It had been quite some time since Kahn last visited the imperial palace.
Now, on the training grounds behind his home, Kahn and Azula were locked in a fierce back-and-forth.
To be exact—it was a back-and-forth of dodging.
Although Kahn's progress under Uncle Iroh's guidance was astonishing, he still hadn't entered the second stage of Firebending.
Mastering its variations. Without that, it was impossible for him to directly match Azula in raw power.
However, Azula was improving as well.
She was a Firebending prodigy—her growth came as naturally as breathing.
The advanced Firebending variations she had begun to master were far more powerful than the basics, but they required wider movements and more energy, creating tiny openings.
Those openings might have been invisible to most people, but not to Kahn.
Azula's flexibility and combat intuition usually made up for her weaknesses, giving her a nearly flawless rhythm in battle—but against Kahn, whose dodging instincts were maxed out to an absurd degree, even her precision wasn't enough.
This was exactly why she couldn't land a clean hit before.
After realizing that, Azula began studying basic Firebending again—and soon, she suppressed him once more.
Now, her fighting style had evolved.
She used basic Firebending to break through defenses, transitioned into powerful strikes for impact, and even mixed in feints to confuse Kahn's reactions.
The result? Kahn often found himself nearly cornered.
Azula wasn't just a Firebending genius—she was a combat genius.
If Kahn hadn't been training under Iroh, Azula's seamless combination of technique and deception would've crushed him.
But even so, the pressure on Kahn had skyrocketed.
He could no longer rely on cheap dodging tricks or pure reflexes—he had to truly fight.
Fortunately, his Firebending had become more dynamic.
Combined with his fluid movements, he could now strike back while evading, his attacks sharp and unpredictable.
Azula couldn't simply ignore them.
She was forced to dodge or counter, and every defensive action disrupted her rhythm—giving Kahn a small but precious chance to breathe.
For now, they maintained a delicate equilibrium. Neither had the upper hand.
"So amazing…" Zuko swallowed hard as he watched them clash.
Compared to those two, his Firebending looked like child's play.
Azula's strength was one thing—but Kahn's progress was downright insane.
Beside him, Iroh folded his arms and smiled warmly. "Young people these days truly are remarkable."
Judging from their form, precision, and combat awareness, most adult Firebenders couldn't even compare.
Even teachers at the Firebending Academy would have been embarrassed.
He paused, stroking his beard. Hmm… what was I like at their age?
After a moment's thought, he decided confidently, Probably the same.
"Uncle Iroh," Zuko muttered uncertainly, "Am I really as useless as Father says? A good-for-nothing with no Firebending talent?"
"Of course not." Iroh smiled gently, resting a heavy hand on Zuko's shoulder. "You're already quite good. It's just that those two… are a bit special."
He sighed inwardly. Poor boy.
Who would've thought that two freakish geniuses like Azula and Kahn would appear at the same time—and even end up spending all their time together?
Growing up beside those two monsters, it was a miracle Zuko still had any confidence left.
But Iroh believed in him.
As the old saying went, blessings and misfortunes are intertwined.
If Zuko could withstand the pressure of constantly being outshined, he would one day grow into someone even greater.
"If you don't want to be left behind," Iroh said kindly, "Then you'll just have to work harder from now on."
Zuko straightened, his eyes firm. "Understood!"
Good. He'd been inspired.
When Zuko became Fire Lord someday, Kahn and Azula would definitely be his strongest—and most complicated—allies.
Iroh turned his gaze back to the sparring pair.
Once, he would never have imagined Azula as part of that future… but now, things had changed.
That would depend, of course, on how far Kahn could reach.
When Kahn and Iroh had first talked about Azula, he thought they were just casual friends.
But he soon realized their relationship had progressed much faster than expected.
Ever since Zuko had been allowed to move around freely, Azula's habit of climbing over walls had become… bolder.
She no longer bothered to hide from Iroh—she'd just show up, scaling the wall right in front of them while Zuko and Iroh stared in disbelief.
Zuko protested at first, but eventually gave up.
Iroh didn't even try to stop her—he simply welcomed her in, saying it was fine "on Kahn's behalf."
Kahn, meanwhile, could only gape. "Uh, this is my house, you know? Why are you all acting like it's yours?"
Iroh laughed heartily. "I can't control her."
Zuko just gave him a look that screamed, Good luck with that.
As for Azula—she didn't even respond. She just kicked at Kahn in annoyance.
(He dodged, naturally.)
"Unbelievable," Kahn muttered. "There's no justice in this world."
Before long, even Mai and Ty Lee started tagging along to his place.
Kahn's house, though modest compared to the palace, was spacious enough.
It had everything they needed—and, most importantly, freedom.
The imperial palace was luxurious but suffocating.
Guards and servants lurked everywhere, and the shadow of Ozai's rule hung over every corner.
But here? No guards. No maids. No Emperor. Just air, laughter, and peace.
It felt alive.
The girls even started treating it like their own secret base, cleaning and decorating the rooms themselves.
Aside from Kahn's bedroom, every other space—the living room, the kitchen, even the garden—was tidied up and made new again.
They discussed plans like it was a game, arguing over which room should become what.
Iroh even joined in, claiming one room to turn into his personal tea room.
Kahn pretended to complain, but deep down, he didn't really mind.
For the first time in a long while, his home was full of warmth and laughter again.
It was noisy, chaotic, and… surprisingly comforting.
And he found himself thinking, as he watched them all bicker and laugh—
Yeah. This feeling's not bad at all.