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| - Aang rejoins the invasion force and reveals that the whole city has been abandoned. Sokka concludes that the Fire Lord must have expected the invasion and is likely hiding in a secret underground bunker. After some deliberation, they agree to continue with the invasion: the invasion force will continue toward the palace while Aang, Toph, and Sokka search for Fire Lord Ozai. With the help of Toph's ability to see underground, she locates the secret bunker inside a nearby volcano. They pass through tunnels of gas and magma until they reach the metal bunker, which Toph opens using metalbending. They corner a Fire Nation noble and he tells them where the Fire Lord's chamber is. As the eclipse begins, Aang blasts open the door of the chamber, and to their great surprise, finds Azula waiting for them instead. Azula reveals she has known about the invasion for months and is not surprised to find Aang alive. Meanwhile, Zuko enters the chamber where his father is hiding. Zuko approaches Ozai and explains he is there to tell the truth. Amused that Zuko chose the moment of an eclipse to face him, Ozai dismisses his guards. Zuko explains that it was Azula who supposedly killed the Avatar in Ba Sing Se, not him. Ozai wonders why she would lie, and Zuko reveals the Avatar is still alive and probably leading the invasion. Outraged upon hearing this news, Ozai orders his son to leave. However, Zuko refuses to leave and ignores his father's orders. Ozai threatens Zuko for his disobedience, but the latter pulls out his swords and demands that his powerless father sit and listen. Azula refuses to tell Aang, Sokka, and Toph her father's location. Toph's lie-detecting ability proves ineffective on Azula, an expert liar. Two Dai Li agents, whom the princess brought back from Ba Sing Se, drop from the ceiling and use earthbending to protect her as Aang and Toph attack. The invasion forces start to take the capital city as all the firebenders are surrendering at the loss of their power. Zuko tells his father that all he had ever wanted was for Ozai to love him, and that he had spent his days in exile trying to please him. He angrily berates Ozai for cruelly challenging him to a duel when he was only a child, before banishing him from the Fire Nation for simply speaking out of turn. Ozai claims the act was to teach Zuko respect, but the prince retorts it was cruel and wrong. He reveals his beliefs that the Fire Nation is doing wrong in the world, and that they lie to themselves into thinking they are benefactors spreading their greatness to other nations. Zuko explains the Fire Nation has a responsibility to bring about an era of peace if the world is to survive. Ozai laughs and mocks Zuko, realizing that his older brother must have influenced him. Zuko proudly agrees. Aang, Sokka, and Toph continue to fight Azula and her Dai Li agents, both of whom they eventually incapacitate. Though powerless, Azula proves far too agile for Aang or the others to take down. Sokka stops Aang and Toph from pursuing Azula any further, realizing she is just baiting them into wasting all their remaining time. As they attempt to leave, Azula taunts Sokka by hinting that she has captured, imprisoned, and possibly tortured Suki, which enrages the warrior who rushes toward her. Azula prepares to stab him with a concealed dagger, but Toph senses her movement, promptly disarms her, and pins her against the wall with a rock. Sokka seizes Azula and demands she tell him where Suki is. Zuko confesses that his uncle, Iroh, was more of a father to him than Ozai had ever been. He plans to free Iroh from his prison and beg for his forgiveness. After Ozai continues to mock him, Zuko openly states his intention to join the Avatar and help him stop the Fire Nation. Ozai wonders why he would go through such trouble, seeing that the Fire Lord lay powerless before him. Zuko puts his swords away and states he knows his own destiny now and that it was Aang's destiny alone to defeat Ozai. As Zuko departs the chamber, Ozai tries to bait him into staying longer with knowledge of what happened to his mother six years prior. Zuko demands to know what happened, and Ozai reveals the circumstances regarding the disappearance of Princess Ursa. When Ozai mocked the death of Iroh's son, Fire Lord Azulon ordered him to kill Zuko as punishment so that he would feel the loss of a child, too. However, Ursa swore to protect Zuko at any cost and came up with a plan to which Ozai agreed. Ozai implies that Ursa arranged Azulon's death so Zuko would be spared and he himself would become Fire Lord. As a result, Ursa was banished for her treason. Zuko realizes his mother may still be alive. Ozai threateningly states that banishment is far too merciful a penalty for treason, and that Zuko's punishment for betraying the Fire Nation will be far worse. Sensing the end of the eclipse, Ozai lashes out and shoots a powerful bolt of lightning at his son. Zuko catches the lightning and redirects it back toward Ozai, causing an explosion which blasts the Fire Lord into the wall. Zuko quickly escapes the chamber as Ozai seethes with rage. Meanwhile, Azula, too, realizes she has regained her firebending and escapes from Sokka and the others. She reveals her father's location, believing he could defeat them now that the eclipse is over. Sokka feels ashamed for wasting their time, but Aang thinks he could still face the Fire Lord without the eclipse. Sokka and Toph do not think it is a good idea and convince him to retreat. Aang, Sokka, and Toph return to the battle site, as fleets of hot air balloons and zeppelins emerge from behind the palace and attempt to attack the invasion force. Zuko attempts to free Iroh from prison, but discovers that Iroh has already busted out of his cell and is long gone, leaving behind dazed and unconscious guards. The troops attempt to stop the fleet of airships, but realize they are outmatched. The airships obliterate the submarines, thus making the invasion team's escape impossible. Hakoda tells Aang and the younger fighters to flee while the adults remain behind to be taken as prisoners. After saying their goodbyes, the rest of the gang, along with Haru, Teo, and The Duke, get onto Appa; as they rise into the air, Aang states that the Western Air Temple will be a safe place for them to stay for a while. Azula watches from one of the airships as the group escapes, but she chooses not to pursue them, confident that they will have to return someday. Zuko follows Appa on a hot air balloon with a look of determination on his face.
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