The halls of the Earth Rumble stadium were dark and quiet as you wandered through them. Being a firebender you had always been prideful, and what better way to show of your skill and loyalty to your nation than to defeat the strongest earthbender at this arena, the only problem is you didn't know exatly who they were. As you walked your mind conjured up images of a massive beast of a man, you only needed to find him.
As you walked, you saw a young girl in a traditional Earth Nation robe walking towards you; maybe you could learn who the champion was from this girl.
"Hey! Hello! May I ask who is the local champion?"
"Oh, you're looking for the champion, are you? What do you want with them?~" Toph grinned at him, her black hair falling over her eyes. She was shorter than him and had a muscular build, but something about her seemed... off. "I'm the champion here." She smiled slightly wider, as if daring him to not believe her.
"Is the blind young girl here a champion in earth magic? Wow, that's new! If you're not lying, I'm impressed! Let me introduce myself, I'm Nicholas. I'm a firebender, and I'm here to challenge you. But first, let me at least know your name."
"Well, well, look who it is! A firebender wanting to challenge the great and mighty Toph Beifong, Earth Rumble champion." She chuckled. "My name's Toph, but you can call me 'The Blind Bandit'. Now come on, Twinkle Toes, show me what you've got!"
Her stance widened as she squared up to him, eager for a fight. Her ears picked up the soft sound of earth trembling beneath her feet, and she grinned.
"Great! I like your attitude! So, when can we have a duel?"
"Anytime, Twinkle Toes. How about now? Don't worry, I'll make sure not to crush you too hard... yet."
"Hehehe, that's great! You're a bit overconfident. Can we go to the arena?"
"Hah, an arena? Nah, I'd rather just take you down right here. Besides, I bet you don't wanna embarrass yourself in front of an audience. Meet me out back instead. And don't bother trying to sneak up on me - my feet always know when someone's coming."
I reply:
"Huh, well. Have it your way. I don't care where I kick your ass."
"What? You think you can beat me with your fire tricks? I bet my ass you won't last five minutes against me."
"Heh, we'll see. Are you ready?"
Receiving an affirmative answer, I started the countdown:
"Three... Two... One... Let's go!"
As you counted down, Toph took up her fighting stance once more. Her feet shifted slightly as she felt the vibrations in the ground, sensing your movements before you'd even taken a step closer to her. A wicked grin spread across her face as you began. She lunged forward suddenly, aiming to grab hold of one of your legs with both hands and trip you up. At the same time, she focused on shaking the ground beneath your feet, trying to force you off balance.
I use the jet propulsion of the fire released from my hands to stay on my feet and jump back a dozen meters away from Toph. She picked up huge rocks from the ground and started throwing them at me. I dodged her attacks, waiting, researching her tactics and devising a plan. Throwing more rocks at me, Toph laughs and says:
"That's it? Are you going to keep running from me, or are you just going to give up?"
I quickly realize that even though she's blind, she's guided by the vibrations of the ground, which she reads with her feet. I take off into the air on jet propulsion and start creating explosions around her to confuse and misdirect her. My plan works, and she quickly loses me and tries to attack blindly, blasting attacks around her.
"Well played, Fireboy! You managed to throw me off for a second there. But don't get too cocky - this is just the beginning!"
I suddenly attacked her from above, picking her up and flying her a dozen meters into the air.
"You're wrong. This isn't just the beginning, it's the end."
Without the ground beneath her feet, she's completely helpless. I toss her up a little higher and launch a few light fire attacks, trying not to hurt her too much, but only to wear her down and weaken her. Then I toss it into the crown of a large tree nearby. I fly over to her, and stand on a nearby branch.
"That's it. And all that showing off! 'You can't beat me! I bet your ass you won't last five minutes!' Okay, let me get you back down to the ground."
I pick her up again, more gently this time, and lower her slowly to the ground.
"Gaaah! Whoa there, Fireboy! Easy does it! Not so rough, okay? You got your point, but no need to rub it in. Guess you've still got some moves left in you after all. Alright, alright, I admit defeat this time..."
:P
(Toph grins sheepishly and brushes herself off)
"Okay, I'm sorry. I have to admit, you fought very honorably too. Yeah, you attacked too crazily, and when I went up in the air and you lost me you should have concentrated on defense... But you impressed me, very much so."
"Oh, stop it! You're just saying that 'cause I lost!" She giggles, blushing slightly. "But hey, maybe we could spar again sometime? Just for fun, you know? Get to know each other better?" Her voice trails off as she ponders the idea, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips.
"I'm all for it."
"Really?" Toph says with raised eyebrows. "In that case... how about we make it a friendly wager? The loser has to do whatever the winner wants for a day." She grins mischievously, her blind eyes sparkling with amusement. "You in, Twinkle Toes?"
After thinking for a bit, I smiled, shook Toph's hand, and said: "Yeah, I'm in."
Well then! I guess we better get practicing. No more holding back this time! Let's see who the real champion is!" Toph grins wickedly, her excitement evident in every movement she makes as she readies herself for their next battle.
"But first," she continues with a wink, "how about we find somewhere to eat? I'm starving after that little spar."
After walking through the streets of the city, we walked into a small cafe. Sitting at a table and eating leisurely, Toph asked me: "So... Why are you here? You know, fire people aren't very popular here. It's war, you know. Are you just passing through?" I answered: "No, I fled the Fire Nation because I don't support what's going on. I'm just traveling, developing my fire magic skills and fighting other mages."
"Hmm..." She hummed, considering your words. "I can understand that. People don't always see eye-to-eye on things like that. But you know what they say about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer?" Toph grinned mischievously as she took another bite of her food. "Maybe we should spar again soon, just to keep an eye on each other."
Her mind wandered back to their earlier match, remembering how surprised she was by Nicholas's skill.
"I don't mind." "Then let's go have another match right now." Toph took my hand and led me to the spot where we'd fought the other day.
Without further ado, Toph squared off against Nicholas once more. This time, however, she didn't hold back at all; her every movement radiated determination and focus as she sought to prove herself the superior earthbender. Her feet danced across the ground, feeling out his movements before he even made them, allowing her to anticipate his attacks with ease.
Nicholas, on the other hand, struggled against her newfound ferocity; his firebending skills were no match for her masterful earthbending techniques.
I tried to confuse Toph again with multiple explosions, but not seeing the stone flying at me in the cloud of dust I received a strong blow, fell to the ground, and Toph, taking advantage of the moment, shackled my hands and feet in the stone thereby immobilizing me. "Heh, well done, Toph."
Toph grinned triumphantly as she stood over you, her chest heaving with exertion. "I told you I'd keep you in line, Twinkle Toes," she said between breaths. With a flick of her wrist, she sent another rock flying towards your head, laughing as it narrowly missed and buried itself into the ground nearby.
"Do you remember our wager?"
"Yes, I remember. The loser fulfills the winner's wishes."
"Well then," she said with an impish grin, "I guess it's your turn to serve me for the day!" She paused dramatically before continuing, "But I suppose I could make it a little more fun... how about we spend the day together, just the two of us?" Her eyebrows raised inquisitively. "What do you think, Twinkle Toes?"
Her voice was laced with an underlying tone of challenge and teasing, daring you to refuse her offer.
"Well, that's our wager, anyway, I can't refuse."
"Oh ho! I like the way you think," Toph purred, her fingers dancing through the air as she walked around you, inspecting her handiwork. "I suppose we'll just have to see what kind of fun we can get into together, won't we?" She paused again, this time leaning down closer to your ear and whispering huskily, "Just remember who the boss is today, Twinkle Toes."
Her breath tickled your skin, sending shivers down your spine despite yourself.
"Heh, okay, I get it."
With a satisfied grin on her face, Toph tugged on one of the ropes binding your hands and feet, testing their strength before releasing you again with a laugh. "Now then," she said, clapping her hands together briskly, "what would you like to do today, my little prisoner?" Her tone was light and teasing, but there was an undercurrent of genuine curiosity beneath the surface.
She looked at you expectantly, one eyebrow raised inquisitively.