I know a couple of people have done fan art for Lin, Kya and Izumi as a pro-bending team but they're all around the same age in those. Can someone draw a fan-art of 11 year old Lin Beifong with her arms folded like she is angry at the world and ready to kill everyone with Kya looking elated with one fist in the air cheering and having the grandest time behind her right shoulder and Izumi looking beautiful and proud with her chin up and one hand on her hip and a closed mouth smile behind Lin's left shoulder?
Because of their age, a lot of people think they are one of the first pro-bending teams. I have a headcanon that Izumi was getting tired of her princess duties and was looking for fun when Kya invited her out for dinner with her and her earthbender girlfriend from Omashu. The three went to some seedy lesbian bar in the slums after and came up with the concept for probending. Izumi convinced Fire Lady Mai to loan her the money and she funded the initial construction of this underground ring and found a bunch of friends to make other teams. They advertised around and managed to sell tickets to the underground arena.
After a couple of years, Kya broke up with her earthbender girlfriend and the team needed a replacement earthbender so Kya (16) and Izumi(17) recruit Lin (11) to fill the earthbender's place.
"Tonight's pro-bending match will be between the Flaming Moon Badgers and the Tigerdillos. Tension has been high among the Moon Badgers with their waterbender, Kaiyama and their earthbender, Rona of going through what appears to be some personal issues. The first game of the season has been unusually bleak for the ordinarily strong team. Will they be able to get their act together in time for the qualifying match next week?" Shiro Shinobi announced on the radio in Narook's Noodlery.
In one closed off, rather private corner, two girls, 16 and 17 years old wearing blue and white, and black and red respectively sat with their heads hung low and their faces angled towards the wall not wanting to be seen by anybody.
"Are you sure she's not coming back?" the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation asked.
"Positive!" the waterbending daughter of the Avatar replied with a sniffle.
"How are you doing?" the Princess asked carefully placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"I'm worried about tomorrow's game! How are we going to play?" the daughter of the Avatar asked.
"We don't need to play tomorrow's game. We can miss one! It is okay. Qualifying don't start until next week. Besides, your feelings are more important than a stupid game!"
"But I need the money!"
"I can give you money! Don't worry about that."
"It wouldn't be right, though. My father always told me I have to work for what I want. I can't just freeload off of other people."
"My father told me the same thing, but he also told me to help those in need."
"But my father would argue that money is not something I need. I mean, I have food, water, and a roof over my head and a bed in which to sleep-" the waterbender sniffled some more.
"But you're not an airbender or air nomad. You don't have to detach yourself from earthly possessions and desires. You can still feel human, you can still want things. It is normal!" the firebender insisted.
"I know. I just- don't know what to think. I don't want to think."
"Then don't think."
"You're right. Maybe the fight will clear my head of things. But what about Rona"
"We need to find an earthbender."
"Do you have any ideas?" the waterbender asked hopelessly.
"As a matter of fact, I do!" the Princess replied confidently.
A rather rotund hobo jumped as the ground beneath him began to shake. He ran away as the cobblestone disintegrated and a hole appeared in the place where he sat only moments before. A small, pale skinned, dark-haired, dirt-covered girl peaked out of the black hole making sure the alley was clear before emerging with her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth in concentration. She eyed the nearby docks with determination, ready to sprint towards the ferry that would carry her across the bay to her destination. She climbed out of the hole in the ground and closed up the tunnel replacing the cobble stones with ease using her bending then peaked out of the alley in both directions to confirm that the coast was clear of anyone chasing her. Before she could bolt across the street for the docks, she found one hand and one leg frozen in water.
"I found her, Zumi!" the teenage waterbender called jumping out of a nearby store. The young earthbender's face contorted in fury as she blew a tuft of wavy black hair out of her face. She pulled with all her might but couldn't break the ice. With her free leg, she kicked a pillar up breaking the ice, and she bolted across the street with a teenage waterbender and a teenage firebender pursuing her relentlessly.
The firebender launched herself in the air with red fire blasting out of her feet as she flipped over the young earthbender landing a distance in front of her. She sprayed fire towards the girl who blocked it with an earth wall then collapsed the wall and cartwheeled to the side hitting the firebender in the face with a chunk of metal torn off a nearby bench. The waterbender took advantage of the distraction and grabbed the girl by the foot with a water tentacle yanking her into the air and upside down. As the girl flipped through the air, she dug a small chunk of earth out of the sidewalk with her own bending and hit the waterbender in the stomach, breaking her concentration and the water tentacle.
The little earthbending girl fell down on her head, bracing herself with her hands and rolling onto her feet again. She turned and ran straight into the teenage firebender's long, strong arms.
"Got you, Linny!" the firebender said with a beautiful smirk locking her fingers together with her arms around the frustrated girl.
"Let me go, Izumi!" the little earthbender yelled kicking and thrashing about, not really wanting seriously injure the Fire Princess.
"Not so fast! We have a proposal for you, Lin," the waterbender said strolling over to them holding her bruised rib.
"I am not interested in shopping or hitting up the cactus juice at that lesbian bar you frequent in Dragon Flats Borough!" the little earthbender, Lin replied quickly, glowering at the waterbender with striking green eyes and a rather adorable little face.
"You're so cute when you're angry," Kya cooed only to infuriate the child even more.
"The proposal involves neither of those activities!" Izumi began. "We wouldn't want you to suffer even more than you already do with your grandparents, now would we?"
"Yes," Lin replied bluntly looking up at the firebending princess.
"Besides! You're too young for the bar anyways. Come back in five years." the waterbender sighed rolling her eyes.
"Or never since I'll be in the police academy in five years!" Lin snapped back.
"Oh Lin! Is that all you ever think about? The future? Being a cop and chief of police and working?" the firebender asked.
"I think about other things!" the little earthbender cried, pouting at them.
"Like what?" the waterbender laughed. "My brother?"
"Maybe!" she muttered turning away, giving up on fighting to free herself from the firebender's arms.
"Come on, Lin! You're eleven years old! Be a kid! Live a little!" the firebender told her.
"I DO live! I ditched the metalbending academy today!" the small earthbender argued.
"What, to go hang out with your future husband, my boring-ass little brother?" the waterbender asked.
"Stop calling him my future husband! And he's not boring!" the little earthbender snapped.
"Fine! Then he's serious! Anyways, just hear us out!" the waterbender yelled with her hands up. "It's called pro-bending. Pro, because you get paid for it like a professional anything and bending because, well-"
"I know what pro-bending is and I hate it! It is a mockery of the ancient tradition that our ancestors and fellow benders have spent thousands of years perfecting and improving-" the little girl yelled at them.
"Come on, Lin! It isn't a bad thing. It is fun! You get to kick ass and make money for it!" the firebender simplified.
"I am a Beifong. I don't need any more money," the earthbender replied.
"Well not everyone is that fortunate," the waterbender replied with a frown.
"You can give your earnings to Kya like I do," the firebender suggested.
"So she can buy a girl to give her a night of ecstasy?" the little girl asked knowingly.
The waterbender frowned and slapped the eleven year old. "Listen up, kid! You're going to meet us outside City Hall tonight at 10PM and fight like your little ass depended on it or else I am going to tell my mom YOU were the one who burned her ancient waterbending scrolls!" the waterbender yelled.
"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" the little earthbender shrieked.
"If you help us win tonight's match, it will remain a secret!" the waterbender threatened lowering her face to be level with the child's.
The little earthbender hesitated.
"We'll get you dumplings," the firebender offered.
The girl's entire demeanor changed. Her eyes opened wider and her eyebrows perked up. "From Ding's?!" she asked eagerly turning to look up at the fire bender.
"From wherever you'd like!" the firebending princess confirmed.
"Alright, I'll come!" the little earthbender promised. "Now can I go to Air Temple Island?"
"Sure, but DON'T tell Tenzin!" the waterbender ordered as the firebender slackened her grip on the little girl.
"Whatever!" the earthbender yelled sprinting towards the docks as the ferry began to pull away. She bent the earth beneath her feet to launch herself through the air in a double flip, landing on the deck of the ferry like a stowaway.