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| - As Sozin's Comet flies through the Earth's atmosphere, Zuko and Katara continue on their journey to the Fire Nation. Zuko expresses his worry that Aang will lose against Ozai. Although Katara is also worried, she assures Zuko that Aang is going to come back. At the Fire Nation Palace, Azula is being cared for and cleaned by her servants before her coronation as the new Fire Lord. However, when a servant offers her a cherry, she spits out a cherry pit, and believes it to be an attempt to assassinate her. Though the servant pleads for mercy, Azula banishes her and starts bossing her other servants around. Sokka, Suki, and Toph make it to the airship fleet, but believe they are too late seeing the ships begin to depart for the Earth Kingdom. Toph earthbends them aboard one of the ships. Back at the palace, the leader of the Dai Li and six other Dai Li agents arrive before Azula in the Fire Lord's throne room. She berates them for being five minutes late, noting that it is enough time for her to be assassinated. When the leader states that they would not betray her, Azula states that they probably told Long Feng the same thing before siding with her. To their surprise, Azula banishes the Dai Li from the Fire Nation for disloyalty. As the Dai Li leave, Azula tells them to send the next group in on their way out. On the infiltrated airship, Toph knocks on the control room door and uses metalbending to incapacitate the soldiers and captain. Sokka has an idea on how to get rid of the rest of the ship's crew and poses as the ship's captain on a loudspeaker, ordering all crew members to go to the bomb bay to celebrate a crew member's birthday. Coincidentally, it really is one crew member's birthday, who is overjoyed and pleasantly surprised, believing that the captain remembered his birthday. Sokka releases the platform underneath the bomb bay and all of the ship's crew fall screaming into the ocean; albeit, at a low enough altitude so that the entire crew survives with minimal injury to body and pride. Sokka increases the ship's speed to catch up to Ozai's flagship. Lo and Li approach Azula, questioning her as to why she is banishing so many people ranging from her foot servants to the Dai Li, and the Imperial Firebenders. Azula states that none of them could be trusted and that they would all eventually betray her, like Mai and Ty Lee. When the sisters tell her perhaps it would be best to postpone the coronation, Azula gets even more paranoid and orders them to duel each other in an Agni Kai. They lament that neither of them are firebenders, so Azula banishes Lo while pointing at Li, and tells Li that she can stay, confusing the twins as to who is really banished. In Ba Sing Se, the Order of the White Lotus prepares for battle outside the city's walls. Iroh, feeling the power of the comet, releases a powerful blast of fire that breaks through the wall. Soon the rest join in and invade the city, beginning to take down the comet-enhanced Fire Nation soldiers. At the palace, Azula is looking in a mirror to try to do her hair by herself, but the result is very messy. Agitated, she haphazardly cuts her bangs that refuse to do as she desires. As Azula looks into the mirror, she sees her mother Ursa reflected behind her, telling her she would not miss her own daughter's coronation as Fire Lord. Ursa says Azula's use of fear to control people has left her confused, but Azula replies that she had no other choice and could not trust anyone. Taking pride in her power of fear, Azula points out that even Ursa feared her. Ursa denies this and says she really loves her. Enraged, Azula throws her brush into her mother's reflection and discovers Ursa was never really there at all, and she begins to sob to herself. The ship Sokka and the others took control of cannot catch up to Ozai's flagship, and they are afraid they are too late. Ozai uses the comet's power to begin to scorch the Earth Kingdom below with an amazing display of firebending. Momo and Aang watch in the distance as Ozai's torrent of fire rains down upon the land. Aang has Momo leave him, and using earthbending and firebending, he destroys the flagship's engine and catches Ozai's attention. Ozai and Aang stare each other down for a moment, after which Ozai removes his Phoenix King garments and propels himself toward Aang to fight. The flagship lands on the earth pillars below, causing Sokka and the others to wonder what happened, and see to their happiness that Aang has returned. Ozai boasts that the Avatar has at last been offered up to him by the universe as an act of providence. Aang says their fight is not necessary, and that Ozai has the power to stop destroying the Earth Kingdom. Ozai declares he has all the power in the world and threateningly unleashes a fury of comet-enhanced firebending, beginning the battle. Ozai and Aang's firebending attacks collide, creating a massive explosion in midair. Watching the fight, Sokka cheers Aang on. Suki wonders if they should help him, but Sokka believes they should not interfere, instead concentrate on stopping the other ships from destroying the Earth Kingdom. As the fleet begins to rain fire down upon the land, Sokka crashes their stolen airship into the others, but it falls short of crashing into all of them. Sokka and Toph are separated from Suki as their ship begins to break apart, and they are forced to continue without her. Back at the palace, Azula's coronation begins, but is interrupted by the arrival of Zuko and Katara on Appa. Azula suggests they settle ownership of the crown in an Agni Kai. Katara warns Zuko that Azula is trying to take them down separately, but Zuko already knows this and senses there is something "off" about her, so he believes he can take her by himself. Zuko and Azula begin their fight with intense firebending powered by the comet. Aang and Ozai are evenly matched. Though Aang is able to counter Ozai's fierce firebending, he is unable to land any successful hits himself, even with all four elements at his disposal. Eventually, Ozai proves too powerful and quick, and tired of seeing the Avatar evade all his attacks, resorts to a relentless barrage of lightning generation. Aang dodges the lightning until he can dodge no more, and catches the last one to Ozai's surprise, preparing to redirect it right back at him. However, reluctant to kill Ozai, Aang instead redirects it into the sky. Ozai takes advantage of the Avatar's mercy and sends a blast at Aang while he recovers. Though Aang manages to stop most of the attack with earthbending, he is blasted off the top of the rock and falls helplessly toward a shallow lake below. Using waterbending, he barely manages to save himself from a fatal fall. Aang looks up and sees Ozai swiftly approaching, eager to resume the fight. Zuko continues his duel with Azula as Katara watches from the sidelines. Both of their attacks are fierce and unrestrained, setting fire to the buildings surrounding them. Zuko holds his own and counters all of his sister's attacks. Azula loses her footing while trying to dodge and tumbles across the ground, giving Zuko the upper hand. Zuko taunts her for not using lightning, boasting that he will redirect it back at her. Infuriated, Azula prepares a lightning attack. Instead of sending it at Zuko, however, she sees Katara on the sidelines and sends the lightning at her. Seeing this, Zuko crosses the lightning's path, shielding her from the bolt, and is mortally injured, leaving a large red and purple wound in his chest dangerously close to his heart. Before Katara can reach him, Azula begins to attack her furiously, laughing maniacally. Aang is overwhelmed and cornered by Ozai, and earthbends a shield around himself. Ozai taunts him for being weak and insults the Air Nomads, saying such a weak race did not deserve to exist in his world. He tells Aang to prepare to die, before he attacks.
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