After Azula traveled to the Earth Kingdom with the Royal Procession with the intent to apprehend her brother and uncle, she was advised by Lo and Li to abandon the Imperial Firebenders in order to maintain the element of surprise. The Fire Nation princess realized that she needed to be agile and nimble if she wanted to successfully carry out her duty. Thus, she decided to forsake the Royal Procession in favor of a small, elite team consisting of two old friends: Mai and Ty Lee.