"After losing his memory at sea, Prince Zuko finds himself becoming close with the Avatar and his Water Tribe companions. As they travel the world, they soon become privy to a prophecy involving Zuko that could determine the fate of the world. Will the sacrifices he makes in his journey be in vain? Or will Zuko be successful in becoming the Phoenix?"
— Fanfic summary
The Phoenix is a Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfic by PearLynn
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The fanfic can be found on Fanfiction Dot Net here. It was published in May 2013 and completed in December of that year.
This fanfic provides examples of:
- Adaptational Badass: Zuko is portrayed as a Messianic Archetype with a Chosen One destiny of his own, complete with being a descendant of the God of Fire. When at full-power, he is able to generate white fire (the hottest flame possible) full-time. He was even able to generate lightning (something Canon!Zuko could never do) to restart Katara's heart.
- Age Lift: All of the characters have been made a couple years older (e.g Zuko is now 18 and Sokka is 17).
- Alternate Continuity: The continuity of the fanfic is different from the canon story, creating differences in events.
- Zuko does not officially meet the Gaang until he washes ashore with amnesia after the storm from "The Storm".
- When given the option to take the Cave of Two Lovers to try and rescue Bumi, Zuko gives a detached yet sound argument that it would be a better idea to find an earthbending teacher for him elsewhere. Aang begrudgingly agrees and they decide not to go to Omashu.
- Amnesiac Villain Joins the Heroes: The general premise is Zuko, struggling to find the Avatar to bring to the Fire Nation, nearly drowns and suffers a bump on the head. Now with amnesia, he is found by Team Avatar, effectively joining them.
- Ascended Extra: In the series, Jee is a random member of Zuko’s crew and disappears after season one concludes. Here, it is revealed that he was a member of the White Lotus all along.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Jet becomes way more suspicious of Zuko early on because of how close he is to Katara and his unwillingness to help steal food from the ship’s captain. He stalks them without a probable cause to do so and immediately tries attacking him when Zuko heats his tea when he thinks no-one else is looking.
- Death by Adaptation: Azula manages to actually hit Mai with a lightning bolt in this story, killing her.
- Florence Nightingale Effect: One of their means of bonding is Katara using her waterbending to help Zuko heal from his amnesia.
- For Want Of A Nail: With Zuko having his Heel–Face Turn much earlier than in the series, this are bound to be different.
- Katara never loses her necklace because Zuko never steals it.
- With Zuko's cold, rational opinion on the matter, the gang decides not to go to a conquered Omashu and to instead look elsewhere for an Earthbending teacher.
- The White Lotus knew of the Lunar Eclipse already, meaning the Gaang does not need to go to Wan Shi Tong’s Library. Because of this, they never lose Appa and are able to get into Ba Sing Se with no trouble.
- For the invasion, Ozai calls himself “the Dragon King” instead of “the Phoenix King”.
- Four Is Death: Zuko's prophecy states that he must die four times before he is able to accept Agni's gift in-full, each by one of the four elements.
- Water: When he is lost at sea saving one of his crewmen, suffering a head-injury and drowning before washing ashore.
- Fire: Azula generates lightning and stops his heart.
- Earth: Crushed by a Dai Li agent.
- Air: When Azula strangles him in their fight, suffocating him.
- Identity Amnesia: When Zuko injures his head saving one of his crewmen from falling into the ocean, he washes ashore with amnesia, unable to remember anything other than the fact that his name starts with a "Z".
- In Spite of a Nail: The gaang run into Toph and let her join them, her running away and becoming Aang's earthbending teacher despite never encountering her in the earthbending tournament.
- Innocently Insensitive: Averted. With his memories slowly returning, Zuko admits to Katara that he has been struggling not to address her as "peasant".
- Lemon: The Phoenix: Missing Scenes are a series of one-shots set within the story, acting as omitted sex-scenes between Zuko and Katara.
- Like Brother and Sister: Zuko is not unlike a big brother figure to Toph, Zuko comparing her to Azula before Ozai's influence turned her into a psychopath.
- Katara sees Aang like a brother, much to Aang's disappointment.
- Like Parent, Like Spouse: Iroh compares Katara's maternal kindness to that of Zuko's mother.
- Magical Defibrillator: When Azula uses her lightning to stop his and Zuko's hearts, presumably killing them, Zuko was able to generate just enough lightning himself to restart Katara's.
- Messianic Archetype: Zuko is chosen as the one who helps end the war as the vessel (or "avatar", if you will) of the fire god Agni. He is a descendant of the fire-god himself, was betrayed by those close to him (his father and sister) and must die one per element to gain ultimate power.
- Plan B Resolution: When the 100 years war went on, the White Lotus lost faith in the Avatar appearing, so the Phoenix prophecy became this as a backup.
- The Prophecy: Early on in the war, a fortuneteller proclaimed that a descendant of Agni (and of two reasons the war started), marked by their kin, shall die four times (one for each element), will be empowered by the God of Fire and ultimately decide the fate of the war, defeating the one that kills him.
- The Quiet One: During Zuko's first stint with amnesia, he lacks his iconic temper and usually keeps to himself.
- Spiteful Spit: After Azula zapped Katara with lightning and then asked him a second time where Aang was, Zuko spat in her face, leading to him getting zapped too.
- Technicolor Fire: As his power grows, Zuko's fire becomes more powerful and intense. Starting off as normal, his fire starts becoming blue, becoming white if he is enraged enough. When he dies for the fourth time, completing the prophecy, it becomes white permanently.
- Wistful Amnesia: Early on in his amnesia, Zuko was still able to recollect certain things unconsciously, such as memories of feeding turtle ducks, certain survival techniques and that he can firebend.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: After regaining the memory of him receiving his scar and banishment, Zuko is left in a depression on the assumption that in some way he deserved it, only for Katara to comfort him, telling him that what happened to him was cruel and that she is helping him because she cares.
