A sudden upheaval

The next morning, Kahn learned, utterly bewildered, that his powerful backer had shrunk.

Last night, the Fire Nation's old emperor had passed away, and just before his death, he had abruptly decided to leave the throne to his second son, Ozai, rather than Iroh, who had spent his whole life as crown prince.

Well, damn. The crown prince had become an ordinary prince, and the mighty thigh he could cling to had become a skinny calf.

But if Ozai had become emperor, didn't that make Zuko the crown prince?

Ha, didn't see that coming, did you? I bet on both sides! What a killing!

At the thought that his intended little follower had transformed into the crown prince, and might even become the powerful thigh he would need to cling to in the future, Kahn could only sigh:

Life really was unpredictable!

Although the carefree Kahn thought only about thighs and calves, this affair had an enormous impact on the Fire Nation.

The news shook the entire nation.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the city grew tense. Although no martial law had been declared, the sheer number of soldiers moving through the streets kept most people from daring to leave their homes. Even the school declared a holiday with no definite end date and sent Kahn home.

Naturally, Kahn only dared to stay obediently at home, not venturing anywhere.

The old emperor had valued Iroh greatly. Although he had suffered a crushing defeat and been stripped of his position as general, he had received no other punishment. Even after his dismissal, his army had remained in his hands.

That trust alone showed the expectations the old emperor had placed on Iroh.

But now the old emperor had suddenly passed away, and the new emperor was his second son, Ozai. Faced with such circumstances, even someone utterly unaccustomed to thinking would probably dream up an elaborate conspiracy.

For someone like Kahn, who had endured the ravages of the information explosion, countless little conspiracy dramas played out in his head, leaving him very worried about Iroh.

After all, judging by the history back home, struggles for the throne, brothers turning on one another, killing one's siblings to seize power, and even launching rebellions were all standard procedure.

But worrying pointlessly here was all he could do.

For the next stretch of days, Kahn stayed home the entire time, nearly going out of his mind from confinement.

Even back home, where there were plenty of ways to entertain oneself, being shut indoors for a long time would grow boring, never mind in this ancient world with its lack of entertainment.

Besides, Kahn lived alone, so every day there was nothing to do except cook, train, and read.

Even having a dog would keep things from being this boring!

Kahn sighed inwardly. For the first time, his home felt empty and lacking in life, and he began considering getting a pet.

But after thinking it over, he decided it would be a hassle.

After quite a few days, the soldiers outside gradually dwindled, and people began tentatively venturing onto the streets. A few more days later, the streets were once again bustling with traffic, as though nothing had happened.

Yet Iroh and Zuko still hadn't come to see him.

If they didn't come to him, he had no way of going to them, so he could only obediently return to school as usual.

As luck would have it-

Kahn had previously entertained the idea of getting a pet, and today he came across an interesting article in the library.

The article specifically introduced three kinds of magical animals: Fire Dragons, Badgermoles, and Flying Bison.

A Fire Dragon was a dragon!

Although that was a pointless statement, it conveyed Kahn's astonishment.

Fire Dragons resembled the Eastern dragons from back home, but with a pair of wings, making them rather like the winged Yinglong of his homeland.

They were actually pretty impressive, and their looks were off the charts. One word: awesome.

Supposedly, Fire Dragons had taught firebenders firebending, which was why the article specifically introduced them.

As their name suggested, Badgermoles were enormous moles capable of manipulating earth, and they had taught earthbenders earthbending.

Flying Bison were much the same: flying, shaggy cattle capable of controlling air, with six legs and a broad, flat tail. They looked oddly goofy and adorable, and were also the source of airbending.

Waterbending had been created by imitating the ocean's rising and falling tides, so there was no corresponding magical animal, which was a little disappointing.

Waterbending, my little brother, what's your problem? Too good to fit in?

Still, the article sparked Kahn's interest in this world's magical animals. He specifically sought out books on the subject, and they truly opened his eyes.

Flying Lemurs, Elephant Koi, Unagi, Frost Salamanders, Serpent's Pass Serpents...

The many different magical animals filled Kahn with amazement, and a new idea sprang into his mind.

Originally, he had only wanted a pet because being alone was too boring, but had balked at the hassle. After learning about these wondrous exotic beasts, however, he discovered a perfect solution to his problem.

Why not get a clever exotic beast that could take care of itself!

According to the books, exotic beasts were highly intelligent and could even understand human speech.

Wouldn't an exotic beast that could act cute, possessed magical abilities, could fight alongside you, and could even understand what you said be far better than a pet that could do nothing but look cute?

These were practically Pokémon!

I'd turn straight into a fucking Trainer!

Of course, such exotic beasts were rarely sold. If he wanted one, he would have to wait until he was strong enough and go conquer one himself.

In short, Kahn was currently dreaming of peaches beyond his reach.

Suddenly, Kahn found this scene strangely familiar. It was like when he had gone onto a PC-building forum with a budget of two thousand to learn the ropes, only to leave with plans for a build costing over ten thousand, gazing at the money in his pocket and sighing helplessly at the vast ocean before him.

Why on earth did this keep happening?

In short, Kahn's pet-keeping plans had to be shelved after abruptly becoming exotic-beast-keeping plans.

But there was one piece of good news: Iroh came to see Kahn again.

Kahn was astonished. "Uncle, you're not dead?!"

Iroh's smile froze, and the hand he had raised to greet Kahn landed on his head with a smack.

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

With that, Iroh dispensed with all ceremony and walked straight inside as though entering his own home, making a beeline for the kitchen, where Kahn kept his tea. "Come inside first."

"Oh."

Rubbing his little head, Kahn closed the front door.

Iroh brewed himself a pot of tea and savored it contentedly. Kahn took out a cup as well, but instead of drinking tea, he poured himself some boiled water.

Iroh took a sip of tea, then set down his cup and said with a smile:

"I came this time to tell you some good news, and that is-"

He drew out the last word, hoping to pique Kahn's curiosity, before finally revealing:

"-I now have more time to spend with you boys!"

He spread his hands and smiled. "Well? Aren't you happy?"

"Yes, yes, yes. Very happy."

Kahn gave Iroh a perfunctory answer, but inwardly thought: What Iroh means is probably that he's lost all the power he once held and become a completely idle prince.

That wasn't a bad outcome.

Just as Kahn had thought before, brothers turning on one another was an everyday occurrence in struggles for the throne. It was already quite good that Iroh could sit here safe and sound, drinking tea. As for what exactly had happened over these past days, he couldn't very well ask.

That brought Zuko back to Kahn's mind.

Iroh and Zuko had always come together before, but not today.

So he asked, "Speaking of which, why haven't I seen Zuko today?"

"Zuko..."

At Kahn's mention of Zuko, Iroh's smile faded a little. He took a sip of tea, then sighed, holding his cup.

"He has quite a few problems on his side too..."