurt any of you guys, I wouldn't forgive myself easily either."

"But you're always so in control of your firebending. Maybe all he needs to do is a free lesson from Master Azara," Sokka joked, sending Azara a reassuring smile as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks, Sokka," Azara smiled, stopping in her tracks, and turning to Sokka. He stopped as well, and she could feel him getting closer to her. She held her breath for a moment, until a random man jumped out at them.

"Hey! Want to join Master Yu's earthbending academy?" another flyer man called, holding out two of the same flyers that Aang had been given earlier.

"We're not earthbenders," Azara replied in a deadpan as she and Sokka glared at the man, who quickly scampered off to accost more travelers. The two stood side by side for a moment before Azara sighed and stared up at the sky.

"Want to grab a seat?" Sokka suggested awkwardly as Azara nodded and walked over towards Katara, Momo hopping up onto her shoulder as she passed by. Once she was out of earshot, Sokka smacked his forehead. "'Want to grab a seat?'" Sokka mocked himself as he groaned, staring down at the ground. "Why does the universe hate me?"

Katara, Sokka, and Azara lounged outside the eartbending academy, bored out of their minds, until Aang eventually reemerged in his earthbending uniform. His three friends looked at him expectantly, but Aang shook his head. "Eh, he's not the one," Aang sighed before hitting his head repeatedly to knock the sand out of his ear.

As they prepared to leave, two earthbending students exited the academy side by side behind Aang. "I think The Boulder's going to win back the belt at Earth Rumble VI," one earthbending student stated as they headed towards town.

"He's going to have to fight his way through the best earthbenders in the world to get a shot at the champ," the other student argued, piquing Aang's interest.

"Excuse me, but where is this earthbending tournament exactly?" Aang asked, running over to them. The two earthbending students turned around, smirks on their faces as they glanced at each other before turning back to Aang.

"It's on the island of Noneya . . . none of your business!" Azara and Katara shared similar unamused expressions on their faces as Sokka laughed at the joke. As the two earthbending students walked off, Katara, Azara, and Sokka walked over to Aang.

"Oh, I got to remember that one!" Sokka chuckled until he noticed Azara glaring at him.

"I'll take care of this," Katara promised, squeezing Aang's shoulders, before running after the earthbending students. "Hey strong guys! Wait up!" she called, following them down a side street.

"What was I thinking? I don't need a new bag! Why did you let me buy this?" Sokka huffed, tossing the bag onto the ground. As Momo crawled into the bag, Azara shook her head before turning to Aang.

"Was the lesson really that bad?"

"I got thrown into three different pots of sand," Aang supplied, causing Azara to wince.

"Well, we still have the whole rest of the Earth Kingdom to look through," she spoke reassuringly to the airbender, before looking up as Katara returned to them.

"You ready to find an earthbending teacher? Because we're going to Earth Rumble VI!" Katara announced as Aang smiled widely in excitement.

"How'd you get them to tell you?" Aang asked, looking surprised at the turn of events.

"Oh, a girl has her ways," Katara shrugged, as Azara smirked knowingly. As Aang and Sokka led the way back towards the village, Azara turned to Katara.

"You froze them to a wall, didn't you?"

"Something like that," Katara nodded, causing the two girls to share a laugh.

As night fell, the group approached the arena outside of town, which was quickly becoming packed with various fans. Aang led the way down to the rink-side seats. "Hey, front row seats! I wonder why no one else is sitting here." As Aang finished his sentence, a large boulder landed in the seats in front of Sokka, who jumped back.

"I guess that's why," Sokka stammered out as they stared at the rock before turning to the arena where a lone earthbender with long dark hair rose up on a podium of earth. As the earth column reached its height, the man straightened up.

"Welcome to Earth Rumble VI! I am your host, Xin Fu!" he announced, raising his left fist into the air as the arena buzzed with excitement.

"This is just going to be a bunch of guys chucking rocks at each other, isn't it?" Katara sighed, staring disinterested at her nails.

"That's what I paid for," Sokka smiled, looking excited as Katara sighed again. Admittedly, Azara was interested in watching the earthbending techniques that would be on display. She hadn't gotten that much up-close interactions with earthbending masters yet, and if they were going to be spending a significant amount of time in the Earth Kingdom, then she was going to have to become more familiar with these techniques in order to counter them.

"The rules are simple. Just knock the other guy out of the ring, and you win!" Xin Fu launched himself up onto the main podium of the arena. "Round One: The Boulder versus The Big Bad Hippo!"

The Boulder stepped into the area first. From his appearance of a traditional Earth Kingdom knot, shirtless chest, and a large overconfident smirk across his face, Azara knew she was going to be rooting against this man for as long as he was in the running. The Hippo then stepped into the ring with his sumo-like garment and looked madder than a Komodo Rhino.

"Listen up, Hippo. You may be big, but you ain't bad! The Boulder's going to win this in a landslide!" The Boulder taunted causing Azara to roll her eyes.

"Who doesn't love a man who talks in third person about himself?" she huffed sarcastically, leaning on her arm as she watched the fight unfold.

"Hippo . . . mad!"

The Boulder launched a few rocks at his opponent, but the Hippo was undeterred and even chewed some of the rock remains in his mouth before spitting them out. The Hippo then jumped up and down repeatedly, shaking the whole arena and causing the Boulder to stumble towards the edge.

"Unbelievable, ladies and gentlemen! The Hippo is rocking the boat!"

The Boulder, however, managed to stay on his feet and threw another rock slab at The Hippo's back as he celebrated. As the Hippo turned around angrily, The Boulder raised up the ground under the Hippo, though he looked like he was going to pop at least a vein at the action as he threw his much larger opponent out of the ring.

"The Boulder wins!" Xin Fu announced, causing the arena to erupt into cheers.

"What about The Boulder? He's got some good moves," Katara suggested, but Aang shook his head.

"I don't know. Bumi said I need a teacher who listens to the Earth. He's just listening to his big muscles. What do you guys think?" Aang asked, turning to Azara and Sokka.

"Not a fan," Azara huffed as Sokka stood up and cheered. Jokingly rolling her eyes at Sokka, Azara turned to Aang. "Don't worry, Aang, I'm sure we can find someone who's capable of listening to more than just their muscles." Azara and Aang shared smiles when the bell went off.

"Next match: The Boulder versus Fire Nation Man!"

Azara winced and covered her face in shame as the Fire Nation Man walked out to the arena, waving a Fire Nation flag. "And it gets worse," she sighed to herself before letting out a groan. As the Fire Nation Man made his way out into the arena, the rock bridge behind him crumbled to the ground. Reaching the edge of the arena, he held the Fire Nation flag aloft and posed for a moment.

"Please, rise for Fire Nation national anthem! Fire Lord, my flame burns for thee!" the Fire Nation Man sang before dropping to one knee.

"You know, who would have thought that this moment would be the time I'm the most ashamed to be from the Fire Nation?" Azara muttered as Aang and Katara chuckled.

"Is there really a Fire Nation national anthem?" Katara questioned, leaning over, as Azara shook her head.

"There is, but it's not that trash," Azara replied as Sokka stood up and booed loudly.

"Go back to the Fire Nation!" he yelled at the Fire Nation man before throwing a rock and hitting the Fire Nation Man in the face. Disoriented, the Fire Nation Man was soon entrapped in earth by the Boulder, who then bended himself a tall earth pillar to jump from.

"No, no please!" The Fire Nation Man begged, but the Boulder smirked and jumped down knees first, blasting the Fire Nation Man into the boulder next to Sokka.

"Yeah! Wooo! The Boulder knows how to put the hurt in the dirt! Yeah! Woohoo!" Sokka taunted the Fire Nation Man as Azara chuckled to herself at his antics.

The Boulder quickly worked his way through his remaining opponents. The Gopher, The Gecko, and Headhunter were all eventually knocked out of the ring one after the other. As the badgermoles finished cleaning up the arena, Xin Fu called for the lights to be dimmed.

"Now, the moment you've all been waiting for. The Boulder versus your champion, the Blind Bandit!" Xin Fu announced as a small girl stood in the center of the arena, a long green cape on her shoulders as she held up the championship belt over her head. Azara's eyes widened at the sight of the Blind Bandit, surprised at her appearance but also impressed.

"Finally, someone I can get behind," Azara smiled, staring down into the arena.

"She can't really be blind. It's just part of her character, right?" Katara asked, turning to Aang.

"I think she is," Aang stated, sounding like he was coming out of a trance.

"I think she is . . . going down!" Sokka yelled, pointing down with both hands as Katara shook her head at him.

"The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young, blind girl."

"Sounds to me like you're scared, Boulder!" The Blind Bandit called, causing The Boulder to raise an unimpressed eyebrow and grumble out a response.

"The Boulder's over his conflicted feelings, and now he's going to bury you in a rock-alanche!" The Boulder growled, clenching his hands threateningly.

"Whenever you're ready, The Pebble!" The Blind Bandit taunted before laughing loudly, causing Azara to smirk.

"I like her," Azara commented, crossing her arms over her chest as Sokka shook his head.

"She's got no chance against The Boulder," he insisted as Azara playfully rolled her eyes.

"Tell me, Sokka, who's the current champion?" Azara asked, leaning over towards him.

"Not for much longer!"

"It's on!" The Boulder stated, before yelling out and stepping forward. The Blind Bandit slid a foot across the surface of the arena, but no rocks burst out of the ground until she kicked her left foot into the ground, sending a single shock wave across the arena. The Boulder stepped on the shock wave, which quickly sent him into a split. As The Boulder cried out in pain, The Blind Bandit quickly finished him off, throwing him into the side of the arena with three rock spires.

"Your winner, and still the champion, The Blind Bandit!" Xin Fu shouted as Azara smirked and Sokka whined about The Boulder losing.

"How did she do that?" Katara gasped as Aang smiled.

"She waited . . . and listened," Aang noted, sounding excited.

Xin Fu jumped down into the arena and held a small sack aloft. "To make things a little more interesting, I'm offering up this sack of gold pieces to anyone who can defeat the Blind Bandit!" After a few seconds of silence, Xin Fu looked disgruntled. "What? No one dares to face her?"

"I will!" Aang called out, stepping into the arena.

"Go Aang! Avenge The Boulder!" Sokka shouted encouragingly down to Aang as Katara and Azara shared nervous looks.

"Do people really want to see two little girls fighting out here?" The Blind Bandit taunted, causing the crowd to ooh.

"I don't really want to fight you. I want to talk to you," Aang replied, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Boo! No talking!" Sokka called out, causing Azara and Katara to glare at him.

"Don't boo at him!" Katara snapped, slapping her brother on the arm.

As Aang took a step forward, the Blind Bandit stepped forwards as well, causing the ground underneath Aang to erupt. Aang used his airbending to sidestep the rocks, landing safely a few feet away. "Somebody's a little light on his feet! What's your fighting name? The Fancy Dancer?" As Aang shrugged sheepishly, the ground beneath him erupted again. He flipped over The Blind Bandit and slid to a halt behind her.

"Where did you go?"

"Please, wait!" Aang pleaded, but The Blind Bandit smirked.

"There you are!" As she released another rock towards Aang, he spun and released an air blast, pushing the rock and The Blind Bandit out of the arena. The arena was silent for a moment in shock before erupting in cheers. While Aang chased after The Blind Bandit, Azara, Katara, and Sokka made their way down to the arena.

"Way to go, Champ!" Sokka congratulated Aang after grabbing the belt and gold pieces from an unamused Xin Fu. Azara stared worryingly down at Aang as he stared at the ground, clearly upset.