The girl beside Kori immediately felt reassured when she saw Kahn approach. As his classmate, she knew he was a Firebender.
Whatever else, a Firebender had to be stronger than an ordinary person, right?
"What are we doing?"
The three confronting Kori also looked over. The boy leading them even walked up to Kahn, looking down at him as he declared arrogantly:
"We're fighting the enemy and defending the Fire Nation!"
The boy stood a head taller than Kahn, and his build was as burly and solid as a bear's. Standing before Kahn, he was like a small mountain, almost enveloping Kahn in his shadow.
Kahn paid it no mind and said with amusement:
"You mean the Fire Nation's enemy is just a little girl who's new here?"
The boy frowned in displeasure and said:
"Don't play dumb! You're in her class. How could you not know she's from the Earth Kingdom?"
Ty Lee and Mai, who had not known what was going on, immediately looked at Kori in surprise.
"Bullshit! I'm a true citizen of the Fire Nation!"
Hearing the boy's words, Kori swore at him, looking more like a boy.
"That's right. Kori's home is on Jade Island. She really is from the Fire Nation."
The girl beside her explained as well.
The boy scoffed. "Isn't that in the Earth Kingdom? And you still say she isn't from the Earth Kingdom."
"You!"
Kahn finally understood what was going on, and why the boy had said that.
Jade Island had originally belonged to the Earth Kingdom. It was the first colony conquered by the Fire Nation, more than a hundred years ago.
When the Fire Nation first occupied it, Jade Island had been nothing more than a small village wedged into a valley. But after generations of development spanning over a century, it was now one of the most prosperous cities in the world.
So Kahn said to the boy with a smile:
"So you're saying Jade Island doesn't belong to the Fire Nation?
"Trust me, if word of that gets out, not only will you be expelled, but your parents might even be locked up as prisoners, or put to death on the spot."
"Y-you're just trying to scare me! How could it possibly be that serious!"
The boy blustered, fierce on the outside but fainthearted within, unable to hide the panic on his face. Clearly, Kahn's half-true, half-false words had indeed frightened him.
Heh, little brat.
Kahn continued to scare him:
"Want to give it a try, then? I'll repeat what you said at the top of my lungs right now. You can find out whether you'll still get to see tomorrow's sun."
As Kahn spoke, he made as if to shout. The boy finally lost his nerve and hurriedly explained in a panic:
"Don't shout! I-I didn't mean that."
"Since this is your first offense, I can let you off this once. Get going. Don't let me catch you bullying anyone again."
"Yes, yes, of course!"
Kahn waved them off with "great magnanimity." Only then, as though granted a grand pardon, did they scurry away in a sorry scramble.
"They sure ran fast."
Watching their retreating figures, Ty Lee said regretfully, "I thought there'd be a fight."
She sounded as though she had been hoping a fight would break out.
"This is just fine. I don't want to work up a sweat fighting."
Mai stood off to the side with her arms folded and spoke disdainfully. She did not look afraid of trouble either.
Watching the fun and hoping things get worse, are you?
Kahn also said:
"Exactly. Don't always think of solving problems with your fists. Even that violent girl Azula knows how to use her brain."
"Pfft! Violent girl..."
Hearing Kahn describe Azula that way, Ty Lee could not help laughing. Then she realized something and said nervously:
"Kahn, you won't tell Azula I laughed at her, will you?"
"Thank you, Kahn! You're the best!"
Ty Lee cheered.
"Ahem!"
Just then, a deliberate cough came from beside them. It came from the two little girls who had been bullied, whom they had left standing there.
"Ah, sorry we left you out."
"It's okay. Thanks for chasing those annoying jerks away. My name's Kori. As you can see, I'm new here."
Kori introduced herself with a smile, then said confidently:
"This might sound a little arrogant, but even if you hadn't come, I could've handled them."
"Oh, really?"
Kahn raised an eyebrow. That made it sound as though he had meddled.
Then he asked casually:
"How would you have handled them?"
"Like this!"
Kori stamped her right foot. With a bang, a stone pillar abruptly thrust up from the ground, then sank back down with her next movement.
Yet even such a simple move left everyone deeply shaken. Even Kahn could not hide his surprise.
"Earthbending?! You're an Earthbender!"
"That's right!"
Seeing the surprise in the others' eyes, Kori spoke with a little pride.
Kahn could not help asking curiously:
"Aren't you from the Fire Nation? Why can you use Earthbending?"
Only people from the Fire Nation could awaken Firebending, and Earthbending belonged exclusively to the people of the Earth Kingdom. This had been an unchanging truth for thousands of years.
At least, that was what the books he had read said.
Kori explained:
"Because my mother is an Earthbender, I awakened Earthbending just like her. But our whole family belongs to the Fire Nation. My father is even the prefect of Jade Island!"
So she was an official's daughter, too.
But right now, he was more interested in her Earthbending than in her status as an official's daughter.
He still remembered his dream of a "bending version of the Dugu Nine Swords."
"Could I spar with you, like a practice match between benders? I'm a bender too, just like you."
He raised a flame in his palm and asked Kori with some anticipation.
Kori agreed without hesitation:
"Sure!"
To her, there was nothing to hesitate over. First, Kahn had helped her, and they were classmates as well. Such a small request was no big deal.
Besides-
A battle between a Firebender and an Earthbender sounded cool, didn't it!?
Of course, the current circumstances were not suitable, so they agreed to visit Kori's home over the weekend.
Through this incident, they had also formed a small friendship.
Over the weekend, Kahn arrived at Kori's home as agreed and met her Earthbender mother.
Before his fight with Kori, naturally, there was the inevitable friendly conversation with a parent.
"You must be the Kahn Kori mentioned. Thank you for looking after her at school."
Kori's mother thanked Kahn.
She was somewhat plump, but her face was gentle, and she looked approachable.
"You're too kind. Anyone would have lent a hand in that situation."
Kahn spoke modestly.
After their conversation, Kori's mother was very pleased with Kahn. He was an upright, sensible young man, and she said that with a friend like him around, she would not have to worry about Kori.
At the same time, he learned quite a bit about their circumstances during the conversation.
Kori's father was the prefect of Jade Island, a position similar to a city lord, and their family had always lived on Jade Island.
Recently, however, the flames of war had flared up everywhere, and Jade Island did not seem particularly peaceful either. To keep Kori safe, her father had asked her mother to bring her here to live for the time being. They would return once things over there improved.
Jade Island, huh...
Recalling what he had read in books, Kahn felt it was quite a delicate case as well.
Before you continue