Kon stood in the stone courtyard, opposite Iroh. Kon's heart pounded. 'This is it. My first time fight someone other than that ugly capsicum mom puts in the food.'
Kon had seen other people of Ryūkami spar. While the Ryūkami people stayed away from the world below, they still meditated, trained their bending forms and spares regularly with each other.
Monthly Competitions were often held across different age groups to keep people battle ready. Everyone knew that the dangers of the world could come and bite them too some day. Besides, everyone enjoyed playing with their elements and it was also a form of entertainment for the people.
Kon remembered that his mom won the last two monthly competition for the adults. She was the best water bender in a long time in Ryūkami.
The same was true for his father who won the competition before his mother.
Iroh's voice broke the silence, calm but firm. "Remember, Kon, fire is not just passion. It is something you control, something that bends to your will. Now, let's have a spar, little one."
Kon didn't wait. He lunged forward, low and fast, his body twisting into a rising spinning back-kick.
Flames trailed his foot in a sharp arc, slicing through the air like a whip.
Iroh leaned back, the fire missing him by inches, his robes fluttering. With a subtle thrust of his palm, he sent a short burst of flame toward Kon's midsection, the heat sharp and precise.
Kon dropped to the ground, rolling beneath the burst, and swept his leg out. A circle of fire spun from his movement, low and wide, aiming for Iroh's feet. 'Got you now!'
Iroh hopped lightly, evading the sweep, and landed with a grounded stomp. A pulse of heat rippled across the stone, forcing Kon to skid backward, heels digging into the ground to stop himself.
Kon gritted his teeth and surged forward, throwing a series of punches—left, right, left. Each jab launched a small fireball, streaking toward Iroh like glowing darts.
Iroh moved like water, sidestepping, turning, redirecting each flame with graceful arcs of his hands. The fireballs curved away, fizzling harmlessly against the courtyard walls. "Control, Kon!" Iroh called. "Don't just throw fire—guide it! And you have more than fire to rely on. Don't forget about your air bending."
Kon growled, frustration bubbling. He flew high, backflipped mid-air, and unleashed a spinning wheel of fire downward, a blazing ring roaring toward Iroh.
Iroh's eyes narrowed. He thrust both hands upward, summoning a rising pillar of flame. The two fires collided mid-air, exploding into a shower of sparks that rained down like falling stars.
Before Kon could react, Iroh's legs exploded with fire as he reached Kon up in the air and planted a firm palm on his chest—not hard, but packed with compressed heat. The force sent Kon tumbling down, rolling across the grass before he caught himself, sliding to a stop.
'What was that? No flames, just… heat?' Kon thought as he rubbed his chest.
Iroh' said "Enough sparring for today, Kon. But remember that you are not safe if you can fly, other people can have means to reach you up in the air. Sit. Let me tell you about fire benders other forms for your next lesson."
Kon plopped onto a flat stone, wiping his face. 'More forms? I thought I was getting good at this.'
"What else is there? I can make fire, aim it. Isn't that enough?"
Iroh sat cross-legged, his smile warm. "Fire is energy, Kon. It's not just flames. You've learned to fight, but there are deeper arts—heatbending, lightningbending, combustionbending, and flame divination. Each is a path to mastery. Listen closely."
Iroh raised a hand, and the air shimmered with warmth, no flames in sight. "Heatbending is fire at its lowest intensity. No burning, just compressed heat. You can warm a room, melt metal, or enhance your strikes with invisible force."
Kon's eyes widened. "So that palm thing—that was heatbending?"
Iroh nodded. "Yes. It's why firebenders survive cold prisons. We heat our bodies to stay alive. With practice, you can send shockwaves or even melt iron. By heating you own body, you can burn away diseases and poisons in your body too."
Kon grinned. 'Punches that hit like a furnace? I want that.'
"Heat bending can be applied to your flame bending to increase the temperature of your flames to a ridiculous degrees. There are a spectrum of colours of flames out there."
"The hottest flame out there is the colour of White." As Iroh said that, a small white flame burst on the top of his outstretched hand.
Kon immediately started sweating from the rise in temperature. He could feel his lips cracking as they immediately went dry.
Iroh made the flame disappear. "This should tell you that you have just started mastering Fire bending but it would take decades for you to master it."
Iroh's tone grew serious. "Lightningbending is fire at its highest intensity. You separate the 'yin' and 'yang' energies in your chi, then guide them as they collide into a bolt of lightning. It's dangerous but powerful."
Kon leaned forward. "You mean… actual lightning? Like from a storm?"
"Yes," Iroh said. "It's rare, and only masters attempt it."
Iroh hands sparked with lightning as he gave a short demonstration to Kon.
'Lightning from my hands?' Kon's mind raced. 'That's insane.'
Iroh tapped his forehead. "Combustionbending is the rarest form of fire bending. You channel all your chi through a point of chi that resides here, releasing a pulse of heat that explodes on impact. It's devastating but risky."
Kon's jaw dropped. "Explodes? Like a fireball that blows up?"
"Exactly, Well not exactly" Iroh said. " It's a lot more destructive than a fireball. Few are born with the gift. Others are trained, but many don't survive. A focused mind is key, or it can harm the bender."
Kon touched his forehead, uneasy. 'That sounds… too much.'
"Can you do it?"
Iroh's smile was cryptic. "I've seen it done. That's enough for now."
Iroh's voice softened. "Flame divination is not for fighting. You dance flames over someone's body, following their chi paths to find blockages or spiritual sickness. Skilled benders can even heal broken chi."
Kon tilted his head. "Heal? With fire?"
"Yes," Iroh said. "An Avatar once mimicked Phoenix fire, healing even a broken heart."
"I want to learn that one," he said quietly.
Iroh's eyes twinkled. "You will, in time."
Iroh stood, brushing his robes. "That's enough for today. Go to the library, Kon. Read about these forms. Start with heatbending—it's the safest. I'll guide you when you're ready."
Kon frowned, standing. "Why the library? Can't you just teach me?"
"Spoon-feeding stunts growth," Iroh said. "I've taught you to bend fire. Now, learn its depths yourself. Meanwhile, I'll teach you to fight with the normal Fire-bending—and one day, a weapon."
Kon's eyes lit up. 'A weapon?'
"Like a sword?"
Iroh chuckled. "In time, little one. For now, study."