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Admit mistakes when they occur and seek to restore honor.
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Following the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai during the Battle at Wulong Forest, Aang and his allies set about restoring peace to the world.
Harmony Restoration Movement[]
Aang reluctantly agreed to end Zuko's life should he have become like Ozai.
Following Team Avatar, Fire Lord Zuko, and Kuei's agreement to initiate the Harmony Restoration Movement, which was officially announced to the Earth Kingdom people by the Earth King, Aang, and his friends took a ride on Appa to watch the celebratory fireworks. While on the sky bison, the concerned Fire Lord asked the Avatar to make a promise: if Aang saw that Zuko's behavior was mirroring Ozai's, he would end his former friend. Initially disbelieving, Aang sought advice from Katara, who nodded in approval, and hesitatingly accepted.
To help the Harmony Restoration Movement, Team Avatar aided in the relocation of Fire Nation colonials back to the Fire Nation, starting with more recent colonies. A year later, with the movement so far successful, Aang, Katara, and Sokka were assisting the colonials led by Mayor Nishi to move and adjust. After landing in the Fire Nation, however, the friends discovered that Zuko had withdrawn his support for the movement and was occupying the oldest colony, Yu Dao, eliciting the group to immediately travel there. On the way, Aang consulted with Avatar Roku, who reminded him that Zuko's request to end him if he became like his father should be honored, citing Zuko's intent in making the promise and also revealing that he should have ended Sozin when he had the chance. Despite Roku's advice, Aang decided to attempt to talk to his friend before taking any action.
Aang entered the Avatar State so as to fulfill his promise to Zuko.
After landing outside Yu Dao, the team encountered a massive protesting crowd that included several members of the Freedom Fighters, who offered their services to the Avatar. To their disappointment, Aang explained his intention to talk to Zuko and flew with Katara over the walls on his glider. However, in the courtyard, several Fire Nation soldiers ordered Aang to leave and attacked, refusing to listen to the Avatar's attempts at peace. Aang sank their commander into the earth while dodging the other troops, but one fireball set caused his clothing to catch fire, prompting Katara to intervene. She single-handedly defeated the remainder of the soldiers until she was halted by Zuko. Aang ordered the Fire Lord to let her go, and he responded by ordering the Avatar to leave. Using airbending, Aang separated the two, leading Zuko to retaliate. He entered the Avatar State, intent on fulfilling his promise until Katara was able to calm him down. The Fire Lord advised that they talk, to which Aang agreed in comic frustration. Zuko led Aang and Katara on a tour of Yu Dao, explaining that the city had been heavily integrated for over a century, the firebenders and earthbenders having worked together to transform a small village into a world leader in metalworking, and also one of the great cities and that after seeing the townspeople living together peacefully, he could not separate them. Aang was adamant about restoring harmony to the four nations, but Zuko declined. Katara proposed hosting a meeting with Kuei, to which both the Avatar and the Fire Lord agreed.
Aang left Yu Dao, speaking with Smellerbee before departing. Appalled that the Avatar was talking instead of fighting, she demanded the removal of the colonials and said that Aang had three days to make a compromise before the Freedom Fighters would take action. On Appa en route to Ba Sing Se, Aang thanked Katara for calming him while in the Avatar State and not allowing him to take Zuko's life.[1]
Aang used his airbending to entertain and impress the members of the Official Avatar Aang Fan Club.
As they arrived in Ba Sing Se, Aang and Katara encountered two co-founders and presidents of the Official Avatar Aang Fan Club's Ba Sing Se Chapter. When they learned that the couple was searching for a place to stay, they offered them residence at their clubhouse. Aang gladly accepted and spent the night and the following morning entertaining the girls by showing them some airbending moves and being flattered by all the attention. As he and Katara left for the Earth Kingdom Royal Palace, he noted to her that even though the girls were just part of a silly fan club, they did make him feel for a moment like he was back home with his people.
After informing the Earth King about the present situation with Fire Lord Zuko in Yu Dao, Aang and Katara were presented with a richly filled dinner table to allow Kuei some time to think about the situation. When the King returned, Aang was shocked to learn that he refused peace talks with Zuko and had decided to send his army to Yu Dao instead. Realizing that sending in the army would be seen as a declaration of war, Aang and Katara hurried back to Yu Dao in an attempt to persuade the Fire Nation colonials there to evacuate before they arrived.[2]
On his way to Yu Dao, Aang and Zuko shared a dream where they stood on a cliff, with Roku's spirit behind Aang and Ozai's spirit behind Zuko. In the dream, Zuko told Aang about his troubles from being unable to decide what was right, which prompted Roku to advise Aang to fulfill his promise. Aang went into the Avatar State, but at the last minute Ursa appeared, crying behind Roku. Aang and Zuko both woke up to realize it was a dream.
Xing Ying's airbending tattoos greatly upset the Avatar.
When Aang arrived at Yu Dao, he told the Fire Nation residents to evacuate, but earthbenders and firebenders began attacking him and Katara. When he spotted one of the attackers fleeing, Aang followed him into an ax factory to discover that his attacker was Sneers. Sneers revealed to Aang that he met Kori Morishita and had begun a romantic relationship with her; he tried to persuade him to join the Yu Dao Resistance. When Aang refused, Kori introduced the Official Avatar Aang Fan Club Yu Dao Chapter, whose members were dressed in traditional Air Nomad attire. Aang remarked on how the clothing that they wore looked just like the uniforms that students at the Western Air Temple used to wear, and added on how their painted airbending tattoos looked just like real airbender tattoos, only to discover that they were the same as genuine airbender tattoos. Aang became enraged by this, explaining that an airbender's tattoos had to be earned through years of practice and that his culture was not a game.
Aang stormed off and went onto the roof of the building, where Katara found him. He stated that he figured out why the four nations must be separate: because the stronger nation always ended up hurting the weaker one. Katara tried to remind him what Guru Pathik told him about the four nations being really one and the same, but Aang retaliated, saying that he loved his culture and everything that made it unique. He concluded by stating the contradiction in his mind about feeling obligated to follow through with the Harmony Restoration Movement, but in doing so, it would result in him killing Zuko, which went against Air Nomad dogma. Katara began telling Aang why she changed her mind about the Harmony Restoration Movement, but they were interrupted by the protesters, led by Smellerbee. The group of protesters began using a stone battering ram to try and break open the gate. Aang succeeded in stopping them before realizing it was all a distraction so he would not notice a drill further along the wall that broke through the gates.
Katara's vision of her and Aang in the future was one of a mixed family, that which the people of Yu Dao, in a sense, were already fighting for.
When the protesters met up with the Yu Dao Resistance, Aang tried to calm them down, but to no avail, as both groups began attacking each other. However, moments later, Earth Kingdom troops arrived, led by General How, as well as Fire Nation soldiers, led by Zuko. General How tried to persuade Aang to end Zuko's life, stating an army with no leader is a dragon without a head, but Aang argued against this. When the armies of both nations began to fight, Aang entered the Avatar State; however, Katara pulled him out of it before long, leading him away from the battle. She finished explaining to Aang why she changed her mind and stated that when she saw Kori and her family, she also saw her future with Aang, and went on to say that if the four nations had to be separate, they had to be as well. She told Aang to find a quiet place to figure the situation out and that she would fully support whatever decision he decided to make. They kissed and Aang flew off.
Aang traveled to a rocky mountain and earthbent the rocks around him to form a shelter. He contacted Avatar Roku, who advised Aang to "contemplate the world" and also revealed to him that Zuko was his great-grandson. Aang meditated further upon this, and after some time, he entered the Avatar State, which sent a beam of light into the sky. He flew down to the colony and separated the ground between the troops of the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. Zuko began to plummet to his death into the crevice between the separated lands, but Aang grabbed his hand to save him. After coming out of the Avatar State, Aang confronted Earth King Kuei and stated that Kuei was fighting not only the Fire Nation but also the Earth Kingdom itself, the Water Tribe, and an Air Nomad. The Earth King realized his mistake, and Zuko also realized his fight was not the work of his father's hatred, but the right choice all along, which caused the Fire Lord to faint and the conflict to end.
Aang dubbed the Official Avatar Aang Fan Club the Air Acolytes.
Four days later, on the roof of the Jasmine Dragon, Aang connected once again with Roku, attempting to explain that when he contemplated the world, he did not picture a map or floating cosmic energy; he pictured all his friends and everyone he loved. Roku, however, chided the Avatar for again being indecisive and leaving the world's balance at risk. Aang spiritually disconnected from him, claiming the world had changed too much for Roku to guide him any longer. Moments later, Iroh informed Aang that Zuko was now awake, and they both went inside the building. Aang talked to Zuko about how he must meet with the Earth King because the colony could not be either Fire Nation or revert to being Earth Kingdom. Zuko told Aang to break off his promise to kill him if he became like his father because the struggle of figuring out what was right and wrong was something the Fire Lord could not escape. Zuko told Aang that he wanted to look for his mother, to which Aang encouraged him to do so. Later, Aang departed from the Jasmine Dragon to confront the Official Avatar Aang Fan Club. He told them that he would teach them the ways of the Air Nomads and dubbed them the "Air Acolytes".[3]
Searching for Ursa[]
Aang was worried about Zuko after noticing his unease.
Sometime after the battle for Yu Dao, Aang attended a meeting together with his friends and several government officials at the home of the governor of Yu Dao to discuss the future of the city. A professor gave a lecture on ancient Earth Kingdom philosophies regarding the four nations, though it was of little interest to Aang, who believed that they should look for new ways to overcome the present diversities as opposed to going back to how it was. He was complaining about it against Sokka, who also could not be captivated by the professor. The two friends were soon shushed by Katara, who wanted to pay attention. Aang swiftly apologized before coming to his girlfriend's defense after Sokka called her boring.
Meanwhile, Zuko had snapped back to attention when the professor had made a comparison between how one treats their family and how one rules. Aang noticed this and asked if everything was all right, to which he received a recollection of how poorly Zuko's family hung together.
A week later, Aang traveled to the Fire Nation Royal Palace together with Katara and Sokka upon Zuko's inquiry. Upon arrival, they were delightfully surprised when they discovered Iroh there as well. Zuko explained that Iroh was there to act as interim Fire Lord while he would be gone, looking for Ursa, a journey on which he invited Team Avatar to accompany him. The amicable atmosphere quickly changed, however, when Azula emerged from behind Zuko. Katara immediately attacked the princess, with Aang and Sokka preparing to do the same, though they were halted by Suki and Ty Lee, who implored them to let Zuko explain the situation to them. After the Fire Lord explained that Azula had been the one to coax the needed information from Ozai, and Iroh had pointed out that she too might find peace by finding her mother, Aang accepted the task and stated that he would accompany Zuko on his quest.
Aang felt it necessary to take action against Azula, who was a threat to Sokka.
The following day, Aang was preparing Appa for the journey toward Hira'a when Azula arrived in the courtyard and haughtily commanded the ones present to take care of her bags. The young airbender calmed his bison, soothing him with the knowledge that the princess would only be with them for a short while before tending to her luggage by airbending it atop Appa without complaining. When Azula subsequently zapped Sokka with her lightning, he was quick to trap her feet with his earthbending to prevent any further action. As the tension subsided, he released her again, and they all set off on their journey.
Aang was able to sense the presence of a spirit, especially on his face.
Airborne, Aang sat on Appa's head with Katara by his side. When Sokka commented how the adventure felt like "old times", Aang corrected him by saying that it was better than old times since he could now kiss Katara whenever, something he deftly demonstrated, much to Sokka's annoyance. The mood was broken, however, when Aang suddenly had a gruesome expression on his face, caused by the presence of a spirit. The Avatar spotted a wolf spirit running below him but was the only one who could see the creature at that moment. Using the ensuing commotion, Azula said her goodbye and jumped off Appa, prompting Aang to dive after her and catch her, thus preventing her from plummeting to her death. The princess repaid him by setting his glider alight, sending him crashing down in order to facilitate her own escape. Apart from a singed glider, Aang was okay and followed Azula into the forest with the rest.
Aang attempted to appease the wolf spirit without success.
When they had caught up with the princess, Aang made his gruesome face again as the wolf spirit appeared as well. As the Avatar, he tried to reason with the spirit, apologizing for any possible disturbance, but to no avail, as the spirit attacked. Aang implored his friends to take it easy with the spirit, specifically to avoid hurting it. When he tried to reason with the creature once more, the wolf snapped at him, prompting Appa to intervene and slam the spirit down with his tail. When Aang asked after the spirit's well-being, the entire group was attacked by a swarm of moth wasps the spirit had thrown up. They were eventually saved when Azula shot a lightning bolt away from them all, drawing the moths and the wolf spirit with it.
That night, Aang agreed with Katara and Zuko to each take turns watching Azula sleep. Awaiting his turn, he meditated.[4]
The next morning, Zuko took Aang away from the camp to show him the letter he had found hidden in Azula's boot, revealing that Zuko might not be Ozai's son. Perplexed by the revelation, Aang asked Zuko why Ozai did not do away with him, thus learning about Ursa's sacrifice. When he noticed that Zuko was relieved by the possibility, Aang grew worried that Zuko's claim to the throne was at risk. However, before they could talk it out, they were attacked by Azula, who demanded the return of the letter. Concerned about the safety of his friends, Aang left to check on Katara and Sokka after Zuko assured him he would be fine. When he arrived at the camp, he found it ablaze, with the Water Tribe siblings attempting to extinguish the flames. By the time he and Katara managed to smother the fire, Zuko had succeeded in calming his sister down, and the group continued onto Hira'a.
Aang engaged Noren and Noriko in a casual conversation while guesting in their home.
As they arrived at the outskirts of town, they all donned a disguise, with Aang covering his arrow tattoo with a headband. They were in time to catch the closing act of the Hira'a Acting Troupe's version of the play, Love amongst the Dragons. Once the play was over, Aang wondered what they should do now, prompting Zuko to start asking around about Ursa. This caught the attention of Noren, the director of the acting company, who invited them all to his home, where they could talk more freely. Aang and Katara complimented Noriko, Noren's wife, about their lovely home, and the Avatar asked how long they had been married. Noriko happily informed them that it had been nearly five years, subsequently embarrassing the young couple when she noted that they were perhaps a bit young to be already thinking about marriage, though she soon digressed, concluding that love was ageless. Under the cover of being drama historians, they did not get any new information regarding Ursa, but they did learn that Ikem left town, heading toward Forgetful Valley.
Aang counseled Zuko about the importance of the Fire Lord status and the impact it had on the world's balance.
As the group returned to Appa, Aang spoke with Zuko regarding Ikem, stating it to be best if they did not track him down and burn the letter. He reasoned that it was important for the world's balance that Zuko remained on the throne, whether or not he actually had Ozai's royal blood flowing through his veins. The conversation was cut short, however, when Katara and Azula got into a heated argument.
The next day, the team ventured into the forest, making their way to Forgetful Valley. Aang was appalled by Azula when the Fire Nation princess burned a piece of the forest in order to create a path, and he swiftly extinguished the flames with his earthbending. Before he could get into the issue, however, he picked up another presence like he had done before with the wolf, and his face changed accordingly. Sokka deduced that Aang was connecting with the animals and plants of the forest, as they all sported similar expressions as he was making. Aang spotted a flutter bat, who had exactly the same pattern on his wings as he had on his face, and followed it down to a round pond. Aang felt a spiritual calmness surrounding the water, sensing a resemblance to the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole, and asked everyone to be respectful. However, Azula disregarded his request and fired a lightning bolt straight into the pool, believing that her mother was there. Soon after, the group was attacked by plants and vines, though the skirmish was cut short as Katara deduced the attackers to be waterbenders and forced them to reveal themselves.
Aang crossed over to the Spirit World in Forgetful Valley to help Rafa and Misu find the Mother of Faces.
Heeding the order, Rafa and Misu showed themselves and set up camp with the others, sharing a meal. Misu warned them that Forgetful Valley's ponds needed to remain undisturbed and retold the team her life's story. When Aang learned that they were on the lookout for a spirit with the ability to grant faces, he offered his help. He meditated, crossing over into the Spirit World, in an attempt to get the wolf spirit to come to the pool. After crossing over, he was aided by the spirit of the flutter bat he saw before and, hitching a ride on the animal's back, he was able to track down the wolf spirit. He tried to convince the spirit to come back with him to the pool where Misu and Rafa were waiting for him. The spirit took off, however, forcing Aang to follow him, holding on to his fur. The wolf took him to another pool, where the Mother of Faces chided him for having used her wolf as a beast of burden.[5]
Aang was scolded by the Mother of Faces for pleading with her to help Rafa and Misu.
Aang managed to successfully summon the Mother of Faces to the Spirit World, but she would only allow the group one request. Zuko said to Aang that Misu should be allowed to use this request to grant Rafa a new face. Aang apologized, saying they would keep looking for Ursa on their own. However, Azula interrupted Misu and instead requested information about Ursa, causing her to return to Hira'a to confront her mother, Zuko, and Sokka chasing her. Aang said that they had to help, though Katara wondered if they should help Zuko and Sokka, or Misu, who was waterbending at the Mother of Faces, to convince her to stay. After the ancient spirit chastised Misu for bending her sacred pool's water, the Avatar tried to convince the Mother of Faces that Misu meant no disrespect, but she re-submerged anyway. Aang dove into the pool, trying to pursue her while dodging spirit animals. Unable to find her, the young Avatar wondered how the spirit could be so cruel, and upon this, was ejected from the pool, Katara rushing to his aid. The Mother of Faces re-emerged, denouncing humans for having turned her into their slave and declaring her work "inadequate". Aang tried to tell her that they did not mean this, but the spirit continued her rant, scolding him for defiling her sacred pool and talking down to her as if she were a child, before calling all humans "selfish, shortsighted, [and] insolent". She told Aang and his group to leave, sending her spirit animals to attack them.
Aang recounted how his past life spared Koh to convince the Mother of Faces to help Rafa and Misu.
As Aang and Katara tried to defend their small group, the Avatar reminded his girlfriend to try not to hurt the spirits. He decided that, given the overwhelming quantity of attackers, it would be best for them to leave, though Misu refused, desiring what she and Rafa had come to the forest for in the first place. Seeing an aggressor nearby the two, Aang airbent at it, but in the process, Rafa's mask accidentally fell off, revealing that he did not have a face. Aang recognized Koh's handiwork, and upon hearing Aang mention that name, the Mother of Faces silenced her animals, asking the Avatar to repeat what he had said. Aang explained what he knew of Koh, to which the ancient spirit replied that he was her son. Aang awkwardly tried to take back his calling Koh ugly, though the Mother of Faces did not seem to mind, instead of telling the group how he became estranged from her and how he stole faces to maintain a connection with her. Aang told the Mother of Faces that he had stolen the face of someone close to one of his past lives, yet he did not cause him harm. The Mother of Faces recognized Koh's handiwork on Rafa's face and restored it. Aang and Katara watched happily as Rafa and Misu embraced. Afterward, the Avatar thanked the spirit for her act of kindness, acknowledged that humans have been ungrateful in the past, though he noted that they needed to restore two relationships: between both brother and sister, and mother and son.
Aang and Katara made their way back to Hira'a with the Mother of Faces, who restored Ursa's former face and memories. Seeing that Azula had left and left the letter behind, Aang took this to be a sign of the princess changing, believing she had done this on purpose, to which Katara kissed him on the cheek for looking on the bright side of things. The Avatar reminisced on their mission, saying that they were successfully able to restore relationships between both brother and sister, and mother and son.[6]
Ursa's return to the Fire Nation Capital[]
As Zuko desired to have Ursa, Ikem, and Kiyi visit the Fire Nation Capital for the first time since Ursa's banishment, Aang, Katara, and Sokka escorted the family on the Fire Nation cruiser that was bringing them all back. To pass the time, Aang took Kiyi out on the sea to ride a wild flying dolphin fish. Their fun was cut short, however, when a frantic Ursa called out to him to bring back her daughter. As Aang quickly airbent them to the ship, he apologized to Ursa for having upset her though ensured her that Kiyi was never in any danger.
Sometime later, Aang, Katara, and Sokka prepared to leave on Appa, noting that being back to the city will bring up many memories, which they need to figure out as a family. As they depart, Aang told Zuko that they would meet again a week later during Yu Dao's inaugural celebration.[7]
Reviving Yangchen's Festival[]
Aang saw Yangchen's spirit, though he could not figure out what she was trying to tell him.
When the peace talks in Yu Dao came to an end, Aang and the rest of Team Avatar returned there to witness the introduction of the city's new coalition government. On his way to the subsequent celebration banquet, Aang spotted a woman dressed in a traditional Air Nomad attire and followed her. When they were alone, he discovered the mysterious figure to be Yangchen's spirit, though he could not hear her and subsequently did not understand what she was trying to tell him. Before he could figure it out, she vanished. Aang tried the remainder of the evening to contact her spirit through his meditation beads, but to no avail. When Katara came to get him to attend the Yu Dao celebration, reminding him that it too was something important, Aang was reminded of Yangchen's Festival, which would normally be celebrated the next day. He returned inside with Katara and alerted the three Air Acolytes, Xing Ying, Yee-Li, and Jingbo, as well as the other members of Team Avatar, that they would go on a field trip the following day.
Aang led his friends in a bowing ceremony to start off the celebrations of Yangchen's Festival.
As such, the team left the next day on Appa, setting a course to a cliff overlooking the ocean where the Air Nomads used to start their celebration of Yangchen's Festival. Excited about the prospect of reviving the Air Nomad culture, Aang enlightened his friends about what they were supposed to do during the festival, like bowing four times to the statue of a lady before walking to a sacred meadow where they would enjoy a traditional Air Nomad meal. Arriving, Aang admitted to Sokka that he actually had no clue about the identity of the woman to whom they would be bowing, as he had never heard the complete story regarding the festival before due to always going kiting instead with Monk Gyatso. He shrugged off further inquiries as being of no importance, as bowing to the statue was just how it was done. However, unbeknownst to him, that reasoning reminded Toph of her childhood, due to which she refused to take part in the bowing ceremony. Aang tried to reason with her, though when she dissed the festival as being not important to the world, he let it go and used his own actions to impart a lesson onto the three Air Acolytes: a true Air Nomad lets insults pass them by in order to maintain their inner peace.
Aang assumed the severely polluted river to be part of the cause why Yangchen was contacting him.
After the bowing ceremony, the group set out toward the meadow to enjoy their meal. Aang was appalled to learn, however, that a town with a large refinery had been built on the previously sacred grounds. Walking around through town, Aang spotted Yangchen's spirit once more and let it lead him to investigate together with Katara and the three Air Acolytes. He used his earthbending to help everyone over the refinery's fence, stating that they would not be trespassing as the fence was not supposed to be there. They discovered that the river running near the refinery was terribly polluted, causing Aang to conclude that the defiling of what was once sacred land was part of the reason why Yangchen had appeared to him. Before they could take any action, however, the refinery's guards appeared and tried to expel them from the factory's grounds. Aang used their appearance as another learning opportunity for the Air Acolytes by demonstrating how Air Nomads always try to avoid conflict unless absolutely necessary; he used his airbending to let the guards knock each other out.
Despite their argument, Aang and Toph managed to work well together to save a man's life.
Aang's actions had been witnessed by Satoru, the refinery's engineer and interim boss while his uncle was away on business, who heartily greeted him. Aang wanted to talk to him about the ground the refinery was built upon, though after Toph and Sokka returned from their outing into town, the entire group was invited to attend the grand tour of the factory, during which Aang's attempts to strike up a conversation turned out to be futile. During the tour, Aang spotted Yangchen's spirit once more and received a vision of a rampaging monster, leaving him wondering whether it was a vision of the past or the future. His determination to talk to Satoru strengthened by the vision, Aang was finally able to tell Satoru that the refinery should never have been built on sacred grounds and accused it of being the culprit of the river's pollution. When Satoru refuted the accusation and Toph backed him up, Aang took Toph aside for a moment. He was under the impression that the only reason why she believed Satoru was due to a crush she had on him. Their talk rapidly evolved into a heated argument, however, during which the ground suddenly began to shake, causing their friends to assume that they were the cause of that. When a second earthquake occurred, Satoru asked them all to leave, although Aang offered to help clean off the mess the quake had caused. Before they could heed the engineer's request, they heard a factory worker call out for help, as the quakes had left him trapped under a haywire machine. Aang and Toph instantly set out to free the man and managed to rescue him due to teamwork. Afterward, the two friends reconciled, coming to the conclusion that Aang was too focused on holding on to the past, while Toph tried too hard to run away from it. At that moment, Loban and his business partner Lao Beifong returned to the refinery, shocking Team Avatar.[8] Aang was appalled to hear Lao dismiss Toph as being a confused young woman rather than his daughter.[9]
Refusing to leave the Earthen Fire Refinery before having talked to anyone about its location, Aang got into a fight with the Rough Rhinos.
When Lao ordered the Rough Rhinos to escort Team Avatar off the refinery's premises, Aang took on a battle stance, declaring that he was not leaving until he had talked to someone about the refinery's location. As Toph created an earth slide, he used his airbending to blow the Rough Rhinos away from the factory's buildings and workers. Aang told the Air Acolytes to find cover while he locked in battle with Utor. Not recognizing him from their previous encounters with the Rough Rhinos, he made some small talk, getting to know the warrior, before incapacitating him with his earthbending by using his hands with earth to his weapon. As Toph catapulted another member of the Rhinos into the air, Aang gently helped him down, preventing any serious harm, though he sunk the man into the ground after he assaulted him with a knife. Aang tried to talk to Toph, urging her to fight less aggressively, though he was told to stop addressing her as if she was one of his Air Acolytes.
Despite everything, Aang and the Air Acolytes made time to consume the ceremonial meal for Yangchen's Festival in a local restaurant.
After the fight, Aang was reminded by Xing Ying that they had traveled there to properly celebrate Yangchen's Festival, prompting Aang to lead them all back to town, where he searched for the old tree he and Gyatso used to sit under to eat their meal. Upon finding it cut down, Aang relocated to a restaurant that had been built in the same place. He was able to convince the cabbage merchant, who owned the restaurant, to allow them to eat their own food there, under the condition that they ordered at least one dish. With everything set up, Aang joined hands with the Air Acolytes and started to recite the blessing that preceded the ceremonial meal. Before he finished, however, he unintentionally crossed over to the Spirit World and was able to talk to Yangchen. She explained to him that when he had cut off his connection with Roku, he had also cut off his connection to all the Avatars before him. However, the ceremonial meal acted as a temporary conduit that allowed him to connect with his past life. Aang apologized for what happened with Roku but stated that he could not just cling to the past as Roku wanted. Yangchen reminded him that his past lives were supposed to guide him, not bind him to a decision. She began telling him about her conflict with the General Old Iron spirit, though before she could finish and tell him of the details of the agreement she struck with the spirit, an earthquake in the physical world cut off Aang's connection to her.
Roused from his meditative state, Aang and the Acolytes hurried back to the refinery in order to help out. Upon witnessing all the wounded, he ordered the Acolytes to take care of them while he was briefed by Sokka as to what had occurred. Upon learning that Katara and several others were trapped underground, he began to bend a tunnel, though was urged to stop by Katara, lest he causes the entire mine to cave in even more, as the ground separating them was also riddled with iron ore that he was unable to bend.[9]
Having not seen Sokka nor Toph's students approaching, Aang returned to the spot of the cave-in, calling for Katara to "hear the sound of [her] voice" and to tell everyone to hold on. He also asked how well Toph was holding up and was told she was doing well given the circumstances. Upon the metalbenders' arrival, he confirmed Ho Tun's question about them needing to bend the iron ore away while Katara alerted him that Toph said the situation was like spider ants beneath stomping feet, only flipped. Hearing The Dark One say the scenario set his soul "ablaze with ebon anxiousness", the Avatar asked if that meant something to them; the other students told him it was an exercise where they were to stand in a sandpit while blindfolded and throw giant metal plates over their heads. If they failed, they would be stomped by the plates, causing Aang to opine that the academy sounded intense. He told the concerned Ho Tun that they could do it because their training prepared them for such an event. As the students proceeded, Ho Tun again grew worried that they could not do it because they were novices, but Aang pepped him up by saying that the three were the best metalbenders in the world outside of their sifu and thus the only ones who could complete the mission. He joined in for the last part of the task, keeping the dirt from collapsing back into the mine. With everyone out, the airbender ran to Katara, kissing her and expressing his happiness to have her out.
The skies soon turned stormy, and Aang realized this was unnatural. He saw Yangchen but was again unable to hear her, causing him to realize he needed to finish the meal. When Jingbo showed him that the vase was broken, Aang pondered what he could do and remembered Yangchen's words that the Avatars were linked like his meditation beads. The airbender made his way to a quiet spot and took a rock, bending it into a new fire pendant for his beads. After attaching it, he meditated and found himself before Roku once again. He started to apologize to his past life but was cut off with the offering of a hug. During the embrace, Aang was advised that he needed to find balance not just between spirit and human, but also past and present, something that could help him in his current situation. Aang made his way down his recent past lives and found Yangchen, asking for the terms of her agreement with General Old Iron. The old Avatar explained that she built a statue of Lady Tienhai in return for him not taking up his armor and that she decided to revert the meadow to its natural state as a sign that humans were still capable of preservation and protection; the Air Nomad festival was to celebrate this agreement. The young airbender asked if the iron the metalbenders found was Old Iron's armor, wondering if he could put it back and restore the town to its natural state to unbreak the promise. After being told only that his friends needed him, he returned to the real world. Flying on a tornado, Aang saw General Old Iron rising from the water and returned to the town.
Upon return, Aang explained the situation at hand, which included the destruction of all the buildings, including the refinery. He told Katara to help evacuate everyone but soon noticed the iron mask they had dug up was gone. Seeing Satoru come by on a forklift and explain that Loban and the Rough Rhinos were dragging it to the beach, he only said they needed it back there. He waited in the town, watching the seas for General Old Iron. When Katara returned, he asked if the townspeople were out of the buildings and was given an affirmative response. He asked her if she could see the spirit and stated his hope about him turning back if the town returned to its natural state. Katara told him he could not wait any longer and received a comforting kiss on the cheek from her, expressing his regret over having to destroy things. He asked if she would keep people away from the event and, after Katara's assurance, entered the Avatar State, creating an elemental sphere and rising into the air.
Aang flew to the refinery and began his attack, but it was blocked by Toph and her students. He came out of the state to ask why they were doing this before attempting to explain the dilemma surrounding them. He realized he did not have the time to do so and needed to finish his mission, needing to show that the humans knew how to preserve and protect. With Toph refusing to stand down, Aang had no choice but to attack, firing air rings at the four. He knocked down the students, but Toph was able to block and counter with several rocks, dropping Aang to the ground in pain. He stopped one last attack before being faced with fragments of metal, though he dodged these. As he tried to talk, the students sighted General Old Iron and called Aang and Toph's attention to the spirit.
Aang constructed an earth body to battle General Old Iron.
The Avatar flew to Old Iron, trying to tell him about his role and that he knew all about the agreement between him and Yangchen, but the spirit did not listen and began to wage destruction. Aang responded by re-entering the Avatar State and his elemental sphere, gathering an equivalent body of earth while throwing punches at General Old Iron and blocking return blows. When Toph and her students peeled Old Iron's armor away, Aang exited the state again, wondering what the four were doing. He was told to give the spirit an Avatar State-induced blow to the chest, but Aang initially refused because it could be too much for him to take. However, when General Old Iron targeted the metalbenders, the airbender returned to the Avatar State and fired the charged blow to defend Toph. Soon realizing General Old Iron had a large hole in his chest, Aang left the state once more. He tried to convince General Old Iron that, as the Avatar, he could maintain balance between humans and spirits, but General Old Iron only told him that it was merely a mantra to hide that the Avatar would always favor humans in any rift between them and the spirits. Aang wanted to prove that he could maintain balance, but General Old Iron simply believed that humans wished only to dominate, telling him to look deep into his heart and see this as the truth, and thus balance was never possible. The Avatar sadly watched as the general paid him homage and disappeared into the sea. Standing on the beach, he was soon approached by Toph, who thanked him for saving her and her students. The two embraced as the sun reappeared in the skies.
Aang soon noticed that Tienhai's statue had been destroyed, saddening him. Approached by Katara, he mused if General Old Iron was right about the spirits being only a relic of the past with no place in the present. Katara urged him to talk to his past lives; though Aang was hesitant at first since they were his past, he relented and began meditation again. However, he soon noticed several cranefish flying around him; he believed this was because the statue had been destroyed. He realized, however, that they were not normal birds, and an apparition of Lady Tienhai appeared from them. She told him her story about becoming mortal and, after her death, taking the form of the cranefish. Aang was not convinced regarding her opinion that humans were there to create as they failed in preserving her town, though she was advised that they would always make a place for spirits while protecting what they grow. The Avatar was left wondering how she knew as she returned to her cranefish form and flew away.
Three months later, Aang was able to reform Yangchen's Festival into the Spirits' Friendship Festival, something that, while not entirely Air Nomad style, was the same tradition, only in a new form.[10]
Spirit attacks in the Fire Nation[]
Aang intended to accompany Sokka and Katara, who were eager to return to their home in the South Pole after spending much of their days in the war. Right before they began their journey, however, Aang received a message from Zuko, summoning him to the Fire Nation to investigate some spirit attacks. Aang agreed to undertake the mission alone, letting Sokka and Katara travel back home.
Aang was briefed by Mai on the kidnappings that had been occurring in the Fire Nation Capital.
Upon arrival at the capital, Aang was received with open arms. After the warm exchange of greetings, Mai immediately debriefed him on the Kemurikage, who had kidnapped her brother, Tom-Tom. Constable Sung added that dark spirit sightings were reported all over the capital city. When Ukano barged in on the meeting, claiming the Spirit World was acting up because the human world was weak, Aang interjected that the imbalance between worlds had nothing to do with strength, but Ukano ignored him and petitioned Zuko to enforce a curfew and form a special task force to hunt down the dark spirits. Aang opposed the idea, noting that enforcing a curfew would only create fear among the populace and that normal bending was useless against spirits. Instead, he insisted that they should work together to find out exactly what happened to Tom-Tom, with which Zuko agreed.
Zuko brought Aang, along with Mai and Kei Lo, to the High Temple, where the Avatar was happily reunited with Shyu, who had since been promoted to the rank of Great Sage. The group descended into the Dragonbone Catacombs, where they discovered murals depicting the history of the Fire Nation, though the murals preceding Sozin's reign were blocked off by a door bearing four dragon statues. Figuring that the statues worked the same as the ones in the temple on Crescent Island, Aang and Zuko attempted to firebend them. After twenty unsuccessful tries, Kei Lo decided to cut in, revealing that the locks to the dragons were actually in their noses, and unlocked the door using Mai's throwing knives.
Aang ignited a flame while Mai read him and the group the Kemurikage's origins.
Passing by paintings of past Fire Lords, they came upon a mural depicting the Kemurikage and learned about a warlord named Toz, who abducted all the children in a village that refused to pay tribute. Aang, mortified by this injustice, wondered where his past life was when this occurred. As Mai concluded her reading of how the Kemurikage abducted the children in Toz's camp for revenge, a wisp of smoke appeared from the mural, which Aang decided to follow. Unlocking another dragon statue, Aang and Kei Lo ventured down the passageway while Zuko and Mai remained behind. The duo reached a crypt, where the smoke transformed into the image of a Kemurikage. The spirit explained that she and her sisters haunted the warlords of the Fire Islands until the first Fire Lord brought them to justice and unified the nation, at which point they departed the human world. When Aang asked why the Kemurikage had returned to haunt people, the spirit replied that her appearance was the first time a Kemurikage had roamed the human world since their departure.
During their way back to the capital, Aang and Kei Lo informed Zuko and Mai of their discovery, causing Mai to suspect that Tom-Tom's kidnappers were impostors. Hearing chanting coming from the streets, the group investigated its source and learned that Ukano and Sung had formed a volunteer militia dubbed the Safe Nation Society as a reaction to the Kemurikage abducting several more children. Aang voiced his disbelief as to how Ukano had managed to assemble a significant number of followers in one night. Upon being ignored, the airbender noted that the kidnappers were not spirits. Zuko dissolved the situation by ordering Ukano to disband his militia or face arrest and suspended Sung, an action that struck Aang as too severe.
Aang fought the Kemurikage's impostor in an attempt to rescue Kiyi.
Dropping Mai and Kei Lo off at her Aunt Mura's flower shop, Aang and Zuko returned to the royal palace. His night's rest was cut short, however, when Aang was alerted to smoke coming out of Kiyi's room. Along with Zuko, Suki, and Ty Lee, he discovered three masked intruders resembling the Kemurikage in the midst of abducting Kiyi. Aang attacked one with firebending before being kicked in the stomach, confirming that the kidnappers were indeed human. He subsequently instructed Ty Lee to try chi-blocking them. The kidnappers' attempt to obscure their escape in a cloud of smoke was thwarted by Aang, as he cleared it up with his airbending. Although they managed to corner one of the kidnappers, the individual refused to answer their questions and responded by shooting lightning at them instead. That kidnapper turned out to be Azula, but she managed to escape with the rest of the kidnappers. The next day more kidnappings were reported.
Mai revealed that Ukano was the leader of the New Ozai Society. Aang then noted Ukano's tendency about societies. This prompted Zuko to order a lockdown of the capital city and ordered his forces to look for Ukano and his allies and bring them in for questioning. Aang disagreed with the involvement of soldiers, and Zuko politely thanked him for his help so far, much to his confusion. Zuko said Aang's methods had not worked so far, so he will have to try a different one. If Aang did not support his decision, he should leave. The Avatar argued that such drastic actions would only breed mistrust, and Mai countered that drastic situations call for drastic actions. Zuko had Suki and Ty Lee escort Aang out, who voiced his displeasure with the situation, the two sympathizing with him. He believed there were still avenues to pursue, such as looking for clues of Kiyi's room, and wondered what Sokka would do. Suki said Sokka would investigate on his own and led Aang to Kiyi's room. Aang, Suki, and Ty Lee were not able to find any clues in the room initially, but Ty Lee eventually found a secret passage that Azula would use when they would play together as children. Aang arrived with the two girls, much to Zuko's surprise, telling him they found something he had to see. Mai told him he needed to act before sundown, or else the citizens will rise again. Aang ignored Zuko's decision and took him along with an air scooter.
When they arrived at the secret passage on the roof, Zuko asked Suki and Ty Lee to keep guard over the palace while he and Aang would go through the passage, hoping to find Kiyi and Tom-Tom. That passage led to the Fire Nation royal family graveyard, where the Avatar noticed that they were surrounded by fake kemurikage. A fight occurred while Azula was escaping, and Aang managed to defeat two of her subordinates. He managed to find two more keeping Ukano and the kidnapped children hostage and then began to fight the fake kemurikage, but they were ultimately taken down from behind by Mai and Kei Lo. The team eventually managed to rescue the children, reuniting Tom-Tom with Mai and Kiyi with Zuko.[11]
Return to the South[]
After the problems in the Fire Nation were resolved, Aang headed back to Wolf Cove in the Southern Water Tribe. Upon arriving, he was quickly greeted by Katara, to whom he excitedly ran, hugging her and asking if he could kiss her, to which she told him no because her father was watching nearby. After greeting Hakoda, Aang questioned him as to why he and his officers were out by the gates. Hakoda reassured him it was nothing they could not handle, and encouraged Aang and Katara to go enjoy the festival. Katara questioned whether Hakoda had always been kind to Aang, and he assured her that he always had been.
Upon his arrival to the Southern Water Tribe, Aang needed to fight Gilak's troops.
After catching up with Sokka and Toph for a little while, Aang noticed people gathering around, about to listen to someone give a speech. During the speech, Toph noticed something coming toward them underground and warned Team Avatar to be prepared. Suddenly, Gilak's drill burst up through the ground. Soon, a battle erupted when Gilak's troops went after Malina and Maliq. Aang went off to stop Gilak's troops, to which he succeeded, and knocked over one of their tanks. After noticing that Katara had been chi-blocked, Aang quickly made sure she was okay, and the two ran off to go check on Hakoda.
As soon as they got outside the city gates, they witnessed Gilak stabbing Hakoda. Enraged, Katara encased Gilak in a block of ice while Aang stopped his troops from getting away. He quickly ran back to Katara, watching her desperately heal her father's wound. Later, he waited outside Kanna's hut until Katara came outside and told him that Hakoda was going to be okay.[12]
Sometime later, Aang went with Katara to Pakku's training school, where he was having difficulties getting Siku and Sura to practice waterbending. He and Katara demonstrated some of their waterbending, and the sisters finally admitted that they were waterbenders but had been told by their mother to never share that with anyone, in fear of the Fire Nation taking them away or killing them. Eventually, Siku and Sura run off, refusing to waterbend for them. Aang was disappointed that their plan to get the girls to bend did not work, to which Katara said that they just were not ready yet. After Hakoda walked in and noted how difficult it was to teach Sokka how to use a boomerang, Pakku embarrassed Aang by saying that he too had difficulties getting the Avatar to pay attention during waterbending class. Aang and Katara left with Hakoda, where he thanked them for helping save the city, to which Aang responded that it was an honor. Hakoda went on to explain his plans to collaborate with the other nations to help with the reconstruction of the Southern Water Tribe. Katara expressed her concerns that the other nations might not have the tribe's best interest at heart. Aang agreed with her, noting that the Southern Water Tribe was hit the second hardest by the war behind the Air Nomads. Hakoda then announced that he had sent word to the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom for a conference that evening.
Aang and Katara managed to stop Gilak while he was trying to kidnap Hakoda.
During the meeting, Hakoda explained his plans of wanting to establish embassies in the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom, inviting them to do the same. The meeting was soon interrupted when Gilak and his followers showed up. Aang quickly defended Earth King Kuei from an attack. More of Gilak's troops showed up, and he eventually managed to knock Hakoda out and run out the door with him. Aang and Katara attempted to stop them but were unsuccessful. Enraged, Aang quickly picked Katara up, using airbending to fly out the door with her. He dropped her down into the snow, to where she used waterbending to stop Gilak, who lost his grip on Hakoda. Aang caught the head chieftain, assuring Katara that he was alright.
Upon returning, Zuko informed the group that Kuei had been captured, prompting Team Avatar to follow their footprints to a series of underground tunnels that went on for miles. A letter then arrived from Gilak, saying that he would return Kuei in exchange for Hakoda. The plan Gilak proposed would be for the two groups to meet at the Bridge of No Return, where Thod would chi-block all the benders. Kuei and Hakoda would each walk across. Zuko commented that no matter what they did, Gilak would just cut the bridge in order to get rid of both of them at once. Malina commented that this situation would be impossible to win, and Aang assured her that they would be able to come up with something, turning to Sokka for an idea.
Later that night, the group arrived at the Bridge of No Return. Katara looked on at the bridge and, noticing her worried expression, Aang walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek, assuring her that Sokka's plan would work out. A few minutes later, Aang spotted Gilak's group on the other side of the bridge. He winced as Thod chi-blocked him, and he fell to the ground. As Hakoda and Kuei began walking across the bridge, and Gilak was about to cut it before Malina and Toph's metalbending students came out of hiding and stopped him. Aang and Katara then got up and froze Thod and his troops in blocks of ice, and Sokka revealed that they had all been wearing chain mail armor to prevent themselves from actually being chi-blocked.
Aang and Katara help Hakoda and Malina after Gilak burned the Bridge of No Return.
Gilak then made his way to the bridge and burned it, causing the bridge to break in half. Aang, along with the rest of the group, looked on with horror as Zuko, Kuei, Hakoda, Malina, and Gilak clung to the remainder of the bridge. Zuko managed to get himself and Kuei to safety, while Aang went down with Katara to save the other three, although he struggled to hold onto them at the same time. Gilak then let go of Malina's hand, falling to his death in the ravine. Finding that the two of them were still too heavy for Aang, Malina told Hakoda that she loved him and let go of his hand. Katara quickly rushed in with waterbending to save Malina, and Aang was able to fly Hakoda back to safety.
The next day, Aang, Siku, and Sura met up with Katara and Sokka at their mother's grave, where the two sisters finally demonstrated some of their waterbending to them. Later, Aang made steamed tofu as part of a celebration feast at Kanna's hut.[13]
Trouble in Cranefish Town[]
Upon leaving the Southern Water Tribe, Aang planned to travel to Yu Dao with Katara, Sokka, and Toph. However, on the way there, Toph asked if they could make a stop at Earthen Fire Industries. Upon arriving, Aang was shocked to see just how much the town had changed and how big it had grown. Katara asked him if he was okay, knowing that this land was important to the Air Nomads, to which Aang told her he was unsure of how to feel.
When Aang arrived at Cranefish Town, Lao Beifong requested the Avatar's help to deal with the nonbender crisis.
Aang happily greeted the bystanders around them but was met with no reaction. Sokka suggested he "do the thing" and, after a brief moment of confusion, Aang pulled out a few marbles from his shirt, using airbending to spin them around between his hands. However, the townspeople were unimpressed. Aang and the group were then approached by Lao, who informed the Avatar of the recent challenges that had come as a result of the town's ever-growing population, although he asked him to attend a business council meeting later that afternoon to discuss it, which Aang agreed.
When Sokka asked Aang what his opinion is on a Water Tribe helmet being sold in a nearby stand, Aang responded that it was the best helmet he had seen Sokka wear and that he should buy it. As the two kept talking, they were unaware of two earthbender and firebender groups behind that were getting into a heated discussion that soon turned into a full-on fight, which Aang attempted to break up. As he tried to talk things out between the two groups, Toph and Katara rushed over, the former of which earthbent a large hill underneath Aang, getting him out of the way. This proved to be useless, however, as a firebender shot a blast at him, accusing him of being on the "dirt eater's" side.
Toph told Aang that these people were only interested in fighting rather than talking and began to fight them back. As one of the earthbenders took some of the bricks from a building behind him, the building began to collapse. Toph attempted to hold it up, asking Aang for help. Realizing there was not much he could do, Aang instead flew in on his glider and grabbed Toph, getting her out of the way as the building completely collapsed to the ground.
The two made their way back to Katara and Sokka. Aang ran to Katara asking if anyone was hurt, and she told him that everyone was out of the building. Feeling guilty for leaving her in the midst of the fight, Aang held her hands as he apologized. He was soon approached by Lao, who said that bender violence was the reason why he wanted him to come to the council meeting, needing the Avatar's input and help. Aang agreed once more but stated that he needed to help rebuild the people's homes first. He was met with hostility from one of the residents, who said that they did not want the help of benders. Aang tried to assure her that he was not like the other benders who destroyed the building, but they still refused, telling Aang to leave them alone.
Aang and Sokka attended a Cranefish Town Business Council meeting chaired by Lao Beifong.
Lao assured Aang that agreeing to come to the meeting was helpful enough and that he had a solution in mind already. Sokka told Aang that he wanted to tag along, interested in seeing how a business council meeting worked and possibly suggesting a better name for the council. The two parted with Katara and Toph, hopping onto a carriage pulled by ostrich horses to the meeting. When Aang commented on how much the city had grown in such a short time, Lao explained that so many people had been coming there to work but were unable to find it due to the factories being unable to employ anyone else. Upon arriving at the meeting, Sokka noted that the room was divided up between benders on one side and nonbenders on the other. Aang questioned why they would be split up before Lao called the meeting to order. He went on to explain the rapidly-growing bender violence and proposed to ban bending on public streets. Aang was shocked by this idea, which was met with anger from the benders on the council.
As things settled down, Aang stated that he did not support a bending ban as it would be punishing innocent benders. He suggested that what they needed was an established police force to bring about true law and order. A councilwoman named Liling spoke up, agreeing with Aang, claiming to be willing to train a security team as police officers. The Avatar assured that a police force would be a logical way to keep the citizens of Cranefish Town safe, to which the rest of the council members agreed.
After the meeting, Aang and Sokka were approached by Katara, who informed them that Lao had arranged for them to stay at a house in town. After Sokka runs off, Aang asked the waterbender to come for a ride on Appa with him. She agreed, and they flew over to the bay, where Aang spotted a small island on which they landed. Aang grew confused when Katara said that he had "the Avatar look", questioning her, and she explained that it was his "I'm responsible for everything that happens in the world" look. Aang explained that Lady Tienhai had previously told him that she believed in humans and their ability to learn from their mistakes and create a future that protects and preserves while it grows. Katara asked if he felt as though he had let her down, to which he said that it was more than that, and that the city reminded him of when he woke up from the iceberg and everything in the world had changed. Katara assured him that this situation was not the same as back then because the war was over and he had her, Sokka, and Toph to help him through it. He smiled warmly at her, telling her that he was glad she was there with him. Aang and Katara held hands as they looked upon the city, while he held out hope that there was still time to help the city grow in a way that protects and preserves.
The next morning, Aang dragged the rest of the group out to the beach as he wanted an entire day to help clean it up, even though they might not be able to get the entire work done. As the group began to clean, Aang was approached by two firebender boys, excited to see the Avatar. When they asked him to airbend, Aang performed his famous "marble trick" again, happy to see that the boys were impressed. This left Aang glad to see that someone in town was still impressed by bending.
Avatar Aang managed to catch the firebender who had attacked the factory before he could fall off a cliff.
Later that night, Aang and the group were awoken by a loud explosion coming from the factory. They ran outside and met with Satoru, who assured them that nobody was inside. Aang realized Toph was not with them, but she soon emerged from underneath a scrap piece of metal, and soon the two ran off to catch the people who had caused the explosion. Toph led him through the streets, and they were eventually ambushed by a firebender who had been running on the rooftops. Toph held him off and told Aang to go after the other guy that had escaped down a nearby alley. Aang pursued him on his glider, eventually cornering him at the edge of a cliff, but when the man threatened to fight him, Aang retaliated that since he was the Avatar, he will probably win. As the man shot a fire blast at him, Aang encased him in earth, asking why he attacked the factory. Suddenly, the ground underneath the man broke off the cliff and he began to fall into the ocean below. Aang jumped on his glider and managed to catch him before he hit the water, flying him to safety.[14]
Later that morning, Aang returned to his friends, who were surveying the scene at Earthen Fire Industries. He explained to them that the firebender he had just rescued revealed that two teenage girls had hired him to blow up the factory and that he was not given a reason as to why. Lao told the group that other factories had been attacked last night as well, and believed the attacks to be coordinated. Aang said that Team Avatar would investigate to see if there was a connection.
Aang and the group spent the rest of the day talking to the owners of the factories that had been attacked. He told Sokka that he could not seem to find a connection between the factories, but he pointed out that all the factory owners were nonbenders and the damage appeared to have been caused by benders. Aang came to the realization that benders were feeling threatened as the factories were filled with machines that had replaced their abilities.
Aang told his friends that he wanted to ask the bender-owned businesses to help out the ones that had been sabotaged, starting with Liling. As they arrived at her house, Katara asked him if he was sure that Liling would listen to him, as nonbender-owned businesses were her competitors. Aang assured her that since Liling was the one who suggested establishing a police force in Cranefish Town, she would be willing to help.
Initially unaware of the family's secret intentions, Aang was happy to meet Liling's daughters, Yaling and Ru.
At her home, Liling asked Aang about how Cranefish Town's land used to be sacred to Air Nomads and wondered if it was difficult for him to see how much the area had changed. Aang told her that it could be, and that while he understood the importance of progress, he wished that things had not progressed so quickly and with more respect for the environment. Later, he added that he wanted to help solve the problem of the sabotaged factories and the tension between the benders and nonbenders, hoping that prominent bender business owners will help support the nonbenders, as it may ease the tension between the two groups. As Liling responded that she would happily agree, her cat suddenly knocked over a Kyoshi statue, causing it to break. Aang mistakenly thought it was Momo who pushed the statue and offered to fix it if they had a drawing of the original design, but Liling assured him that her daughter, a very talented earthbender, will be able to do it. The team is then introduced to both of the councilwoman's daughters, Ru and Yaling. Yaling used earthbending to fix the statue, and Aang complimented her impressive bending skills.
As Aang and the group prepared to leave, Liling promised him that she would send out supplies to help rebuild the damaged factories. Aang told her in return that he will put in a good word for her business with Zuko. The Avatar expressed his happiness to his friends to have Liling's support; however, Toph broke the news to him saying that Liling was involved in the sabotage, explaining that she recognized the footsteps of Ru and Yaling, which reminded Aang of the firebender's words about being hired by two teenage girls.
The next afternoon, Aang was relaxing on the couch with Katara before Toph interrupted by kicking the door open, happily explaining that she got Yaling to give her details about the factory sabotage and that the benders were having a rally later that night. Aang was skeptical about her idea to "go in, bash heads, and save the day", and agreed that Sokka's plan of sneaking into the meeting in disguise was better.
That night, in their disguises, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Suki followed behind Toph and Yaling to the rally. After Aang watched Sokka and Suki sweetly compliment each other in her disguise, he asked Katara if she thought she and him were like that, to which she laughed and responded that probably a little. Later, Aang and the group walked up to a guard standing in front of the door, who asked them for the password, which Aang gave to him: imbalance. After the guard let them in, they approached a large underground tunnel that Aang realized was part of the old mines that were supposed to have been filled in. As they walked further in, they saw a large group of people standing in front of a large podium on which Liling and Ru were standing.
Liling began speaking to the crowd, telling them about her plan to have benders rule governments and guide communities. She encouraged the crowd to come together, ignoring their differences in nationalities, and take back what is "theirs". Katara was horrified by the plan, telling Aang that they needed to stop this, but he warned that they were outnumbered and should not try starting a fight. As Liling continued her anti-bender speech for a while longer, Aang grew upset and wanted to leave; however, Katara brought his attention to the stage, where Toph was climbing up with Yaling. When Toph loudly proclaimed that Liling was crazy and under arrest, Aang smacked his forehead in dissent, and a fight broke out.
After Toph called out Liling on the stage, Aang and the rest of Team Avatar were forced to fight the councilwoman and her supporters.
Team Avatar ran toward the stage, and Liling provoked the crowd by pointing out that their Avatar was on the side of nonbenders. The crowd turned against him, yelling insults, but Aang directed his attention to Liling, warning her that he did not want to fight. She claimed that it was too late and suddenly earthbent a large divide in the earth, knocking Aang and Katara to one side, Sokka and Suki to the other. In this confusion, she shot large, sharp rocks toward Aang and Katara, which the Avatar quickly blocked. When Liling angrily bent the earth up under Team Avatar's feet, sending them all flying, Katara warned Aang that the woman and the rest of the benders were getting away. Aang told her to let them go as he realized that Liling was starting to make the cave collapse, and he shouted at Toph to hold the ceiling up. Suki managed to catch up to Liling and chi-blocked her, which resulted in her arrest by the team.
Later that night, Aang and the group reunited in the Earthen Fire Refinery with Liling in a metal cage. He mentioned that they needed to figure out what to do with the prisoner and he was subsequently shocked when Toph suggested that he take her bending away as he had done with Ozai.[15] He remained silent initially while Katara argued with Toph that taking away someone's bending was a huge decision and could not be made lightly. While Aang pondered his options until Toph asked for his opinion, to which he responded that he still needed to think about it. He then approached Liling, explaining to her that there were many people in the Earth Kingdom that he cared about, both benders and nonbenders, and asked her to tell him a way he could resolve everything peacefully. Liling mocked him, believing him to be "special" for how devoted to his airbender ideals he was. Aang assured her that since he was able to spare Ozai's life, he could find a way to resolve the problem in Cranefish Town peacefully as well. Liling became enraged, telling him that he should have killed Ozai and that a life without bending was not worth living. Aang warned her once more that he will not allow her to harm any more nonbenders, but she questioned how far he was willing to go to protect them.
The next day, Aang found Katara sitting on a bench alone, looking lost in thought. He became concerned and asked if she was okay. Katara responded that she was, but that she did not agree with Toph's suggestion. Aang commented that Toph had a point and that Liling would not be able to lead a bender supremacist movement if she was not a bender, causing Katara to ask if he was really considering taking her bending away. As Aang replied that he was not sure but that it did seem like a nonviolent way to stop her, Katara started to explain that waterbending was a part of her and her culture and that losing her bending would be like losing a piece of her identity. She also asked if Liling really deserved to lose a piece of her identity, to which the airbender did not respond. As the two sit together in silence, pondering the options, Satoru came running up to them, panicked as the business council building had been set on fire.
Aang and Katara ran into action, using waterbending together to put out the fire. He was confused as to why benders would set the building on fire and then just run off. Later that night, Aang, Katara, Toph, and Satoru returned to the factory, finding it to have been attacked to free Liling. That night, Aang was approached by Suki, who told him that she wanted to be prepared for Liling's next attacks by teaching the nonbender security guards how to chi-block. Aang was skeptical at first, but Suki assured that they should be able to get the basics down.
Aang talked to Sokka about his conflicting decision on whether to take away or not Liling's bending.
Later, Aang became frustrated, thinking that if he had listened to Toph and taken Liling's bending away, the conflict might be over by then, but Sokka reminded him that the bender supremacist movement was more than just Liling. He questioned if Aang was willing to take away all of those peoples' bending as well, and Aang said he, of course, would not. Aang went on by comparing the conflict between benders and nonbenders and the pollution of the town, as both were started by machines, to the technology the Fire Nation employed to attack the world during the Hundred Year War. Sokka pointed out that he should not blame the bender supremacy movement on machines and instead blame it on the benders who were causing problems, with which Aang agreed and then apologized.
The next morning, after being informed of Liling's upcoming attack, Aang waited for them on top of a building. He met a group of benders that wanted to help their nonbender neighbors out after they lost their homes by bringing supplies for them. At that moment, Aang spotted Liling's group approaching, and Aang told the benders that if they really wanted to help, they would stand and protect the nonbenders. They sheepishly apologized and claimed that Aang was asking too much of them.
Liling told Aang that he was still on the wrong side, and he retorted that she was the one on the wrong side for hurting innocent people. She then offered a solution: to leave the city with the nonbenders and let only benders reside there. When Aang refused, Liling attacked him by bending a pillar of earth underneath his feet. Aang jumped out of the way, flying on his glider and leading the group through a complex maze trap. He landed on the roof of a building, watching as the group got lost in the maze, and the rest of Team Avatar began to fight them off. When the fight reached a climax, Ru turned on her mother, attempting to chi-block her. As Liling became enraged and opened up a rift in the earth into which Ru falls, the Avatar quickly flew to the scene, airbending Liling away from Ru and helping the girl Ru out of the rift.
When Aang was in the Avatar State about to take away Liling's bending, Katara suggested he reconsider his decision.
As Liling continued to attack, insisting that her message will eventually spread across the world, Aang entered the Avatar State, warning Liling that he could at least stop her and waterbent a case of ice around her. When he was about to take her bending away, Katara rushed to him, urging him to stop and make sure he was doing this for the right reasons and not because he was angry at her or because it was an easy solution. Aang listened and exited the state, assuring Liling that he was going to keep fighting the poison she had spread throughout the city, comparing her to the pollution on the beach, and that he was not going to leave until it was cleaned up.
Later that afternoon, Aang stood in front of the factory with Suki, Satoru, and Lao. The airbender asked Suki to stay and bring in the other Kyoshi Warriors to continue training the nonbender police force, and suggested reaching out to the bender communities in Cranefish Town to find members. Satoru then thanked Aang, who wandered off into the factory. As Sokka approached him, Aang explained that the last time they were in the area, a spirit was threatening the lives of humans, and he had chosen to protect the humans, failing to bridge the divide between them. He shared that he was not sure how to fix the divide between benders and nonbenders.
Three days later, Aang was walking through town with the rest of Team Avatar, and Katara asked him what made him change his mind about taking Liling's bending away. Aang said that it was what she said about it being an easy solution and that taking Liling's bending would not have fixed anything, as her bigotry was the root of the issue. Aang told his girlfriend that he wanted to stay in Cranefish Town for a while, believing that if it could overcome its issues, it could become something special. Katara agreed, saying that the city needed him, and Aang held her hand before telling her that the city needed both of them and also a better name.[16]