| abstract | - Momo spots a spider that has made a web in Sokka's mouth, due to the fact that he was sleeping with his mouth open. Attempting to grab the spider, the lemur wakes Sokka, who yells at Momo in response; he, in turn, wakes Katara and Aang. His outburst attracts the attention of a mounted Fire Nation military unit known as the Rough Rhinos, who surround them. In their attempt to leave quickly, the trio instantly realizes that they each left a precious possession behind at the camp: Katara's waterbending scroll, Aang's staff, and Sokka's boomerang. Katara and Aang take advantage of their bending abilities and retrieve their desired possessions while Sokka is the only who is unable to retrieve his. He asks them, sarcastic and upset, if the two really had only enough time to get their possessions back and not his. Katara simply affirms the fact. While purchasing supplies, Aang, Sokka, and Katara learn of a festival known as "Avatar Day", celebrated in an Earth Kingdom village. Curious and excited, they go to the festival, and find a parade with giant floats that are made to look like Avatars Kyoshi, Roku, and Aang himself. The trio initially believe that the festival is honoring the Avatar, and Aang is very satisfied with the fact. However, a man appears and torches the three floats to the loud approval of the villagers, who chant, "Down with the Avatar!" Katara promptly extinguishes the burning effigies; when the festival-goers protest, Aang reveals himself as the Avatar. Believing that he will destroy them, the villagers cower from him, and he is told by Mayor Tong to leave the village as he is an unwanted visitor. When Katara states that they have no right to question his honor, since Aang helps people, Tong scoffs at the suggestion, explaining that it had been Kyoshi, Aang in a past life, who the villagers believed to have killed their former leader, Chin the Great. In an attempt to clear his name, Aang agrees to stand trial. He is imprisoned, however, as the town does not accept Water Tribe currency to cover bail; he tasks Sokka and Katara with investigating the townspeople's accusations. After hearing Mayor Tong's description of Chin's statue and his account of Kyoshi emerging from the temple to strike the emperor down, Katara realizes that Kyoshi would never have set foot on the island if the temple and statue were carved out of the same stone and the statue was built following Chin's death. After some searching, they also discover a footprint at the end of the island, which would prove to be some evidence later. Sokka and Katara return to Kyoshi Island to find evidence that can help prove his innocence. They are welcomed with cheers from the islanders, including the foaming mouth guy, but the villagers become disappointed when they realize Aang is not one of the visitors. Katara and Sokka briefly state their business to Oyaji, who subsequently takes the them to the Kyoshi Shrine. Inside are several relics belonging to the past Avatar, as well as a painting, "The Birth of Kyoshi", through which they find out that Kyoshi was founding the island at the very same time she supposedly murdered Chin the Great. Katara also discovers, by looking at Kyoshi's boots, that the size of her feet was very large (the biggest of all the Avatars, she is told); she begins to voice her conclusion, but Sokka interrupts her and proceeds to voice the realization himself: Kyoshi's supposed murder of Chin the Great was unlikely, as the footprint they previously saw was small, not large. Returning to Chin Village, however, they discover that the evidence they have gathered, while convincing, will be rendered useless by the structuring of the trials, in which the opposing sides only tell what they believe happened. Using only the two stories, the jury decides who is innocent and who is guilty; for this case, the village mayor serves as both prosecution and jury. Meanwhile, Aang, still in his jail cell, has become somewhat friendly with the other prisoners. One of them offers him advice about girls, that is, Katara. During Aang's trial, after hearing Tong's story and Aang's vague, disjointed version, he is found guilty. Refusing to give up, Sokka and Katara have Aang dress up in Kyoshi's old uniform. Suddenly, Kyoshi manifests through Aang's body, much like Avatar Roku did during the winter solstice at the Fire Temple. She announces to the village that she did indeed kill Chin the Great, or Chin the Conqueror, as she calls him. He was conquering neighboring lands and was planning on conquering Kyoshi's village, which at the time was situated on a peninsula. To protect her people, she confronted Chin's army alone, coming face to face with the surprisingly short warlord. However, instead of fighting, Kyoshi used the Avatar State to separate the entire peninsula from the mainland, pushing it into the ocean to form Kyoshi Island. In the process, Kyoshi's airbending scattered and decimated Chin's army. Chin himself was left standing on a weakening overhang at the end of the cliff. He cried out in frustration, but because he was too stubborn to walk away, he fell to his death when the ground broke off from under his feet. Once Kyoshi disappears, Aang asks Katara what happened, and she tells him that he confessed to the murder. The village brings out a wheel for Aang to spin to determine his punishment. It lands on being boiled in oil, but before the sentence can be carried out, the Rough Rhinos arrive and attempt to take over the village. Fearing for his safety, the mayor quickly changes the punishment to community service and pleads with Aang to "do a service to the community" by defeating the warriors, which he, Sokka, and Katara do. The trio engages the warriors in battle and is successful in driving them away. Sokka regains his boomerang during the battle exclaiming, "Boomerang! You do always come back!" In an act of thanks, the mayor decides that in the future, Avatar Day will honor the day Avatar Aang saved the town from the Rough Rhinos. Since Aang was not boiled in oil on that day, the celebration involves eating effigies of the Avatar made from unfried dough. Sokka, unnerved by the whole experience, offers the opinion that Chin Village is "by far the worst town [they have] ever been to". Meanwhile, ashamed of the position in which he finds himself, Zuko disguises himself as the Blue Spirit to steal from the wealthy. Worried about how Zuko is coping with the situation, Iroh tells Zuko, "In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength." After thinking about what his uncle said, Zuko decides to travel alone.
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