Was He Cheating?

Since Zuko had just mentioned combat practice, Kahn had an idea: he could use this practice session to get the two of them to fight. Perhaps their conflict would dissolve during the fight, and they would become one big, loving family.

Then he would no longer have to worry about getting caught in their crossfire.

As for whether it would work, he had no idea. That was how it always went in comics, anyway.

Combat practice had evolved from the Fire Nation's duels. The Fire Nation prized martial prowess, and dueling was widespread, so many people chose to settle their disputes through duels.

Pretty hardcore.

The combat practice that evolved from it, however, was used as a way to practice fighting. Its purpose was to hone combat skills, so both sides were quite composed, without so much anger.

But the way Azula looked now, she seemed more like she was looking for a duel.

"Who's first!"

Azula leaped onto the training platform in a single bound and looked at Kahn and Zuko with her hands on her hips, her gaze moving between them as though she were choosing prey:

"Or perhaps you could both come at me together. I wouldn't mind."

So young, and already this arrogant?

Kahn turned to ask Zuko, "Is she strong?"

"Very. I've never beaten her."

Zuko was a little dejected. He and Azula had started learning on the same day, under the same teacher, yet Azula had progressed so much faster than he had.

His father had scolded him for his poor talent, saying he was nothing like a royal of noble blood.

This was also why he did not want Azula involved. They simply could not beat her and would only end up getting a beating from her.

Moreover, after Azula had recently defeated the firebending teacher who originally taught them, she had begun studying under their father.

She defeated an adult elite firebender?!

"Oh, never mind, then."

Kahn shelved his intention to teach her a lesson and acted as though nothing had happened.

But he still urged Zuko on:

"Isn't this a great opportunity? As long as you have a proper fight with her, your relationship might change, whether you win or lose."

"Really?"

Because Kahn sounded so earnest and looked so serious, Zuko began to half believe him.

Could Kahn really be telling me the truth?

Meanwhile, Azula began to taunt him:

"What's wrong? Are you scared, Zuzu? Want to crawl back into Mother's arms for comfort? Actually, I'm not as strong as you imagine. If you beg me, Zuzu, I could consider fighting you with one hand. How about it?"

It was super effective!

Zuko's face flushed crimson with anger, and he immediately tried to rush onto the platform, but Kahn hurriedly stopped him. "Wait a moment."

Wouldn't charging straight up there be asking for a beating?

Although he had also helped stir things up, he was not about to set a little kid up like that, so he said:

"Before we start the sparring, let's agree on the rules."

He looked at Azula:

"Pull your blows. No heavy hits. Anyone who falls out of bounds or surrenders loses. If either person calls for a stop, both must stop immediately."

"I agree. But doesn't everyone already know those rules?"

Zuko sounded puzzled, not understanding why Kahn had specifically stated them.

Azula sighed, looking at Zuko as though he were an idiot:

"Please don't ask such stupid questions again, Zuzu. I'm truly ashamed to have a brother like you."

Although Kahn had stated the rules everyone took for granted, if he had not said them aloud, she would have had grounds to treat the match as having no rules. And without rules, anything could happen.

So having them confirm the rules in public was naturally meant to prevent anyone from exploiting that loophole.

Zuko could not even understand such simple logic. He really was a fool.

Ignoring Zuko, who was beside himself with rage, Azula glanced at Kahn through half-lidded eyes, unaware of the faint hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth.

This fellow really is a little different from the others.

As she thought this, that earlier feeling of irritation surged up again, but this time it vanished in an instant.

What exactly is this?

She frowned, then smiled easily again:

"Relax. I'm in a good mood today. I only plan to give you both a beating. I agree to those rules."

Little girl, you really are so arrogant!

Kahn gave her a beating in his mind and immediately felt much better, ignoring her taunts as well.

Mental victory. Nice!

Still, Kahn admitted that this foul-mouthed girl was indeed very clever.

If it were because members of the royal family were trained from childhood to be aware of such things, that would have been sad, but at least reasonable. Yet judging by Zuko beside him, that clearly was not the case.

That made Azula's exceptional talent stand out even more, though he did not know what to say about her talent for being foul-mouthed.

With the rules settled, next came the order. There would be three one-on-one matches, decided by rock-paper-scissors:

The first match was Kahn vs. Zuko, the second Zuko vs. Azula, and the third Azula vs. Kahn.

Kahn and Zuko stepped onto the platform.

"How about we only fight using the moves you've learned?"

Zuko made the suggestion with Kahn's circumstances in mind.

"Thanks, but there's no need."

Kahn smiled and shook his head, once again marveling inwardly at what a good kid Zuko was.

Then he reminded him:

"Don't let my appearance fool you. I actually think I'm pretty good. If anything, you're the one who should be careful."

I should be careful? Careful of what?

A flicker of curiosity crossed Zuko's mind.

Taking off his cumbersome outer robe to reveal the neat clothes underneath, Kahn extended his right hand, as did Zuko. They bumped fists as a show of respect, then turned their backs to each other, took five paces, and began the countdown.

"Three, two... one!"

Begin!

Both turned at the same time and thrust their right hands straight out, sending two fireballs with long trailing tails flying. This was simply the most basic and classic opening, the quickest and safest approach.

The two flames collided between them, burst apart, mingled, then dissipated into nothing.

The instant the colliding flames blocked their view, Zuko lunged forward.

Before the bursting flames had dissipated, Zuko passed straight through them and threw a fierce straight punch-

Only to strike empty air.

Before he could take a good look around for Kahn, he felt a scorching heat rise from below.

Not good!

He hastily leaned backward, narrowly dodging Kahn's rising kick, and put some distance between them with two consecutive backflips, only to nearly lose his balance and fall to the ground.

Losing like that would be a little ridiculous.

Kahn did not press his advantage. Instead, he stood where he was and waited for Zuko to resume his stance, then smiled. "Just this once."

Zuko blushed, knowing Kahn had gone easy on him. Otherwise, he probably would have been defeated in an instant.

That would have been rather embarrassing.

The skill Kahn had just displayed also surprised him a little. Zuko asked curiously, "Kahn, how did you know I would make that move?"

Kahn had acted as though he already knew Zuko would attack that way and had lain in wait there beforehand.

Kahn thought for a moment, then said, "Prediction, plus a little intuition, I suppose."

In truth, in that instant, the thought had barely flashed through his mind before his body reacted. His movements had been as smooth as though he had rehearsed them countless times.

This was another talent he had discovered while practicing alone: his reactions were very fast. Now, it seemed this talent was even more formidable than he had imagined.

Does this count as my cheat ability?

Kahn was eager to try, wanting to see just how far he could go:

"Let's keep going!"