CHAPTER 3: TRAINING BEGINS

(Disclaimer- I do NOT own Avatar: The Legend of Korra. Only my OC's)


Kenai was about to leave his room when he realized he was still wearing his boxers. 'Right, now we have Korra here,' he thought.

The young airbender put on his sweatpants and a coat. He felt slightly confused about himself regarding the words he told Korra last night. Why did he tell her that? He didn't regret saying she was pretty or anything like that, for he was being completely sincere with her. But still, he never expected himself to be that open with Korra. Heck, he didn't even know if he was flirting with her or only complimenting her. The only thing he knew for sure was that he liked to have Korra around. It certainly made his life at the Air Temple more interesting and it was nice to have someone his age to talk to and what not.

'Should I talk with aunt Pema about this?' he wondered. 'At least I know that I definitely shouldn't talk about it with uncle Tenzin. He's gonna flip and start lecturing me about how I'm distracting her from her airbending lessons, especially if he finds out we went to the Arena last night.' Kenai made a pause from his thoughts to laugh a little. 'Then again, I'm just trying to help her my own way. I started sneaking out every once in a while and my airbending turned out to be just fine. Scratch that, it turned out to be mind-blowingly amazing.'

Making his way to the kitchen, he saw that most of the monks were already gone, probably to start their morning duties. He shrugged and started eating his usual breakfast. When he was done, he put on his training gear and left. On his way down to the spinning gates, Kenai saw smoke coming out.

'Oh crap, Korra is getting angry,' Kenai thought as he accelerated his pace.

"That was a two thousand year old historical treasure. What... What is wrong with you!" Kenai heard the voice of his uncle as he got closer. Most of the spinning gates were burnt to ashes while the others that were left weren't in a much better shape. Korra was in the middle of them and she looked dangerously pissed off.

"There's nothing wrong with me! I've been practicing just like you told me but it isn't sinking in, okay?! It hasn't clicked like you said it would!" was Korra's response to Tenzin.

"Korra, this isn't something you can force. If you would only listen to me-"

"I have been! But you know what I think? Maybe the problem isn't me. Maybe the reason I haven't been able to airbend is because YOU are a terrible teacher!" Korra interrupted him before storming out of the training grounds. She was so frustrated she could care less about the whole 'respecting your elders' stuff. Jinora and Ikki went to hug their father while Meelo started freaking out and running around the place.

Kenai followed Korra back to the temple. He expected her to go to her room to cool off.

Instead she went to... Kenai's room?

"Grrr, stupid Tenzin, stupid meditation and stupid airbending!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. Her ire was so great that she failed to notice that, instead of going into her room, she went into Kenai's. Both of them were similar as they both were very messy. Korra then started taking off her airbending clothes. "Why does airbending has to be so hard?" Korra asked to herself.

"Am I coming in a bad time?" Kenai asked behind her.

Korra's reaction was priceless.

"What are you doing here? Get out of my room!" Korra yelled at him as hard as she could with her face red as a cherry. Even if Kenai had nothing to do with how her airbending was going, she didn't want to talk to anyone right now. Especially not while she was about to get undressed.

"How about you get out of my room?"

"What are you talking about? This is my..." the Avatar was about to say 'room' when she turned around and noticed that, last time she checked, her room didn't have weights lying on the floor, didn't have books about Raven Eagles on her desk and certainly did not have male underwear in her closet.

Yup, this was awkward alright.

Before Korra could embarrass herself more, Kenai stepped in. "Well, as promised, today you start your airbending lessons with me. Meet me at the other training ground behind the gardens in twenty minutes. Don't be late."

"Look Kenai, I know I said I would train with you but right now it's just not the best of times," Korra said angrily. She just got done getting her lower back kicked hard multiple times by spinning gates. She, the Avatar, the bridge between the Spiritual World and the Physical World, the bender of all four elements and the reincarnation of all the previous Avatars that changed the world for the better, couldn't get past spinning gates, airbend the tiniest of breezes or meditate for more than a minute or two. That thought annoyed her to no end.

But Kenai wouldn't have any of that. "When I told you about my training, I said that I took it very seriously and that I expected you to do the same. Trying to ditch on your first lesson just because you are in a bad mood is not taking it seriously at all. Now go change your clothes back to something comfortable and meet me at the training ground behind the gardens. Twenty minutes. Don't be late," he said in a very serious tone before walking away.

True enough, Kenai was usually a funny, understanding and charming guy. But when it came to training, he became a lot more serious and focused. Tenzin noticed this and was fairly surprised, but he assumed it had something to do with his parents. 'Alright, then I will be the greatest airbender of all time! I'll have this airbending stuff down in a month, then I will be the one teaching you, Master Tenzin!' the voice of the eight year-old Kenai on his first day at the Air Temple echoed in his head every time Tenzin looked at his nephew doing something airbending related.

Korra was taken back by his words. So far, Kenai had always been so laid-back it was strange to see him so serious. Sighing, Korra took off (more like ripped off) her airbender clothes to put on her usual water tribe attire. She could only hope she would get something out of Kenai's training. Maybe she could let out some steam with a spar or two.

|Kenai's training grounds|

"Good to see you made it, Korra. Ready for your first lesson?" Kenai asked while he finished doing push-ups standing on his own hands. Kenai's training ground took place in a less occupied plaza filled with grass and some plants that was abandoned by the caretakers. Not too much, but it had what Kenai needed: space and privacy.

"As ready as I'll ever be," was Korra's moody answer.

"Good. First things first, I'll explain why I think that your time with uncle Tenzin has been unproductive," Kenai commented before taking a deep breath. "The thing that uncle Tenzin fails to realize is that he's expecting you to move and act like an airbender right away. When going through the spinning gates, one should already have a notion of proper airbending movement. Uncle Tenzin skipped that and went straight to the gates. You following?" Korra nodded. It actually made sense.

Kenai continued. "As for your meditation, I've been thinking about how to help you stay still and be patient. I actually had your same problem and to this day I still haven't completely mastered meditation, but at least I'm far better than I was at first. What seems to happen here is similar to your airbending problems. Uncle Tenzin doesn't takes into account that since the start of your Avatar training, meditation was never an aspect that was considered as important as your bending prowess. Again, he's rushing you into things you have never experienced before and expecting you to simply adjust to them naturally."

"Last thing. Uncle Tenzin has succeeded in teaching Meelo, Ikki and Jinora because they are his children and knows how to deal with them. He has been with them all of his life. You, on the other hand, are almost a complete stranger to him. Born and raised in the Southern Water Tribe, you are not adjusted to life here. Why do you think it was harder for Tenzin to teach me airbending in comparison to his son and daughters?"

Korra listened in silence. The explanation was actually pretty valid in her opinion. At least she now knew why airbending was so hard for her. "So, what do we do first?" she asked feeling a bit more confident after hearing Kenai out.

"I decided that we'll begin with learning how to move like an airbender. As you already know, airbending is based on circular, evasive movements. You have to be able to change your direction as fast as needed. But first, you need to know how to move like that. You will do that by practicing some airbending katas I invented some time ago. Ready?"

"Let's do this," Korra said with a small but confident smile.

|2 hours later, inside the Air Temple|

"Okay, everyone here? Pema asked as she made some tea for her family. She then noticed that two certain benders were missing. "Wait, where is Korra and Kenai?"

Tenzin was the one to answer. "Honestly Pema, I am at my wits-end with that girl. I-I don't know how to get through her," he responded with irritation. Korra had to be, by far, the most impatient girl he had ever had to deal with. She was just so stubborn and impulsive that teaching her airbending was almost impossible. He remembered when Kenai was a kid and how he would get angry when he couldn't get a certain airbending lesson, but at least he tried to listen and didn't go on a rampage every time he failed to pass through the spinning gates. Not that he wasn't close to, but still. "As for Kenai, he could be flying around with Sozu for all I know."

"Dear, the best thing you can do right now is to give Korra some space," Pema kindly suggested

"Ikki, Jinora, you must promise me that your teenage years won't be like this," Tenzin said to his daughters. He already had one stubborn girl to look out for. Spirits help him if his two sweeties turned out to behave just like Korra.

Jinora raised an eyebrow. "I will make no such promises."

"Alright Korra, I think we can call it a day," Kenai said to his student. 'It's amazing. She learns things at a very fast pace.' During the two hours of training they had, Kenai showed Korra some basic airbending katas which she had to copy as best as she could. At first, she said that she felt very stiff, not being used to move like that, but after a few minutes of practice she loosened up enough to bear the awkwardness of the movements. The first kata consisted in performing a full-circle around a wooden post while doing certain movements with her arms along with a couple of airbending stances. It took her around twenty minutes to do the whole thing without stopping once.

Next, Kenai threw at his apprentice a series of 'air punches' as he liked to call them. The idea of the exercise for Korra was to evade the blows as quickly as she could while using airbending stances. These stances were made so they could be easily switched in between. When Korra finally fought the urge to hit back, she was capable of dodging most of the blasts and was somewhat getting comfortable with the stances.

Finally, for the rest of the session, Korra and Kenai engaged in a hand-to-hand spar in which Korra was not allowed to fight back, only to dodge or block. This exercise was meant to improve reaction time, airbending stances and self-control. This one had to be the most challenging exercise Kenai had to put her through. She had to fight her instincts that yelled for her to counterattack, but in the end her will prevailed and left Kenai unharmed.

"... (Pant, pant)... That was... (Pant, pant)... Some workout right there..." was the only thing the Avatar managed to say.

Despite she was still far from airbending, Korra enjoyed her class with Kenai a lot more than the ones she had with Tenzin. Instead of having to deal with the gates or with meditation, Kenai was teaching her the previous steps she had to take on before airbending. The thing that caught her attention was that she felt like she was actually making progress. Granted, it was nothing to brag about, but after dealing with her previous lessons with a certain bald monk, feeling like she was closer to airbend was a whole new thing.

"So, what do you think of my training methods? Better than uncle's?" Kenai asked.

After regaining her breath, Korra spoke up. "Way better. It's like you know exactly how to teach me. How come you are better at teaching than Tenzin? Wasn't he supposed to be the master around here?"

"Just because he is an airbending master doesn't mean he's good at teaching. He's a little narrow minded when it comes to airbending. He knows that air is the element of freedom, but I don't think he understands what that means. One of the things being able to airbend means is that you are free to explore and create. Uncle Tenzin never really stepped out of what he was taught by Avatar Aang," Kenai said as he stopped and went into a thinking pose. "And since you are Avatar Aang's reincarnation, it's actually kind of your fault."

"Wow, that has to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard," Korra deadpanned.

Kenai pretended to be hurt and pouted. "You're such a big meanie sometimes, you know that? Anyways, since this is a special occasion, I believe you deserve a little treat. How does that sound?"

Korra perked up when she heard the word treat. "Really? What kind of treat?"

"Well, I heard the Fire-Ferrets were playing tonight. Interested?"

Did Kenai really have to ask?

|Pro-bending Arena at night|

The Avatar and her airbender friend were currently walking inside the hall towards the locker room. Once they entered, they found Mako and Bolin sitting on a bench looking like kids who didn't get any gifts on their birthdays. "We didn't miss your match, did we? You guys look like you already lost," Korra asked.

"We might as well have," Bolin said, depressed out of his mind.

"Hasook's a no good no show," Mako added bitterly.

Suddenly, one of the tournament administrators opened the door and looked at the incomplete Pro-bending team. "You got two minutes to come out ready to play or you're disqualified," he said before leaving.

"Well, there goes our shot at the tournament and the winnings," Bolin commented.

"Can't you ask one of those guys to take Hasook's place?" Korra asked while pointing to another team who just returned from their game.

"Nah, the rules say you can only compete in one team."

Kenai couldn't help but feel sorry for the brothers. He recognized their hard work and the struggle they had to face every day. Now, all of that seemed to be in vain all because of a loser that gave up on them in the middle of the race. He would gladly try to fill in, but waterbending wasn't exactly Kenai's... forte. That seemed to be Korra's thing.

Wait, Korra's thing?

Of course!

"How about you, Korra?" Kenai asked her.

"Hey, you're right! How about me? I'm a top-notch waterbender if I do say so myself," Korra proposed. This whole thing was certainly unexpected, but in a good way. This was the second time she and Kenai went to see the Fire-Ferrets play, and now she would play with them? Talk about... well... unexpected.

"But, you're the Avatar. Isn't that cheating?" Bolin asked, unsure of the proposal.

"Not if she only uses waterbending," Kenai responded. It made enough sense and the rules of the sport didn't state that the Avatar was not allowed to participate.

"Exactly," Korra said smiling at Kenai, who in return smiled back.

However, the good vibes were gone the moment Mako opened his mouth. "No way. I'd rather forfeit than look like a fool out there."

Korra glared at Mako. "Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence," she said sarcastically. No, really, what was his problem?

"Mako, I'm sorry but if you want to have any chance of winning the tournament, you will have to let Korra play with you," Kenai said while glaring at the firebender. "You're worried that you will look like a fool out there playing with Korra? No offense, but in the eyes of the spectators, you will look like bigger fools by not having a replacement on your team and losing by default."

Before Mako could argue (which wasn't going to happen since he could not deny what Kenai just said), the same administrator from before interrupted his answer.

"Time's up. You're in or out?"

"We're/ They're in," both Korra and Kenai said in unison.

"We are?" Mako asked.

"Yes!" Bolin exclaimed.

"Hey, I didn't agreed to this!" the firebender shouted in an attempt to stop the nonsense going around him. The attempt, however, was not taken seriously.

"You can thank me later," was Korra's only response before changing into her uniform.

Mako simply couldn't believe his luck. First, Hasook leaves the team, and now he had to stick with Korra in order to compete? "This girl is crazy."

"Ohhh trust me Mako, you haven't seen anything yet," Kenai chuckled.


'Ok, maybe I should have explained Korra some basic rules of Pro-bending before I let her out on a Pro-bending match,' Kenai thought in retrospective.

As soon as the match started, Korra struggled to stay on the game. She was making mistakes that were common knowledge to any athlete or spectator. Kenai could literally feel Mako's frustration all the way from his spot. Things got even worse when she accidentally earthbended one of the attacks coming towards her, exposing herself as the Avatar. Kenai remembered that the White Lotus sentries used to hear the games with their radio, so there was a chance that they might have been discovered. 'Uncle Tenzin is not going to be very happy about this,' he thought.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Kenai simply laughed rather loudly when he heard the referee say 'Foul! I... think.' after Korra earthbended. He could only think how Tenzin would feel if he saw her right now.

That was when Kenai saw his uncle walking through the crowd, standing right in front of Korra, who was just knocked away to the water area by the other team.

... Don't you just love coincidences?

|Korra and Tenzin|

Kenai made it just in time to see Korra and her uncle arguing. Tenzin did not look happy at all.

"Hey, uncle!" Kenai shouted as he reached them. Tenzin turned around and glared at his nephew.

"Kenai, are you also part of this nonsense?"

"What nonsense? I'm just showing her what it feels to be like a normal human being. I know you don't like Pro-bending matches and all, but-"

"But nothing! The two of you are going back to the island right now, and that's final," Tenzin said irritated.

"Why? So I can go back to meditate about how much I suck at airbending?" Korra said even more irritated than the son of Aang. "You know, I'm beginning to think there is a reason I haven't been able to learn it. Because maybe, I don't even need it!"

Kenai flinched after hearing those words. 'This is soooo not good.'

"What? That is a ludicrous suggestion! The Avatar needs to learn airbending, it's not optional!" Tenzin all but roared.

"Okay guys, how about we take it easy for a minute? Let's talk about it like reasonable and mature grown-ups, shall we?" Kenai said trying to ease up the situation.

"Not now, Kenai!" both Tenzin and Korra shouted at him at the same time.

Korra faced Tenzin once again. "This is what I need! Modern styles of fighting just like the one Kenai is teaching me!"

"Being the Avatar is not all about fighting! When will you learn... Wait a minute," Tenzin was saying before he realized Korra's words. Now he didn't know with whom he felt angrier at, Korra or Kenai. "Kenai, have you been teaching Korra airbending behind my back?"

"Uncle, I'm aware that you may dislike my way of airbending, but you have to understand. Your teachings methods are simply not the most appropriate for Korra. Maybe if you would let me-"

"I will not hear whatever lecture you may have for me, young man! Your airbending is as misdirected as it can get!" Tenzin snapped at him.

Kenai looked slightly shocked for a second, but then he glared angrily at Tenzin. "You know what? Fine. I'm out of here. See you at the Air Temple, son of Aang." he said as he stormed out of the place, leaving his uncle and Korra behind.

"I have a match to play." Korra said before going into the elevator for the next round.

Tenzin just started to walk away with his mind pondering over Kenai's words and his action that caused them. From the ten years that they have known each other, he had never heard Kenai calling him 'son of Aang'. Even if it wasn't an insult, he felt somewhat hurt. It just made him feel so... distant from one another that it worried him more than he thought it would.

It was known that Tenzin disagreed with Kenai's way of airbending. That much was true. But did he really mean what he just said? After all, there were some things about the way his nephew airbended that were remarkable. Since the beginning of Kenai's meditation lessons, it was clear that he had troubles with it. But he never gave up nor did he let the frustration get the better of him. He kept trying and trying until he finally made some progress. And then there was his dedication to the art he had kept all these years now. Kenai spent nearly all of his time training in order to perfect his airbending skills. Tenzin had never saw before such drive and passion before, it was actually inspiring at some degree.

After thinking over it for a couple of minutes more, he decided to stay and watch Korra play. And then he would have to apologize to Kenai.

When he founded a spot near the exit, he looked over and saw something he did not expected at all.

Korra was moving around the place dodging every attack that was coming to her. But the thing that impressed him the most was the way she moved. She was so light on her feet and looked so calm yet focused at the same time, he felt like he was watching an airbender in motion. The only difference was that she was bending water instead of air. The Avatar kept evading while Mako and Bolin took the chance and started attacking the other team. Soon enough, the Platypus-Bears were exhausted and quickly knocked down from the Arena.

Without even thinking what he was doing, Tenzin cheered for the Fire-Ferrets. "Woo-hoo!" he shouted while pointing at them. Realizing what he just did, he immediately regained his composure and started walking away...

... just to see his nephew grinning from ear to ear.

"Soooo uncle, what do you think about this mockery of the noble tradition of bending again?"

Turning red out of embarrassment, Tenzin started to think of an excuse that would explain his reaction. Needless to say, he was failing monumentally.

"Let's just go see Korra," Kenai said. Tenzin only nodded, relieved by the fact that his nephew wouldn't tease him any more.


|Air Temple at night|

"Tenzin, I'm really sorry for everything I said. I was really frustrated with myself and I took it out on you," Korra said to her airbending master.

"I think I owe you an apology too. I was trying to teach you about patience, and I ended up losing mine."

Korra looked at Tenzin and smiled hopefully. "No hard feelings?"

"Of course not. By the way, you really looked good out there tonight. You moved just like an airbender."

"Hmmm, I wonder who might have taught her that," a voice was heard behind them. Both Korra and Tenzin turned around and saw Kenai with his usual 'what-did-I-told-you-?' smirk.

Now Tenzin was baffled. "Wait, you were the one that taught her how to move like that?"

"Why yes I was. Looks like my misdirected airbending methods can actually be helpful. Wouldn't you agree uncle?"

Tenzin sighed but didn't try to argue. He deserved it. "I suppose I owe you an apology as well, nephew. Even if I don't particularly like your airbending, I should have never looked down on it. I was so caught up in the difference of our ways that I never noticed the similarities between them. Also, I underestimated your teaching methods, which have proven to be more effective than mines."

"Don't worry uncle. Even if we have different points of view regarding life, you should know I look up to you and respect you a great deal. Never forget that."

The old airbender smiled. He was afraid Kenai would still hold a grudge against him. It looked like he should start giving his nephew's maturity more credit than before. "Apology accepted?" he asked while giving out his hand for a handshake.

Kenai's answer was to extend his own hand, but instead of shaking it with his uncle's, he closed his fingers and made a fist bump while inviting Tenzin over to respond it with his eyes. Tenzin reluctantly accepted the fist bump and returned it. "Now it is," Kenai said.

Watching the interaction, Korra rolled her eyes in amusement. A lot of interesting things happened since she met Kenai back at the South Pole. From being arrested to finally starting her airbending training, from riding a giant Raven Eagle to meeting an actual Pro-bending team, from seeing her very first Pro-bending match to joining the team...

"Oh wait, I forgot to tell you Tenzin. I kinda permanently joined the Fire-Ferrets and we're playing in the tournament in a couple of weeks. See you guys tomorrow!" Korra shouted as she made her way to her bedroom, only this time she was extremely careful not to mistake her bedroom with Kenai's. She still was a little embarrassed for that stunt earlier, so a second one was 1000% out of the question.

What does Tenzin do at a time like this? The one thing he is the best at. Sighing.

Sensing his frustration, Kenai approached his uncle. "How about a game of Pai Sho to end the night?"

The old airbender glanced at his nephew before smiling. "That would be nice." Both of them had this little thing going on for a couple of years now. Every time they argued and made peace with each other, they would officially end the discussion with a game of Pai Sho. While Kenai was decent enough, he was never very interested in the game itself. But he knew Tenzin enjoy it, and so they would play from one to three matches depending on Tenzin's mood.

"Loser treats the winner with ice cream next time?"

...

Unbeknownst to the airbending duo, a certain water tribe girl was in her room staring at the sky with a dreamy look on her face. She was thinking about all the things that she had done in the last couple of days and all the things that she might or might not do in the near future.

Not to mention, some of her thoughts also included mental images of a certain airbender around her age that also happened to live on the island.


|Next morning at the Pro-bending Arena, training room|

"What's the big idea with making us train this early in the morning? The morning is evil," Korra whined as she tossed a medicinal ball to Bolin. Much like Kenai, Korra was not a morning person.

"WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS WHY YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOUR TRAINING SCHEDULE WAS AT THIS HOUR! I COULD VERY WELL BE SLEEPING RIGHT NOW!" Kenai yelled at the top of his lungs from one of the benches nearby. He couldn't believe such treason! Such deceitfulness! And coming from his own student as if that wasn't enough!

Revenge was sworn in the deepest and darkest places of Kenai's sub consciousness.

Korra just smiled sheepishly at her friend. "Sorry Kenai, Tenzin's orders. He told me you had to come with me to everywhere I go in Republic City so I wouldn't get lost."

"THAT'S YOUR EXCUSE? YOU'RE A BIG GIRL, YOU CAN TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF JUST FINE!"

The Avatar felt a little guilty. In part because she knew how much Kenai hated to wake up unless it was necessary and in part because her excuse wasn't completely accurate. Tenzin didn't exactly told her that Kenai had to go with her everywhere she went if she wanted to visit Republic City, that was actually Korra's idea so Tenzin would gave her permission. She really wanted to explore the city more and the only way to do that without making Tenzin angry was with Kenai. What she didn't plan through was Kenai's reaction when she had to wake him up and drag him all the way to the Arena.

She did promise to herself that she would make it up to him... somehow.

"Yeah well, we're the rookies so we get the worst time slots in the gym," Bolin answered.

"And you're the rookiest of us all. We've got to get you up to speed if we wanna' survive in the tournament. Deal with it," Mako said as he threw the ball to Korra unnecessarily hard. However, she was able to catch it.

"You deal with it!" Korra retorted while throwing the ball back to Mako so hard he tripped and landed on his back.

A voice came out of the gym's door. "There are my little hard working street urchins," a man in his forties wearing (debatable) fancy clothes came up and approached the Fire-Ferrets. He then placed his hand on Korra's shoulder. "It's an honor to finally meet ya' Avatar."

"Aaaand you are?" Korra asked with suspicion.

The unidentified man identified himself. "Butakha. I run this whole Pro-bending shebang," he said as he took off his hat in a way to say hello. Next, out of his coat, he took out a stack of yuans. "Here are your winnings from the last match." Mako grinned and was about to put the cash away, but Butakha stopped him. "Not so fast, first you owe me for the Avatar's new gear. Gym and equipment rental last month. Rent on your apartment and personal loan for your groceries." Butakha said, taking bills out of Mako's cash stack until there was no payment at all. Mako glared at his younger brother.

"What? I'm a growing boy," Bolin excused himself while rubbing his belly.

At this point, Kenai was already approaching the group. He couldn't go back to sleep once he was awake, so he might as well know what was going on.

"Oh, one more small business detail. The Fire-Ferrets need to pay a total of 30,000 yuans in order to compete in the tournament," Butakha added.

"30,000 yuans!?" Bolin repeated in shock.

"Sorry kids, but you need to come up with the dough next week or else I'll have no other choice but to kick you out of the tournament," the man said before leaving.

Kenai joined the team. "30,000 yuans? Wow, that's some serious fee."

"You wouldn't happen to have a secret Avatar bank account overflowing with gold, would you?" Bolin asked Korra.

"I got nothing," Korra replied as she pulled out her empty pockets. "I never really needed money. I've always had people taking care of me," she said with a happy face, which turned into a confused one when she saw Kenai slapping his forehead.

"Then I wouldn't say you've had nothing," Mako said bitterly while putting the medicinal ball inside a sports bag.

When she realized what she just said to them, she turned to Bolin. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..." Korra trailed off.

"No, it's alright. It's just that, ever since we lost our parents we've been on our own," Bolin said with a hunch of sadness. Even if he was usually happy and cheery like a kid, he couldn't help but feel down when he talked about what he and his brother had to go through.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know," the Avatar said in an attempt to excuse herself. 'Why do I always have to say the most inappropriate things?'

"So anyways, how are we supposed to get the 30,000 yuans before the tournament?" Mako asked, hoping that somebody would have an idea that was worth a shot.

A certain airbender stepped in. "Well, I'm no expert in financial subjects but I can tell what I know."

"I'm listening," Mako said looking at Kenai with interest. Kenai looked like the kind of guy who knew what he was talking about.

"The way I look at it, you have about four choices. One would be asking for a loan to a bank, but I don't really think that's likely to happen. You guys are still relatively new to the Pro-bending scene and banks usually only gives loans to teams that are more experienced. Not to mention the interests that they would ask you for the loan when you win. And what would happen if you don't win the tournament? You'd be financially screwed," Kenai started to explain as Mako nodded in understanding.

"Two would be asking for a sponsor. Then again, the chances of getting one for the team are low for the same reason. Sponsors look out for well-known teams instead of new ones. It wouldn't hurt to try, but don't be surprised if they turn down your offer."

"Three would be doing as many jobs as possible before the tournament. I don't think I have to elaborate much on this one. Unless you start doing illegal business, say for the Triads, I don't think you guys can get 30,000 yuans within a week, no matter how many jobs you do. Needless to say, don't get involved with the Triads to get money. If you get caught, you might as well say goodbye to the tournament and to Pro-bending for that matter," Kenai continued. For some reason, he noticed that Mako's eyes narrowed for a second at the mention of working for the Triads.

"Four and the most likely choice we have would be for me to get the money for you."

This caught the attention of everybody. "You? What do you mean you could get the money?" Korra asked.

Kenai elaborated. "Right now, I have about 13,000 yuans saved in my bank account. I could donate 11,000 yuans to the cause, which would leave you with 19,000 yuans left. The rest of the money-"

"13,000 yuans? How do you have so much?" Korra asked in shock. Living in the temple provided food and shelter for Kenai, so having money shouldn't be so important for him.

"Let's say I used to participate in other kind of tournaments that paid good money. Because I had everything I needed in the Air Temple, I decided to save the money I was getting in a bank account so I could use it in times of need. Anyways, I suppose I could get back to compete in those tournaments. If I'm lucky enough I might just get those 19,000 yuans you need. Other than that, I don't know what else to do."

"Thanks Kenai, you really are resourceful," Mako thanked the airbender. "Don't worry, I'll figure something out. I always do."

"You're welcome, but you need to tell me as soon as possible if you want my help. Otherwise I might not make it," Kenai said to Mako, who nodded.

"Wait, I got it! How about we have Pabu perform circus tricks? People would pay good money to see that!" Bolin exclaimed as he held the Fire Ferret pet.

Mako looked at his brother clearly annoyed. "Come on Bolin, we need serious ideas."

Bolin was heart-broken. "But I was serious."

"Well, tell us if you find anything. I and Korra are going back to the Air Temple. See you guys later," Kenai said as he started to walk towards the exit.

"Wait! Can we go to explore Republic City first?" Korra asked her 'city guide'.

"Do we have to?" Kenai said looking miserable.

It was then when Korra unleashed her ultimate persuasion weapon. She approached Kenai and looked at him with big sad puppy eyes while pouting. "Pleeeeeeease?"

Kenai didn't even try to fight back. It was useless. He let out a huge sigh that would make Tenzin jealous. "Fine."

"Yesssss!" Korra cheered. "You are the coolest guy ever Kenai!"

"You're darn right I am."

|Streets of Republic City|

Korra and Kenai were currently taking a walk around the streets, looking at the various shops the city had to offer. Now with someone to guide her, Korra was finally enjoying the tour. Kenai showed her the various districts around and explained how to get to them.

While they were walking together, Korra noticed that almost every girl who saw them was glaring profoundly at her, like she was some sort of hated dictator who made their lives miserable. At first, she was oblivious and even asked Kenai why every girl was staring at her with eyes full of anger. His only response was that jealousy may have something to do with it. Korra, being the naive girl she was, didn't get it at first. Were they jealous of her? Why would they be jealous of her?

'Could it be that...?'

Korra gasped at the realization. Those girls were jealous of her because Kenai was walking with her and not them!

She immediately got defensive. As they made small talk, Korra would glare harshly at any lustful and shameless woman who saw them together. 'They better stay away from Kenai,' she mentally growled.

...

'Huh? Why am I so worked up all of a sudden? He's just a good friend, that's all. It's not like we are a couple or anything. I mean sure he's charming, handsome, and funny and I wouldn't mind seeing him shirtless aga... Korra stop drooling damn it! The point is that he's not my boyfriend. I don't even like him like that... Or maybe I do a little?... Ahhh, screw it.'

"Hey Korra, you okay? You look like you're in la-la land," the voice of Kenai brought her back from her mental train of thought.

"Me? Oh yeah, I-I was just thinking about how we are gonna come up with the money for the tournament," Korra said in the most unconvincing way possible.

"Korra... are you... is that drool?" Kenai asked hesitantly. No, seriously, what was she thinking about?

Finally regaining a hold of her senses, Korra quickly whipped off the small trail of saliva that was coming out of her mouth using her wrist. "No I'm not. What makes you say that?" she said trying to avoid looking weird. Kenai just raised an eyebrow. Feeling like changing the subject, Korra approached Kenai. "Hey, back at the gym you said you used to compete in some tournaments right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm kinda' curious, what kind of tournaments were they? I mean, from what you said, they paid a lot of money," Korra asked her friend.

When Korra finished her question, Kenai slowed down. He seemed to be unsure about something. "Korra, we're friends, right?"

"We? Of course we are!" Korra replied. 'Where did that came from?'

"And I can trust you, right?"

"Sure you can, but what does that has to do with anything?"

"Because I'm gonna tell you a secret and I would like you to keep it... well, secret."

If Korra wasn't intrigued before, you can bet she was now. She nodded eagerly.

Walking away from the crowd of people passing by, the benders sat down on a park bench. After Kenai made sure no one was near them, he looked at Korra and started talking. "The tournaments I used to take part in were underground fighting tournaments. People go there and pay to watch fighters go all out on each other. It's kinda like Ba Sing Se's Earth Rumble, but a little more private."

Korra gasped "What? Are you serious?"

Kenai nodded. "Very serious. This tournament is known as 'The Brawl Out' and the point of the whole thing is to show the spectators some of the best fights of their lives. There are almost no regulations whatsoever. I guess the only rules they have are 'try not to kill your opponent' and 'give people a good show'. Aside from that, anything goes."

"But why would you participate in that? Was it for the money or something?"

"Well, I didn't mind getting some money out of it, but that was never the reason I was there. Actually, I discovered that tournament by coincidence. It all started a little more than a year ago..."

|Flashback 1 year ago|

Seventeen year-old Kenai was walking through the streets of Republic City at 23:00 PM. He just got done working out back at the Air Temple and he didn't feel like having salad for dinner, so he went out to the big city to find a place where he could have a decent meal.

Upon searching for a cheap restaurant, Kenai found a little place called "Rom-Toms". Deciding it was worth a shot, he entered.

He spotted an empty table near the entrance. The place was small, but it was comfy and had various decorations on the walls such as pictures, paintings and newspaper articles. It wasn't crowded and most of the clients seemed to be already eating. While Kenai was admiring the place, an old man around his sixties approached him.

"Good night young man, welcome to Rom-Tom's. My name is Rom-Tom and I hope you like my humble establishment," he welcomed him with a friendly smile.

"Thank you, sir. And yes, I really like how you have the place. So, what kind of food do you serve?" Kenai asked.

"About anything, really. I've traveled all across the world learning different cooking recipes. From the most delicate salads of the Air Nomads to the meatiest of meats from the Earth Kingdom, ask and you will receive the best dinner ever," Rom-Tom proclaimed proudly.

"Oh, really? I'm looking for something to fill my stomach with, maybe a meat dish. Think you can handle it?" Kenai challenged the cook with a smirk.

"Well, I don't mean to brag or anything, but I've been told that I make excellent Komodo sausages with rice," Rom-Tom challenged back with a sly grin of his own.

Challenge accepted.

"I suppose I'll have to find out if the rumors are true. Komodo sausages with rice, please."

"Right away Mister..."

"Kenai, but don't call me Mister Kenai. Makes me feel old, you know," Kenai chuckled.

Rom-Tom chuckled as well. "Sorry, it's the habit. Anyways, I'll bring your order soon." he said as he made his way to the kitchen. "Yanra, one Komodo special!"

"One Komodo special coming!" a voice shouted back from the kitchen. 15 minutes later, a girl around 16 with dark brown hair and green eyes came with a steaming plate which she handed to Kenai. "Alright, here's your order, Kenai. Hope you like it," the waitress said smiling cheerfully.

"Thanks. You're Yanra, right?" Kenai asked the girl.

"Yup, that's me. I'm the daughter of Rom-Tom."

"Really? Well let's see if what your dad says about these Komodo sausages is true," Kenai said with a grin.

Yanra giggled. "Enjoy!" was the last thing she said before returning to the kitchen. When she was gone, Kenai smelled the food, and it was good. Very, very good. He had a feeling Rom-Tom was not kidding, but he needed to try it if he wanted to be sure.

10 minutes later...

"Okay, I admit it. It was delicious," Kenai stated after finishing his meal. Now his tummy was full and happy.

Before he could pay for the food, a group of thugs entered the place. There were ten men in total. One of them went to the bar and spoke up. "Sup' old timer. Got my money this time?"

"I already told you I don't have any money right now! Especially since you and your little friends come here every week and blackmail me!" Rom-Tom shouted angrily, though it was clear he was scared of them. Yanra quickly went upstairs to hide, but one of the thugs grabbed her arm and held her close.

"Hey boss, how bout' we have her as payment? She looks fine."

"Mhhhh, you know that aint'a bad idea at all, Jomu. What'ya say old man? Sounds like a fair trade."

Hearing the proposal, Rom-Tom panicked. "No, please! Take everything you want, just leave my daughter alone!" he pleaded.

"Sorry, but I think your daughter should know what it feels to be with a man. Alright boys, let's go," the boss said to his henchmen, who were laughing and cheering.

Kenai was not going to accept that. He stood up and blocked the entrance. "If you guys don't want to spend the rest of your lives in a wheelchair, you will leave this place right now and let go off her," the airbender threatened.

"Who'd you think you are, boy? Get out'a here before we wreck ya'," the thug identified as Jomu threatened back.

"Last warning. You go or I'll make you."

The leader approached Kenai, who firmly stood his ground. They glared at each other for a moment. Suddenly, the man raised a fist covered in fire and attempted to punch Kenai in the face. Kenai immediately ducked and punched him with his left hand. As his opponent bended over, Kenai hit him with his right elbow on the left side of his face, knocking him out.

Seeing his boss was out cold, the rest of the thugs attacked the young man all at once.

5 minutes later, ten bodies were lying unconscious on the floor.

After making sure that no one would stand up fight back anytime soon, Kenai approached the owner of the restaurant. "Sorry for the mess."

Rom-Tom was gawking at him. He just witnessed one boy handling a group of dangerous criminals without even bending, using only his hands and legs to brace himself. What impressed him the most was his bravery and his willingness to get involved in something that didn't concern him. Republic City definitely needed more people like him.

Snapping out of his shock, the cook spoke up. "Thank you, Kenai. You saved not only my business, but my daughter as well. You have no idea how grateful I am."

"Th-Thank you Ke-Kenai," Yanra stammered, still a little scared for what almost happened.

"Don't worry about it. I couldn't just sit there and watch these clowns take advantage of you. I think you guys should call the police and get these guys arrested. But please, don't tell them I did it. I don't want to get involved in any trouble," Kenai said. Rom-Tom nodded. "So, how much do I owe you for the dinner?"

"Nothing. I can't accept your money after what you just did for us. Forget it."

"Really? Ok then. Thanks for the meal, I'll make sure to visit you guys more often. See ya," Kenai said.

"Goodbye Kenai. Thanks again."

Kenai left the restaurant and started walking towards the island. He was feeling tired and sleepy. However, before he could cross the street, a man wearing a hat and a grey coat approached him. "That was quite the show back there. It's not very common to see such a young man being able to put down ten adversaries so fast without bending."

"Hummm, thanks. Yeah, I suppose I can handle myself in a fight. What of it?" Kenai asked the mysterious man with awkwardness.

"Oh, nothing. I just find you very skilled in the art of fighting, as well as interesting," was the man's cryptic answer.

Now Kenai was starting to get annoyed. "I'm sorry, who are you supposed to be?"

"My name is not important. What is important is the offer I am extending to you."

Kenai looked at him seriously before asking. "What kind of offer?"

The man handed him a piece of paper with an address. "If you wish to fight and get money for doing it, come to this address next week. You seem like a man capable of drawing attention. If you refuse, then I must ask you to not speak of this to anyone. For both our sakes," As he said that, the man walked into an alley and disappeared, leaving a thoughtful Kenai behind.

|End of flashback|

"Woooow," was the only thing Korra managed to say. Just when she thought she was starting to know Kenai, he kept surprising her.

"Anyways, the real reason why I participated was because I needed to find people willing to fight me in order to improve. Since I couldn't do that in the temple, this was the only place I had," Kenai finished explaining.

"Wait, so this 'Brawl Out' thing is illegal?" Korra asked.

"Let's just say it's between legal and illegal," Kenai sheepishly answered while scratching the back of his head. Korra stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "Hey, don't look at me like that. Toph Beifong used to be Earth Rumble's champion when she was young and she turned out to be just fine," he defended himself.

"You have an excuse for everything, don't you?" The Avatar asked once more trying to look serious, though Kenai noticed the smile she was holding back.

"One of my many gifts, along with being charming and good-looking," Kenai retorted with a wink.

Korra decided it was time for some teasing. "Is that so? Well it's time I tell you a little secret. You're not half as charming and good-looking as you think you are," she stated with a playful smile.

"And you are the biggest liar I've ever seen." Kenai matched her smile. "It's getting late. We should go now or Sozu is gonna be moody at me for not feeding him."

"Alright, let's go," Korra nodded as the two of them started walking to the Air Temple. On their way to the island, Korra couldn't help but enjoy having Kenai with her, as well as making the other girls jealous.

|Mako and Bolin's apartment|

"Bo, I'm back. Picked up your favorites dumplings," Mako said as he entered his apartment. He was exhausted after spending the day working. "Hey, I got a job at the power plant. Made some decent money while I was at it."

No reply was heard.

"Bolin? You here, bro?" Mako asked. Once again, the room was silent. 'That's weird. Bo usually is here at this time. Where is he?'

Thinking where his brother could possibly be right now, he saw Air Temple Island through a broken window.

Mako smirked. "Looks like the little lovebird is making a house call."


Aaaaand that was the third chapter of this story. I took the time to rewrite it and correct my grammar/verb mistakes. I'm aware that is one is a little shorter than the other two, but I didn't want to start Bolin's search now because that would've made this chapter a lot longer. Don't worry, I'll start with Bolin's search the next chapter.

Review, Follow and/or Favorite at will.

Thanks to jaimed1968 for beta-reading this chapter.

Peace!