| abstract
| - In a rocky quarry within the southeastern Earth Kingdom, Aang awakes from his sleep, excited that today is the day he will finally commence his earthbending training with Toph, waking up a weary Katara and a cranky Sokka in the process. After Toph also awakens, bursting from her stone tent, Aang greets her as his sifu; however, the formal greeting makes Katara jealous, considering Aang has never referred to her as such. The Avatar enthusiastically questions what high-level techniques he is to learn first, only to have Toph reply that they will start by learning simply how to move a rock. As the tutelage begins, Toph imparts to Aang that the key to earthbending is a firm, steady stance. She continues to tell him that because rock is a stubborn element, one must essentially be "like a rock" in order to move it. She demonstrates the actual motion by sending a rock into a wall. Believing to have grasped the basic concept, Aang attempts to emulate her, but ends up blasting the rock with air and propelling himself backward into Appa, leading Sokka to remark that "rock beats airbender." On a grassy hill, a much younger Iroh runs past a tree, being chased by his now-dead son, Lu Ten. Lu Ten imitates a firebending motion with his hands, which Iroh playfully pretends to get hit by and falls to the ground. Lu Ten falls on top of him and the two share a warm laugh. Years later, an older Iroh kneels in the rain before Lu Ten's grave set under the same tree, telling his beloved son that he will see him again. Iroh awakens from his dream to find his nephew Zuko watching over him within a partially destroyed home not too far from the previously visited deserted town. Zuko explains to Iroh that he was knocked unconscious after a surprise attack by Azula. After serving him some tea, Zuko goes on to state that he has contemplated the situation and has come to realize that it is only a matter of time before they encounter Azula once more. He feels the need to learn more advanced firebending techniques if he is to stand a chance against his sister. Much to Zuko's surprise, his uncle agrees with him and decides it is time to resume their training. Back at the quarry, both Katara and Aang are perplexed as to why he was not able to move the boulder, as he executed exactly the same motion as Toph. Aang suggests trying to find an alternate solution such as coming at the rock from a different angle, but Toph explains that his thinking like an airbender is precisely the problem, since earthbending requires a simple, head-on approach rather than a clever, elaborate solution. As Aang shows signs of being unsure of himself, Katara takes Toph aside to explain that as his waterbending teacher, she has come to notice that Aang responds well to positive teaching methods, which includes plenty of encouragement, praise, kind words, and "a gentle nudge in the right direction" if he is doing something wrong. After thanking Katara for her advice, Toph proceeds to engage Aang in several rigorous activities involving earth, including carrying a heavy boulder on his back, punching solid rock, and balancing on stone columns, yelling at him to be more "rock-like" all the way. After a few initial failures, Aang gradually starts to become successful with the many different training activities. While the others oversee Aang's training, Sokka goes hunting alone in a small forest near the quarry. Hiding in a tree, he spots a small, cute, but unidentifiable creature. Sokka casually states that even though the creature is cute, it also happens to be made of meat. Once it is close enough, he jumps down from the tree to deliver a killing blow; however, he falls through a crevice straight into the ground, becoming buried up to his waist in the earth. He tries attacking the creature again, but this causes him to sink further into the ground. Now buried up to his neck and deprived of the use of his arms, Sokka is unable to do anything but wait. Meanwhile, Iroh explains to his nephew the essence of lightning and how a firebender can come to engender it. Lightning, or the "cold-blooded fire" as some call it, is a pure expression of the elemental art and completely without aggression, contrasting with the other forms of firebending. Much like his sister Azula, it is precise and deadly and performing lightning generation requires having peace of mind. Outside the decrepit building, Iroh continues with his lecture and explains when positive energy, yang, and negative energy, yin, are separated, they create an imbalance, and only a select few firebenders can separate the energies. When the different energies recombine to restore the balance, they come crashing back together, creating lightning. The role of the firebender is to provide release and guidance, not command it, thus creating lightning. Iroh successfully demonstrates by releasing a massive stream of lightning into the distance. Taken aback, Zuko states that he is ready to try it. Though he is able to mimic his uncle's motions, rather than lightning, he instead creates a fiery explosion that throws him backward. At the canyon, Toph decides to take a change of pace. She informs Aang that instead of moving a stationary rock, he will instead stop a moving one. After blindfolding Aang, Toph rolls a huge boulder down a steep slope straight toward him. Sensing the boulder rolling closer and closer, Aang panics at the last second and jumps over the rock. His dismay is only made worse by Toph, who berates him for his extreme passiveness and calling him a jelly-boned wimp. Katara tries to console a disappointed Aang by offering to help him work on his waterbending. Becoming enraged as well as frustrated over being unsuccessful with lightning, Zuko comments on how it just keeps blowing up in his face, like "everything always does." Iroh concludes that Zuko's inner turmoil is hampering him from creating lightning, and that he will never be able to master the art until he lets go of his feelings of shame. Denouncing the notion, Zuko tells his uncle he is as proud as ever, though Iroh corrects him by noting that pride is not the opposite of shame, but rather its source. As opposed to continuing the lightning generation lessons, Iroh offers to teach Zuko a firebending move of his own invention. Still stuck in the crack, Sokka scornfully converses with the moose lion. He relates that he truly does not have anything against the creature; hunting and eating meat has simply been a part of his nature. However, he states that he has convinced himself to lead a "karmically correct" vegetarian existence if he can get out of this alive, but he remains trapped inside the crevice. In a marsh, Aang and Katara practice moving a small mass of water around and between each other. Katara reminds Aang that the block can only be temporary and tries to persuade Aang to face the issue instead of avoiding it. Aang, on the other hand, feels too dejected to even talk about his problem, let alone face it. He also expresses frustration and confusion as to why he cannot seem to do it. Katara relays her belief that because Aang is working with his opposite element, earth, it is especially hard for him. She also holds to the belief he will figure it out in the end. Katara surprises Aang by abruptly breaking off and hurling a reed at him, but Aang is able to use a wave of water to cleanly slice the reed into two halves just before it hits him. Katara congratulates Aang for having the reflexes of a waterbending master. Aang in turn bows and thanks her, affectionately addressing his teacher as "Sifu Katara", as a touched Katara bows back. Iroh gives further detail about the four nations to Zuko and says that the Fire Nation symbolizes power and desire; the Earth Kingdom symbolizes endurance and diversity; the Air Nomads symbolize freedom from worldly concerns and adds that they also had pretty good senses of humor; and the Water Tribes symbolize love and community, especially in the face of change. He explains that people can gain wisdom by understanding each other. If wisdom is drawn from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. Zuko interjects that this is beginning to allude toward the Avatar. Iroh goes on to claim that it is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful, and that it can do the same for him. To punctuate his point, Iroh reveals that he created his special technique by studying the waterbenders. At sundown, Toph again taunts Aang by abusing his staff, using it as a nutcracker. She walks away, unopposed by Aang, as Katara arrives, worried by the fact that Sokka has not yet returned. Aang and Katara split up to search for him. Desperate, Sokka is prepared to give up meat and sarcasm in order to escape from the crack in the ground as well as to change his karma. He abruptly abandons all ideas of reformation, however, when Aang suddenly finds him: Sokka immediately asks Aang if he has any meat. Aang attempts to use airbending to free him, but it proves to be ineffective. Sokka asks for earthbending to be used to free him, but Aang sadly says he cannot. Sokka requests Aang to bring Toph to help him, but the latter describes the notion as uncomfortable. He goes on to share with Sokka his feelings toward learning earthbending and the pressure he feels, with Sokka interjecting dry, deeply sarcastic responses along the way, all of which Aang seems to miss. Suddenly, the critter, whom Sokka introduces as Foo Foo Cuddlypoops, returns, and Aang identifies it as a saber-tooth moose lion cub. Aang asks the cub if he had lost his mother. In a moment, the fully grown mother of the cub arrives, furious, as she assumes that the boys stole her cub. Iroh begins to teach Zuko how to redirect lightning and explains that the lightning goes through one arm, into the stomach, and out through the other arm. They practice the hand motion to feel the pathway. When Zuko thinks he has mastered it, he demands that Uncle Iroh strike him with lightning. However, Iroh refuses because of the possibility of hurting his nephew. Gazing off at the dark clouds approaching, Zuko rides to "find [his] own lightning." The mother saber-tooth moose lion roars and charges at Aang and Sokka. Aang initially tries to avoid the beast and distract it away from Sokka, but all that serves to do is leave Sokka open for attack. Determined not to leave his friend again, Aang stands his ground before the crack as he faces another of the mother's charges head-on. With a strong gust of air, he manages to blow back the beast, which loses interest and walks away. Toph, who was silently observing the conflict, half-heartedly congratulates Aang and continues cracking nuts with his staff. Incensed that she callously stood by and did nothing while Sokka's life was in danger, Aang forcefully demands that she return his staff. Toph says that Aang is thinking like an earthbender by standing his ground and orders him to move the rock again. When Aang is successfully moves the rock, Toph deems him to be a true earthbender. Aang offers to remove Sokka from the crack, but Toph, not wanting to risk accidentally crushing Sokka, drags him out of the hole herself. Aang, Toph, and Sokka eventually make their way back to the campsite and reunite with Katara, Appa, and Momo, with Katara being relieved that her brother is safe. Sokka tells them that being in trapped in the fissure so long gave him time to think and he came to a realization. Before he can go any further, he is interrupted by Aang, who wants to show off his new skill to Katara. After witnessing Aang's newly acquired earthbending ability, Katara takes Toph aside and questions if she tried the positive reinforcement. Toph replies that she did, adding that it "worked wonders." Standing alone at the top of a mountain, Zuko yells defiantly into the raging thunderstorm as lightning crackles overhead. He challenges the storm to strike him, yelling that he can take whatever it throws at him and that it has "never held back before". The storm does not oblige, however, and Zuko falls to his knees in tears, crying out in anguish.
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