Memory #2

[ferrocious]

Act I

(The episode opens with a view of a rocky canyon. The camera pans down to reveal Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Appa sleeping. Cut to Aang leaping into the air excitedly.)

Aang: Today's the day! Can you believe it? After all that time searching for a teacher, I'm finally starting earthbending! And this place... i-it's perfect! Don't you think, Sokka?

(Sokka rolls over, giving Aang an angry look. He moans.)

Aang: Oh, you're still sleeping, huh?

(Sokka moans again and rolls back over.)

Aang: (whispering) Sorry!

(The ground begins to shake and Aang takes a step backward. Cut to Toph's rock tent which suddenly explodes, revealing Toph standing with a fist in the air.)

Toph: Good morning, earthbending student!

(Cut back to Aang. Toph walks up to him and he bows slightly.)

Aang: Good morning, sifu Toph.

(Katara rouses from her sleeping bag.)

Katara: (sleepily) Hey... you never call me sifu Katara.

(Aang scratches behind his head nervously.)

Aang: Well, if you think I should...

(Sokka sits up and grumbles angrily. Cut to Aang and Toph.)

Toph: Sorry, snoozles. We'll do our earthbending as quietly as we can.

(Cut to Toph's feet. She kicks the ground and cracks travel toward Sokka. Cut to Sokka as a large spire of rock shoots up underneath him. Sokka screams as he's launched into the air and toward the camera. He hits the ground with a thud, then gets up and bounces toward Aang and Toph, grumbling angrily. He bounces offscreen. Cut to Toph. Aang leaps over next to her.)

Aang: So what move are you going to teach me first? Rockalanche? (He shoves his fist down to illustrate the move.) The trembler? (He pretends like he's has someone in a hold and trembles slightly.)Oh! Maybe I can learn to make a whirlpool out of land!

(He holds his arms up and spins around. Toph slaps a hand on his chest to stop him.)

Toph: Let's start with "move a rock".

(She walks offscreen.)

Aang: Sounds good! Sounds good!

(Cut to an open part of the canyon. Aang and Toph each stand in front of a boulder. Katara watches from a rock outcropping nearby.)

Toph: The key to earthbending is your stance. (She lowers herself and widens the distance between her feet. Aang tries to imitate her.) You've got to be steady and strong. Rock is a stubborn element.(She shoves Aang, causing him to stumble to the side.) If you're going to move it, you've got to be like a rock yourself.

Aang: Like a rock. Got it.

(He rubs his side where she shoved him. Cut to Toph. She straightens up.)

Toph: Good. Now the actual motion of this one is pretty simple. (She lunges forward and punches, causing the boulder to shoot off into the distance, slamming into the side of the canyon.) Okay, you ready to give it a try?

(Aang takes up a similar stance.)

Aang: I'm ready.

(His eyes narrow and he punches forward, but a blast of air sends him shooting backward. He slams into Appa's side and falls on his face. The camera zooms out, showing Sokka, still in his sleeping bag, sitting on a nearby rock.)

Sokka: Rock beats airbender!

. . .

(Cut to Aang's group. Katara and Toph are standing next to the boulder Aang tried to move. Aang walks up, a hand behind his head.)

Katara: I don't understand what went wrong. (She glances at Toph and points at Aang.) He did it exactly the way you did.

Aang: Maybe there's another way. (He takes up a fighting stance and begins to walk toward the boulder.) What if I came at the boulder from a different angle?

(Toph grabs him by the collar and he turns around.)

Toph: No, that's the problem. You've got to stop thinking like an airbender. (She knocks her fist lightly against the side of Aang's head. He winces slightly.) There's no different angle, no clever solution, no trickity trick that's going to move that rock. (She shoves Aang. He cries out and falls down offscreen.) You've got to face it head on. And when I say head on, I mean like this!

(She runs forward. The camera pans out as she jumps into the air and crashes into the rock that Aang tried to move head-first, shattering it. Aang recoils.)

Aang: Whoa!

(He looks down, unsure of himself. Cut to Toph walking away. Katara runs to catch up with her. Toph stops.)

Katara: I've been training Aang for a while now. He really responds well to a positive teaching experience. Lots of encouragement and praise. Kind words. If he's doing something wrong, maybe a gentle nudge in the right direction.

Toph: Thanks, Katara. A gentle nudge. I'll try that. (Cut to Toph shouting.) Keep your knees high, twinkletoes!

(Cut to Aang carrying a large rock on his back. He's obviously straining to hold up the weight. The camera zooms out, showing Toph in the background stomping down and causing pillars of rock to rise underneath Aang's feet as he walks. Aang loses his balance and falls offscreen.

Cut to Toph rubbing her hands together. The camera zooms out and she begins to quickly shove her hands effortlessly into a rock. The camera pans over and Aang rubs his hands together and tries to do the same thing, but he merely hurts his hand and grunts in pain.

Cut to Aang. A bead of sweat drips down his face. The camera zooms out and Toph leaps out of the ground and lands next to him.)

Toph: Rocklike!

(Aang falls over and blinks. Toph kicks the ground and a pillar of rock shoves him back up. She pokes him in the eye and Aang grins nervously.

Cut to Sokka's face with Toph's hand holding him back. He grunts, trying to move forward. Cut to a side view, showing Sokka struggling to get his sword back from Toph, who is holding it to the side and preventing Sokka from grabbing it. She shoves him backward and he stalks offscreen. She hands the weapon to Aang, who is blindfolded. She stands on a rock in the distance and begins to kick the ground, causing columns of rock to emerge. Aang tries to hit them and finally succeeds after missing four. Cut to Toph, who nods in approval.

Cut to Toph and Aang standing in a clearing. Toph raises her arms and two walls of rock rise on either side of them. Aang looks up in amazement. Cut to Toph. She moves her fingers in a straight line in front of her and a line is drawn in the ground at her feet. She holds up her fists and rocks shoot toward her, covering her entire body except for her eyes in rock armor. Cut to Aang, who gasps in surprise. Cut to Toph's feet. She begins to slide forward. Cut to Aang. He extends his arms to stop her and slowly begins to push her back. He begins to lose ground, but finally pushes her past the line she drew in the ground.

Cut to Aang, who is tossing a rock with a handle on it into the air and catching it. The camera zooms out, showing that he's standing on two tall pillars of rock. Toph stands at the base. She walks between the pillars, stomps down, and then hits the columns with her hands, causing tremors to go up them.)

Toph: Rocklike!

(Aang doesn't budge, a look of determination on his face. Toph rises on her own pillar of rock and nods in approval. Aang gives her a huge grin.)

. . .

(Cut to Aang's earthbending training. Aang, Toph, and Katara stand in the middle of the canyon. Toph walks in front of Aang as she speaks.)

Toph: This time we're going to try something a little different. Instead of moving a rock, you're going to stop a rock. (She walks off screen, then quickly lunges toward Aang, who recoils slightly.) Get in your horse stance! (Aang widens his stance. Cut to Toph standing in front of Aang with a trail leading up an angled cliff behind her.) I'm going to roll that boulder down at you. (She points up the hill at a large boulder sitting at the top of the trail.) If you have the attitude of an earthbender, you'll stay in your stance and stop the rock. (Cut to a close-up of Aang's face. His mouth opens and he looks surprised and scared. Katara looks on with concern in the background. Cut back to Toph.) Like this.

(She lunges toward the boulder with her arms outstretched to illustrate what she means. Katara walks up to Toph and Aang.)

Katara: Sorry, Toph, but are you sure this is really the best way to teach Aang earthbending?

Toph: I'm glad you said something. (She reaches down and grabs Aang's belt.) Actually, there is a better way. (She jerks off Aang's belt and blindfolds him with it.) This way he'll really have to sense the vibrations of the boulder to stop it. Thank you, Katara!

(She gives Katara a thumbs-up.)

Aang: (sarcastically) Yeah, thanks Katara!

Katara: (nervously) Heh.

(Cut to Toph standing at the top of the hill with Aang at the bottom. She shoves the rock forward and it begins to roll down the slope. Aang looks worried and afraid as it rolls toward him. Katara covers her mouth with her hands, a worried look on her face. Cut to a close-up of Aang, his teeth clenched and beads of sweat flowing down his face. Cut to the rock rolling toward the camera.)

. . .

(The boulder continues to roll down the hill toward Aang. Cut to a close-up of Aang, a frantic look on his face. Cut to Toph, the camera looking up from above. She has her arms crossed. Cut to Katara, who still covers her face with her hands. Momo cowers down on her head. Cut back to Aang, who jumps over the boulder as it almost hits him. The boulder rolls passed Katara and slams into the side of the canyon. Aang lands on the ground. Cut to Toph, running toward the camera. She runs up to Aang as he removes the blindfold, glaring at him disapprovingly.)

Aang: I guess I just panicked. I don't know what to say.

Toph: There's nothing to say. You blew it. You had a perfect stance and perfect form but when it came right down to it you didn't have the guts.

(She gives Aang a light punch to the chest that knocks him down. He sits at her feet with his legs crossed.)

Aang: I know. I'm sorry.

(Toph leans down, looking right into his face.)

Toph: Yeah, you are sorry. If you're not tough enough to stop the rock, then you could at least give it the pleasure of smushing you instead of jumping out of the way like a jelly-boned wimp! Now, do you have what it takes to face that rock like an earthbender?!

(Aang looks down sadly, not meeting her gaze.)

Aang: (sadly) No. I don't think I do.

(Toph straightens up and crosses her arms as Katara walks over to comfort Aang. She puts her hands on his shoulders.)

Katara: Aang, it's no big deal. You'll take a break and try earthbending again when you're ready. Besides, you still have a lot of waterbending to work on, okay?

Aang: Yeah... that sounds good.

(Katara and Aang walk off to the right.)

Toph: Yeah, whatever, go splash around until you feel better.

(She walks off in the opposite direction.)

. . .

(Cut to Aang who is sitting on a rock formation meditating with Momo sleeping at his feet. Toph walks up behind him carrying his staff. She sits down on the other side of the rock. Cut to a close-up of Toph.)

Toph: Aang! I found these nuts in your bag. (She holds up a green bag with a crudely-drawn picture of Aang's face on it.) I figured you wouldn't mind. And besides, even if you did, you're too much of a pushover to do anything about it.

(Cut to Aang with Toph in the background. He looks at her out of the corner of his eyes, an annoyed expression on his face.)

Aang: As a matter of fact, I don't mind. I'm happy to share anything I have.

(He closes his eyes and begins to meditate again.)

Toph: You know, I'm really glad you feel that way, because I also have this great new nutcracker.

(She spins Aang's staff above her head. Cut to Aang, who looks over his shoulder with a pained expression on his face. Cut to Toph as she smiles widely, lifts the staff, and smashes it down on a nut. Cut back to Aang.)

Aang: Actually, I'd prefer if you didn't... (There's another crack as Toph smashes another nut, and Aang cringes.) That's an antique, hand crafted by the monks... (There's another crack and Aang cringes again, growing more frustrated.) It's a delicate instrument!

(Cut to Toph, who is eating the nuts with Momo.)

Toph: (in a mocking tone) It's not the only delicate instrument around here.

(Toph gets up and walks off with Momo, carrying Aang's staff. She hits it along rocks as she walks. Cut to Aang, who glares at her and then tries to meditate again.)

. . .

(The mooselion charges toward Aang. He waits for it, taking up a stance and preparing to use his airbending on it. Cut to a close-up of his determined face. Cut back to the mooselion charges. It nears him and he shoves his hands forward, blowing the mooselion backwards with a strong gust of air. The mooselion hits the ground, glances at Aang, and then walks off into the bushes.

When the dust clears, Aang is still standing in his stance. Toph is revealed to be sitting on a rock in the background. She begins to clap slowly. Aang turns to her. Cut to a close up of Toph. She is sitting cross-legged on a rock, clapping slowly with her eyes closed. Cut to Aang and Sokka.)

Sokka: What are you doing here?

Toph: Just enjoying the show.

Aang: What? You were there the whole time?

Toph: Pretty much.

(Aang points at Toph accusingly.)

Aang: (angrily) Why didn't you do something? Sokka was in trouble! I was in trouble! You could've gotten him out and helped us get away!

(Cut to a close-up of Toph, who looks unaffected by the accusations.)

Toph: I guess it just didn't occur to me.

(She tosses down a nut and then pulls out Aangs staff to crack it. As she brings it down to strike the nut, Aang catches it.)

Aang: (forcefully) Enough! I want my staff back!

(He takes the staff from Toph. She stands up and jumps off the rock, standing in front of Aang.)

Toph: Do it now.

Aang: (still angry) What?

Toph: Earthbend, twinkletoes. You just stood your ground against a crazy beast, and even more impressive, you stood your ground against me. You've got the stuff.

Aang: But...

Toph: DO IT!

(Aang glances at her with confusion, then stomps down and shoves his fist forward, causing a large rock to shoot off and crash into a ridge.)

Toph: (excitedly) You did it! You're an earthbender.

Aang: (happily) I can't believe it!

(Cut to Sokka.)

Sokka: Aww, this is really a wonderful, touching moment. So, could you get me out of her so I can give you both a big, snuggly hug?

Aang: No problem, Sokka!

(He begins to march eagerly toward where Sokka is trapped, but Toph holds out a hand to stop him.)

Toph: Actually, you should probably let me do that. You're still a little new to this. You might accidentally crush him.

(Cut to Sokka, who smiles.)

Sokka: Yeah, no crushing, please.

(Toph walks up to Sokka and lifts her left foot, then stomps down. Sokka pops out of the hole and Toph grabs his hair, dragging him out as she walks away.

Cut to later in the night. Aang has an arm wrapped around Sokka to help him walk and Toph walks next to them with Aang's staff. Katara runs toward them from the foreground.)

Katara: You found him!

(She runs up to Sokka and gives him a hug. Aang and Toph watch.)

Sokka: The whole time that I was in that hole, not knowing if I would live or die, it makes a man think about what's really important. I realized...

Aang: (cutting Sokka off) Hey, Katara, look what I can do!

(Katara's gaze turns to Aang as he shoves his arms forward, causing a large rock formation to break in half.)

Katara: You did it! I knew you would! (She glances at Toph.) You tried the positive reinforcement, didn't you?

Toph: Yep. It worked wonders.

(Appa roars and Aang runs up to him.)

Aang: Appa! Appa! I can earthbend now! The key is being completely rooted! Physically and mentally unmovable!

(Appa licks Aang and he flies forward onto his face. Sokka begins to laugh and Aang joins him.

from avatarspirit.net