Hello dear reader, and welcome to my first official story! Its been a long time coming. I've been a reader for years now, but a serious lack of updates from my favorite authors drove me to do this. Besides, I've been meaning to release an Avatar story, and Korra just drove it over the edge. I was hoping to get this out before Season 2, but school made me keep pushing this back again and again. Well, that doesn't matter now, the premier was spectacular and gave me some ideas for the future.

So yes, as you might have guessed, this is an OC-centric story, I know there is a lack of Team focused stories (at least well-written) now, and that was what I wanted to do. But a single idea sort of overtook the whole thing into a new direction and I felt no choice but to guide it along.

IMPORTANT! My main character will be based off of the legendary Bruce Lee. Not his history, personality, or acting career, but his style (or lack thereof). I say this now because I may base or even quote his teaching in the story, and I don't want anybody thinking I'm passing all of his as my own. So every time I quote him all follow it up with an '*'.

I decided to write this after I heard some great words of wisdom from Lee about 'Being like water', which I thought fit perfectly with the Avatar universe. Now don't worry, I won't be just copying and pasting the man into Legend of Korra, rather I will use his philosophy as a base for my own creations.

Let's begin!

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The sun was at its peak in the sky as it shone its life over Republic City. Truly the metropolis was a melting pot, just as its founder intended. The downtown area was a modern marvel, compiled of tall buildings that jutted out of the still lush land. The older ones made of wood and stone still sat proudly with the newer ones composed entirely of metal. Airships patrolled high in the sky, maintaining peace and order for the many denizens. The concrete streets were packed with automobiles and trollies, a reminder of man's technological achievement. People from all walks of life crowded the sidewalks, occasionally being broken up by vendors selling foods or accessories. Along with downtown, there existed many residential neighborhoods, each tailored to either low, middle, or high class citizens. Bays, harbors, and public stations were peppered in and around the city, bringing in trade and immigrants. There were also areas heavily industrialized sector tucked away at the cities south border, containing mostly factories and power plants. This was the core of a technical revolution that has since spread throughout the world. The cities restless myriad of activity was all connected by impressive steel bridges.

To the side was a separate island that held a monument; a tribute to the great man that founded the republic: Avatar Aang. The statue was poised with strength and conviction as it stood in traditional air monk garb and tightly held a staff, watching over the city.

But perhaps the furthest from the bustling city, in atmosphere at least, was the Republic City park. Only a small amount of fine stone for roads and bridges cut through the still vibrant beauty of the foliage. Instead of horns, alarms, and civilian ire, the air was barren with a comfortable silence, and a gentle breeze swept through the visitors of the park. Families were playing, couples were taking romantic walks, and in a large open field stood a large stage. The stage was populated by a group of workers, assembling and moving the props and back drops of what the average passerby would deem a play.

"Careful, Sai-Fon!" cried a young teenage girl, gazing upwards.

"C'mon, we don't have all day!" shouted an older boy next to her, much less concerned.

The young man known as Sai-Fon remained silent, focused on the task at hand. He had jet black hair cut into an almost bowl-style, but it was more unkempt than the common type. His attire was rather plain, a white Earth Kingdom style work shirt with a sash of the same color tied around his waist. He also wore black pants and shoes, both were faded, dirty, and worn out from years of hard labor. There were two noticeable bulges on the right pant leg, possibly concealing a weapon. The shirt was drenched in sweat, and Sai-Fon's sleeves were rolled up so he could work without restriction. He was on the tip of his toes atop a 30 foot ladder trying to hang a string of lamps from the top right corner of the stage. The ladder itself wasn't actually on the stage but was off to the side in order to make way for a large prop carriage.

"You've should have just waited for that earthbender." the girl down below reprimanded. Again, Sai-Fon was silent.

"Just have to tie this knot and...-Done!" Sai-Fon began to descend down the ladder but was halted by the older boy.

"Sai-Fon, wait! I think it's lopsided!" The older boy ran to the front to get a full view. Not satisfied with a simple gaze, he used his fingers to form a rectangle and squinted his brown eyes.

"Hmmm..."

"It looks fine to me, Hayao." the girl said, casting a worried glance at Sai-Fon.

"Watch out!" The three teenagers looked to the source of the voice and saw probably the least likely thing they could possibly see. It was young girl who was clearly from the water tribe judging by her skin tone and clothing. She was riding atop a giant polar bear/dog hybrid, with its tongue sloppily waving through the air and charging almost directly to the stage center. The boy and girl in front were quick to evade and dashed off the far right, while the others workers panicked and yelled at the two to stop. The water tribe girl did her best to steer the animal away from the stage, and the dog/bear was able to completely avoid it, but ran nearly headfirst into the ladder Sai-Fon was on. In comparison to the animal's size and speed, the ladder snapped like a cluster of twigs and knocked Sai-Fon off his feet and sent him plummeting to the ground.

"SAI!" the two cried. All Sai-Fon saw was the hard ground that he was quickly reaching. There was no point in trying to grab onto the stage as the side he was on was completely flat. In attempt to minimize damage, Sai-Fon relaxed his body and allowed himself to spin until his feet would hit the ground first. He was able to bend his knees before impact, and as he landed he fell and rolled to his right side, preventing major damage. He rose to his feet rather fast and dusted himself off, surprisingly not too shaken up by the ordeal.

The boy and girl ran up to Sai-Fon with fearful expressions. "Sai-Fon, are you alright? Is anything broken?" The girl questioned with an almost motherly concern. She had chocolate brown eyes, fair skin and chestnut brown hair with chin-length strands, framing her face. She wore a long sleeved red blouse with a high collar and orange fastener and edges with brown slacks. She was about average height for a girl her age, but she was dwarfed by Sai-Fon by an entire foot. Even the other boy was short by comparison, and he was at least a head taller than her.

"No, I'm fine. Who and what was that?" Sai asked as he rotated his shoulder cuffs.

"I have no idea." The boy called Hayao replied. He had short auburn hair, and was dressed in a simple navy blue cotton shirt and matching pants with black shoes.

"Sai-Fon, I think you should go to the hospital."

"Relax, Risa, I'm alright." Risa didn't seemed phased by the comment, and Hayao tried to compromise.

"Well, that was still a pretty high fall. At least head home, we only have..." Hayao pulled out his small pocket watch. "Fifteen minuets until our shifts are over. Me and Risa will take it from here."

"Alright, then." Sai-Fon finally caved in and left the park to go to the apartment the three shared.

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Sai-Fon walked down the streets of the familiar Republic city, not really bothering to pay attention to the people scurrying into the shops or the owners switching their 'Open' signs to 'Closed'. His mind was still focused on the incident that sent him here. He felt a tinge of embarrassment. He had a high view of the whole thing and should have at least tried to get off the ladder, but he was just too stunned by the girl and dog...bear.. barreling down a place as peaceful as the park. Maybe she was new...

"Oof!"

Just his luck, Sai-Fon bumped into someone.

"Hey, watch it!" Sai-Fon ignored the rude comment and gave a brief bow before he muttered a curt apology. He tried to continue on his way until his arm was roughly grabbed by the man. "Don't walk away from me." he threatened.

So that's how it's going to be?

"I said I was sorry." Sai-Fon looked back at the man. Despite his aggression, the young man did his best to remain calm and polite.

"That ain't good enough. Do you know who I am?" It was then that Sai-Fon got a good look at the man and his little entourage. The man he bumped into wore a white shirt and gold chain underneath a light purple coat as well as white pants and brown boots. Two others flanked him, one had on a neck chain with a green shirt and beige slacks. The other had a pencil thin mustache and wore black shirt, red scarf and gray slacks. With their tacky dress and confrontational demeanor, Sai-Fon immediately identified them as triad members

Sai-Fon mentally slapped himself. The walk from the park to the apartment cut straight through Triple Threat territory. But this was the first time he ran into them in years.

"Maybe I shouldn't have left early." Sai-Fon thought. Some members are know to schedule their racketing. "You are members of the Triple Threat Triads, are you not?"

"Yeah, that's right. And you see..." He grasped his shoulder with his other arm. "You damaged by shoulder when you ran into me. I'm gonna have to go see a doctor to get it fixed. I'd imagine it might cost...500 yuan." Sai-Fon grew up with the Triple Threat, and he knew a shakedown when he heard it.

"It was an accident, and I apologized." Sai-Fon did his best to defuse the situation. "I don't want any trouble." All the purple coat wearing triad did was reach into his coat pocket, and that was when Sai-Fon flipped the switch from peaceful to aggressive. Not wanting to know what was in his pocket, Sai-Fon acted fast and used his free arm to deliver a quick but powerful punch to the man's solar plexus. The triad member felt like someone rammed a sledgehammer in his body and released him as he doubled over in agony. With a warrior-like shout, Sai-Fon backhanded the man in his temple so hard it violently bent his neck and sent him headfirst into the sidewalk. The other two were shocked at their leaders quick defeat, but the green shirt triad recovered quickly. Sai-Fon got into a unique fighting stance as the triad leaped back and stomped the ground to lift a piece of earth. Before he could launch it though, Sai-Fon ran up and kicked the rock back at his chest with enough force to knock the wind out of him. He followed his counter up with a powerful sidekick that made the triad member fly backwards and collide with a metal post that bent harshly on impact. The firebender, stunned even more by his quick movements, hastily lighted up his hands for an attack. Sai-Fon saw this and reached into his pocket to pull out his own weapon: nunchaku. The firebender was only able to cock his fist back before the earth around him shot up like a piston and sent him high into the air.

Now absolutely terrified, all the firebender could do was scream and frantically thrash around in the air as gravity did its cruel duty.

Not even thinking about wear the attack came from, Sai-Fon pulled out his nunchaku and jumped onto the still raised earth. Waiting until he was within range, Sai-Fon swung his weapon into the man, angling the strike to he wouldn't crash into the nearby shop but instead the other side of the street, kicking up dust as he landed. The firebender tried rise but finally collapsed in defeat. Sai-Fon stepped off the elevated ground and put the nunchaku back in his pocket.

"Hey, not bad." came in impressed feminine voice. He turned and saw a girl around his age walk towards him. "You didn't even have to bend." She looked vaguely familiar, but he knew exactly who she was when he saw the animal behind her.

"You're the one who nearly destroyed the stage." He pointed and accused in a low but firm voice. The girl frowned and put her hands on her hips.

"You're welcome," was her sarcastic reply.

"I didn't need any help." He glanced back at the raised earth. "What you did was unnecessary." She folded her arms.

"Oh, yeah? That guy was about to burn you to a crisp, and all you did was pull out two sticks." Speaking of the two sticks, Sai-Fon, without even taking his eyes off her, used them to knock away an incoming water strike from his right. The water deflected off the weapon and hit the concrete to his right, noticeably chipping it. The girl was amazed at the perceptive display. The two turned to see the purple coat wearing (and now heavily bruised) triad member with his arm still extended. Needless to say, he was quickly sent back down with a swift running jump kick to the face, audibly breaking his nose.

Sai-Fon crouched down and saw by some miracle he was still conscious. Bruised and bloodied, but conscious. He grabbed him by his throat, and raised the man up above him. The triad tried to escape his grasp but he was too beaten to put up much of a struggle.

"You're lucky I don't turn you into the police." He let go, spun him around and kicked him away. "Take your friends and leave. And don't ever let me catch you hear again." The green clothed triad brought around their car during the conversation and drove next to the boss, who opened the door and gave one last empty threat.

"This isn't over. This is still Triple Threat territory. We'll find you!" And with that, they started to drive off with barely enough time to allow the firebender to get on.

"What are you doing?!You can't let them get away!" Before he could retort, the water tribeswoman used earthbending to crack open the street and punctured the car's tires, sending it and its passengers into a nearby tea shop window.

"What the hell was that?!" Sai-Fon cried not in amazement, but anger; and the girl was quick to see that.

"They tried to assault you! They can't just walk away!" Sai-Fon didn't respond and instead sprinted to the accident. He vaulted over the broken window and ran into the shop.

"Is everyone alright?!" He inquired. Fortunately, the tea shop was relatively empty, only populated by a petrified owner and waiter hiding underneath an undamaged table. The automobile was heavily damaged, and the engine was emitting smoke. The triads all fell out of the now smashed door and into a pile. Sai-Fon exited the store to continue his berating.

"You could have killed someone!" He accused.

The girl opened her mouth for a defense but couldn't answer as a Metalbending Police Force airship arrived on the scene. They bent their necks skyward and heard the deafening police alarm and saw the force's standard cables attach themselves to the sides of several buildings. With speed and grace, three officers descended onto the scene.

Two of the officers rounded up and arrested the triad group. "You're under arrest." proclaimed the third, most likely the captain. The alleged captain approached the two and pointed at the water tribe girl.

"You're under arrest, too." her reaction was like he had just slapped her and tried to explain herself.

"W-Wait, you don't understand! They were roughing up this guy and then tried to escape." She gestured towards Sai-Fon but the officer ignored her.

"Looks like you did more damage then they did." The statement was sadly true. Within a few minutes she had cost thousands of yuan in damages along the street. Shopkeepers and pedestrians were still cowering inside the buildings, fearful of a new threat. The officer then pointed at Sai-Fon.

"You acted in self-defense, you're free to go." Sai-Fon bowed his head in confirmation and started to walk away. The officer then tried to ensnare the young woman with his metal cables but she dodged and caught them.

"I'm not a criminal, I was just trying to save that guy." She defended, struggling against the officer's strength.

"Oh really? Hey!" Sai-Fon turned around. "Were you in any danger?" He shook his head.

"They were low level triads. I was fine." he replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Alright, you can explain yourself down at Headquarters." The officer was quickly losing his patience.

"Naga!" As a last resort the young woman called out to her companion for an escape. The giant animal reacted immediately and slammed into the officer to releas his hold before rushing the other two. The girl tried to run towards Naga but was halted when Sai-Fon stepped in front of her.

"But he was behind me!" The girl shouted in her head.

"Evading arrest from the police would not be wise." Getting desperate, the girl launched a stream of water from her pouch to stun him. All Sai-Fon did was lean his head back to dodge and countered by stepping under her reach and delivered a few light but nearly unseen strikes to her midsection and legs. She collapsed to the ground and tried to get back up but found herself unable to move any part of her lower body.

"W-What did you do to me?" She questioned through gritted teeth, shocked and upset by an attack she clearly never encountered before. She struggled to regain feeling in her legs, but to no avail.

"You should get your feeling back in your jail cell." Sai-Fon replied neutrally. Naga roared a ground shaking roar and attempted to charge Sai-Fon until the metalbending police bound him in their cables. The giant animal thrashed and roared some more but was brought down when the officer's tightened their cables and sent more to wrap around the animal's mouth.

The captain finally bound the girl and threw her over his shoulder against her protests.

"You're stronger than you look, kid. Are you a chi-blocker?"

"Somewhat," Sai replied cryptically.

"You know we could always use more of those, ever thought about joining the force?"

"I've considered it, but I don't enjoy fighting."

"Well, if you're ever interested, head down to headquarters and speak with the front office. Tell them Saikhan recommended you." Sai-Fon nodded and continued his trek through the city.

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Sai-Fon stepped into the apartment he shared with his close friends. He removed his shoes and placed them by the door. The apartment was fairly spacious compared to what he had previously lived in, but it was still small by most people's standards. It had a few windows, a wooden floor and eggshell white walls with a ceiling light above. There was enough space in the living room for a leather couch he pulled out to sleep in, and a small coffee table, atop which was a tiny radio for entertainment. To his right there was a small kitchen and dining table with three chairs. To the back was a personal clothes drawer below a wall clock. There were two bedrooms, one for Risa, and one for Hayao. He plopped down on the couch and rubbed his face while giving an exasperated sigh. Today had been more eventful than expected. He nearly broke his neck once a girl on some kind of polar bear smashed the ladder that was property of Shoho, the play production company he, Hayao, and Risa worked for. No doubt it would come out of his paycheck. Then he tried to get mugged by triads until the girl from before used earthbending to smash up 31st street in attempt to stop them. Funny...by her appearance he guessed she from one of the water tribes.

Wait...she did use waterbending to try and stun him...

Was she?...Did he?...

Sai-Fon decided to just shut his eyes and drift off to sleep. He was too exhausted to further comprehend anything else..

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Knock Knock Knock

Sai-Fon opened his eyes and turned his head to the door

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

He rose to his feet, realizing he neither changed out of his clothes, nor pulled out the couch. He approached the door, opened it, and saw a man with his arm extended like he was going to knock once more. He was sharply dressed in a charcoal colored top hat, white dress shirt, light green vest, black overcoat with matching slacks, and brown loafers.

"Oh, good! You're awake." The man straightened up and put his hands on the edges of his coat. "My name is Butakha, I'm the current owner of the Pro-bending arena and league director. May I have a word with you?"

"Sure," Sai-Fon decided against letting him in and shut the door behind him.

"If you lived in Republic City for more than a day, you've no doubt seen a match or two?" Lee nodded. "Well you see, the arena is very extravagant, but I'm afraid attendance is lowering. Not by a lot, but hey, I need to keep up with costs. I need a real special event to draw in newcomers"

"Why did you want to see me?"

"Well, one of my scouts caught your little fight yesterday. Quite impressive for a non-bender. Taking down three triad benders and paralyzing a psychotic criminal earthbender is no small feat."

"You haven't answered my question." All the man did was smirk.

"Straight to the point, are we? I like that. Very well then, I'm inviting you to compete in tomorrow night's event. You against one of my teams, what do you say?"

"I can't bend. Wouldn't someone like me conflict with the rules?"

"Ah, don't you worry about that. I'm the league director, I can pull some strings and alter the rules, just one time."

"I have to work tomorrow." Butakha waved him off.

"No problem. I spoke with Mr. Chan and he'd be willing to give you the whole day off."

"Hmmm..."

"I can see you're still on the fence. So how about I give you this..." He pulled out a respectable stack of yuan that made his eyes widen. "I'll give you 1,000 yuan just for participating. Win, and I'll give you even more."

"That's more than I'll make in two months." He mused.

"And you know, if you can defeat three benders I'd imagine you'd become pretty popular. The fans might want to see you more. And I'd be willing to pay you."

Sai-Fon thought about the offer. The pay for fighting was far greater than his meager wage as a stagehand. He honestly didn't care about what he could buy for himself, rather he thought about his best friend, Hayao. The guy was a visionary, and for years now, he talked about establishing his own production company. The reason the three got jobs at Shoho in the first place was because of their mutual love of theater. Hayao wanted to direct, Risa wanted to write, and he wanted to act. He recalled all the plays he had seen as boy. How dramatic the actors made the fictitious and often silly stories. The wonder it created that helped him escape from his life for just a few hours. Mr. Chan, their boss, was a tyrant. He inherited the semi-popular Shoho company from his father. It was well known within the Fire Nation for nearly a hundred years, making truly classic plays. But that was just it. Shoho only made plays. That would have been fine decades ago, but their was a new medium to tell stories on the horizon: film. It was growing art form originating right here in Republic City. Existing only a few short years. Sai-Fon saw the possibilities of it. From his first viewing of "The Great Robbery", the gears in his head work and thought about all the wonders that could be achieved through it. He knew it. He just knew what he had in mind, he could do. But all that had been a dream, an idea. Everything they needed cost money they didn't have. The three couldn't afford anything other than the necessities right now, and they couldn't get any higher paying jobs either, due to their lack of bending and formal education. It was just so far away right now, but could they really do it? Could they really make their short life long dream a reality if he just fought a few benders? He had to try, for Hayao and Risa.

"I accept."

"Good, I knew you would." the league director pulled out a pamphlet. "I've written down what I'd think would be a fair rule system for both you and your opponents. I might make some small changes later, but I think this is the gist of it. See you tomorrow." Sai-Fon grabbed the pamphlet and stepped back into the apartment. He stared at the door, and then the pamphlet. He was still unsure about the decision. It was then he realized he was still fully clothed in his work outfit. He went to a small drawer at the back wall and pulled out a simple shirt and pair of pants.

"Tomorrow, huh? What time is it?" he glanced at the clock. "5:00 am? Now's a good time to go train." With that thought, Sai-Fon changed and headed out the door.

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This first chapter probably raised a TON of questions, but don't worry. I just didn't want exposition clogging up the story, I hate it when other authors do that. So save your criticisms about this not making sense for later, I'll do my best to answer them through the story.

Make sure to review and share your thoughts!