Okay, here's a bit of pro-bending, which I think is so, so cool.

Chapter 4 : The Arena

I oversleep most days, but Tenzin's always there to wake me up. Sometimes he sends in Meelo, who delights in jumping all over me. That was this morning's punishment for Pema allowing me an extra few minutes.

"Come on, wake uuuuup!" my nephew shouted into my ear, bouncing all over me and my bed.

I jolted awake, terrified. My eyes narrowed and my nephew found himself flying out of the window. The air cushioned his fall, and he ran off, no less hyper than he was before. I groaned, and pulled myself out of bed.

I eyed an old scar on my chest; Kya had cut me once when I got in the way of her water-bending. I poked at it, even with healing from my Mother, I'd neglected telling her about it for so long there was no chance to heal the scarring.

"Bumi? Are you coming to watch the match?" Korra asked, entering my room unannounced.

She saw me reaching for my tunic, and blushed. I couldn't hide my amused smile; she liked to think she was all grown-up, but really she was as innocent as my nieces.

"What match is it?" I asked.

"One of the preliminaries," Korra grinned. "Against the Blazing Buzzard Wasps. Are you coming, then?"

I grinned; I'd loved pro-bending from a young age, but Tenzin professed to hating the sport, and it was pretty much banned throughout the Island. I nodded, and found my sash; it was hanging from the lamp.

"How do you get there?" I asked her, as I picked up my glider.

"Swim," Korra shrugged. "Sometimes I take Naga with me."

Ah, the polar bear-dog that she'd found as a pup. Cute little thing.

"Fancy a lift?" I grinned, nodding my head towards the staff.

Her face lit up, and we climbed to the top of the island, where the winds off of the bay were fierce. I grinned, and faced her. She seemed to think this was a bad idea now.

"Hold on!" I called back to her, the wind snatched my voice.

She linked her arms around my waist, and I jumped form the cliff, opening the glider. She cried out as we plummeted straight towards the sea. At the last moment, I pulled up, and we were soaring through the sky.

I could hear her laughing now, as she reached out to touch a cloud. I grinned; below us sat the City, shining in the morning light. Korra let out a small gasp behind me, as I spiralled down towards the arena. She leapt off of my back, and landed nimbly on her feet, one hand on the floor to steady herself, the other spread behind her in the air.

I mirrored her stance, with my staff gripped in my right hand. We both grinned at each other, and she beckoned me into the arena. A bouncer tried to prevent me entering backstage.

"It's okay, he's with me," she winked, and dragged me past.

Backstage was interesting. A whole bunch of pro-bending teams, either nervous or stupidly confident. Korra's team were changing, and we entered their room noiselessly.

"ACHOO!" a loud sneeze erupted towards me, but a twirl of my staff made it disappear back into the air.

"Tissue?" a tall boy bent by the sneezer, who was snivelling into his blanket.

"Bolin?" Korra asked, concerned.

The boy had the blanket pulled over his head, but upon seeing Korra flung it off and wrapped his arms around her waist, sobbing dramatically.

"It's horrible! So, so horrible!" he wept.

Korra looked in shock at the other guy, but he was too busy watching me suspiciously. She laughed.

"Oh, guys, this is Bumi," she smiled. "Bumi, meet Mako and Bolin."

Bolin was the ill one, and Mako the grumpy one. Bolin was still crying.

"He can't play," Mako explained to Korra. "So we'll have to forfeit."

"No, no!" Bolin tried to stand. "I can play."

Mako and Korra caught him as he got dizzy and fell forwards. I raised an eyebrow. Korra looked so devastated that I did something completely stupid.

"I'll stand in," I offered.

Mako and Bolin looked at me, but Korra's face lit up.

"Of course! It makes perfect sense!" Korra told Mako. "He's an air-bender! We'll win for sure!"

Mako looked like he was fighting an inner battle. "Sorry, Bo, it'll only be for one match."

Bolin's mouth dropped open, but after a while he nodded. "Yeah, I can't play like this... Ah-ah-atchoo!"

I dodged the clump of phlegm and snot that was sent flying my way. Ergh.

"Suit up," Mako tossed me a uniform. "We've got a match to win."

The lift to the arena was one of the most daunting things I've ever been on. I squinted as the spotlights shone on us. Someone had panicked when I turned up, because air-bending wasn't in the rule books. What was considered a bad shot?

A loud voice sounded overhead.

"A temporary changeover for the Fire Ferrets! Replacing Bolin today, is Bumi!"

A groan from the female members of the audience. Korra chuckled. I followed them onto the arena, and walked to the spot reserved for Bolin. I could feel every eye on me. Please, please don't let my brother find out about this.

"And introducing our challengers, the Blazing Buzzard Wasps!"

A mixed response from the crowd as our opponents turned up. I almost died. My opponent was a beefy earth-bender, at least twice the size of me. I mean, I was muscular, but this guy was built like a tank. I bowed, and Korra nudged me.

"Stop being all traditional," she scolded. "He's gonna hit you out of the arena if you let him!"

I blinked. "What?"

"And we're off! The Blazing Buzzards go in on the offensive. You know what they say, folks, the best defence is a good offense! Or is it the other way around…?"

I dodged the first two blocks of earth easily, flowing around the earth like a leaf does in the wind. I smiled as I remembered one of my first lessons in air-beanding.

"Get him!" Korra shouted to me.

Feet apart, hands push forward, creating a great rush of air towards my opponent. He was flung back a zone, and I heard the crowd cheer.

"Well, folks, an air-bender's in the arena! What a surprise this is! You don't want to miss this!"

More rocks: dodge, turn, duck, jump. Spin; gather the air around me to knock away not just my opponent, by Korra's. Mako knocks down his own challenger, and we move forward a zone.

"Brilliant performance by the fire-ferrets, folks! They're on fire today, excuse the pun!"

The guy in front of me was angry now, I could tell by the throbbing vein on his head, and the way he was ripping up the arena. Keep moving, I told myself, arms up, blasts of air to get rid of the rocks that got too close.

Korra knocked her opponent into the water. Mako pushed his back a step with Korra's help. I send another blast of air at my opponent and he was pushed far off of the arena, and into the water, dragging his friend with him.

"Round one goes to the fire-ferrets! Let's go again, the Buzzards better be ready!"

New tactics from the opposition. I was facing Mako's fire-bender, and he had my earth-bender. This would be easy.

As the first flames came towards me, I went to twirl my staff, but realised I wasn't around it. To avoid the fire, I stepped back a zone, and cursed when I heard the buzzer.

Dodging fire is a lot harder that dodging something like earth or water. Fire is crazy, it'll go any way it wants to, regardless of where you send it. A blast of air meets his flames halfway, and I take a deep breath before blowing him back a zone. I'll have to use powerful blasts of air if I'm to reach him. I run forward a zone, just as Korra knocks her water-bender from the ring. Another gush of water also knocks out my fire-bender, and I use this opportunity to wipe out Mako's earth-bender, who's so focused on Mako that he doesn't see my oncoming attack. Then again, it's air, so you can't see it.

"And round two goes to the Fire-Ferrets! Well, folks, looks like we know who's going to win, unless the Blazing Buzzard Wasps can come back for us!"

A huge roar from the crowd as our opponents return to their spots. Now I have Mr. Water-bender, who's taken the water from his clothes with a flick of his wrist. He glares at me; we're now both in the middle of the ring, as Korra's swapped places with me.

Water. Easy. Bell goes, I blast him back a zone. He slashes water at me, and in the liquid I only see my sister, going at me like a mad-woman.

"Oomph!" knocked back a zone.

"Wake up!" Korra shouts at me.

I get up, and slice the air at the water-bender. This cuts his clothing and himself underneath, and the refs decide this is a foul. I shrug; there had to be rules at some point. I move back to the final zone.

Mako's pushed back with me, and Korra's in the second zone. I watch as Mako fires back at the opposition.

"At the same time!" I shout at him.

He grins with understanding, and we both blast our elements at out two opponents. Knock-out, as all three of the other team get caught in our joint attack, and fall into the water.

"And the winners are the Fire Ferrets! That was some spectacular bending, folks! I'm almost sorry that Bolin's got to return to the team!"

I wince at the last comment from the commentator, but when we reach Bolin he's ecstatic. His nose running, he hugs me tightly and gathers in the others for a group-hug.

"That was some great bending!" he cheers us. "Really, in that last round, I thought we were gonna lose it, but you two! Wow!"

He begins to rant about the match to Mako, and Korra smiles at me.

"Thanks," she laughs. "I'm really glad you played."

"No, thank you!" I grin. "I've always loved pro-bending."

Mako grips my hand in a friendly handshake, and is smiling, for once.

"Thanks, you really saved us out there," he says. "If any of us fall out, you'll step in, right?"

"The crowd would love it," Korra assures me.

"Sure," I nod.

Bolin's suddenly recovered from his illness, because he suggests that we go out for something to eat in order to celebrate the match. We agree, and he cheers, calling Pabu, his fire-ferret, to join us. I smile, because I'm glad that Korra's got friends like these guys. Even if Bolin seems to be an idiot.