B a l a n c e | i c

[Genkai]

"Good evening everyone here in the beautiful Republic City! Today marks the start of another nail biting season of pro bending and to kick off the battle royal match is our three favorite returning teams! The Windy Warriors, a three man team of air benders. The Blazing Bullfrogs, a three woman team of fire benders and lastly, The Icy Eyed Frozen Hearts, last years runners up in the championship round! These three talented siblings all use tricky water bending to undo their opponents. Now it's time to see which team wants to make the biggest statement this season!" The announcer declared. "Three teams in a match carry many different fighting strategies and it'll be interesting to see which ones are implored in this match. No matter, I am sure it will be a great way to start the season, as so many pro bending fans have been waiting a long time to see more action!" A loud roar could be heard all over the arena as many fans waved their arms and stomped their feet on the hard ground. "Without further ado, let the three way match commence!" A bell was heard and the three teams which were situated in their different corners came out swinging. Water and air and fire attacks flew as each team slowly advanced.

While the general strategy was to have one member aim at one team and another at the other with the third alternating, The Icy Eyed Frozen Hearts decided to go all out against the Windy Warriors, putting all their attention on the airbenders. Sometimes this would result in the other team to also team up and knock them out or it would result in the team attacking the all offense team, it depended on any alliances that may be formed. In the current case, The Blazing Bullfrogs joined in and began to give the airbenders a run for their money. In no time at all, the all male group was out and it was between fire and water. The fans cheered as the first match ended with the Blazing Bullfrogs managing a win, as it seemed the water siblings has exhausted themselves too soon. The second match was more even as anxieties were now out of the way. This time it was close but The Icy Eyed Frozen Hearts pulled a victory and in final round, if The Windy Warriors didn't pull it together, they would have no shot at winning. The match continued and by the end of it, there was a three way tie and a tie breaker was needed, nothing out of the ordinary. One member from each team was brought into a small ring to duke it out.

Within a matter of ten seconds, the match was over, with The Windy Warriors pulling a bracing victory after knocking both opponents out with a wind attack. "We have a winner, folks! The first hot blooded match of the season goes to The Windy Warriors, I can tell you this much, this season is going to be one for the history books! All three teams fought valiantly, and another fight will be scheduled for tomorrow night between The Psychotic Trio and The Earth Shattering Scorpions! Goodnight everybody and remember to fight for fun, to fight for passion and to fight for everyone!" The announcer ended with his usual mantra which seemed to unite benders and non-benders who enjoyed the sport which was very diverse and was even allowing some skilled non benders into the ring from time to time. In the back of the large stands, green weathered eyes watched the crowds begin to thin out. The woman in question had ruby colored hair and was clothed in a slimming kimono that hugged her body. She also wore a long red scarf around her neck and had two katana strapped around either side of her waist.

Her hair was pulled back and she had on long ninja styled boots which were also red, they had the heel and toes slightly exposed while the rest of her foot itself was supported by leather. She seemed to be scanning the sea of people. Some people who recognized her gave her a smile while others moved to talk to her. She just waved them away. Her presence was noted mostly because she didn't grace the streets of Republic City too often, let alone the stands of the pro bending arena. After setting her eyes on a long green haired male, she swept over and tapped his shoulder. "You're Yaa from Omashu, correct?" The person turned around and gave a silent nod, already finding answers in the simplistic meeting. "Come with me." She said and turned and found a taller female who was fanning herself with a decorated thick paper fan. "You must be Arina Sora from Konohagakure." She addressed her. The short haired girl smiled and slipped her fan into one of the folds of her own kimono. "Come along children." The woman just said and puttered around the arena until she found a man dressed in water tribe attire. "Hello there, Yakone of The Northern Water Tribe, please follow me." She said and hurried until she found another male who was dressed in dark attire. "You must be...Kaen, also from Konohagakure like Arina." She said and just kept walking, expecting him to follow with the others.

The next person she found was a boy with a tan top on with a bright smile. He had clearly enjoyed the match. "You're Gendo Rokubungi...without much of a real home, hmmm?" She turned back to everyone else, all five of her new students. "We have one last soul to collect." And with that she hurried along and found a white haired male, if there had been more people around, he still wouldn't be hard to locate. "Greetings Faust, please come with me." She instructed and walked out of the arena and into another room. She continued to walk through it until they were out of the building entirely. She continued down the sidewalk as many people on old bicycles rode by. The night was very young and many people were enjoying the summer air. There were kids in the streets playing around while many shops had customers to attend to. The city was just coming to life. After taking a right and entering a small humble shop, did she turn around and stop. Smells of meat and bread entered her nose. "By now you should realize that I am Mela-Sensei, I have asked all of you heard under the same premise, to get the training you desperately need." She said. "Regardless if you wish to train, tonight's meal is on me."

"You are all very talented and have much to look forward to in your lives but being an Avatar as you should know by now, is a very difficult job. The world is counting on you to protect them, to do what is deemed impossible." Mela continued. "By the end of the meal, you should give me your answer because tomorrow morning, we head to Konohagakure to begin our training. You should take tonight to get to know your fellow Avatars and to decide what path in life you wish to take: one with familiar faces to fight alongside, or one of loneliness and struggle." She sat down at a table and waved a waiter over. "Seven cups of chilled sake please." She gestured for everyone to take a seat and to get comfortable. Arina's eyes went right for the other person from her hometown, Kaen. She made sure to sit beside him. Yaa, who was trying hard to keep her gender a secret, picked a seat at the end of the table and ducked her head down a little. She knew she should be more honest with herself and it would make her relax more, but it was quite hard to break a bad habit.

"So, you happy we get to head back to Konohagakure so soon?" Arina asked Kaen happily as she then glanced at the menu. "Ooh the roast rabbit looks yummy."

Meanwhile Yaa bit her lower lip and looked to a male who looked like he was from the water tribe. "You must have traveled far to get here, you must be serious about training with Mela-Sensei." Yaa commented. Though she hoped everyone among them was also on the same page, otherwise what would be the point to travel to Republic City just for a pro bending match? Mela looked around and sipped her drink as some people made orders while others began to mingle. She was looking forward to being social for once, while also getting a better idea of who the new generation of Avatars were.

[FoxSVK]

Kaen was very excited at the beginning of the match. He heard about Pro - Bending matches before, but he never had the chance to see one, up until today. He was in Republic City, among the crowd of people who came here to enjoy the show Pro - Bending provided. But, there was something else here, something that made him even more excited about being here. The letter from Mela - Sensei that brough him here. But s the thundering voice of the commentary started to announce the team, the thoughts about the mysterious letter left his head. He secretly picked his favorite teams, The Blazing Bullfrogs, as Firebending was the art he had the most training in. Also, he thought he could ask some of the Blazing Bullfrogs members about tips in Firebending, though he knew that was not about to happen. Not because they would refuse to talk to him ... or even that. He had no chance at getting close enough to them to ask for autograph, let alone to ask them about Firebending. The match was a spectacular one for Kaen, but judging by the reaction of the people around them, the match was really thrilling even for people who already attended these shows before. Even though The Windy Warriors were victorious, he stood up and cheered for them, as he judged that it was a well deserved win from their team. But somewhere, a voice inside him told him that The Blazing Bullfrogs should have won.

As the stands started to clean, he started to move with them as well. He had to get back to his place where he was staying over for the next few days, a small hotel not too far from the arena. It was not very luxurious or anything like that, but it was affordable, and compared to the price, it was even comfortable. Plus it had a huge plus for him, it offered him a wonderful view at the night sky, which he enjoyed a lot before falling asleep. He thought about getting something to eat before that would make this evening even a better one. He smiled for himself, as he was looking forward to have a great, nice, calm evening, but at the same time, he felt a slight disappointment that Mela - Sensei did not show up yet, as he was very excited to train again. However, as he was nearing the exit from his stand, he heard a voice, a voice that clearly mentioned him. "You must be...Kaen, also from Konohagakure like Arina." he turned to his left, only to see a small group of people passing behind him. That would be nothing unusual, but as he turned to his right, he saw a woman he thought he heard about. The small group of people behind her looked quiet diverse, and after a few seconds, it finally hit him. It was her ! It was Mela - Sensei ! He realized they were all Benders of some Element, so there was no mistaking in it. He hurried after them, his head thinking hard about the name of the woman leading the small group. Leaving the arena, he walked with the group Just as they were entering one of the local shops, he was about to spoke up.

" You must be ... " he started, but his sentence was silenced by Mela - Sensei. "By now you should realize that I am Mela-Sensei, I have asked all of you heard under the same premise, to get the training you desperately need." She said. "Regardless if you wish to train, tonight's meal is on me." and after she finished, he only looked at her in astonishment. His Father mentioned it a few times. He looked up to her, as he knew she had ties to the Avatars, the ones that balanced the world. Since the day he realized that The Nine Tailed Fox, Rokujou was inside of his body, he secretly hoped to become one of them as well. But before that, he had a lot of training before him. That´s the reason why he accepted the invitation from her. He knew that if he accepts this, his life will change forever. But it was something he was willing to do, something he wanted to do. "You are all very talented and have much to look forward to in your lives but being an Avatar as you should know by now, is a very difficult job. The world is counting on you to protect them, to do what is deemed impossible.By the end of the meal, you should give me your answer because tomorrow morning, we head to Konohagakure to begin our training. You should take tonight to get to know your fellow Avatars and to decide what path in life you wish to take: one with familiar faces to fight alongside, or one of loneliness and struggle." were the words of Mela - Sensei before she ordered them tonight´s meal. He already knew his answer, but he first wanted to hear the opinions of the others.

Then he heard another familiar voice. "So, you happy we get to head back to Konohagakure so soon?", asked Arina, one of his childhood friends from Konohagakure. Her presence cheered him up a bit, as he was not completely lost in the group. About the others, they looked quiet friendly, and he hoped that should they decide to travel together, they could get along well. But he was not sure he was about to introduce himself to them right now. Instead, he turned to Arina, to apologize to her for not recognizing her, but his focus was entirely on Mela - Sensei. " Arina. What a surprise to see you here. Also, sorry for not, you know, noticing you earlier, I was ... stunned, shocked, thrown off balance by, you know ... Mela - Sensei. But I am glad you here, otherwise I would be so lost here. So you were invited by her too. I see. So I guess ... well, what ... what will your choice be, Arina ? Will you go with Mela - Sensei too ? " he asked her, his voice overflowing with excitement about finding her here. He looked forward to the end of the dinner, to announce his decision.

[ruler710]

Faust, after reaching the top of the hill, could finally see Republic city. He took notice of how large the city was from the distance. He had took a wrong turn somewhere along the way and it set him back by a couple hours. He had been running in order to make up lost time. Either way he wouldn't probably make it by the time that was on the note. As he grew closer he began to hear the hustle and bustle of the city. He slowed down to a walk after exhausting himself and began eating his noodles he hadn't time to eat while running. He almost wished he had bought a different brand. The kind he was eating had too much cabbage and he was getting really tired of it. But for the meantime it was all he had and all he could afford. His boxing matches weren't exactly popular besides with gamblers so he wasn't paid a lot. Partially he was hoping to get see what this Pro-Bending was about and if he could earn some cash at it. Finally reaching the town he took out a map he had bought before leaving Omashu. After memorizing the names of a few streets and where to turn he headed off down the road in to find the Pro-Bending Arena. As he arrived he could hear the thrill of the crowd die down and people heading out into the streets. He began forcing his way through the crowd like he was fighting the current of a river. Despite trying to stay away from crime because of his fear of being put in jail he couldn't resist snatching a few bags of yen on his way. Times were often hard for him trying to make rent and the people there didn't look like they would even notice a few hundred yen missing.

As he entered there were a few people still around. He had counted 1320 yen and slid it into his bag. She better not have left yet after I traveled all this way! He scanned the crowd until he was approached by a woman and a bunch of followers or "Sheep" would be how he described it. "Greetings Faust, please come with me." The woman turned around without saying anything else and began to walk. He followed behind the group keeping his distance not knowing who the woman really was. He assumed it to be Mela but it made him uneasy that she seemed to know who he was. He wasn't exactly trusting to strangers and the first girl he met in Omashu took half of his money to "go get him some food". It had made him feel stupid but he really didn't know what a con-artist was, he just figured that if people were going to steal they'd take it. He grasped his money pouch to check to see if it was still there. Following behind the group he began to take notice of the others and assumed they were all Avatars like him. He wondered what kind of tailed beast they had inside of them, he had only learned that he had possessed the Five-Tailed Bear recently and wondered if any of them had similar stories. Judging by the way most of them were dressed they didn't lead extremely difficult lives besides the one carrying a strange blade and a big backpack. He looked like a traveler which is something Faust wishes he could do.

Faust snapped back to reality when he heard a bicycle bell go off. He had blindly followed the group into the shop where they had all taken seats leaving him standing. He quickly took a seat by a Mela and the traveler guy, putting his backpack to his side. "By now you should realize that I am Mela-Sensei, I have asked all of you heard under the same premise, to get the training you desperately need." She said. "Regardless if you wish to train, tonight's meal is on me." Faust was correct in assuming that it was Mela, he decided to drop the Sensei part since it was a mouth full and he wasn't used to it. "You are all very talented and have much to look forward to in your lives but being an Avatar as you should know by now, is a very difficult job. The world is counting on you to protect them, to do what is deemed impossible." Mela continued. "By the end of the meal, you should give me your answer because tomorrow morning, we head to Konohagakure to begin our training. You should take tonight to get to know your fellow Avatars and to decide what path in life you wish to take: one with familiar faces to fight alongside, or one of loneliness and struggle." He was happy to hear that they would be going to Konohagakure since he hadn't been there before but was disappointed that he didn't have time to look around Republic city. As he stared at the food he felt even worse, he had already filled himself up on the awful noodles.

Faust observed how everyone was handling Mela's speech. A brown-haired girl and a male Avatar broke into conversation about, they seemed to be happy to be going back to their hometown, Konohagakure. It was obvious they knew each other. That seemed to be a luxury no one else shared as everyone else was quiet. He heard a whisper and looked to see a rather girly looking boy trying to make conversation with a strangely dressed guy. The boy looked rather timid and Faust hadn't took notice of him before do to him being so small. And then he was just sitting there with an awkward feeling. He wasn't exactly a master conversationalist but through his struggle he came upon a topic worth discussing. "So..." Faust decided to turn to the Avatar who with the strange blade and the large backpack next to him . " What did you think about the bending match? I wasn't able to get a good seat and couldn't see." This was a lie but he didn't really like saying he was late since Mela didn't seem to suspect him. He was still wondering what the bending was like and if he could compete. If he could he probably wouldn't really care about this training. He isn't really into the whole "protect the world" idea but just really wanted to get stronger. He figured he could make some money that way but for now he decided to play along. If Mela knew he wasn't really doing this for his so called "duty" she might not train him.

[Karces]

Gendo had heard about these pro bending matches from Shunji, he had always enjoyed the vivid stories Shunji told about matched from times past. Especially those that included air bender teams since they were both air benders themselves. And now he was in the main arena in Republic City itself, watching the openings match of the new season between three awe inspiring teams. The fact that the Windy Warriors were one of the teams lined up made it even better. “Shunji would be so jealous right now.” Gendo muttered to himself as he leaned forward to get a better view. He rooted and cheered for the Windy Warriors as if his cheering would lead them to victory. He must have looked like a three-year old going to a live match for the first time and in all honesty it was his first live match. By the end of round three Gendo thought the match was over, a tie is a tie, but the Windy Warriors did give worth for their money in the last round. But he was wrong, a tie meant a tie breaker, which meant three benders entering a small ring and the last one standing inside the ring was the winner. Gendo smirked as he understood how the tie breaker worked, this should be easy for any air bender let alone for a pro bender, and ten seconds later it was all over, the Windy Warriors had won.

After the match, the stand started to clear pretty quick, but it gave Gendo time to observe the people that watched the match as well. It was always nice to just sit and watch others, just noticing the little thing that make life worth living. Such as the young girl with auburn hair twisting it around her finger as she tried to flirt with a guy with blond hair, whom was completely oblivious of her attempts. Gendo hoped he would understand her attempts soon, as it was nice to have someone special in your life. But also the little boy a few rows in front of him who was telling his favourite part of the match to his dad, with all the associated whoosh and boom sounds. Between all these people acting naturally there was a growing group that followed an older woman with ruby coloured hair, it started with green haired girl or boy, Gendo could really discern it from that distance. Quickly followed by a brown haired girl and two boys after which the group continued its way towards him. "You're Gendo Rokubungi...without much of a real home, hmmm?" she said to him a beckoned him to follow her and her group. After collecting another soul as Mela-Sensei called it, the group left the arena, their next stop would be a small shop in which Mela-Sensei explained that they would have to choose. Either to train and fight together or to continue being alone and struggling. Which wasn’t a hard choice for Gendo.

Next to Gendo sat the boy with white hair, whom tried to start a conversation. "So, what did you think about the bending match? I wasn't able to get a good seat and couldn't see." he said. “Well, where to start. I have to say that I might be a bit biased as I am an air-bender myself and it was my first live pro bending match. But I loved the line-up, water, fire and wind bending teams, even though I thought that the Windy Warriors would become the underdog. I thought it was strange for the Icy Hearts to start all out against the Windy Warriors, I would have though them to be more defensive and when the Bullfrogs joined the Windy Warriors were done pretty quick. But it was good to see that the tactic didn’t pay off for the Icy Hearts as they were crushed by the Bullfrogs. The second round was less exciting, because each team knew the other team’s strength and all that counted was that the Bullfrogs wouldn’t get another victory. The third round however was nail biting, at least for me and other fans of the Windy Warriors as both of the other teams already had a victory. But the Windy Warriors gave worth for their money and kicked ass. Then they had the tie-breaker, three men in a small ring, last one standing in the ring would win. As any air-bender could tell you that was an easy task for the Windy Warrior bender and that’s how the Windy Warriors won the match.” Gendo told the guy next to him while he sipped some of his sake. “Also before I forget, my name is Gendo. Yours was Faust if I remember correctly. So Faust, which path do you think you will choose? Because for me the choice is simple, I want to train and fight together.” Gendo said.

[Genkai]

It was a treat to have someone she knew from home to talk to. Though Arina could already tell that something else was weighing heavily on his mind, but she didn't need too many guesses to figure it out. This was a big step for everyone to take, it was an honor to get to travel with a famous woman and get taught the art of many jutsu so their bending could be expanded for any kind of situation they had to handle. "Oh, it's fine." She waved a hand at Kaen. "Of course I will, in my heart this is the choice I will make and it fills me with so much warmth to know I'm not as alone as I once feared." Arina looked to him with a smile, her hand now placed across her chest. "Too?" She couldn't help but note his choice in wording. "So you've already made up you mind huh?" That was good, they were both already on board, she had no idea if the others were just aiming to get a free show and meal but something told her that wasn't the case. Laughing a little, she set her menu down, already pretty sure as to what she would order. Rina had picked a mindful meal of noodles and meat, just to be careful not to take advantage of the woman's kindness that had been bestowed upon her already. Arina was so happy to be where she was that she wanted to be careful, extra careful with her words and actions.

The male Yaa had addressed seemed solely interested in his menu so Yaa just hung her head a little more, hoping to just sink below the table and vanish underground. She looked up and saw Mela-Sensei eying her closely which only made her even more nervous and when she got nervous, she got nauseous. After a few deep breathing exercises, Yaa managed to calm down and raised her aquamarine eyes to see Mela was passing out the sake for everyone. She had drunk sake before and it was alright, for now she would only have a little to be polite and appease the teacher by her. Yaa took her glass and clutched her hands around the hot clay and inhaled. It smelled sweet. Before she could bravely take a drink, Mela got to her feet, and raised her glass high. "Here's to you, young Avatars." She toasted them and then dropped her head back and downed the cup of sake as if it were just air. Her gentle red hair brushed against her cheeks and then swept back against her neck when she leaned back upright and seated herself back down with a smile. Yaa nodded and took a few gentle sips of the sake and puckered her face slightly, though she regretted it as soon as she did. How was that considered manly?

Arina, on the other hand, wasn't so sure if she wanted to drink or not, even if it might be taken as an impolite gesture. Her parents were never fond of her drinking. There wasn't an age requirement to drink but typically out of respect, children didn't drink and only young adults did. Arina caught Kaen's eye and wondered what he would do. Of course drinking sake wasn't really something to debate too long about. And her knack for curiosity was shining through as she finally caved in and brought the cup to her lips and took a drink. She managed to take too big of a gulp and ended up choking. She leaned forward and coughed before finally calming down. Mela-Sensei's eyes fell upon her and her face turned a bright shade of pink. "S-sorry!" Arina exclaimed and rubbed her neck sheepishly. By that time a waiter came over to check on her, as well as get everyone's orders. Once that was all done, the conversations started to pick back up again. This time, Arina managed to turn her attention to the male with the white hair. "Oooh...your hair...it's super nice, like his." She then pointed to Yaa who looked up from her cup of sake which was slowly turning from hot to cold. Arina looked back to the man. "Hi I'm-"

"Hold it, hold it." Mela-Sensei held up a hand before the lass from Konohagakure could continue with her perky little introduction. "I think we should all go around and introduce ourselves all at once so we don't have to do this a dozen times over." Mela told everyone. "I'll go first." She said even though she had already done so. "I'm Mela-Sensei, if we get close enough, you can drop the formalities as long as I know you still respect me otherwise." Mela smiled a little. "If you don't already know, I specialize in bending lightning. I can summon a large electric eel named Dendou-Chan, I use her in emergency situations so let's hope you never have to meet her. If you wish to know anything more personal about me, ask me in a month and we'll see how far we get with knowing one another." She hummed and looked to Arina. "You're next." Mela-Sensei instructed. Arina blushed once more and nervously drummed her fingers against the hard table. Now that everyone was waiting, watching and listening, she felt like she had to pick her words a little more carefully as first impressions were mighty important. "Then anyone else can speak up." She shrugged a little as a waiter brought her over some more sake. Mela-Sensei of course wasn't drinking to get drunk, that would take a lot more.

"Okay well um I'm Arina Sora from Konohagakure." Arina smile happily. "Um, let's see...I know...how to make a wind tornado and also to....shoot fire out of my mouth if I spin around and around really fast." She said. "I know other stuff but I kinda forgot what exactly heheh." She looked to Kaen for a moment and then back at everyone at the table. "I can play the flute and dance and...oh I fight mostly with fans!" Arina added. "I think that's it, um...I hope we can all be great lifelong friends!" She bowed her head slightly.

Yaa decided to just get it over with and raised her hand when Arina had finished. She cleared her throat a little to sound a bit more manly, though her voice didn't change too much. Most people didn't think of it much anyway. "Hello everyone." Yaa said. "I am Yaa from Omashu and I know some basic earth bending, that's about it. If I had a choice, I would choose to not be caught in hand to hand combat, I'm more of a tactic observer. At any rate...I'm pleased to make your acquaintances." Yaa finished, voice trailing off hoping someone else would speak up now.

[Karces]

As the happiness and chattering continued in the small shop Mela took them to, Gendo realized that it had been far too long since he had been part of a group this large. During his travels he had spent a lot of time with just one travelling companion, sometimes with more, like the time he was offered a ride into town by a family. But a group this size had been far too long and he enjoyed every moment of it. When the smell in the shop started to change from meat and bread to a more complex scent, Gendo noticed that the first meals were being served. A delightful sight which would hopefully make Ryu just as happy as it would make him. By the time he wanted to say itadakimasu, Mela raised to her feet and made a toast: "Here's to you, young Avatars" and downed her sake, not staying behind Gendo quickly downed his sake as well. Both the green haired boy and auburn haired girl tried to down or drink the sake as well and both showed that they had never had a drink before.

Before the chit chat and small talk between the so called young Avatars continued Mela made it clear that she had enough of the inefficient way they introduced their selves to one and another. Leading by example she started: ”I'm Mela-Sensei, if we get close enough, you can drop the formalities as long as I know you still respect me otherwise. If you don't already know, I specialize in bending lightning. I can summon a large electric eel named Dendou-Chan, I use her in emergency situations so let's hope you never have to meet her. If you wish to know anything more personal about me, ask me in a month and we'll see how far we get with knowing one another." She said and beckoned the girl next to her to follow her example. "Okay well um I'm Arina Sora from Konohagakure. Um, let's see...I know...how to make a wind tornado and also to....shoot fire out of my mouth if I spin around and around really fast. I know other stuff but I kinda forgot what exactly heheh. I can play the flute and dance and...oh I fight mostly with fans! I think that's it, um...I hope we can all be great lifelong friends!" the auburn haired girl said with a smile. Next to her was the mystery of the group the green haired boy whom was awfully quiet. “Hello everyone. I am Yaa from Omashu and I know some basic earth bending, that's about it. If I had a choice, I would choose to not be caught in hand to hand combat, I'm more of a tactic observer. At any rate...I'm pleased to make your acquaintances."

Gendo started to think about the three people he now knew more about. Mela-Sensei was someone he didn’t want to get caught in a fight with anyhow, but now even more. Arina seemed like a girl Gendo would get along with, smiling and enjoying the experience. Also she seemed to be able to do some air bending and a bukijutsu, Tessenjutsu, to be precise. Yaa was in Gendo’s opinion still wild card, he was an earth bender whom didn’t appreciate hand to hand combat. But a tactical observer was always good to have in a group, especially one that might see a lot of combat. Which a group of young avatars might encounter if Gendo’s gut feeling was right. “Well, I think that I’ll go next.” Gendo started. “My name is Gendo Rokubungi and I was born in a little village north of here. I thought I was the only bukijutsu user in this group but it seems that Arina is a Tessenjutsu user herself. I myself am an Tojutsu user which works pretty well with my air bending skills even though I want to learn Bōjutsu at some point in time. As for other useful skills, I have been on the road for two years now and that went pretty well.” Gendo started to scratch himself on the back of his head. “Well, I think that’s it for me so far. Except for the fact that I already want to say that I’ll join this group and will train and fight alongside the others that will follow Mela-Sensei.”

[FoxSVK]

Kaen smiled as Arina asked him about having his mind made up, but he pushed the sake aside. He disliked drinking in general, only doing so on very rare occasions, such as when their entire family has gathered for various celebrations. In his case, it was decided the moment Mela - Sensei told him to follow her. There was no way he could let an opportunity like this pass by. Not because of fame ... because of protecting. And also, he wanted to make his parents proud of their son. Becoming an Avatar. Years ago, even thinking about it was impossible but now, he had a chance at it. And he decided he would give it his best. But as for now, he decided it would be better to know the other people at the table better. He was really happy to see Arina there, as he would feel a bit lost without her. As for the others, it would require some more time. Given the fact that they will decide to travel with them. Becoming an Avatar was a challenge unlike any other, but Kaen believed that if they will travel together and will help out each other, then maybe one day, they can achieve the status of an Avatar. And he was now determined to do his best. No matter how long will it take, or how hard it will be. Any way, this will be a journey of a lifetime. Something that comes only once in a life. He was, however, returned from his thoughts by the speech that took place around him.

First with the introductions was Mela - Sensei. He heard about Lightning Bending before, but never seen it in action, so he hoped one day, he could ask her to show him a few tricks. On the second hand, he really did not look forward to meet Dendou - Chan, nor imagine the situation that would require his assistance. Then Mela - Sensei told them to ask personal things in a month. He wondered how he could hold out for that long, but his thoughts were again interrupted by Arina introducing herself. He could not help, he smiled at her the whole time. They spent a lot of time together when they were younger, some of these memories flashed back into Kaen´s mind. But the one thing that remained the same was Arina being a bit shy and modest. Those were the traits he liked about her. Another smile spread on his lips as she mentioned the flute. Those night when the group of friends from Konohagakure gathered and spent the night at a bonfire. Wonderful memories. So wonderful Kaen almost forgot to listen to Yaa introducing herself. She was at least honest, thought Kaen after her rather short introduction ended. Though something told him they would get along. Next up with the introduction was Gendo. His curiosity was caught by him travelling for two years. He sure had a lot of experience and seen a lot of things. It would be interesting if he could talk with him about his journeys. After he finished, Kaen decided that he would follow up by raising his hand to got everybody´s attention.

" My name is Kaen, I am from Konohagakure, as Arina. " he told, smiling a bit at the group. " I mostly bend Fire, but I do have some basic skills in bending Air. My skills in Firebending, as in combat general, are focused on hand-to-hand and close range combat, but I can use it to protect my companions as well. As for Airbending, my skills are only defensive there, but I would like to improve them to help me in offense as well. Other than that, as I said, I prefer close range combat." he continued, thinking about what else might he say. " I dislike seeing the ones I care about in trouble. My hobbies are, well ... training, improving my skills and ... cutting things from wood. Like this. " he told them, pulling out his fox shaped lucky charm from under his shirt, showing it to others. " One last thing I would like to say. I look, I look forward to travelling and training with all of you people, under the guidance of Mela - Sensei. " he finished, smiling at them and hiding his charm back under his shirt. After he finished, he suddenly felt very thirsty and reached out to the table, not noticing that he confused the cups in front of him. He took the one with sake and poured it into himself all at once. After he realized it, his eyes went wide open and he started to cough a bit, but he ended it quickly by clearing his throat. He looked around the table, waiting for somebody to speak up.

While waiting, Kaen´s mind was already somewhere else. Now, that he voiced his decision, he could not help but think about that one word. Avatar. The protector of the world. A person who accomplished great deeds for the well being of the world. One could even say a protector. Given he had a strong desire to protect the ones around him, he was even more motivated to give his best. But they also had to make difficult decisions that could change not only their lives, but lives of countless other people as well. Kaen was never used to make decisions like this the way he just decided, but this was something different. This was a dream. One he hoped he could one day accomplish. And something told him he just made the first step. He smiled at the others again, then looked at Arina again, and blinked his eye at her. He was happy that she was on board as well. Something told him that this night will mark a new chapter in his life. Hopefully, it will not be his last chapter.

[ruler710]

Faust listened as the guy described the Pro-Bending match he missed. He made the match sound like a it was a lot of fun, especially for the competitors. Faust wished he could have been there to compete but it seems he would have to wait until he is finished training. The other avatar began drinking his sake before they had even “Also before I forget, my name is Gendo. Yours was Faust if I remember correctly. So Faust, which path do you think you will choose? Because for me the choice is simple, I want to train and fight together.” Faust smiled at him as to say he would be going. He had planned to get stronger from the start and wouldn't be giving up yet. Gendo seemed to have the determination to get stronger too. Faust would ask to spar with him some time just to test strength against Gendo's. Faust turned his attention back to the rest of the group. He knew everyone would probably be going through with the training since they all showed up from all over the region. Then again their only faced with more travel now which is a drag. He sighed as Mela began to pass out sake to everyone at the table. Unlike most other bandits he never really got into drinking. It always made him feel off balance which he despised.

Faust calmly slid his sake to the side when the brown-haired girl, actually the only female avatar among the group, began to speak to him. "Oooh...your hair...it's super nice, like his." It caught him off guard with such a random thing to say. She then proceeded to point to the scrawny kid. Faust grinned at the thought that he could be compared to him. The guy didn't look like much of a fighter compared to the rest of the group. The girl was about to say her name when Mela interrupted them. "Hold it, hold it." Mela said "I think we should all go around and introduce ourselves all at once so we don't have to do this a dozen times over." Faust nodded to the idea since it would save time. Mela started since it was her idea. "I'm Mela-Sensei, if we get close enough, you can drop the formalities as long as I know you still respect me otherwise." Faust had never planned to use these anyway so she better trust that he respects her. She went on to talk about her lightning bending which bored Faust a little since he'd rather learn about his own element. The only thing that really peaked his interest was her summoning Jutsu. He had always been curious about how it worked. Mela then instructed the girl who complimented his hair to go first. Faust listened to what she said and gathered a few things about her. Her name was Arina and she was from Konohagakure and used fans for air bending, a rather weird weapon choice in his eyes. He also gathered that while being cheerful she is also a air-head having forgotten her skills.

Next was the green-haired boy. He was Yaa from Omashu, they'd never met most likely to their difference in life-styles. As expected the kid wasn't much of a fighter and speaking wasn't a strong suit either. Faust would let the kids weakness slide since he is probably the youngest among them. Gendo decided to introduce himself next. Gendo told everyone about how he had traveled for the past 2 years and used Bukijutsu which intrigued Faust a little. He would hopefully reveal more about his travels over the course of their training since that's what interested Faust the most. He ended off by stating that he plans to be going along with the group. After Gendo was Kaen also from Konohagakure, which would explain why he and Arina were so chatty. He stated that he used fire bending and air bending and would like to improve through the training. He ended off by showing off his "lucky charm" which annoyed Faust who didn't believe luck in the slightest. Faust would rather his companions to rely on their abilities than trinkets. The room soon fell silent. There were only two avatars left to introduce, himself and the guy with a strange outfit who was occupied with his menu. Seeing that the other one had no interest in speaking yet Faust stood up.

"Mela, I guess I'll go next." He used the casual way of saying it just to get her used to him using it. " Well where to start... My names Faust, I don't carry any surname. I don't really have a hometown like you guys but I live in Omashu currently. I was in an amateur Earth-boxing league before coming here to get by. I guess that covers my combat style but I'm also capable some Fire-bending. I'm really interested in learning Metal-bending ever since I learned his." Faust rose his finger which a key molded from. "I can shape these to fit almost any lock so it can come in handy. Anyway, I'll be going to Konohagakure to train with everyone else until I feel like I've gotten strong enough." He was almost finished since he didn't have much to say. As he began to sit down he looked at Gendo. "I look forward to getting to test my abilities against everyone's." Hoping he'd get the message he finished. That was all he was really willing to reveal with the group. He decided to skip the history part since it wasn't exactly his pleasant side and the last thing he wanted was for someone to rat him out or Mela to deny him training.

[Genkai]

Arina looked to the next person who went after Yaa. 'He seems nice.' She thought. He seemed to know a lot about different styles of weaponry fighting which piqued her interest right away. The girl then listened to the others, as Kaen began to speak. At the mention of herself, she sat up a little more and smiled to everyone. Everyone gave brief eloquent speeches about themselves which made Arina a bit uneasy due to her own fumbling. Mela-Sensei looked to Faust to mentioned her casually. She didn't seem too pleased but didn't speak up about it. For now, she wouldn't chastise them too much longer if it didn't become a habit. What did concern the red haired teacher was his comment about traveling until he was strong enough, that implied he was a flight risk student, one who was likely out for himself than connecting to the others like himself. Already, Mela knew to keep her eye on Faust the most. As for Arina, she was happy with everyone in the group, she foresaw them being good friends who could help the world someday. Her eyes turned to the water tribe fellow who hadn't spoke a single word. Yakone rose and walked out with his things silently and Mela-Sensei hurried after him. Arina looked to everyone else who seemed willing to stay and train. "I wonder if he's okay." Arina worried. About a minute passed and their teacher walked back in, clearly a bit unhappy with the situation.

"He says he's not ready to do this." Mela-Sensei just said as she moved around to her seat. "That's fine, he's welcomed back when he feels he is but he's just wasting his own time. Better his than ours I guess." She shrugged. "If a student isn't willing to learn," She glanced to Faust. "which is an endless process, then I'm unwilling to teach. Believe it." She said and just took another drink of sake. Arina fidgeted a little and looked to Kaen, biting her lip. "Hey, don't worry about him." Mela waved a hand. "We need to focus on who's here and ready now. He'll be back someday, I hope it won't be too late of course." And with that the topic was closed. Arina nodded and just started to eat once their food was done being brought out. The rest of meal passed by without anymore snags or awkward disruptions. Yaa noticed Mela-Sensei wasn't too bothered by the other guy leaving, for now she hoped that everyone who was around, was passionate about controlling their power and harassing it for the greater good. There were horror stories about rouge Avatars who used the power for terrible deeds. Yaa didn't want to become a black scorch mark in a fable, that was for sure. When the evening was concluding, Mela stood up but didn't give a toast. "Tonight you're all staying in the local hotel, tomorrow we head on out." She announced.

The rest of the young adults were given a key and told to go to the front desk and give them your name. Mela-Sensei parted quick after that, having paid the tab and found nothing else needed her attention. The group decided to find the hotel on their own. It wasn't as if they were children, each seemed adult in their own right, even if they thought they were a ways off from the typical adulthood. People gave their own good night and headed off. Yaa headed up to her room, filled with mixed emotions. She knew she couldn't keep up her facade as easily if she were in such a large group, maybe she could confide in someone. If she did, it would have to be a careful choice. Yaa considered Arina, being the other female, but she seemed too peppy to trust with such a personal secret. The person who seemed like a likely candidate was Gendo or Kaen. That was of course just based off of first impressions. It would take time for her to give in and follow the river like a normal human being born under the sun. But by birth, she wasn't normal, so why did she have to just give up her persona? 'I'll give it some time and hopefully no one will notice, no one will judge.' Yaa thought. After getting in bed, Yaa fell asleep within a matter of minutes, luckily the excitement and nerves of tomorrow didn't pester as much as anticipated.

As for Rina, she went to her own small room and did some exploring before falling asleep. The rooms were small, cozy and equipped with the basics. Arina paced around the floor for a while, not too sure that she could sleep even if she made a proper attempt. Arina was happy to cross paths with Kaen again, as for the others, they were fine and had interesting souls to uncover. For about an hour, she just sat by her window and admired the nightlife that had infected Republic City. In the back of her mind, she knew she would need to have strength to go back home. It was a little funny that their first destination was her hometown but it didn't bother her much. Most people would be a bit annoyed with the backwards way, and would have just opted to stay in Konohagakure and just wait for everyone. But you could meet so many interesting people on the road, so why not go just for that unique chance? 'It should only take a day or two to go back to Konohagakure, if we're quick about it.' She considered as she slowly got into bed. While she didn't think she was too tired, she was out, basked in darkness within under a half of an hour. Morning came and Arina was quick to get out of bed and repack. She headed down to the lobby and looked around. There hadn't been an exact meeting place, nor time established and Arina began to wonder if the events of last night have been nothing more than a dream. It wasn't until the green haired lad joined her, that she found relief. "Hey, good morning."

"Morning, Arina-san." Yaa replied politely.

"Do you know where or when we're supposed to meet to leave?" She asked him. Yaa just shook her head at Arina. "Aw...hmm."

The door opened and Mela-Sensei swept in and just moved over to the front desk and then turned to the first two. "Morning, kids." Mela greeted them. They didn't have to wait very long until everyone was down and ready to depart. "I've heard recent rumors that our destination is becoming clouded in disarray and it's up to us to settle some matters before we can learn anything new." Mela-Sensei told them as they walked toward the exit of Republic City. "It seems that a lot of crime has been happening and it's too much now...too much for everyday people to take care of, this is where we, or better yet, the lot of you, come in." She told them. Arina took time to give Kaen a look before they exited the large city and headed down a dirt road which contrasted with the paved streets they were leaving behind them. Arina knew Konohagakure wasn't great but she hated to think how badly things had escalated lately. This would be personal for her and she reminded herself that if she did get to travel, she had to treat each case just as deeply because there was always someone innocent getting hurt, getting caught in the middle. "I have information being fed to be from the town but as of yesterday, the daily correspondences have ceased. I feel like he group wrecking havoc is about to do something very dangerous and drastic."

"Do you really think we can handle this?" Yaa questioned. It sounded serious, was it their place?

"No." Mela-Sensei was honest at least. "However, as a whole you all should be capable of holding your own at least." It wasn't like Mela was prepared to sit back and relax, but she needed to show the Avatars their role in life and why not take them into a deeper end of the pool, so to speak?

[FoxSVK]

As everybody finished their short introduction speech, Kaen turned to his meal as the others. Or he wanted to, just as Yakone stood up and without uttering a single word, he left the place. Mela-Sensei hurried after him, but as soon as she returned, it was clear how things turned out. So their journey has not begun, but they already lost one person. He was unsure about how to feel about to event, but he simply decided to let it pass, just for now. Kaen just hoped he would be the one last to leave. As much as he wanted to leave the thought behind, he was curious about the opinions of the others. But he could not convince himself to ask. It was not important anyway. The thing that was that starting tomorrow, they had to stick together and do exactly as instructed by Mela-Sensei. Just as he was thinking about it, their Teacher returned, assuring them that if he will really want to do this, he would be able to find them. Surprisingly for Kaen, she was much more calmer then he anticipated she will be. A few seconds later, Kaen scolded himself for being surprised about it. After all, Mela-Sensei had more experience, both in bending and in life then the remainder of them put together. But it still amazed him, handling this situation with such little effort. He smiled a bit, realizing that their teacher was far more experienced then Kaen though at first. He looked forward to start his studies under her guidance.

As soon as they finished their meal, Mela-Sensei told them about the hotel that will house them for tonight, before they departure to Konohagakure. Kaen was surprised by their destination, but he looked forward to it. It was always good to return home, even if only a while passed since his departure. The reaction of his parents was the most anticipated thing about his return, given that he will get the chance to speak with them. But that could wait until they arrive. After receiving his key, he headed towards the hotel with the others, finding it with ease. His room was directly under the roof. As he entered the room, he only placed down his bag at the door. By opening one of the larger windows, he placed himself next to it, hearing the busy chatter coming down from the street, but his eyes were set on the sky. The stars were not very clear due to the city lights, but the view was still a nice one. It helped him easing his mind after the events that happened in the past few hours. Thinking about the group that gathered, that will start to travel together, to grow together. Maybe, if they will do their best, becoming legends together. But that was still in the future. They had to be mindful about the present. Kaen placed one of his hands on his chest, to the middle of it, on his lucky charm. " I believe you will cooperate with me ... Rokujou. " he told to himself, nothing more.

As the minutes slowly passed on, he was slowly falling asleep. The quiet, calm chatter from the street, reminded him of his days in Konohagakure, when the childhood friends gathered and spent their nights out at bonfires, talking, laughing together. The days that made him and Arina good friends, a fact that he was especially glad for. Not that he would panic, but having somebody you already know in a group that you will travel with would only be good. He hoped that not only for him, but for Arina as well. As more and more minutes passed, Kaen hoped that he will be able to become friends with most of the members of the group. That was the last thought that crossed his mind before falling asleep at the open window. The night passed quickly for him, and he woke up quiet rested. The first thing after he sat up on his bed was to look out of the window. Republic City was already awakening into another busy day, but Kaen had no time to enjoy the sight. He quickly packed his stuff and prepared to leave. He was done in about ten minutes, and after carefully locking the door and heading down to meet the others, returning the key on the way. As he arrived, Mela-Sensei was already there. He arrived just in time to hear what she had to say. And the news were not that good.

Kaen loved his village with his entire heart, but he hated to think about how much the place has changed in the last few months. The quiet village turned into a realm of criminals, bandits and other trash from far around. The villagers themselves were unable to do anything about it, so it was only logical that would be their first stop. As much as he wanted to return home, he was afraid about what might welcome him there. With the correspondence going silent, there was almost no way to get any reliable news about the state of the village. Luckily for them, Konohagakure was only a one-two day trip from Republic City, given the fact that everything will proceed smoothly. Kaen somehow doubted that. He felt even worse after the prediction of Mela-Sensei about something drastic about to go down in his beloved village. He was thking. About his parents, his friends, the people he knew in the village, the village itself. He looked at Arina, curious about how she handled the news about the past events. To his relief, she was alright, or she was very good at hiding her thoughts about the events. Kaen was probably not good about hiding his feelings, and Yaa´s question was something like a breaking point for him. He had to voice his opinion. But at first, he let Mela-Sensei spoke. He knew his place.

" Of course we can do it. We have to do it. And ... as, as Mela-Sensei said, we can only do it together. Yes, I am this upset because it is my home village. But ... but there is something more in it then just that. It is our first journey together. Maybe even our first trial. Nobody knows what is waiting for us ... that´s why I ask all of you. Put our differences aside. Please. " he said, turning to all of them, curious about their reaction.