The girl beside Kou Li visibly relaxed when she saw Kahn step forward.
As his classmate, she knew he was a Firebender—surely that made him stronger than these troublemakers.
The three boys who had been cornering Kou Li turned toward him.
The leader, tall and broad like a young bear, puffed up his chest and sneered down at Kahn.
"We're fighting the enemy and defending the Fire Nation!" he declared proudly.
Kahn raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed by the boy's size. "Oh? So the Fire Nation's 'enemy' is a little girl who just transferred here?"
The boy scowled. "Don't play dumb! You're her classmate—you must know she's from the Earth Kingdom!"
Ty Lee and Mai both turned in surprise toward Kou Li.
"You're full of nonsense! I'm a citizen of the Fire Nation, through and through!" Kou Li snapped back, her voice sharp and boyish.
"That's right," the girl beside her added quickly. "Kou Li's from Yu Island. That's Fire Nation territory."
The bully snorted. "Yu Island? Isn't that in the Earth Kingdom? Sounds like Earth Kingdom to me."
"You—!"
Kahn finally understood what was going on and sighed inwardly.
Yu Island had once belonged to the Earth Kingdom.
It was the first territory conquered by the Fire Nation and had been under Fire Nation control for over a hundred years.
What had once been a small village had now grown into one of the most prosperous colonies in the world.
Kahn smirked slightly. "So you're saying Yu Island isn't part of the Fire Nation?"
He took a step closer, lowering his voice. "You do realize that if someone hears that, not only would you be expelled, but your parents could be accused of treason. Maybe even executed on the spot."
The boy stiffened, his face paling. "Y-You're lying! It's not that serious!"
"Oh? Want me to test it out?" Kahn cupped his hands around his mouth dramatically. "Hey everyone—"
"Wait! Don't shout!" the boy stammered, panic flooding his eyes. "I-I didn't mean it like that!"
Kahn grinned. "Good. Then consider this a warning. Don't let me see you bullying anyone again."
"Yes, yes, yes!"
The three bullies scurried off like startled ostrich-horses.
Ty Lee pouted as she watched them disappear. "Aww, I thought there'd be a fight."
"You just wanted a fight," Mai muttered, crossing her arms. "This way's cleaner. No sweat."
Kahn chuckled. "Exactly. You two should learn—violence isn't always the answer. Even that violent girl Azula knows when to use her brain."
"Pfft—'violent girl'—!" Ty Lee burst into laughter before slapping her hands over her mouth.
"Wait—don't tell her I laughed at that!"
Kahn winked. "Don't worry. My lips are sealed."
"Thank you, Kahn! You're the best!"
A polite cough interrupted them. Kou Li and her friend were still standing nearby, looking slightly forgotten.
"Ah—sorry," Kahn said sheepishly.
"It's fine," Kou Li said, smiling. "Thanks for scaring them off. I'm Kou Li—just transferred here, as you can see."
Then, with a confident grin, she added, "But to be honest, even if you hadn't shown up, I could've handled them."
"Oh, really?" Kahn raised a brow. "And how would you have done that?"
"Like this!"
Kou Li stomped her foot. Boom! A stone pillar erupted from the ground, rising and falling in sync with her movements.
Everyone froze. Even Kahn's eyes widened.
"Earthbending?! You're an Earthbender!"
"That's right!" Kou Li said proudly, puffing her chest.
Kahn was stunned. "But… you're from the Fire Nation. How can you Earthbend? That shouldn't be possible."
"Because my mom's an Earthbender," Kou Li explained easily.
"I inherited her ability. But we're all Fire Nation citizens. My dad's the governor of Yu Island!"
So she was an Earthbender and a politician's daughter. Interesting.
But what really caught Kahn's attention wasn't her background—it was her bending.
"Hey, Kou Li," he said, smiling with genuine interest.
"Wanna spar sometime? You with your Earthbending, me with Firebending."
To emphasize, he raised his hand and conjured a small, flickering flame.
Kou Li's eyes sparkled. "You're on!"
The idea of an Earthbender versus Firebender match was just too cool to refuse.
They quickly agreed to meet at her house over the weekend.
By the time that day arrived, Kahn showed up at Kou Li's home right on time—and met her mother, a kind-looking, slightly plump woman with warm eyes.
"You must be Kahn," she said kindly. "Kou Li's told me about you. Thank you for helping her at school."
Kahn smiled modestly. "It was nothing, ma'am. Anyone would've stepped in."
Her mother chuckled approvingly. "You're very polite. I'm glad Kou Li has a friend like you."
During their talk, Kahn learned more about the family.
Her father was indeed the governor of Yu Island—a powerful position equivalent to a city lord.
But with rising unrest in the colonies, the island had become dangerous.
To keep Kou Li safe, her mother had brought her to the capital temporarily.
Yu Island, huh… Kahn thought, recalling what he'd read.
A symbol of both conquest and coexistence—a very complicated place.
Still, for now, all that mattered was his upcoming spar with Kou Li.
And if he was being honest? He couldn't wait.