Avatar: The Legend of Goku

Chapter 13: Hopping Mad (Rewrite)

*Here's a shorter rewrite/edit of the original Chapter 13. Hope you enjoy the small changes I made to it.

Zuko wasted no time in leaving Ketu Harbor once his ship was repaired. The expenses to fix those damages were rather costly, but his uncle was able to cover most of it just fine. Afterwards, the prince secluded himself from him and the rest of his crew to meditate.

He was seated directly in front of four candles and a highly detailed dragon head with two horns. He breathed in and out through his nose, causing the flames of each candle to grow in size. However, Zuko couldn't seem to keep himself calm due to a wide number of aggravating circumstances.

On top of not being able to track Son Goku and the Avatar's current location, the image of Zhao's Light of Fire technique could not be expunged from his memory. He may have won that particular Agni Kai, but such a victory did not make Zhao's sudden usage of chi any less abnormal. In fact, it only symbolized how superior the commander was in terms of both power and skill. Zuko wondered if Zhao didn't overexert all of his energy with that so-called "chi blast", would that duel have been another mistake added to his tarnished name?

He closed his eyes and sighed in frustration.

"How did he do it? Last time I checked, chi manipulation was a power only acquired by the strongest of firebending masters. Commander Zhao shouldn't even come close to that level of strength!"

His amber eyes narrowed, glaring directly into the candles' flames.

"Like Uncle said, his chi doesn't compare to Son Goku's in the slightest, but like with firebending, I know that Zhao will seek out ways to improve what he is currently lacking. And through improvement..." Zuko scoffed, tightly balling his hands into fists.

Seemingly in tandem with the teen's fluctuating emotional state, the candles all grew hotter and much larger than before.

"...comes problematic results."

He was afraid that Zhao's abilities would far surpass his own in the next coming weeks or even days. Shaking in newfound rage, Zuko stood up from his seat and growled. This small tantrum caused all four candles to simultaneously erupt into tall, fiery pillars. He then slammed a fist on the countertop, tightly grounding his bared teeth.

"Grrrgh! I need to find out how Son Goku does it! It's the only way I'll truly be able to capture him and the Avatar without Zhao's interference!"

. He then let out another heavy, prolonged sigh, replacing his prior fury with slight bitterness. All four candles subsided in response to Zuko's calmer mood, continuing to illuminate the entire room like before.

The prince stood up straight, examining the decorative dragon head with a tight grimace. He maintained eye contact with the dragon's black pupils, picturing it as a materialized personification of his deepest insecurities. The dragon vividly shifted into the likenesses of Goku, Zhao, and, most concerning of all, his own father.

Seeing the current Fire Lord's intimidating visage caused Zuko to look away in profound shame, protectively hovering a hand over his scar. After a short while, he darted his eyes back to the dragon head to see if all three imaginary likenesses were still there. They weren't, much to the boy's considerable relief.

Zuko's wiped beads of sweat off his brow, reverting back to some semblance of normalcy. He paused, taking a long, hard look at his sweat-dripped hand.

"Somehow, someway, I will learn chi. There's no other options left... if I ever want to come home again."

He tightly clenched his fist, causing plumes of white hot smoke to billow out. At the sight of this minor display of firebending, a strange, almost embarrassing idea came to Zuko's head. He stroked his chin, attempting to recall the hand position Goku and Zhao displayed when deploying their respective chi blasts.