The Cabbage Merchant's Brilliant Plan

By: Iroh's Tea Shoppe Girls

Disclaimer: We don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, if we did, the cabbage merchant would be God.

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Once upon a time, there was a cabbage merchant. Now this cabbage merchant was a good cabbage merchant, he sold a lot of cabbage, but was always looking for ways to sell more. So one day the cabbage merchant came up with an idea, which he was sure would boost sales. But to execute the idea, he would need help, so he headed to town, and that is where our story begins.

"Oh, hi," Oyaji said smiling gently. He was the leader of Kyoshi Island and just the person the cabbage merchant needed to talk to. "It's been a while. Finally back from your trip? Did you sell a lot?"

"I have a very important request to make," the cabbage merchant said, wearing an expression fit for the seriousness of the matter.

"What is it my old friend?" Oyaji asked.

"I would like Kyoshi Island to change its name," the cabbage merchant said. "Cabbage Island would be a wonderful name for it and it would help boost cabbage sales."

Oyaji was taken aback, at first he didn't even know how to begin to respond.

"Kyoshi Island is named after Avatar Kyoshi who formed it," Oyaji said as soon as he could speak again, his face was beet-red with anger. "We could never change the name. It is tradition!"

"But think of the revenue the extra cabbage sales could bring in," the cabbage merchant said with a smile.

"Absolutely not, the name is very important to the people who live on this island. You'd have to get everyone to agree, get one thousand signatures agreeing to change the name, then we can talk."

It was a fool's errand, Oyaji knew the population of the island was not 1,000, and that most people would rather part with their left foot than the traditions that made the island strong.

And so the cabbage merchant's quest began. He went around door to door, asking everyone in the village to sign the petition. Sadly, only his wife, a well-humored woman named Morma signed it. After he had asked everyone on the island, he grew frustrated and discontent. But then his wife gave him the suggestion to go to the mainland Earth Kingdom, as there were more people there. And so the cabbage merchant left his home to find more people to sign the petition.

He traveled all over the Earth Kingdom, selling cabbages and asking people to sign. Sadly most people either laughed at him, or told him it should be up to the people who lived on the island. But some signed, but not very many. It was a very frustrating time for the cabbage merchant.

Then he came to a wealthy town which had an Earthbending training school. That was where he finally began to get signatures. Not only was the head of the school interested in signing the petition (for a good discount on future cabbage purchases), but he had many students who he could order to sign.

With many signatures in tow, the cabbage merchant returned to Kyoshi Island, to show Oyaji. He smiled as he envisioned himself selling cabbages while explaining they came from Cabbage Island.

So the merchant handed Oyaji the parchment with the signatures. He grinned a big smile. Oyaji frowned, not recognizing any of the names (besides Morma).

"What is the meaning of this?" Oyaji asked, trying not to sound too harsh.

"It is the signatures of people who think that the name change would be a good idea," the cabbage merchant explained with a huge grin.

"The only signature I recognize on here is from your wife," Oyaji said bluntly. "The rest are either made up or from outsiders who should not have a say in the island. The name Kyoshi is still very important to our people, we shouldn't change it."

"But think of the increase in cabbage sales!" the cabbage merchant whined.

"That is a very selfish reason to throw history out the window," Oyaji said firmly. "I'm sorry, my friend, but this subject is closed. Please don't ever mention it again."

The cabbage merchant sighed. He had failed. He returned home to his wife, and rested concentrating only on farming cabbages. When harvest season had come and he began to prepare for his yearly trip to the mainland to sell his cabbages, an idea hit him. Renaming Kyoshi Island wasn't the only way to get a "Cabbage Island."

His new idea would take a little luck, but as sure as Kyoshi Island was created by Kyoshi, luck found him. In his travels he had the incredible fortune of coming across the Avatar (mostly when the boy was destroying things, including his cabbages). He followed the path of the flying bison hoping to get a chance to meet with him. On one occasion he was able to actually have a conversation with the boy and explain his plan.

"Umm," the Avatar said. "Why are you following me?"

"I wanted to ask you for a favor, oh great Avatar," the cabbage merchant said in his most humble void.

"I am here to help people," Aang said cautiously. "What do you need?"

"I would like for an island to be formed," the cabbage merchant said. "An island were I can grow cabbages in peace."

Aang frowned. "Where do you normally grow your cabbages?"

"Kyoshi Island," the cabbage merchant answered.

"I'll do even better," Aang said with a smile. "I'll stop the war so you can continue to grow your cabbages in peace on Kyoshi Island."

"But –" the cabbage merchant said before being interrupted.

"I'm sorry," the Avatar said. "I really have to get going, you know, saving the world and all."

And just like that the Avatar flew off into the sky on his glider. The cabbage man watched his last hope of Cabbage Island fly off with the boy.