Avatar: The Legend of Goku

Chapter 6: Burning Ambitions (Rewrite)

*Hey, guys. Here's the rewritten version of Chapter 6. I put a lot of effort into writing this one, so I hope you enjoy it. Things are going to get a bit darker from this point onward.

Appa quickly flew back to Kuzon's house and landed in his yard like before. The young firebender was still trying to come to grips with the fact that Goku had a monkey tail growing out of his backside. It was weird even by his standards.

"Are you sure one of your parents isn't a hog monkey or some similar kind of spirit?" He asked.

Goku sighed. He really wished his tail hadn't unwound itself like that.

"Afraid not, Kuzon. If that were the case, wouldn't I look less human than I am now?"

"Well, there has to be some explanation for it. You have a flamin' tail, man! I've never seen anything like that in my whole life." Kuzon shouted.

Aang stood on the sidelines with a nervous grin on his face. He could tell Goku was starting to get a little uncomfortable with this conversation.

"I think the less we say about Nimbus, the better. Kuzon might have a heart attack if he learns about that."

He walked up to his friend and patted him on the shoulder.

"Just simmer down a bit, Kuzon. Goku's an orphan like I am. He's just as in the dark about his tail's origins as we are."

Kuzon suddenly looked more apologetic. "Oh! Sorry about that, Goku. I didn't know..."

"Eh, it's okay. Trust me, if I had any idea who my parents were, I'd tell you." Goku shrugged nonchalantly. "I just never really thought about them before..."

The firebender rung out the collar of his shirt. Now, he was starting to feel a little uncomfortable.

"Look, since you helped save that mama dragon earlier, I'll choose to ignore your whole tail situation. Consider it a sign of our new friendship, Hotman." Kuzon promised. He hung out his hand in front of Goku.

The martial artist returned this gesture in kind and shook it.

"Thanks, Kuzon... I mean, Hotman. Hehe."

"Don't mention it." Kuzon chuckled. He then grew serious and pointed a finger directly at Goku's tail. "But make sure to keep that tail hidden around these parts. The Fire Nation isn't exactly the most accepting place these days, especially under his rule."

Goku and Aang exchanged cautious looks with one another. Judging by the tone of his voice alone, they knew exactly who Kuzon was referring to.

"You mean Fire Lord Sozin?" Goku grimaced.

Kuzon scowled. "Who else? That guy has been running this place to the ground for decades. If you so much as say anything bad about him, the Fire Nation soldiers will punish you severely. Some people have even straight up disappeared and never came back."

Aang gulped. He never realized how bad the Fire Nation has gotten over the years. Hanging out with Kuzon must have blindsided him a little from its darker aspects.

"Well, you won't need to worry about that stuff for much longer. Pretty soon, Aang here will be strong enough to fight and beat him. I'm sure of it." Goku proclaimed.

Kuzon's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Aang fighting the Fire Lord?! Flameo, Goku! I understand he's the Avatar and all, but that's flamin' crazy talk!" Kuzon shouted in concern. "Old Sozin is a kajillion years old and the single strongest firebender in the entire world! Aang can't beat someone like that! There's no way."