Learning Earth [Flashback]

A twelve year old Kuzon arrived in the city of Omashu with a grim look of depression marring his young features. He had just lost his family and his home, so it was understandable. But, the bright side, is that he would begin learning bending soon, so he had that to look forward to at least. Though, he still had around two weeks before his teacher was to meet them in Omashu to begin his training, so he was stuck waiting until then. But, while he waited he worked on his Earthbending anyways. He didn't get very far, not even being able to make a little pebble move, but he knew given time and effort, he would make progress. It was quite the concept to think that a child such as himself could learn to control elements to such a degree. But, he was beginning the process.

1/5 (Training with master, so 50% off)

It was two weeks to the day upon his arriving to Omashu that his teacher arrived to his compound. Master Goh as he was instructed to address the man, was a short, bulky looking guy without much hair. It was hard for Kuzon to take him seriously at first, but after a display of Earthbending, Kuzon learned not to mess with the man. He had attempted to catch him off guard with a surprise attack but found himself on the ground faster than he was able to tell what was happening. But, it paved the starting point for his first lesson in earthbending, patience. For the next several months, he was taught how to think like a rock, or so Goh put it. But, by the end of the six months mark, he was able to preform the most rudimentary of Earthbending techniques, and was well on his way to learning the element.

2/5

During the first three years, he did nothing but learn the basics of Earthbending. At some points he would go days on end learning nothing but the basic movements and stances related to earthbending. Goh was a tough teacher, but he was an effective one. It only took him a year to pound Kuzon into shape enough to be able to earthbend and even do a few more advanced maneuvers. The second two years were spent developing a bit of his own style of earthbending that he based loosely on his fights with Goh. The man was a hard opponent to face, simply due to his pure mastery of Earthbending and experience in battle. He taught Kuzon how to think on his feet and use his imagination to come up with intuitive solutions to any obstacles he faced in combat. Ingenuity could be his most valuable asset, at least, that was Goh's philosophy.

3/5

The next three years were spent learning the fundamentals of other elements, from sand all the way to metalbending, but it was only the basics, he wasn't good enough to begin bending them yet. Goh was a strict teacher, accepting nothing less than absolute perfection from his single student, though as time progressed, he eventually coaxed Kuzon into joining the Dai Li, the secretive guard for the Earth King. So, the next five years of his stay were spent working with the Dai Li, but we are getting ahead of ourselves. During his initial three year tenure with them, he was able to gain more experience in combat and usage of his earthbending, but that didn't mean he was falling behind in his normal fighting abilities either, he made sure to stay up to date with everything he needed to in order to "pass" his training with Goh. It wouldn't be long before his final test.

4/5

His final year with the Dai Li produced very promising results, he learned more advanced uses of earthbending and even started working on learning the other sub-natures of earth so that he would be able to continue his training by himself without the need for a master. It was in his eighth year that he was finally able to battle Goh and come out on top, he felt Goh might have been holding back, but he wouldn't complain, he had at least beat the man into a corner. That is what counted. But, regardless, after gaining Goh's blessing, he boarded a ship and was on his way back to the Fire nation. It was no doubt that he had improved his bending, but he still had a long way to go before he was considered a fully realized Avatar. He made enough progress though, that he was content to rest while on the trip home, so he could hit the ground running with training when he got back.

5/5 Mastered the Earth Element