Champion: the First Probender
is an Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfic by GenghisQuan. The story takes place four years after the end of the series, and the Four Nations have organized a tournament in Ba Sing Se in order to celebrate the coming together of nations through friendly competition. Six teams, each comprised of an OC and a canon character and representing one aspect of the post-war world, compete against each other in a round robin format. They are:
- Team Northern Water Tribe: Ximen Qing and Mai
- Team Southern Water Tribe: Katara and Brad
- Team Earth Kingdom: Lin Hayate and Lan-Feng
- Team Fire Nation: Ouyang Yunfei and Ty Lee
- Team White Lotus: Kazuma and Toph
- Team Muggle: Kei Mallari and Sokka
As the title may imply, the story is an imagined account as to how the sport of Pro-Bending may have come into being, but as the plot progresses, it becomes clear that the war is still fresh in everyone's minds, and behind the scenes there are forces seeking to bring the newly realized peace to an end.
This is Not Just a Tournament after all.
This fanfic provides examples of:
- Absurdly Sharp Blade: Sokka's Space Sword, Kazuma's sword (cuts through the head of hammers), Yunfei's Windbreaker (cuts loose hair)
- Action Girl: Pretty much every girl that fights in the tournament and then some.
- Added Alliterative Appeal: Author is somewhat fond of this in prose. Xin Fu also does this in his role as emcee.
- Arranged Marriage: Between Yunfei and Ty Lee, which was why she ran off to join the circus prior to the events of A:tLA.
- Artistic License – Martial Arts: Avoided. Author trains wushu, along with Shaolin (which Firebending is based on) and Tai Chi (which waterbending is based on).
- Audible Sharpness: Yunfei's sword Windbreaker (he does come from a clan of master smiths), as well as most other Ouyang blades.
- Call-Back: Author has fun with stuffing as many references to the original series. Almost as much fun as he has with...
- Call-Forward: Author also has fun putting in references to The Legend of Korra as well.
- Curbstomp Battle: A squad of warriors that include The Ace, several veterans with Badass Nicknames, and a Lightning Bruiser clear a building of drunk and tired bandits who are not expecting attack? Only one way that will go. Inverted later when their leader arrives with reinforcements...
- Dance Battler: Kei and Ty Lee
- Darker and Edgier: People actually die, and due to author's martial art experience, combat is visceral. A focus on adult characters also leads to this.
- Distracted by the Sexy: Kazuma, during the joint-Ouyang-Lotus op. this leads to Fang-lin's death
- Encyclopedia Exposita: The "Codex Entries" at the end of each chapters, which provide supplemental worldbuilding besides. This is also a bit of a Shout-Out to the Mass Effect series.
- Expy: Kai Leng and Sandor Clegane
- Fantastic Racism: due to the end of the war. Combines with Fantastic Slurs Tribal, Earther, Matchstick, and Twinkie (though the last one doesn't really have anyone it can be used on)
- Honor Before Reason: Yunfei suggests that Fire Nation are supposed to be this. We get a glimpse of it during the joint Ouyang-White-Lotus op.
- I Call It "Vera": Windbreaker, Yunfei's sword. Clan Ouyang as a whole does this.
- Jerkass: thy name is Northern Water Tribe.
- Lightning Bruiser: Kazuma and Len, due to being Aspects. Also canon characters like Toph and Katara.
- My Country, Right or Wrong: Yunfei says this during a heated debate with Kazuma. Shijie later says the modified version of this.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: most have this. Ouyang Leng has seven. Double with The Magnificent.
- Never Bring a Knife to a Fist Fight: Averted. Most characters are more effective when they get their hands on a weapon and less effective when said weapon gets knocked out of their hands.
- Paparazzi: Hawagul bin Kadeer al Urumqi
- Physical God: The Avatar, as well as Aspects.
- Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: Kei knows Wing Chun.
- Samus Is a Girl: Xu Sheng Twospear
- State Sec: Ba Sing Se's law enforcement is no longer this, having been reformed into the City Watch. Clan Ouyang acts as this for the Fire Nation.
- The Paragon: the White Lotus Society steps forward to be this after the war.
- Tournament Arc: quickly becomes Not Just a Tournament
- Tongs And Triads: start appearing as of Chapter 6.
- Shout-Out: Many in each chapter.
- Each chapter is ended by a BioWare-esque codex entry
- Repeated references are made to the Zhaoka Incident
- Ouyang Leng's description is a nod to Kai Leng
- "Death to the false Fire Lord!"
- An easily missed one to the "Bad Joke Amon" meme from Korra.
- Clan Ouyang's death prayer may sound familiar to those well acquainted with Fate/stay night.
- Two drinking shoutouts to Mass Effect about putting more into that thing where the thing goes and a variation of salute given in the third game.
- "Come at me, bro."
- Wake up in the morning feeling like Wang Fire...
- What the Hell, Hero?: Kazuma has this reaction to the Ouyang who don't bat an eye about killing incapped enemy combatants.
- Won the War, Lost the Peace: What is trying to be avoided.
