Chapter 154: A Stubborn Growth

Toph had expected her newest and only student to be diligent. And he WAS. More diligent than she could have hoped. He followed her instructions to a T even if they sounded dangerous to the waterbending minx always trying to get into his pants by the night and then did when all of them returned to the Beifong Manor. However, she wanted more from him. Not sexually. Just all his attention.

Was it so much to ask?

"Punch it! Earthbending is all about being stubborn. Either you move or this boulder so punch it and have it flying across the trees!" Toph instructed. For a rare moment, everyone was in the outside world. They had found a lake and nobody would say no to cleaning themselves even more thoroughly and getting refreshed.

Not Nik. Toph could sense pouts and whatnot behind the back of her head. As the women, including her mother, bathed in the lake, their bodies probably too tantalizing for Nik to even hold back... and he didn't, given she could 'see' something hard fidgeting against the confines of his pants, he punched the boulder pulled out.

He was topless. His knuckles were a bit roughed out and he was pent-up!

Of course, even if he didn't say it, Nik didn't like doing something and not having the results to show for it especially when their gazes bore into his back.

He understood though.

Being stubborn.

Being disciplined.

He felt that if he stopped training now just to have fun with the girls, his training in earthbending would receive a major setback.

So, with a growl, as he resisted the urge to turn around, whip out his cock, and be stubborn in other manners, he punched again.

*Dddrrrrrr*

It moved.

It didn't exactly fly across as Toph wanted it but not letting go of the sensation, recalling the sheer urge of it, Nik punched again.

There was an excited grin over Toph's pouty little lips. She had felt the first movement and when he struck the next time when he had finally taken his first steps into real Earthbending, his will overtook the boulder and his punch sent the boulder flying without touching it.

It crashed through the trees, dragged itself across the ground, and then struck the even gigantic rocky mountain.

The girls looked over in shock and elation. Even if some didn't show it, the feeling was shared.

If it wasn't for Yue, Nik would have been a bloodied mess with how he trained but this was good as well. With how much pain he had tolerated over the week, Nik was at least assured he wouldn't cry out like a bitch the next time someone began beating him with a stick as he'd cried out in Omashu's prison cell.

There was a moment of silence before Nik turned around. His fists still hurting but clenched in excitement nonetheless!

"Hell, YEAH!!" He shouted, unable to control it any longer as Toph clapped. Quite proudly, so. She walked towards him but something stopped her, making her frown. It was as if a stick poking at her stomach.

"Hey, move your hand. Just here to congratulate ya," she scowled as Nik scoffed, "That isn't my hand... huff, thanks. Now, I'm off to—" he looked at the lurid scene beyond Toph. They were all... inviting him. Now that he had overcome the first step, they were waiting to congratulate him in manners Toph couldn't even imagine but they didn't specifically walk up to him.

They wanted him to walk up to them. Let his tired body soak and allow them to pamper him.

"You're off to train more and more," Toph snorted, "Now that you're under my wings, forget all about lust! Spend your time in training.  We'll soon master Lavabending at this pace, too." Although she'd never practiced the more technical style she was confident nonetheless.

Nik's expression froze.

And so did the women who were waving at him with their eyes clouded with delight.

Everyone glared at Toph that instant and Poppy remarked with a forced smile, "Toph, darling... perhaps you should rest."

"Rest? Why? I haven't even done much," Toph gasped in surprise.

"She's saying that you're too young to see what we're about to do next, Miss Uptight," Katara snarled.

Just when the two were about to blow their tops, Nik groaned internally. He had a decision to make. To be fair, these past seven days have been quite training-oriented. With him focusing on earthbending, Suki had started training Michi and Poppy. Yue could learn a thing or two from those around her and would actively try to understand the battle mechanics by sparring granted she was provided with handicaps.

So, finding a lake was almost serendipitous. They all could relax and yes, even if Nik wouldn't have been able to fully focus on everyone, Mai could use her unique energybending technique to raise everyone's sensitivity for this special occasion.

Needless to say, Nik enjoyed the feeling of growth as earthbending had direct and positive feedback on the strengthening of his body, too, but he also wanted to spend time with others. No, to be precise, he wanted to give them the attention they deserved for truly committing to him.

"Sorry, Toph. Katara is right. We do need to relax. How about I train the next seven days without a break once again?" Nik smiled and rubbed the girl's head but she scoffed. Slapping his hands away, and then his dick for petty revenge, causing him to stumble with a pained huff, Toph commented, "Fine, rest. Relax. The lot of you."

Not saying anything else, she walked away only for Poppy to call out, "Toph. Wait—"

"Let her," Michi hugged Poppy comfortingly from behind. These two mothers had simply too many things in common to have not bonded overly well and Poppy couldn't help but consider Michi's advice while Nik stood up slowly.

A sigh escaped his lips.

Of course, when he's learned enough from his master, he would get his revenge. Maybe spank her bottoms or pussy lips if need be but right now, he could silently bury the thought and walk over to the lake before slipping out of his pants and comforting the worried mother, "She will come back... hey, don't be so worried. You of all people know how strong she is, right?"

"Besides... never reward a tantrum..." Mai remarked in her usual voice as she rested in the lake not too far from Michi.

This was something Poppy was learning to handle. With the usual barriers of deceit between the mother and daughter now removed, Poppy had sometimes trouble accepting Toph's almost rough and complete strange behavior. She would curse, act impishly, and everything else that made her less lady-like.

Poppy didn't want to see it... but she also didn't want to force Toph to be something she wasn't. After all, what is the point of strength if her daughter couldn't be free from societal expectations...

But she was making progress.

A person is never too old to grow— this has never been truer in Poppy's case as she relented. Her worry was clear but when Nik soothingly kissed her, had her legs around him, and then pressed his cock against her twitching and eager holes in one swoop, she couldn't help but fall more passive. Now, she was Poppy, not only a mother but his woman and she found herself in need of more care now that she was worried.

---

"Tch," Toph clicked her tongue. She honestly wasn't too far away.

Of course, she didn't mind occasional rest as much as she didn't mind regular rest. And she didn't care how Nik spent his time when not with her. Heck, her house has been screwed up no more than her personal troubles, so truly, what made Toph unnerved... were these foreign emotions.

She'd been on the street. She'd seen poverty, robbery, and even occasional prostitution. As prosperous as Gaoling was, Toph was the only one blind enough to see the darkness that hid under the covers and deeper beneath the ground, too. So, she was beginning to feel swayed.

She was a bit relieved when the prisoners forgave her. She was happy that her mother was content.

She was happy to finally be who she was... not the clumsy blind girl she acted like in front of her father and mother back then.

But... why wouldn't they still see her for who she was?

Hadn't she already 'seen' her mother with others enough time?

Hadn't she seen the tortures the prisoners went through?

So? Why did she need to leave? If anything, she should be the one...

The thought of 'it' had emerged in her mind more than once admittedly and she also understood why Nik would claim that he hadn't exactly been a stellar student to a few of his other teachers. If anything, his determination to hurt himself at her instructions had moved her.

She still recalled the outrage her demand of punching the rock had caused back in the manor but the results showed quick enough. And the first step was the most grueling of them all— to finally show the earth that you're the more stubborn of the two.

Of course... Toph could say that she hadn't been true to this teaching in these recent days.

If she'd been stubborn enough, would she have been treated as a more mature member of the group?

Had she been stubborn enough...

Her thoughts ended when she felt some disturbances and she stood up.

Quietly making her way through the dense foliage, Toph found a platypus bear ramming into a boulder covering a cavern. This may be the first time Toph was witnessing the animal but that didn't stop her from admiring its strength and persistence as the animal continued to ram into the boulder time and again.

She understood why the bear did so.

Behind the boulder was a family of Shelled Salmons that the bear couldn't reach.

So, Toph found herself witnessing the persistent bear and the calm, almost indifferent Shelled Salmons behind the boulder as they continued to gruel within wet mud and live their lives in darkness.

To be honest, after the first five minutes, she was rooting for the persistent bear. The boulder would move anytime under its tremendous strength.

Any time now...

Any time...

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---

*Thud*

The bear fell on its back, exhausted. Its upper body bruised but the boulder remained unmoved.

Toph had lost her eagerness. Instead, she looked thoughtful.

In her excitement, she had forgotten the mountain against which the boulder was wedged on. Could the bear's stubbornness truly move the mountain?

Scratch that, could her stubbornness move the mountain as she is right now?

If it's not stubbornness... then... what else?

Toph suddenly recalled her memories. She was stubborn and persistent, yes. But she enjoyed earthbending. That's how she got good at it. She had fun. She was diligent. She was as intuitive as patient when it came to learning it.

It wasn't just being stubborn.

She learned more than that from the Badger Mole...

Being stubborn is only the first step but not the true essence of earthbending.

Suddenly, Toph began to chuckle. Her chuckle turned into boisterous laughter as the bear placed his attention on her. Yet, before it pounced on her, she punched sideways, and the boulder that it tried to move smashed against the animal before Toph set it against the entrance once again.

'Earthbending is so much more than that!' She thought excitedly.

'It's a way of life. It's my way of life. Things won't change suddenly. Even Mom isn't always fussing over me but I had to throw a damn tantrum. Yeah, like that'll show I'm an adult... Fuck!' She cursed and shook her head.

To be treated maturely, she had to learn how to be mature. Good thing she had many examples... but she could start from the most exciting exercise to be mature, right?

Toph licked her pouty lips.

Of course, she wouldn't disturb them now.

That would be pointless and chances are her mother would try to act up again. But would she be able to do something once she'd done it?

With a mischievous chuckle, Toph began practicing alone... warming herself up.

---

Nik and others were moving northward. The last time they left Aang, they were going to search for the prisoners from the Makapu Village and if anything, the ship that carried them would definitely be north of Gaoling and even Omashu. As such, they moved in that direction and had planned to make stops at a few colonies to restock their supplies. Although, they had gained much by plundering the Beifong trading house.

The news of their actions had reached other regions. They had been intercepted by fire nation guards when it was made known to others that...

The skull mask of the uniform that been formally revoked.

Nik and other spies that had infiltrated the military establishments using their own uniforms had finally caused such orders to be passed down.

This certainly made things difficult.

In fact, entry without revealing their face is impossible in many colonies due to the extensive damage Nik had caused.

And... Michi had been finally ousted as a traitor to the crown and gained a bounty poster of her own. Of course, it didn't truly matter to her and gave her the chance to chat with her daughter about something new.

With almost all of them having a bounty poster... Toph was left wanting to get for her own. Of course, with her newfound enlightenment, she silently told herself that the chance for it would come soon...

After all, staying with Nik meant attracting all sorts of trouble.

"Hmm..." Toph heard Nik hum thoughtfully.

"What is it?" She questioned. They had stopped for another round of training. While Katara had returned with nothing better to do and Toph was quite enticed to try and make a move, she couldn't just disrupt his focus. Since he had done everything but complaint during their training, she felt he was owed a distraction-less training session, at least.

"I still don't understand how to hear the earth... I just have some trouble recalling my chi," he explained as Toph shrugged, "Well, practice. You'll get it eventually."

His lips twitched but she was right, of course. If he wasn't getting a hang of it, he needed more practice.

He stomped again and closed his eyes. He felt it... no, he saw his chi represented by glowing waves of violet enter the earth and... nothing.

The connection was broken off again.

Nik groaned again.

While making great strides in learning other earth bending techniques, this particular technique failed to budge.

Nik, if he understood correctly from Toph, was told that she could see things around her due to their contact with the earth. Through the reverberations of their movements and acts and if the object is unmoving, whenever Toph moved, chi would spike from the base of her feet and spread about willingly and return with the information of things around her.

So, while Toph had little concept of colors, she knew almost everything when her feet were on the ground... to a certain distance, of course.

Toph silently broke nuts with her bare hands, a sight her mother wouldn't approve but she ate the resultant dry fruit without any guilt.

After a while, Nik finally stopped, eliciting Toph to comment, "Done for the day?"

Looking over the setting horizon as dusk made way, Nik smiled wryly, his body covered in sweat, "Yeah... for an hour or two. Still have some spars and airbending to do."

Toph hummed loudly and leaned back while Nik sat down to recover from his exhaustion.

"Say, Nik..."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"You know my teachings work, right? You're getting better at earthbending at a rapid pace... so, if I said I have an unorthodox practice... what would you say?"

"I'll say you're full of shit and want something. But you're too shy to ask for it and would name it as training," Nik coolly replied and closed his eyes to rest. Meanwhile, Toph's expression froze and she grew silently before muttering— mimicking his tone— under her breath.

"So? Are we feeling lonely Toph?" Nik finally questioned and if she could see in great detail the smug grin he had, she'd want to smack it away but his question was responded by an unexpected eagerness in her tone, "Just a bit," she lied.

She had a few references to draw from even if she hadn't experienced any of it herself and just from how pleasant those around Nik sounded compared to those, let's say, who would force themselves upon others, she had to say Nik felt quite the preferable choice. Not to mention, she was colored impressed by his dedication, not only to his training but to others, too.

She did not doubt that Nik was selfish. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have stolen. But she was quite a bit pleased to know that his selfishness only worked to improve their lives. After all, as much as she hated her manor previously, it had the best bed. And now that her manor had been shifted from Gaoling, she didn't hate it anymore.

Even after her reply, Nik only looked at her with slight apprehension.

He hadn't known Toph for long... but then again, the same was true for Poppy but she had the necessary qualities to persuade him. Toph was certainly pretty and cute... but Nik's preferences have always been on the older side of the spectrum. Not only mentally but physically, too. Still, he wouldn't deny the charm of Toph's body. He had felt it against him while they would ride on Ostrich Horse... Toph hadn't only gained her mother's short and pillowy lips but also her butt.

Seeing her slightly nervous by the silence, her locks barely covering her eyes at the moment while she kept her head hung low, her lips squirming as she wanted to say something...

All of it made him chuckle out of nowhere.

"Aren't you the master? What do you think you're doing acting so nervously?"

"I'm the master," Toph repeated, "But... you know... how do I put it... I can only teach what I know. I don't know anything about... this..." she mumbled.

"Hmm, maybe I could teach you," Nik muttered, his words making her grin, "There you go! You horny asshole! You did want to do it, too!"

Nik shrugged as he thought of something. If water tentacles can be formed then...

Would something earthen work, too?

Nik eyed Toph and grinned. He could just try it out, right? After all, what else had he been practicing his earthbending for if not to show the results of his training to his master?

***

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