Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the Last Airbender, or the Legend of Korra.
Paragon of Korra
Chapter 2: Getting whacked and playing sports
"Talking"
"Thinking"
"Bijū/spirit talking"
"Bijū/spirit thinking"
(Location: Air Temple Island)
Korra sat at the breakfast table with a newspaper in her hands. "And, in the final round, the Buzzard Wasps won with a decisive knockout!" she read from the sports page in the newspaper, excitement coursing through her voice. She lowered the newspaper enough to look across the table at Tenzin. "What do you say we go to the arena tonight, catch a few Pro-bending matches?" she asked him.
Unfortunately for her, his reply was not what she wanted to hear. "That sport is a mockery of the noble tradition of Bending," he declared, taking a sip from his cup. They were having breakfast and they weren't alone in the room.
"Come on, Tenzin! I've dreamed about seeing a Pro-bending match since I was a kid and now I'm just a ferry ride away from the arena," she begged.
"Korra, you are not here to watch that drivel," he told her sharply.
"Hey, that 'drivel' is fun to watch," Arashi said from where he sat between the two of them, his blue eyes pointing an accusation at the Airbender.
"You've seen some?" Korra asked him.
He just gave her a look. "I live in this city. Of course I've seen some matches."
"She is not going," Tenzin said firmly. "She is here to complete her Avatar training." He looked at the Avatar in question. "So, for the time being, I want you to remain on the island."
"Is that why you're keeping the White Lotus sentries around to watch my every move?" she asked him with a voice equally annoyed and snarky. She cast a look at the White Lotus guardsmen standing against the walls of the room, watching her, Tenzin, Arashi, and the Air Acolytes eating.
"Yes. In order to learn Airbending I believe you need a calm, quiet environment, free from any distractions."
She wanted to find fault with those words but she had no defense against it. "Alright, you're the master," she said, acknowledging the fact. But still, she turned to look out the window at the arena with longing. She really wanted to go there and see the home of Pro-bending.
"Hey," Arashi said, getting her attention again.
"Yeah?" she asked, turning her head back to look at him.
"Are you done with that?" He pointed at the newspaper she had placed on the table.
"Yeah, I am."
"Good." He took the paper and started looking through it.
"What are you looking for?"
"A particular team, they were playing last night."
"Oh, which one?" she asked. She had read about all the teams who were playing and who had been eliminated but she didn't have a favorite team.
"The one I'm rooting for." He had stopped flipping through the pages and began reading intently
"Which one is it?"
He looked up and frowned. "Don't you have some training to do? I'm trying to read here."
"That is an excellent idea," Tenzin agreed, wanting to change the subject. He stood up from the table. "Korra, please change into the clothes that have been left in your room and meet me outside in five minutes."
She scowled at the blonde, but did as she was told. She went to her room, dressed in the robes of an Airbending novice (but rolled up the sleeves and kept her armband on), and went back outside to meet up with Tenzin. "So, my mother has informed me that you've never been able to Airbend before," he commented as they began walking towards the training grounds.
She stopped and sighed. "Yeah, but I don't know why," she told him as she placed her hand on her head. "The other elements came so easily to me, but every single time I've tried Airbending…" She blew a short raspberry and finished with, "Nothing.'
"That's perfectly alright," he told her while placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We just need to be patient." As he spoke, he pulled down her rolled up sleeves so that they looked like they should. "Often the element that's most difficult for the Avatar to master is the one most opposite to the Avatar's personality. For Aang, it was Earthbending."
She could understand what he was telling her, but that didn't make her feel any better. "Yeah, well, I'm about as opposite an Airbender as you can get."
If Tenzin heard her say that, he didn't let it show. "Let's begin your first lesson."
Having no other choice, she followed through the temple to the training ground, where Jinora and her siblings were already waiting. "Korra's gonna Airbend! Korra's gonna Airbend!" Ikki shouted happily, doing a little hop in place.
Korra would've smiled at the sight had her attention not been on the thing behind the kids. "What is that contraption?" she asked Tenzin as they climbed the steps to it. It looked like someone had clumped a lot of wooden banners with the symbol of the Air Nomads on them.
"A time-honored tool that teaches the most fundamental aspect of Airbending," he answered. "Jinora, would you like to explain this exercise?" he asked his eldest.
She nodded. "The goal is to weave your way through the gates and make through the other side without touching them," she explained to Korra.
"Seems easy enough," the Tribeswoman remarked. They were just standing right there, after all.
"Jinora forgot to say that you have to make it through while the gates are spinning," Ikki added.
Tenzin stepped forward, bent the air around him upwards and then at the gates, making them start spinning around and around rather rapidly. Undisturbed by what he had just caused, the Airbending master held up a single leaf in his fingers. "The key is to be like the leaf," he explained to the Avatar as he bent the leaf forward into the gates, watching as it disappeared into the spinning of the gates. "Flow with the movements of the gates. Jinora will demonstrate."
She nodded once to her father and went for the gates. As she approached, she started turning around and around but still kept moving through them all, always turning when it looked like she was going to hit one. "Airbending is all about spiral movements," Tenzin lectured Korra as they watched his daughter. "When you meet resistance, you must be able to switch direction at a moment's notice."
Somehow, Jinora made to the other side of the contraption and started the gates spinning again with a blast of air. Korra realized that it was now her turn. "Let's do this!" she declared, running towards the gates.
But instead of turning away from the resistance of a gate, she just charged right in. This idea resulted in her getting hit every single time by a gate and getting sent in a different direction then she had planned. Every time she got hit, she grunted loudly in pain, especially when the gates had sent her flying back to the ground in front of Tenzin, right on her butt.
Determined to beat the thing, she got back up and charged again, only to get the same results again. "Why isn't this damn thing working!?" she thought to herself.
It didn't help that the kids were trying to be helpful as well. "Don't force your way through!" Jinora shouted.
"Dance! Dance like the wind!" Ikki called out.
"Be the leaf!" Meelo told her while doing an arm movement to emphasize his point.
She tried getting through but just kept getting hit and redirected, each time with obvious pain. When the gates had finally sent her out of their midst, she looked like she had two black eyes and spinning in circles, completely dizzy from getting hit and redirected like that. She twirled for a few seconds before falling to the ground.
When she arched her head back to look at Tenzin, she could see him sigh in disappointment. She wanted to say something in reply to that sigh but was too tired to do so. The only thing she was glad for at that moment was that Arashi hadn't been there to see it. He would've laughed his ass off, she was sure of it.
By the time night had fallen, she had gotten no further in learning Airbending. It didn't help that she couldn't even bend a simple gust of air. "Airbend!" she cried, moving her arms and hands at a newspaper hanging on a line in front of her. She had tried to get some inspiration for Airbending by using a newspaper with the chief of police in a picture but was still getting nothing.
"What is wrong with me?" she demanded to no one in particular (although Naga was close by). "Airbend!" she told herself again as she thrust her hands at the newspaper. When she still got nothing, her frustration broke loose and she burnt the paper to ashes with a single blast of fire. "Maybe I'm just not cut out to be an Airbender, huh, Naga?" she asked the polar bear dog.
Suddenly, the sound of a radio turning on went off in her ear and she turned to the nearby building where it was coming from. "Ladies and gentlemen!" the commentator began. "I'm coming to you live from Republic City's Pro-bending Arena, where tonight the best on this side of the planet continue their quest for a spot in the upcoming memorial championship tournament. Grab your snacks and grab your kids because this next match is gonna be a doozy!"
Her interest was caught and she got closer to listen in. Since she saw that members of the White Lotus were listening to the radio, she climbed up onto the roof and listened in from there. It proved to be worth it because she might've just been listening to the match, but it was very exciting.
"This Mako's got moxy!" the commentator declared as sounds of the match echoed past his commentary. "Yomo is hammered back into Zone Three! Clock is winding down, can Yomo hold on? He's teetering on the edge of the ring now. The Fire Ferrets like up to strik—"
The radio went off, leaving her hanging. "What happens next? What happens next?!" she asked in her mind while her face twitched in a state of horrified surprise.
"Korra, come down here, please!" Tenzin's voice ordered her from beneath the roof.
She bent down over the edge to look and saw that it was Tenzin standing there behind the White Lotus guardsmen. Having no other choice, she flipped off the roof and down onto the ground. "You shut it off at the best part!" she complained.
"I thought I made myself clear. I don't want you listening to that distracting nonsense," he told her.
"But it's their radio," she pointed out, gesturing to the White Lotus guardsmen behind her. "And technically, you said I couldn't watch a match. You didn't say anything about listening to one."
"You—!" he started only to stop himself and take a deep breath. "You know what I meant! Anyway shouldn't y- shouldn't you be in bed by now!?" He turned around and walked away, flapping his cloak closed and hitting her with a small blast of air in the process.
She scowled at his retreating back but once he was out of sight, she turned to look at the guardsmen. "So, any chance of getting the rest of the broadcast?" she asked.
"Sorry, that was the last match of the night," the guardsman in the center told her.
Her shoulders slumped at the news. "Oh."
The next night, she was in her room looking at the guards surrounding the temple. That day's exercise hadn't gone any better. Instead of making her go through the gate contraption again, Tenzin had her try to sit and meditate. She had gotten bored in about five minutes and told Tenzin that, only to be told to relax and be free. She found that funny considering the fact that she couldn't leave the damn island.
What irritated her even more was Arashi. The kid was living on the island just like she was but he could leave at any time and he did. She just knew that he was laughing about it as he left, she just knew it!
"Oh, screw it!" she thought to herself. She was getting off the island and heading to the arena. But first she had to get past the guards. She climbed out of her window, waited for the guard to leave, and leapt for the ground. Once her feet touched earth, she started running for the edge of the island, leaping into the air once she was there.
For a moment, she hung in the air. Then she began to fall to the water below. She bent it upwards to catch her and let it carry her back down to normal height. Once there, she began swimming towards the arena, using her Waterbending to quicken her pace.
She had done this many times in the South Pole (where the water was warm) and the distance between the island and the arena wasn't that far. It had only taken her fifteen minutes to reach it. She came up for air next to the arena and saw an open window.
"Lucky me," she thought triumphantly, bending the water around her into a cyclone that lifted her up to the window. She leapt through it and then spun once to get rid of the excess water. She was inside.
The only problem that she had was that she had no idea where she was. Figuring it was best to look around; she started walking down the hall to find what was where. As she turned a corner and walked down another hall, she saw a large room to her left that looked like a gym. "Now this is interesting," she thought to herself as she stepped into the room, looking around. There seemed to be plenty of nets, stone discs, and barbells lying around to show that the people who used the place were always at it.
"Hey!" a voice snapped at her, breaking her of her excited frame of mind. She looked over to see a bulky-looking kind of guy with a towel over his shoulders coming towards her. "What're you doin' in my gym?"
"Crap!" she thought, realizing that she was in trouble. Trying to come up with a lie quickly, she went with, "Uh, I was just looking for a bathroom and I got lost."
"Ah, the old 'I had to pee' excuse," he said mockingly, not buying it for one moment. "You know, I am sick and tired of you kids sneakin' in without payin'. I'm taking you to security!"
"No, wait!" she said, desperately trying to think of a way out of this.
To her surprise, help came in the form of Arashi. "Korra!" the blonde kid said as he stood at the entrance of the gym with a guy in a Pro-bending uniform. "This is why I told you to go before we left." He walked into the gym along with the Pro-bender. "Sorry, Toza, she's fresh off the boat but with me," he told the old man.
The guy just threw his arms up in annoyance. "Ah, just get her out of here. I've got work to do!" He turned around and went back to his work, which at the moment was bending a barbell made of rock and stone and tossing it back into the nearby pile.
The three of them walked out of the gym and a short while through the hallway before Korra spoke. "Thanks for the save back there," she said to Arashi.
"Think nothing of it," he replied. "But in all seriousness, what are you doing here? I thought you were stuck on the island."
"Come on, I've wanted to see a Pro-bending match since I was a kid. Do you really think that I was going to let being stuck on the island stop me? The better question is why are you here?"
"I always come here to cheer on my favorite team," he told her. The Pro-bender walked beside them cleared his throat rather loudly. "Oh yeah, Korra, this is Bolin, the Earthbender for the Fire Ferrets. Bolin, this is Korra."
"Nice to meet you," Korra greeted Bolin with a smile.
"No, no, it's nice to meet you," he said to her, returning her smile with a charming one. His black hair and green eyes suited him and his build showed that he was an Earthbender.
Before she could even reply to that, Arashi spoke. "Bolin, you've got a match. Now is really not the time for flirting."
That got the attention of the Tribeswoman. "Wait, there's a match about to happen?" she asked excitedly.
"Yes indeed," Bolin declared. "Would you like to watch?"
"You bet I do!" She didn't know why Arashi was rolling his eyes at her, but didn't care at that moment. She was finally getting her wish.
"Then please follow me." He took the lead and walked down the hallway. Korra and Arashi followed him to a door on the side. "I present to you, the best seats in the house," he declared with a slightly exaggerated tone, opening the door for them.
Korra walked in and the first word out of her mouth was, "Whoa!" Bolin hadn't been kidding. They weren't in the stands that surrounded the hexagonal ring and the large body of water beneath it. In fact, they were beneath the stands and had an even better view because of it. "This place is even more amazing then I imagined," she said as she looked at everything.
"Yeah, I was like that too, the first time I saw this place," Arashi agreed with a small smile on his face.
Bolin was about to make his move when he heard his brother say, "Psst, Bolin."
"Yeah?" he asked, turning around and heading over to his brother, who was at the locker in the back.
"I told you, you have to stop bringing your crazy Fangirls in here before the matches," his brother said as he put on the rest of the uniform. "Get her out of here."
"Oh, come on, Mako! Alright, look, I kinda invited her here, but man, I've got a good feeling, there's something special about her. I know it!" he pleaded. "Besides, it's not all bad. Arashi knows her." He went back over to Korra and grabbed her by the hand. "Come here, I want you to meet my brother, Mako."
"Mako?" she repeated, surprised and excited to have an opportunity. "Woe, I-I heard you play on the radio," she said to him, holding out a hand.
"Come on, Bolin, we're up," Mako said to his brother, ignoring her as he walked past.
"…Or I could meet him later," she remarked, staring at her outstretched hand.
"Don't worry about it," Arashi told her, still at the railing. "When Mako's ready to play, he's ready to play. Just wait for the end of the match."
"Okay, I gotta go. Wish me luck," Bolin said, putting on his helmet and securing the strap. "Not that I'll need it."
"One of these days, that's going to come bite you in the ass, Bolin!" Arashi shouted after the Earthbender as he joined his team.
Korra said something a little different. "Good luck! Knock them out!"
The lights in the stadium went dark and a single light shined down on the ring, prompting cheers of excitement to come out of the crowd. The announcer in the ring appeared in a stance that looked a little more than exaggerated and with a microphone in hand. "Introducing the Fire Ferrets!" he said into the microphone, pointing at Bolin's team as they came to the ring, waving to the crowd and their fans.
On the wall next to Korra and Arashi was a large speaker and the commentator's voice began to speak through it. "The rookie Ferrets came out of nowhere and have made it farther than anyone expected this season, despite the fact of who one of their previous teachers was. But tonight, they face their toughest test yet, folks."
The Fire Ferrets made their way to the center of the ring on the red side, coming to a stop at the circle. On the blue side of the ring were their opponents. The two teams stared each other down in the seconds that came before the match. To them, it felt a little more then dragged out.
But the bell rang, the match was on. "And they're off!" the commentator declared as the two teams started bending at one another. "The two teams waste no time trying to blast each other out of Zone One!" As the first round continued, he made his observations. "Hasook is the first to feel the heat of the Tigerdillos," he remarked about the Waterbender on the Fire Ferrets. "He tries to return the favor, but they're too fast for him, while Mako shows off his trademark 'cool under fire' style."
"It's called keeping your head protected," Arashi remarked while rolling his eyes.
"Shush!" Korra said to him, her eyes focused on the match.
Just then, Bolin and Hasook got knocked back by the opposing team across the line behind them, getting a loud noise from the speakers. "Ooh, the Tigerdillos score with a walloping one-two combo! Can their teammate hold on to their Zone One territory?" the commentator asked while Mako flipped out of the way of the strikes coming his way. But the Earthbender waited and stuck as he landed, hitting him square in the chest and pushing him back onto the line, prompting the buzz from the speakers. "Guess not! Mako's over the line! The Tigerdillos get the green light and advance into Ferret territory!"
"Come on, Ferrets!" Korra shouted as the Tigerdillos moved forward and the fighting began again.
"Looks like Hasook's in trouble!" the commentator said as Hasook was hit back again by an earth disc. "He's in Zone Three teetering over the drink!" While the Fire Ferret Waterbender was getting back onto his feet, he was a little slow and the Tigerdillos pounced on that. A blast of water knocked his footing off the ground and another earth disc sent him flying over the edge.
"And Hasook takes a dip! He'll be back for round two. Assuming the fabulous Bending brothers can hold their ground until the next round."
"What the hell, Hasook?" Arashi said mostly to himself as he watched the Waterbender swim out of the water onto the platform and then onto the nearby elevator. "What's with you lately?"
A buzz sounded off and his attention went back to the ring, where Bolin and Mako were pushed off into Zone Three. Just as soon as that happened, the bell rang, signaling the end of the round. "Round 1 goes to the Golden Temple Tigerdillos!" the announcer declared as the scoreboard flashed blue in the Round 1 glass.
Hasook got back into the ring and the bell was rung for the second round. "The Fire Ferrets are knocked into Zone Two and the Tigerdillos advance!" the commentator announced while the Tigerdillos moved forward into the red Zone One.
From there, the match continued. For Korra, it was like she could see even move each team made in perfect slow motion and with that slow motion, she watched as the Ferrets pushed the Tigerdillos out of their own territory and into their own Zone Two. The Tigerdillos tried to push back, but the bell rang before they could do it. "The Fire Ferrets cinched the round in the closing seconds! It's one apiece, still anyone's match as we go into the third and final round!"
The bell rang and the Tigerdillos went after Hasook first, making him leap out of the way. But that didn't work as well as he had planned. "Hasook stumbles, and now he tumbles right into his teammate!" the commentator said as the Ferret Waterbender fell atop on Bolin from a blast of water. "He and Bolin better untangle quick if they don't want too…" At that moment, the Tigerdillo Earthbender bent a disc at them and sent them over the edge into the water. "Ooh, too late!"
"Oh no!" said Korra as she watched this happened.
"They're not out of the match yet," Arashi told her, keeping his eyes locked firmly on the ring and the only Ferret left.
"It's all up to Mako now!" the commentator declared as the remaining Fire Ferret dodged any and all of the attacks coming at him. "He bobbing and weaving! He's weaving and bobbing! But he's not hitting back!" His dodging led him to the edge of Zone Three, with his foot almost stepping off the end. "If Mako's knocked, the Ferret's fabulous season is over!"
Korra had grabbed hold of her hair and was clutching it tightly in tense excitement. She didn't want Mako to lose, but it seemed to look like it was coming to that. "Mako!" shouted Arashi from out of nowhere. "Dragon hunts through the forest!"
She didn't know what he was talking about but it seemed like Mako had heard him. While the Tigerdillos continued to attack him, he kept avoiding them. "He's dancing on the edge of the ring, surviving the three on one barrage! It seems like his plan to let the Tigerdillos punch themselves out!" In the moment the Tigerdillos took to breathe, Mako struck sending the Waterbender back across the ring into the water. "And his plan is working! Han is in the pool! They've got nothing left in the tank and Mako is on the offensive!"
The tables had turned with Mako fighting the two remaining Tigerdillos just as aggressively. "It's two-on-one!" Mako sent the Tigerdillo Firebender out of the ring with a single blast of fire. "Scratch that, it's one-on-one and it's an earth and fire slugfest!" Slugfest was the most appropriate word for the fighting. Mako and the Tigerdillo Earthbender were throwing so much fire and earth at each other that they were creating a large cloud of dust.
The Earthbender got hit in the chest and was sent flying back into his own Zone Three. He was down on one knee, but had an earth disc ready to be used. There was just one problem and the commentator summed it up perfectly. "There's so much smoke and dust from the firefight, I can't even see where the Fire Ferret is!" That question was soon answered when Mako appeared out of the cloud airborne with a fireball engulfing his hand. He threw it right at the Earthbender, breaking through the disc and sending him flying backwards and down into the water.
"It's a knockout!" the commentator shouted as the final bell rang and the crowd went nuts. "What a wing-dinger of a hat trick, folks! Mako pulls off the upset of the season, winning the match for the Fire Ferrets!"
As the scoreboard showed the win for the Fire Ferrets, Mako took off his helmet and looked around at the people who had watched the match. They started chanting, "Mako! Mako! Mako!" And there was one particular member of the crowd who was awestruck by him.
"Wow," Korra thought to herself as she watched the Firebender for the Fire Ferrets come back. It was the only thing she could think at that moment.
"Whew," Arashi said with a sigh of relief. "They had me worried there."
"Whoohoo! Yes!" Bolin cheered as he came back into the locker room. "One more win, and we're in the memorial championship tournament!" he told Korra, snapping his fingers. "So, what did you think, Korra?" he asked, taking off his helmet. "Bolin's got some moves, huh?"
"What did I think?" she repeated with a big grin on her face, grabbing him by his uniform. "What did I think? That was amazing!" she let go and pushed him back in an almost playful manner, except that she almost made him stumble to the ground. "Whoops, sorry," she apologized with a sheepish grin.
"You did more harm than good out there!" Mako chastised Hasook as they came back into the locker room. "You almost cost us the match!"
"We won, didn't we?" Hasook demanded, taking off his helmet.
"Barely!" he snapped.
"Get off my case, pal!" He threw his helmet down on the bench nearby and stormed out of the locker room without bothering to change.
Mako just glowered at the door. "Useless."
"Did you try to see what was going on with him or did you just go straight for the chiding, Mako?" Arashi asked him. He didn't bother to wait for an answer. "I'll talk to him later and see what's going on with him. There must be a reason."
"You guys were incredible out there!" Korra said to Mako, turning to face him. "Especially you, Mr. Hat Trick!"
"Oh, you're still here?" he asked her coldly, heading for the locker.
"Oh, you're still a jerk?" she asked back with an irritated look on her face, making Bolin chuckle. "Anyway," she said, looking at the Earthbender amongst them. "I've been immersed in Bending my entire life, but I've never learned how to move like that! It's like there's whole new style here! Think you can show me a few tricks?"
"Absolutely!" said Bolin instantly, drawing out the word.
"Right now?" asked Mako. "Come on, Bolin."
"Just ignore him," his brother said to Korra, leaning in like it was a secret. Then he started talking a little louder. "Yeah, I can show you the basics. I'm just not sure how my Earthbending would translate to your Waterbending, but we'll figure it out."
"Won't be a problem," she told him, leaning back slightly and crossing her arms. "I'm actually an Earthbender."
"And here we go," Arashi thought to himself.
Bolin just looked at her with confusion in his eyes. "I'm sorry, no, no! I didn't mean to assume! 'Cause I, you know, I was figuring…with your Water Tribe getup…that you are a…Water Tribe…gal." It was unlikely that he could've made that sound any more awkward.
"Nope, you're right," Korra said. "I'm a Waterbender. And a Firebender."
"You forgot to mention Airbender," Arashi chimed in.
She looked over at him with a frown on her face. "I'm still working on that."
He shrugged his shoulders. "So? You still are one."
Bolin looked at both of them intently before finally admitting, "I'm very confused right now."
Fortunately, Mako figured it out almost right away. "She's the Avatar, and I'm an idiot," he said aloud.
"Both are true," Korra said in reply.
Bolin just looked at her with a shocked expression on his face. "No, way," he said before turning to look at his brother. "The Avatar!" he whispered loudly whilst shielding his gaze from Korra and pointing his finger at her.
"We heard it the first time, Bolin," Arashi told him, rolling his eyes at the sight.
"How can you not be surprised about this, Arashi?" he demanded.
"That's because I've already met her when she grabbed me while she was being chased by the cops. That and I'm living with her."
"You're living with the Avatar?"
"He just said that, bro," Mako told him.
He looked at his brother and then at Arashi before finally managing to get the slack-jawed expression off of his face. "I would be glad to show the Avatar my moves," he declared formally. "If the lady would like to follow me…?"
"The lady would," Korra answered, ready to go for the door. "Let's go!"
"Hang on," Arashi said, making the two of them stop in their tracks. "Give them a couple of minutes to get out of their uniforms and wash up, Korra. They just came out of a match." He looked over at Bolin. "We'll meet you guys in Toza's gym."
"Alright," the Earthbender agreed, seeing the reason for it.
The blonde and the Avatar left the locker room and went for the gym, retracing their steps. "So, how do you know the Fire Ferrets?" Korra asked Arashi.
"I guess you could say that I'm something of a mini-coach to them," he answered with a slightly bragging tone to his voice.
"Yeah, but how did you know them. You couldn't have just walked off the street and into their locker room."
"Couldn't I?"
"Would you just give me a straight answer? Like what was that thing you shouted at Mako during the match?"
"It's a Firebending technique that he learned. I was just helping him out when I shouted it out."
"I've never heard of a technique like that."
"Obviously, you hadn't been trained by dragons," he remarked while rolling his eyes with great exaggeration.
"Wait, Mako was trained by dragons?!" she demanded, almost stopping in her tracks at the thought.
But he didn't. "Come on, keep moving." She did and they reached the gym in a matter of minutes.
They also didn't have to wait long for Bolin and Mako to come into the gym, out of their uniforms and in casual clothes that left their arms bare (giving Korra a nice little view). "Alright, let's see what'cha got!" Bolin declared, leading Korra over to a stack of earth discs in front of a net.
"So, what?" she said, looking at the stacks. There were three of them with the middle one being larger, separating it into two aisles. "You want me to bend these things?"
"Yep, let me see how you do."
"Alright," she replied. She took the stance that her Earthbending teacher had ingrained into her head and bent two discs at the net with a thrust of each arm. She watched in satisfaction as they sailed through the air and hit the net square on.
"That was great! Good power!" he praised her. "But in a real match, you would be a sitting turtle-duck. Not so upright and flatfooted! Stay light on your toes, right up until you need to dig in and strike," he explained, showing her what he was talking about. "Then…" His stance suddenly became firm and he bent two discs at the net. "Pop, pop!"
She watched in silence as the discs flew and hit their target. "Okay, let me try it again." She went light on her feet, like he had shown her. She moved around for a couple of seconds and then dug in and bent another two discs at the net.
"Wow! Nice adjustment!" Bolin said to her. "You're a natural at this."
"Not bad," Mako remarked from where he was leaning against a nearby ladder.
"What's it take to impress this guy?" Korra asked Bolin while gesturing at his brother.
"What? I said 'not bad."
"Don't worry about it, Korra," Arashi told her from where he sat against the wall. "That's just something he picked up from his teacher."
"You mean the dragon?"
That got Mako's attention. "What in the name of the Spirits makes you think that I was trained by a dragon?" he asked her.
"Well, that's what he told me," she said, pointing at Arashi.
"He was talking about his grandmother, Princess Azula. She's the one who was trained by a dragon."
"And then she taught what she knew to her son, who then taught it to you," the blonde in the room added on at the end.
Those words rang a bell in Korra's head and she looked over at Mako with surprise in her eyes. "You were trained by Sozin Uzumaki? Like, 'the best Pro-bender the world had ever seen' Sozin Uzumaki?"
"Yep, my dad," Arashi said, standing up and stretching his legs a litte.
She had heard of Sozin Uzumaki (who hadn't) and his status as a Pro-bender. It was one of the reasons why she had wanted to see a Pro-bending match for so long. "Wait, I had read that Sozin had retired from Pro-bending and had gone into politics," she said to Mako. "How were you able to train under him?"
"Do you want the unofficial version, or the official version?" Arashi asked before Mako could open his mouth.
Her curiosity now aroused, she looked over at him. "What's the official version?"
"That my father had stopped by the Arena to watch a match and saw Mako Firebending in the gym later on."
"And the unofficial version?" she asked.
"Arashi, don't you dare," Mako warned him.
All he got was a grin in reply. "Too late, she asked." He looked back at Korra and opened his mouth.
"Arashi, tell her and I will make you do hot squats until your knees fall off!" the Firebender snapped at him with a hard scowl on his face. But once those words left his mouth, the scowl disappeared and a look of shocked realization appeared. "Sorry," he apologized.
Arashi had closed his mouth and the mischievous look he had on his face was swapped for one of determined neutrality. "It's fine," he said shortly.
"Hey, wait a minute," said Korra, realizing something and turning her attention onto the blonde. "You were trained by your dad too, right? Think you can show me some moves?"
He turned his head to look at her. "Leave it alone, Korra."
"Oh, come on! It's not that big of a deal. Just a few moves, that's all I'm—"
"I said leave it alone!" he shouted, his voice cracking slightly. Korra flinched and took a half step back, caught off-guard by the shout. For some reason, he had a little blush on his cheeks and stormed out of the gym.
The Avatar just watched him go. "What was that about?"
"If you want to know, ask him. It's not our place to say," Mako said while shooting a warning glance at Bolin. "Anyway, it's getting late. I'm turning in, you kids have fun." He started walking away. "Nice to meet you, Avatar Korra," he said to her.
"Yeah, been a real pleasure," she replied sarcastically. "Honestly, what's with this guy?"
"See you upstairs, bro," he told Bolin.
"Upstairs?" Korra repeated, looking at the Earthbender beside her. "You guys live here?"
"Yup. In the attic," Bolin answered. "It's nothin' fancy, but we have some great views! So, back to Bending! Why don't you throw that combo one more time?"
She did just that and the two discs flew through the air and hit the net. "This is the coolest thing ever!" she cheered to herself with a big smile on her face.
(Location: Air Temple Island)
"Oh Spirits, not this thing again!" thought Korra as she stared down the contraption with an uneasy feeling. It was made even worse by the fact Arashi was now watching as well.
Feeling like she had no other choice, she ran right into the contraption and immediately started getting hit by the gates. She tried spinning around but still got hit.
"Patience, Korra!" Tenzin shouted at her.
But after getting hit by a gate for the umpteenth time, she had had enough. With an angry roar, she started throwing fire everywhere in the contraption, setting it ablaze and breaking it down in the process. She was just completely and utterly mad at the damn thing!
She kept bending fire at the contraption until her arms started feeling heavy and her breathing became tired. She had just started bending in a rage and that worn her out quicker than any fight. She stood there panting in the ruined remains of the contraption and when she looked outside of it, she saw the shocked looks on Tenzin, Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Arashi.
"That was a two-thousand-year-old historical treasure! What…" Tenzin started asking her. "What is wrong with you?!"
"There's nothing wrong with me!" she replied, coming out of the contraption. "I've been practicing like you've taught me, but it isn't sinking in, okay? It hasn't clicked you said it would!"
"Korra, this isn't something you can force. If you would only listen to me—"
"I have been!" she shouted, cutting him off. "But you know what I think? Maybe the problem isn't me! Maybe the reason I haven't learned Airbending is because you're a terrible teacher!" She pointed an accusing finger at him before stomping off.
"Yeah, you're a terrible teacher, Daddy!" Meelo said, pointing at his father. However, that earned him a hard smack on the back of his head from Arashi. "OW! What was that for?" he demanded of the blonde, looking up at him with tears in his eyes.
"That was uncalled for, Meelo," Arashi said with a scowl on his face. "Your dad isn't a terrible teacher. He's teaching you, isn't he? Don't disrespect him like that!"
"Arashi, I will handle my own children, there's no need for you to speak on my behalf," Tenzin told the blonde with a slight frown. Arashi looked at him for a long second before walking away himself.
No one saw Arashi for the rest of the day and Korra kept to herself as well, even when dinner was ready. "Okay! Everyone here?" asked Pema as she brought the tray of food to the table. "Wait." She looked around and only saw her husband and children. "Where are Korra and Arashi?"
"Honestly, Pema, I am at my wit's end with that girl!" Tenzin told her, only hearing the first part of her question. "I…I don't know how to get through to her!"
She went to his side and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Dear, the best thing you can do for Korra right now is to give Korra some space."
Instead of answering her, he looked at his children. "You must promise you're teenage years won't be like this!" he said to all three of them.
Jinora, being the one who was closest to said years, simply lowered her book and replied in a deadpan manner, "I will make no such promises." She brought the book back up and went back to reading.
Tenzin cradled his head with his hand at those words. That was not something to look forward to for him. "Tenzin, where is Arashi?" Pema asked him. "You didn't tell me."
He took his hand away from his head. "I do not know specifically. It's possible he's with his uncle or at the Arena."
"But he usually doesn't leave until after dinner. What happened?"
"He hit me on the head when I called Daddy a terrible teacher!" Meelo piped up, hoping to get the blonde in trouble.
But instead, it got his mother to frown at him severely. "Meelo, what I have said about tattling?"
He looked away, knowing that look quite well. "To not to," he answered.
"Good," she said before looking back at her husband. "And what did you say?"
"I told him I could take care of my own children," Tenzin said.
"Dear, you know that he was just trying to help."
"I know." He heaved a great sigh. "His grandfather should stop going away from the city."
"He has to. With the Avatar still training, who else will make sure the countries stay in check?"
"There are four Paragons to do that. He can stay in Republic City and watch over his grandson."
"Tenzin, you know that Gāng is in Ba Sing Se running crowd control, Yue is helping Zuko with his ambassadorial duties and—"
"And I know full well where the third Paragon is," he finished. He remembered that quite well, considering the fact that he had seen that one off (quite happily too). But that didn't change the fact that Naruto Uzumaki should be here in Republic City instead of wherever he was. His grandson needed him.
(Location: Korra)
She retraced her steps inside the Arena to find the Ferrets locker room, running through the hallways to get there. She had a feeling that she was going to miss the match if she slowed down. She didn't want that to happen. Bolin had invited her to the next one and she was hardly going to let an opportunity like that pass.
Thankfully, she saw the door leading to the locker room and slowed down her running into a walk. Taking a breath to steady herself, she opened the door and walked in, seeing Mako and Bolin leaning against the wall and sitting on the bench respectively. "I didn't miss your match, did I?" she asked them. "You guys look like you lost already."
"We might've as well have," Bolin told her.
"Hasook's a no-good no-show!" Mako explained with an angry voice and a furious scowl.
"What? What happened?" Korra asked him.
"If I knew that, would I be here?" he asked back. "Arashi's gone looking for him but I don't that he'll find him in time."
The door to the locker room opened and a referee poked his head in. "You guys got two minutes to come out ready to play," he informed the Bending brothers. "Or you're disqualified." He pulled his head back and closed the door.
"Well, there's goes our shot at the tournament, and the winnings," Mako declared with a bitter tone to his voice.
"I know, Arashi is going to be really sad about this," Bolin agreed.
"Why would Arashi be sad?" Korra asked.
"This isn't just some tournament that we're trying to get into," Mako told her. "It's the Sozin Uzumaki Memorial Cup."
"Oh." It was the only thing that came to her at the moment. Now they really had to get into the match. "Can't you ask one of those guys to fill in?" she asked, pointing at the other team in the locker room.
"Nah, the rules say you can only compete on one team," Bolin told her dejectedly.
That was when she had an idea. "Well, then…how about me?" she suggested. "I'm a top-notch Waterbender, if I do say so myself."
Both brothers gave her a look. "But…you're the Avatar," the Earthbender pointed out. "Isn't that cheating?"
"It isn't cheating if I only do Waterbending."
"No way," Mako said firmly. "I'd rather forfeit then look like a fool out there."
"Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence," she told the Firebender with complete and utter sarcasm.
The door opened and the referee showed himself again. "Time's up," he announced. "You in or out?"
Korra pounced on the chance before someone could say otherwise. "We're in!"
"We are?" Mako asked.
"Yes!" Bolin agreed.
"Hey, I didn't agree to this!" his brother protested while he and Korra ran for the locker behind them.
"You can thank me later," she told him.
He just watched as she opened the locker. "This girl is crazy," he decided.
"Come on, Mako," Bolin said to him as he pulled out the spare uniform. "We need your help over here." While he did roll his eyes at the thought, he did go over and helped Korra put on the uniform. Once it was, they made their way into the ring.
"Looks like the Ferrets have ferreted out a last minute replacement," the commentator remarked. "Let's see if she's another diamond in the rough like the brothers from the school of hard knocks!"
"Don't do anything too fancy or aggressive," Mako told Korra as they waited for the bell to ring. "In fact, don't do anything. Just try not to get knocked off the ring."
"You got it, captain," she replied. Her helmet slipped a little but she quickly readjusted it.
"Players!" shouted the referee. "Are you ready?" He blew his whistle and the bell rang.
Korra acted instantly. Bending water with her foot, she threw it at the opposing Waterbender, sending him to the robes and then over the side. She instantly went into a victory dance, ignoring the shocked looks from the other players. "Woohoo, man overboard!" she shouted.
Then the referee blew his whistle, making her stop. "Fire Ferret Waterbender, penalty!" he shouted. "Move back one Zone!"
"What? Why?" she demanded.
"You're only allowed to knock players off the back of the ring! Not over the sides!" Mako told her in an angry whisper, gesturing with his arms to make his point.
"Oh…whoops." She moved backwards feeling really embarrassed.
The bell rang again. "And we're back in action after that hiccup," the commentator began. "But I don't think this replacement player knows what she's doing."
Korra was doing her best to participate in the match but it was like the opposing team knew that she was new to this and targeted her. She tried using a trick Katara had once showed her and flipped up into the air, shooting a glob of water. But when she landed, her foot went past the Zone line and the buzzer sounded.
"Foul!" the referee called after blowing his whistle. "Over the line! Move back to Zone Three!"
Now she was getting frustrated. "I'll show you over the line!" she muttered to herself as she moved back. Her teammates watched as she went, Bolin already having second feelings about all of this.
The bell soon rang and with the positioning of Korra, it was obvious who the victors were. But still, the commentator had to declare it. "The Platypus Bears take round one!" The bell rang again and the opposing team knew where to throw their Bending. "The Platypus Bear know a green player when they see one, and they're focusing the brunt of their Bending on this poor girl!"
"This is getting really annoying!" Korra thought to herself as she tried to dodge and return fire. But she was still new to all of this and the opposing team was targeting her. When she saw fire, earth, and water flying right at her, she reacted on instinct and reached for the nearest bendable object, which happened to be the discs slots near her. Two discs popped out and floated in the air before, acting as shields against the triple attack.
"Wait a minute, did that Waterbender just Earthbend?" the commentator asked.
The action made everyone in the crowd draw in a gasp of surprise and began whispering amongst themselves. The referee quickly blew his whistle. "Foul…I think."
Korra could grin sheepishly, even when her helmet fell over her eyes and the other two Ferrets looked anywhere but her.
(Location: Air Temple Island)
"Did I see that right?" the commentator asked from the radio. The White Lotus guardsmen sitting around it were a little confused but thought nothing of it. They were on break and they were enjoying it. "Hold on, folks, we're just waiting for the referee's official call but… I think this replacement player could be… No, there's no way!"
At that moment, Tenzin came up to the guards. "Pardon me, everyone, have you seen Korra this evening?" he asked them. "She's not in her room."
"You've gotta be kidding me!" the commentator suddenly cried. "She's the Avatar, folks, playing in a Pro-bending match!" The guards were stunned to hear this and the one who had been taking a drink from her cup spat it out. "Can you believe this?"
As Tenzin listened, his eyes began to twitch and his head turned pink. "I'll get her myself!" he told them, turning around with an angry gust of wind.
(Location: Arena)
After what felt like a long couple of minutes to the Fire Ferrets, the referee came back. "The Avatar will be permitted to continue so long as she solely bends water!" he declared, making the Ferrets sigh in relief (while the Platypus Bears complained a little).
The bell rang again and the Platypus Bears resumed their tactics. "This girl might be the Avatar, but she's no Pro-bender and the Platypus Bears are intent on exploiting that weakness!" the commentator remarked as Korra was being pushed back to the edge of Zone One. "They're giving her their best and her best ain't good enough to stop it!" As she tried to block the barrage of Bending being through at her, Korra couldn't hold it and was sent flying over the edge of the ring. "Aaaaand she's in the drink."
It hurt a little when she hit the water but she didn't let that stop her from swimming through it to the platform. She felt the pain still stinging her body as she reached and climbed up out of the water. But she stopped when she saw who was standing right there in front of her. "Oh, hey, Tenzin!" she said to the Airbending master nervously. "I thought you didn't like coming to these matches."
As she fully climbed out, he fixed her with his sternest look. "Once again, you have flagrantly disobeyed my orders. You were to stay on the island! Let's go," he ordered her, turning away and walking away.
But she wasn't going to be listening to him. "No! I'm kind of in the middle of something."
He stopped and slowly turned around to face her. "I have tried my very best to get through to you by being gentle and patient, but clearly the only thing you've responded to is force! So I am ordering you to come back to the temple right now!"
"Why?" she asked. "So I can sit around and mediate about how bad I am at Airbending? You know, I'm beginning to think that there's a reason I haven't been able to learn it! Because, maybe, I don't even need it!" she told him.
That idea astounded Tenzin and it was not in the good way. "What? That is a ludicrous suggestion! The Avatar needs to learn about Airbending! It's not optional!"
"No! This is what I need to learn!" she exclaimed, gesturing back at the ring. "Modern styles of fighting!"
"Being the Avatar isn't all about fighting, Korra! When will you learn that?"
She had had enough of this conversation, seeing that it wasn't going to go anywhere. "I have a match to go finish," she said pointedly, heading over to the elevator.
As she went upwards, the bell rang and the announcer said, "The Platypus Bears win round two!" Tenzin walked away from the platform and went back up into the stands, looking for the way out when the announcer cried out, "Round three!" and the bell rang.
The Platypus Bears started throwing their Bending at the Ferrets and their plan soon became obvious. "The Platypus Bears come out of the gate and quickly go after the Ferret brothers! They're corralled, wedged in the edge of Zone One, unable to come to the Avatar's rescue! And boy does she need it!"
Tenzin looked back at the ring and watched as Korra knocked back two Zones. He covered his eyes and groaned slightly at the sight. "Looks like the Avatar's Pro-bending debut is about to be cut short!" the commentator declared. "She's been pushed back to Zone Three and the water is calling her name!"
She was indeed teetering at the edge, balancing on her toes to avoid falling in. When she saw a disc coming right at her, she spun out of its way, letting it pass and allowing her to get a more firm footing. She realized what kind of move she had used and Tenzin's words came back to her.
"Airbending is all about spiral movements, when you meet resistance, you must be able to switch direction at a moment's notice."
"These teachings will sink in over time. Then one day, they'll just click."
"Huh, I guess he was right," she thought to herself before turning back to the ring, moving into a beginning Airbender stance. "Be the leaf."
"It's only a matter of time before…" the commentator began before seeing how Korra now moved. "Hold the phone! Stop the presses! She's still in the game, folks! And she's moving like an entirely different player! All of a sudden, the Platypus Bears' strikes are only striking air!"
Tenzin watched more intently now, seeing how she moved like she was supposed in the gates. None of the opposing team's Bending struck her. Whenever one got close, she would simply turn away from it. "How about that?" he said to himself.
Quickly enough, the Platypus Bears wore themselves out going after Korra like that and the commentator saw that. "The Platypus Bears have no juice left, but Mako and Bolin are still fresh and juicy!" The brothers, no longer pinned in the corner, came back at the opposing team with a vengeance. And Korra was right there to help.
Between the three of them, they started driving the Platypus Bears back. Since they had no energy left to fight back, all the opposing team could do was try and defend themselves until the bell rang. If they could do that, the match would be theirs. But the Fire Ferrets would not let that happen. They struck hard and fast, pushing each member of the Platypus Bears back harder and harder until the last one was sent flying out of the ring courtesy of water from Korra.
"Knockout!" the commentator cried as the bell rang. "The Fire Ferrets come from way behind and steal the win! What an upset, folks! The rookies, Avatar in tow, have nabbed a place in the memorial championship tournament! I cannot believe it!"
Korra just stood there, listening to the roar of the crowd as they cheered for her team. She went over to Bolin and they exchanged a high-five, happy in victory. But the best part for her was when Mako came over and said, "Korra…what can I say? You really came alive in that last round. The way you dodged their attacks…you are a natural."
"Thanks, but I can't take all the credit. Someone else taught me those moves," she told him. "And I'll have to apologize to Tenzin," she thought to herself.
"Hey-hey, come on guys!" Bolin said grabbing them both by the shoulder and pulling them into a group hug. "Let's go and celebrate!"
"That's sounds like a good idea," Mako agreed with a small smile on his face. They started walking back to their locker room, leaving the cheering crowds behind them.
When they reached the locker, Arashi was waiting for them with a somewhat annoyed expression. "Hey, Arashi," Bolin said, sounding nervous for some reason. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, I'm just wondering if you two had lost your minds," he replied, looking hard at him and his brother. "Seriously, you put her in the ring!? The woman who got arrested her first day in the city?" he demanded, pointing at Korra. "Did you guys even give her a crash course on what to do in Pro-bending?"
"Uh, um…no?" the Earthbender offered weakly.
"Hey, I helped them win," Korra told Arashi. "So just lay off on them."
He looked at her for a moment before finally saying, "Fine." When she smiled, he avoided eye contact for some reason.
"So where's Hasook?" Mako asked with a scowl on his face. "I bet he's said he had a good reason for not being here."
"Actually, he does," the blonde replied. "He quit the team."
"What?" Bolin said, completely surprised. "Why?"
"He got promoted at his part time job, he's full time now."
"And he gave up the game for that?"
Mako fixed his brother with a stare. "Bro, he's got a family. If he had to quit the team so he can make sure that they get fed, we can respect his decisions." Now he felt bad for calling Hasook no good and useless.
"It would also explain why he had been so out of focus the past couple of matches," Arashi added. "He had been under evaluation for the promotion and it had been on his mind." A thoughtful expression appeared on his face. "You know we should probably head over to his work one day and say hi to him."
Bolin's face lit up with a big grin. "Actually, we were going to have a victory drink. We can stop by there for it. That way, we can tell Hasook the good news!"
"Now that is a good idea," he agreed.
"Well, what are we doing just standing around here?" Korra asked them all. "Let's get out of these uniforms and get going!"
(Location: Air Temple Island)
Tenzin was watching as the Air Acolytes rebuilt the gate contraption. He heard footsteps coming towards him and when he looked out of the corner of his eye, he saw that it was Korra and Arashi. "I'm really sorry," Korra apologized as he turned to face them. "About everything I said. I was really frustrated with myself and I took it out on you."
"I think I owe you an apology, too," he replied. "I was trying to teach you about patience, but I lost mine."
"No hard feelings?" she offered hopefully.
"Of course not," he answered. "By the way, you were really good out there. You moved just like an Airbender!"
"Wait…you stayed and watched?"
"I did." He had even done a little victory shout when he saw the knockout, only to stop when he realized that other people had been watching. "Pro-bending turned out to be the perfect teaching tool for you."
They smiled warmly at one another, glad that the hostile feelings they were having were now gone. "I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early!" Korra told him as she started jogging away. "And, by the way, I kinda permanently joined the Fire Ferrets and we're playing the memorial tournament in a couple of weeks!"
He had been surprised by that piece of news and sighed heavily at it. "Well, what did you expect?" Arashi asked him when he saw the sigh. "This wasn't going to be a one-time deal."
"I am aware of that," Tenzin replied. "Anyway, Arashi, about what happened with Meelo earlier…"
"I know, I know. I shouldn't have stepped in like that. You're the parent, not me." A look of sadness appeared on his face as he remembered a memory. But he quickly banished that memory and the look. "Look, let's just not talk about."
"Very well, what do you think about the Fire Ferrets participating in the memorial tournament?"
"I'm hoping that they make to the top and win," he said. "But I'm also opening that Jiji will be there."
"I am sure he will be."
"It sure as hell doesn't feel like it," the blonde said with an acidic tone in his voice. "It feels like that he's not here anymore."
"Arashi Uzumaki, that is your grandfather you're speaking wrongly of!" Tenzin told him sharply, trying to head off what would've come next. Some of the Acolytes stopped what they were doing to see what was going on, only to be told by others to keep working. "Has he not been there for every birthday that you have had? Has he not been there every time that day comes about?"
"…Yeah, he has," he admitted quietly. "I…I just wish he would be here more." Without saying another word, he left the Airbending master and the Air Acolytes behind, heading to the temple and his room.
End
Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.
Some of you have been wondering about a few things, like what Arashi looks like or will he be a Paragon like Naruto? Well, let me answer those questions for you. First off: he is a carbon copy of his great-grandfather. Secondly: no, he is not going to be a Paragon (please remember the rules I put down for the Paragons).
Also, some of you have wondered whether if he's a Firebender or a shinobi. All I can say at the moment is that I have a plan for him and I don't want to ruin it for you guys (although, to the one person who suggested that he be both Bender and Shinobi, I would like to point out that in my story, that has never happened. It's either one or the other, not both).
I have given you people some information on the new generation of Paragons and while they won't all be introduced in the same chapter, I can assure that they will be introduced in the same "book," so to speak. As for the identity of the third Paragon, you were given in Bodyguard of Azula.
According to the creators of the Last Airbender and Legend of Korra, Hasook was originally supposed to have a family but it was cut. So I'm not totally off base when giving a reason for him quitting. And he needed a reason to quit.
I'll see you all next chapter!