Aang and Katara were surprised at the idea that there were people that didn't know what bending was. "You don't know what bending is?" Aang asked, as he started to recover from his shock. "It's just the coolest thing in the world."
"It might be, but the fact is that we do not know what it is. Likely due to the fact that bending is not native to our world. Perhaps you can explain the basics so that we can understand." Cologne asked.
Katara took a deep breath and then started her explanation. "Bending is the ability of people to manipulate the four elements by way of different movements. Each nation has it's own style of bending. Airbending for Air Nomads, waterbending for the Water Tribes, earthbending for the Earth Kingdom and firebending for the Fire Nation. Only one person, the Avatar, has the power to bend all four elements. It is the Avatar's job to keep peace between the four nations and keep the balance."
"But I take it something happened a hundred years ago to stop the Avatar from doing his job." Ranma said.
"The Avatar disappeared over a hundred years ago." Katara said looking over to the young man that was sitting near her. Cologne took note of it and kept it in her mind. "Aang and I are benders. Aang is an expert of airbender and I am a waterbender."
"Would you like to see?" Aang said, as he got up. He started to breath in an controlled manner as he started to move in a pattern. He motioned with his arms as the winds picked up around them. Ranma and Cologne seemed greatly interested in the action and the fact the wind was coming from no known source. With a final thrust of his hands, a blast of air flew in front of the young boy.
"Ranma," Cologne asked, "Did you recognize those moves?"
That got the native trio's attention. "I think so. That was Ba Gua, wasn't?" Said Ranma, as he noticed the moves that were used.
"Ba Gua? It was just airbending." Aang said, curious about what Ranma and Cologne were saying.
"Ba Gua is a fighting style on our world that uses the quick, circular motions. The user also tries to get behind the user." Ranma said. "It's not one of the styles that I commonly practise, but I have studied it." Ranma got up and tried to copy the moves that Aang had tried before him. Wind started to gather again, surrounding Ranma.. before he was pulled out of the kata by the winds and then went spinning around till he banged into a wall. Ranma was stunned for a few minutes as that happened.
Sokka and Katara looked on with shock at the fact that Ranma seemed to be an airbender. A type of bending that only Aang was suppose to have. But Aang was jumping up and down with excitement. "I can't believe that you're an airbender. That means that I'm not the only one." Aang went to help Ranma up.
Ranma nodded and thought. This was a new martial arts style that he could master and learn to use. But the pure power of it meant that he would either have to go slowly, mastering the basic elements of every motion. Or he would have to take a master to train under. From the look at things, Aang was the only person that could be his master.
Ranma looked over at the others and notice that Shampoo was up and trying to duplicate the moves that Aang and Ranma had performed. But while she was about to get the movements nearly right, she didn't seem able to produce the winds that Ranma or Aang were able to.
"Shampoo doesn't seem to be able to do the same move as Aang or her beloved." She said, as she finally gave up.
"Well, it could just be that you are not an airbender. But that doesn't mean that you're not a bender. I'm a waterbender. Perhaps I could show you some of my moves and see if you are a waterbender." Katara said as she motion to Shampoo to come to a corner. Ranma was going and talking to Aang in another corner. Leaving Cologne and Sokka with each other.
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(Posted Mon, 13 Mar 2006 22:32)
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