John Wick in Avatar the Last Airbender

The temporary camp had become more than just a place of refuge. It had become a crucible where survival was forged into something sharper, stronger. Here, Kalsang honed the airbenders into warriors, stripping away the passive detachment of their past and refining their movements into something swift, decisive, and deadly.

They no longer danced around their opponents in effortless evasion; they struck first, and with precision. But they were not alone in this transformation. The non-benders, too, were being sharpened, their bodies conditioned for speed, endurance, and lethal accuracy.

Under Kalsang's tutelage, they had become a different kind of force, learning the art of chi-blocking with ruthless efficiency. Strikes aimed at pressure points, nerve clusters, and joints; designed not to kill, but to disable, to turn the enemy's strength against them.

Three months had passed since their training had begun in earnest, and now, in the open clearing beyond the camp, the airbenders and non-benders faced each other, poised for battle. Five airbenders, five warriors of the wind, clad in simple tunics that no longer billowed loosely as before. Their movements were sharp, their footwork fast. Their hands hovered near their sides, fingers tense, ready to carve the air into weapons. The wind itself seemed to shift around them, restless, coiling in anticipation.

Opposing them stood six non-benders, eyes sharp and bodies honed through relentless conditioning. Their muscles were lean, sculpted by endless drills, their reflexes razor-sharp. They had no bending, no elemental power to command; but they had speed, discipline, and their hands were already half-clenched, ready to strike the moment an opening appeared.

Kalsang stepped between them, scanning both sides with an unwavering gaze.

"No injuries," he reminded them, "Fight to disable. No killing strikes. Begin!"

The clearing exploded into motion. The airbenders moved first, as they always did. A sudden gust of wind propelled one forward; a young man named Goorin, his feet barely touching the ground as he surged ahead. With a sharp flick of his wrist, a thin, razor-edged blade of air sliced toward the closest opponent.

But the non-bender, a woman named Lin, had been expecting it. She twisted her body at the last moment, the air slash missing her ribs by inches. Her footwork was impeccable; she advanced in a single fluid motion, ducking under the follow-up strike as Goorin launched a compressed air bullet toward her chest.

'Not fast enough,' Lin dropped into a crouch, her foot sweeping out to knock him off balance.

Goorin leapt over it, twisting in mid-air, but Lin wasn't finished. She lunged the moment he landed, fingers striking toward the pressure points on his arm. He barely had time to blast an airburst between them, sending her skidding backward across the dirt.

Elsewhere, the battle had devolved into sheer chaos. A young airbender, Dorje, spun mid-dash, using his momentum to send a curved air slice toward his opponent. The non-bender, Hak, saw it coming and dove into a roll, closing the distance in an instant. His fist lashed out in a precise strike aimed at Dorje's shoulder… only for Dorje to vanish, propelled back by an airburst.

Dorje reoriented himself instantly, reversing direction mid-air with a spin, firing another air bullet. This time, Hak had no time to dodge. He crossed his arms in defence, but the force sent him sprawling.

Meanwhile, two non-benders worked in tandem against another airbender, a girl named Lee. They pressed her hard, feigning attacks before lunging in sudden bursts, forcing her into constant motion. She used the wind to twist, pivot, leap; but they anticipated her movements.

The taller of the two, Kenji, managed to graze her wrist with a chi-blocking strike. Her fingers tingled instantly, her grip faltering. A second later, the other non-bender, Poe, came in low, aiming to finish the disabling strike; but Lee inhaled sharply, forcing a compressed blast of air between them that sent both men tumbling backward. She clutched her half-numb hand, trying to shake feeling back into it, already preparing for another attack.

The sparring continued, the battle shifting rapidly with every exchange. Airbenders wove through the battlefield like living storms, their movements guided by precise bursts of wind, their strikes swift and merciless. The non-benders countered with unmatched adaptability, using their training and terrain to evade, redirect, and strike where it hurt the most.

Kalsang watched it all, eyes sweeping over every fight, analysing, calculating. He saw how the airbenders had changed; not just in skill, but in mentality. They no longer sought to evade forever; they pressed forward.

They fought like warriors, not monks.

And the non-benders… they had become more than just survivors. They had become threats. They were finding openings, closing distances, exploiting every weakness.

The outcome became clear. If a non-bender could get close enough, the fight was over. One precise strike, and a bender was done. But if the airbenders maintained their distance… if they could keep their opponents from ever reaching them… then they would never lose.

Every fight ended differently. Some of the airbenders overwhelmed their opponents with relentless strikes, leaving no room for counterattacks. Some of the non-benders managed to close the distance, landing the crucial chi-blocking blows that ended their fights instantly. In the end, it was an even split; three victories for the benders, three for the non-benders.

As the combatants stood, catching their breaths, Kalsang stepped forward, nodding in approval.

"Good," his voice was steady, carrying easily through the clearing, "You're learning. Both of you."

His gaze flicked over them all, "You understand now. Air is not just evasion. It is force, it is movement, it is impact. And for those without bending…" he turned his eyes to the non-benders, "you have proven that bending alone does not decide a fight."

A pause. A long silence.

Then, he exhaled, "This is just the beginning."

And with those words, training resumed. The airbenders and non-benders alike stepped forward once more, fists tightening, eyes sharp, ready to fight.

Ready to grow.