A Joke
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Avatar: Awakened Gamer
🕑 Added 2022-04-27 14:00:26 +0000 UTCChapter 114 - Aang’s New Earthbending Teacher?
…
Everyone seemed out of words after what I had said. Well, better not let this become awkward.
“Anyways, Aang, I have found you the perfect earthbending teacher,” I decided to change the subject. “She’s one of the best earthbenders that I have ever met.”
Between Bumi and Toph, it was a debate on who was the better and stronger earthbender. Sure, Bumi was way past his prime by now, but Toph was only twelve years old too. Her talent was something unparalleled, maybe only my sister could match her talent in bending. Not counting the Gamer Interface as that was a cheat on its own.
“Oh, that’s good,” Aang said absentmindedly. His voice lacked any kind of enthusiasm.
Maybe I should have told this news to him before revealing my plans? Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk.
“Sister, don’t be so down,” I put my arm around Katara, and enveloped her in a one-armed hug. “We will get to meet father soon.”
That bit of encouragement seemed to get her hopes up as we hadn’t seen our father in years. I kinda don’t remember his name from the original series so I will have to continue and call him father. Until there comes a chance where I can use Observe on him.
“At least that’s some good news,” she muttered under her breath.
Even if she isn’t pleased by my announcement now. My sister, Katara should be able to come around and will take part on my side during the war. After this war is over, I will raise my Cooking Skill and make her some good other-worldly meals as a reward.
“Let me take you all to Aang’s earthbending teacher.”
…
Getting Aang, Katara, and June over the Beifong's wall around their residence was easy. I knew Toph's schedule. Not in a creepy way…
As soon as our feet softly touched the soft grassy ground, a rock shot toward my head. Tilting to the side, I dodged the small pebble and grabbed it mid-air before it hit Aang on the forehead.
Toph stood there, about a dozen yards away with a small smirk on her face. She was wearing an expensive-looking and traditional white dress, it looked like a combination between a kimono and a dress. This world’s culture was very weird, like most of its animals.
"You have gotten mighty comfortable sneaking into little girl's houses," she commented.
I almost winced. Did she have to word it like that? I am already having problems convincing myself that stalking a twelve-year-old girl wasn't creepy.
Toph's smirk said that she knew what effect her words had.
Katara was about to blabber something out, but I held up my hand and covered her mouth. Right now I didn't need her to say something unwanted. Katara wasn't the best diplomat around, to say the least. She’s my sister, and I love her, but sometimes she says some stupid shit.
"You know the thing we talked about and how the Avatar needs a new teacher," we had talked a lot during these last days, and Toph looked at me confused.
"I feel like you're going to try and swindle me. You're going to do it, aren't you?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
Well, I don't blame her suspicion, it was kind of expected. Her sensing abilities were quite vast if she concentrated, so she probably knows of a couple of ingenuine things I had done.
"You're a smart girl, I am sure you can figure out my schemes and handle them," I smirked. Toph was arrogant, not that it was unwarranted, as she was able to beat Earth Rumble contestants as a twelve-year-old. She was probably even younger when she beat them for the first time.
Toph raised a questing brow and ‘looked’ toward my sister, or more specifically the hand I had over Katara’s mouth that she was getting ready to bite at. She tried licking my hand to gross me out, but sadly for her, I had already anticipated this and it didn’t work on me.
Still, if she bit into my hands he might puncture a tooth so I decided to let her talk.
Katara sent me a pointed look. I will probably have to let her souse me in water at least once later to get her in a better mood.
Still, she didn’t say anything for now and addressed Toph. "So you're the earthbender? As you know the Avatar needs an earthbending teacher. The world's fate hangs on a thread. With your help, Aang can fulfill his destiny and save the world."
A good speech, for a novice. But not something that will move people's hearts, she just showed Toph all the cards they had. When someone reeks of too much desperation and helplessness, no one would help them.
That was the cruel reality. Instinctively, if you see a bodybuilder and a scrawny guy fighting, beating the guy to a pulp, do you intervene? If yes, then you're stupid. Because you aren't helping anyone, just getting yourself beat up on top of the scrawny guy.
Calling the police would be the right answer. But in this case, Toph didn't have the police to call on. The big guy is the Fire Nation, and getting involved against them isn't easy.
Katara's speech showed the desperation and helplessness of a scrawny guy getting beat to death by the bigger guy.
Everyone likes an underdog winning, but real life doesn't work like that. Anyone smart enough with two brain cells wouldn’t bet their life on the scrawny guy.
"No thanks," Toph refused Katara's offer without hesitation. "I'm sure you can go and find someone else to teach twinkle toes earthbending."
I didn't want to use this option, but it seems like there’s no other choice.
Walking closer to Toph, I look her in the eyes, she should be able to see my general outline with her slightly restored vision. "Toph, I know you don't want to, but can you do it for me? I will owe you a big favor for this. Also, we will travel together and make sure you aren't in any danger."
"Are you hinting that I am scared of fighting?" She said, seeming annoyed as she looked at the ground.
"No, that's not it at all," yes that's exactly what I am saying.
I'm just here taking advantage of your emotional vulnerability, and the small crush you have on me. So my goals can move along smoothly.
Jeez, that's some heavy baggage to handle. When did I start emotionally manipulating kids?
Not like I am not going to stop. She’s an invaluable person to have with us. Believing in Karma isn't my thing either, because if bad things happened to people that do bad, then the world would be a place that's a lot fairer.
But what I do believe in is my feelings and what makes me feel good. Being a very self-centered person has a bad stigma around it in my past life.
I help people to make me feel better. Like I will help a couple of orphans after this to make me feel better after manipulating her.
Even as I contemplated all of that, Toph still kept looking at the ground, thinking of her decision.
Would she refuse? I wasn’t a prophet and she might do that. Even with all my manipulation to try and put the odds in my favor, there wasn’t a sure-fire way to change someone’s decision.
Toph might be young, but she wasn’t stupid.
“I…” she looked me in the eyes. Her next words would decide what I would do next, and just how much risk there will be involved. Without her joining us, we would probably lose the war and I would have to take measures.
Toph wasn’t important just because of her strength, but politically too.
