Avatar: The legend of Sahku.

Book 1: Sun. Chapter 1: Sandbag Sahku.

No matter how many movers Sahku had watched, he didn't know what a real fight was, not even a friendly brawl. The closest he had come was the first time he had to extract venom from Basil. When he enlisted, he knew he would have to fight, obviously, that's what the army and war are about, but it was a thing of the future. There was still time to reach Republic City, time to fill out the registration paperwork, time to get to the barracks. But now, the time to fight has come. The most he had ever floated was a sad pebble, and there wasn't any sand for kilometers around. Let's not even talk about metal; he hadn't even managed to close a pair of handcuffs, and he used his hands for that.

Inside the barracks, there were those who had it out for him. Outside the United Nations of Earth, sandbenders had a very bad reputation, especially because of the famous story of the problem Avatar Aang had with his bison and some sand bandits. Among the rank-and-file soldiers who lived with him, almost all were born and raised in the United Republic of Nations, except for one, who was born in Zaofu but moved to Republic City at a very young age.

He was the only half-breed, his father from the Republic and his mother from the Nations of Earth, forged by the sun and wind of the Si Wong Desert. Accustomed to the sand's lulling sibilance every night until it lulled him to sleep, he didn't feel comfortable in a cramped frog sardine can, so he didn't sleep much either. And he slept even less the day before hand-to-hand combat training.

Lack of sleep and the stress of being far from home are not good companions for fighting, even if it's just training.

Finally, the day came. Luckily, he wasn't the first to fight. However, witnessing firsthand how brutal those soldiers could be made his heart ache.

"You, the sandcastle, step up. It's time for us all to have a laugh."

His captain ordered him to fight, none other than against the one from Zaofu.

"Listen carefully, princesses, these are the rules: you have control over metal and earth to attack and defend yourselves. Sandcastle, if you manage to scrape some sand from those solid rocks, pinch yourself, because you'll be dreaming", he added.

Everyone laughed, except for Hoggu, the soldier from Zaofu, who kindly approached Sahku to speak with him before the match.

"I know what's going on, so I'll try not to go overboard", he said.

"Stop whispering and let the action begin. Fight!" the captain announced.

From the outset, Sahku adopted a defensive stance, protecting his ribs with his elbows and his entire body bent over. As he had seen in so many action movers, it had to be good for something.

Hoggu, on the other hand, extended the regulation cables from his uniform, which along with a tank top and short sweatpants, was the only thing allowed to wear during the fight. He spun the cables as if they were nunchucks; he didn't seem intent on attacking, but rather distracting his opponent, as if trying to hypnotize him. It wouldn't be the strangest thing someone from Zaofu had tried.

Both circled the ring, never losing sight of each other. Sahku fearing Hoggu was natural, but Hoggu wanting to defend himself from Sahku wasn't logical. Something was up.

"Move now, idiots!" the captain exclaimed, breaking Hoggu's concentration. Immediately, Sahku took advantage of this to control the sand mixed with the dust Hoggu had been raising while spinning the cables. He managed to get some dirt in his opponent's eyes, surprising and unbalancing him. He swiftly approached his rival while he regained his balance to punch him in the stomach.

Quickly, the one from Zaofu retaliated against Sahku. Taking advantage of the short distance now between them, Hoggu managed to tie him up with his cables, lift him off the ground, and deliver a powerful blow to his abdomen. This immediately rendered Sahku out of action.