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- This article is about the firebender. For other similar uses, see Chen (disambiguation).
"My mom warned me about the Academy. She said every friend I made here was secretly looking for a way to destroy me. So I had to get to them first."
— Chen to Mai about the Royal Fire Academy for Girls.[1]
Chen was a firebender and a student of the Royal Fire Academy for Girls in the 100s AG. A scion of a noble family, she formed a gang with Diu and Qiang at the school. Displaying a classicist attitude, they tried to bully the new commoner students of the Academy, including Lihua. However, Chen's viewpoints ultimately led her to become increasingly paranoid, causing a rift with her friends.
History
Chen was born into a Fire Nation noble clan which could trace its lineage to the time of the country's foundation. Her mother had attended Royal Fire Academy for Girls in her youth. When Chen was old enough to also enroll at this school, her mother warned her that she could never trust any friends there, as the students constantly tried to backstab each other. Chen took these words to heart, even as she became friends with two fellow students, namely Diu and Qiang.[1]
Around 103 AG, Fire Lord Zuko's education reforms allowed commoners to start attending the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. Chen and her gang disliked this development, and made no secret of their feelings. One day, they occupied the Academy's playground castle. As they were approached by a new commoner student, Lihua, and her friend, Princess Kiyi, the trio declared that the castle was "our spot" and demanded Lihua to leave. Chen urged Kiyi to remain though, claiming that she should "join [her] betters" instead of staying with "a peasant". When the princess refused, Chen used a mild firebending move to throw Lihua from the castle. This infuriated Kiyi who promptly attacked the trio with a strong fire blast, knocking Chen from her position. As the older student laid on the ground, Kiyi kept attacking her.[1]
The fight was eventually stopped, whereupon Chen and her friends lied to the teachers that Lihua had started the scuffle. Inclined to believe them due to their noble heritage, Headmistress Shihan subsequently punished the common student and reprimanded Kiyi. However, this resulted in a series of events which led to Mai becoming an Academy teacher and attempting to reinforce Zuko's reforms.[1]
Sometime after the incident with Lihua and Kiyi, Chen started to notice how Diu and Qiang were talking about her behind her back. Remembering her mother's advice, Chen immediately assumed that her two friends were plotting against her. Her distrust grew and eventually she openly challenged Diu on the school's courtyard, despite the latter's protests about the ridiculousness of her friend's accusations. This caused Chen to accuse the other girl of lying as well as cowardice. Before the conflict escalated into violence, Mai intervened and asked Chen to explain her grievances. Soon after, Headmistress Shihan also arrived at the scene, claiming that the two students could solve their issues through an Agni Kai. Chen, Diu, and several other students then silently listened as Mai and Shihan heatedly argued over whether an Agni Kai was justified in this situation. Opposing a duel, Mai eventually prevailed in the argument and ordered the students to return to their classrooms, including Chen and Diu.[1]
