Avatar: God Of Bending

Standing in the front of the class, I looked at my fellow Air Nomads in training and slightly bowed toward them before looking east as I lowered my stance and brought forth my palms, slowly spinning them in a slight circle as I manipulated the surrounding air. Stepping forward, I gently pushed my palms forward, causing the air to do the same as a soft gust was pushed forward; sliding my foot on the ground, I swiftly moved my right hand underneath my left arm, creating yet another soft gust of air as I followed the exact scripture of Baguazhang, the martial art us Air Nomads practice every day.

Unlike what one may think when the term martial art is mentioned, Baguazhang isn't offensive by nature; it's a defensive martial art focused mainly on one's footwork, flexibility, and the ability to be agile like the air itself. Now, there are some offensive stances in Baguazhang, though they are only taught in the intermediate stage, which I'm close to mastering; however, although I call them offensive, they're offensive for us Air Nomands, who are pacifists by nature and hardly have a single aggressive bone in our body. In reality, the so-called offensive stances are merely meant to divert your opponent's bending, immobilize, and daze them; nothing that'll cause even short-term pain, but that is okay.

While I wouldn't necessarily call myself a pacifist, I was by no means violent or aggressive; I was a calm person who preferred solving problems with words rather than violence; after all, using violence not only puts my opponent at risk but me as well. However, if, after even several attempts, peaceful negotiations still don't work, I will get violent and aggressive if need be; while I preferred peace, I wasn't frightened of violence; it was merely my last resort.

'We Air Nomads may be pacifists, but we're still human, so even we have limits.' Mused Aang softly as he continued to practice the thirty-six stances of Baguazhang, slowly losing himself in air bending.

By the time I had finished the thirty-sixth stance, I was so focused on practicing that I had momentarily forgotten where I was and what I was supposed to be doing, which was quite common for me; after all, bending was such a marvelous and calming experience, it was hard for me not to lose myself. To put it into more modern words, it would be like a sort of spiritual high; it felt like my soul itself was ascending to a higher plane of existence, though I may just be exaggerating.

Swirling my arms through the air, gathering a surplus of wind, I once again pushed my palms forward, yet unlike last time, a mighty gust of wind was thrust into the world, causing my clothes to shake violently while I raised my leg high into the air before slicing my palm towards the ground, unleashing yet another gust of mighty wind; however, when I went to continue, I suddenly felt a hand grasp my shoulder, breaking me from my spiritual high as I turned and looked at Monk Gyatso, who was giving me a blank look.

"I think you've exhibited the 36 stances of Baguazhang perfectly, Aang; well done." Said Gyatso lightly as he looked at Aang, who clasped his hands together before slightly bowing and returning to his spot on the ground.

Pretending as if I wasn't being stared at by roughly thirty or so children, who were all looking at me in awe and fascination, I focused on Monk Gyatso.

"Hurmph. Now then, young Air Nomads, after witnessing Aang's masterful display of Baguazhang, I'd like each and every one of you to spread out and begin practicing. Also, don't think I won't spot those of you who didn't do their daily practice; I may be old, but I'm not senile." Remarked Gyatso with a cough, gathering everyone's attention while surveying the crowd, causing them to nod as they stood up and spread apart.

Although I didn't wish to, I still followed Monk Gyatso's words and practiced the thirty-six foundational stances of Baguazhang, and for the next thirty or so minutes, that's all I did while Monk Gyatso walked around, inspecting, advising, and helping the other children who were all intently focused.

'It may not be as enjoyable as practicing stances I've yet to master, but it's still soothing to the mind; besides, these thirty-six stances are the foundation of Baguazhang as a whole. If I don't know the stances, I won't master the more advanced forms of air bending.' Thought Aang softly as he gently shook his head before focusing and repeatedly cycling between stances, his body moving without a single deviation.

Eventually, after another thirty or so minutes, Monk Gyatso had us stop since most of the children were beginning to show chi exhaustion, which isn't anything serious; it merely makes one sleepy, though if one's not careful, further use of chi can result in serious problems, such as falling into a coma until ones chi is naturally filled, or even death. However, funnily enough, throughout the years, I've never once felt chi exhaustion, which I suppose just goes to show how large my chi pool or dantian is.

'Hmm, I wonder if my wish for talent also refers to an increased chi pool? Or maybe it's just because I'm the Avatar, so I naturally have a large chi pool. Maybe both?' Thought Aang lightly with a thoughtful expression as he stopped practicing and calmly sat down while looking at Monk Gyatso, who clapped his hands, gathering everyone's attention once more.

"Splendid performance, now, I shall not lie; some of you need to stop fooling around so much and actually practice; even an amateur would notice your sloppy movements." Stated Monky Gyatso softly with a faint frown as he looked at the crowd, specifically focusing on three people, who all blushed in shame and looked away while the crowd lightly chuckled.

"However, just because a few of you like to goof around more than others doesn't mean the rest of you can slack on your practice, and if you're having difficulty in a certain stance, you have many brothers to ask, and I will gladly help, though, with Aang, none of you will need to ask me; he should be able to assist you without fail." Added Gyatso lightly with a slightly stern look as he eyed the crowd, only to soft smile while gesturing to Aang, who internally sighed before nodding.

"Anywho, the class will be dismissed for now. Remember to rest well, eat, and meditate." Remarked Gyatso while looking at everyone, causing them to all smile in slight exhaustion as they stood up and quickly left, leaving Aang alone.

Standing up as well, I glanced at the disappearing children before looking at Monk Gyatso, only to lower my stance as I faced him, causing him to smile softly.

"Hoho, you wish to challenge me again? So soon?" Asked Gyatso with an amused chuckle as he looked at Aang, who calmly nodded.

"Yes. The best and most efficient way to further my understanding of bending is to challenge the best Air Nomad; I won't win, but it's not about winning; it's about learning." Replied Aang with a slight nod as he furrowed his brows and eyed Gyatso, who copied his stance and lowered himself as well while raising his palms, facing them towards Aang.

Seeing that Monk Gyatso was ready, I stepped forward and gently slammed my hand against the air, surging a gust of wind towards him, though with a simple swirl of his hands, he easily diverted the gust of wind before sending it back at me, causing me to frown, though I expected such a response. Bring my hands forward like a spear, I split the wind in two before reaching my hands back and launching two more gusts of wind, yet the same happened; Monk Gyatso waved his arm in a circle, creating a small vortex that absorbed my own wind, further powering itself only for it to dissipate suddenly.

Despite how effortlessly Monk Gyatso handled my bending, I wasn't upset. I had expected this; after all, no matter how talented I am, I could never beat him, not at my current age. However, even so, I continued to showcase my bending to him. 

We continued for several minutes, and while I'm sure from a non-Air Nomad, it may seem like we're fighting, but that couldn't be further from the truth; besides, I'd be stupid to try and fight Monk Gyatso. What we were doing wasn't even considered a spar; we were merely exchanging our comprehension of air bending, which is usually something only the older generation does, as it allows one to more deeply understand how they view bending; that is what Monk Gyatso was doing.

Truthfully, there is no such thing as a winner when it comes to this; it's purely meant to further our understanding, and that's exactly what I did, learning from the best Air Nomad in the Southern Air Temple.

Yet, while I say that, once Monk Gyatso actually began to reveal his level of comprehension of air bending, I couldn't even stand my ground, and I was constantly getting pushed back, and even though I tried to hold on, my three years of learning air bending wasn't nearly enough to withstand his experience.

"I lost. Thank you for the experience, Monk Gyatso." Stated Aang softly as he collapsed his hands and bowed to Gyatso, who was now numerous meters away.

"Hoho, but of course, Aang, you're not the only one learning from such an exchange; learning from someone talented like yourself is a whole new perspective. Though, I don't think I've ever seen someone smile when they lose." Remarked Gyatso with a faint smile as he placed his hands behind his back and stood upright while looking at Aang, who sported a smile like no other.

"There is no reason to be saddened by losing; after all, such is a part of life. Anyways, I shall get going; I must meditate on what I have just learned." Said Aang lightly with a smile as he looked at Gyatso, who nodded with a laugh, only for him to swiftly depart from the scene, moving even faster than the children from earlier.

"Hoho, this boy. Haa." Muttered Gytaso with a chuckle as he looked at Aang, only to softly sigh and walk away.