[[UHHHH THE ALL THE NICE REVIEWS AND FAVS AND FOLLOWS MAKES ME HAPPY BEYOND BELIEF! I am going to be thinking about this all day at work now...*yay for unproductiveness* Thank you! Yours- Senshi-no-Shinjou]]
The cheers in the Pro-Bending arena where overwhelming as Korra entered the ring for her first match. The poor girl who usually went unnoticed in life couldn't help but smile as people chanted her teams name. Mako walked in with a cool, calm, patience, and Bolin was doing his best with his ferret Pabu to get the crowd pumped and going.
"This is amazing..." Korra muttered to herself as she looked around, adjusting the helmet on her head. Despite how many times she's seen the empty stadium the sight of all the people was still breathtaking. Excitedly the young girl started to wave her arms around at the people in the stands, as the other team approached.
"Now remember what we talked about Korra!" Mako said placing a hand on her shoulder as she gave him a thumbs up.
"Don't worry we got this shit!" She said confidently and the announcer came on as he started to introduce their opponents. Korra had used a fake name when she registered as a Fire Ferret, so that her mother and siblings who might be listening wouldn't realize that it was her. Also she didn't take off her helmet, and made sure to not look directly into the faces of people who passed her by.
"Let's get this match underway!" The announcer cried and Korra took her stance at the back behind Bolin and Mako. "READY! Bend!"
The team in front of them didn't waste anytime launching their attack and Korra was taken off guard as she barely dodge an earth disc heading her way. She tried her best to counter-attack, but it seemed that they knocked them away with ease. Slowly the Fire Ferrets where knocked back, and Korra started to panic, as she jumped, trying to kick at the a wide angled attack to distract while Bolin sent earth disc's around the side.
"These guys are good!" She yelled, barely able to dodge the fire one of the opponents aimed at her. It seemed at this point they had figured out that she was the weakest link, and were focusing all their attacks on her, forcing Mako and Bolin to cover for her.
But one the disc's managed to make it's way through and was headed towards Korra's headed. Slowly the girl bended backwards with amazing flexibility, and she pushed off the ground with her hands, bending a water whip at the man who fired at her head. "These guys are playing dirty..." Mako said as he, looked back to see the water behind him.
"We just need to fight harder!" Bolin yelled, and the match went back and forth; back and forth, until the water bender from the opposing team managed to create a powerful enough hit to knock the rookie Avatar off the stage.
"Shit!" She cried, as she impacted the water, feeling disappointed as she sank to the bottom. Coming back up from the air, she could hear the match still going on and tried to swim as fast as she could to the elevator. Suddenly she could hear the buzzards that signal a team to appraoch, and she feared the worst. "Why wont this thing go up any faster!" She cried.
Another buzzard went off and the Avatar was clearly confused. When she finally could see the ring, the Fire Ferrets had managed to knock the team back to their final stage, and with the combination of Bolin's earth bending in unison with Mako's fire, they knocked the three of them off with ease.
Korra was supposed to feel happy when the Announcer congratulated the Fire Ferrets on their victory, but she wasn't. She felt somewhat sick, and her heart heavy as she watched the two brother's wave to the crowd before exiting the stage. The young girl forced her eyes away, as she followed them to the locker room, and flinched when Mako threw his helmet angrily towards the ground.
"What the hell was that Korra!" He yelled and the brown hair girl averted her blue eyes from him. "You were more of a liability than anhelp out there! If Bolin and I would of had to worry about protecting you the whole match we would of definitely of lost!" He screamed, throwing his things angrily into the locker.
"Hey!" Bolin said, trying to calm his brother down, "She's new and didn't even know the basics of bending up until a week ago-"
Mako snorted and looked angrily at Korra, "I guess I was expecting a little something more from the mighty Avatar..." He said and Bolin frowned hushing him.
"Stop it Mako, the walls have ears and you are being to harsh on Korra." The earth bender said, but Mako didn't want to calm down and slapped Bolin's hand away. He put his scarf on and yelled,
"You are being to soft! Get ready Bolin we need to get you home to take care of your shoulder! Korra get your fucking head in the game you hear me!" He said as he walked out angrily leaving an awkward tension between Korra and Bolin. Slowly the girl forced a laugh;
"He's right I really did suck it up out there, don't worry I'll make sure to practice harder!" She said smiling, but Bolin could see how hurt she was in her eyes.
"If you say so Korra, but please, don't do anything rash okay..." He said smiling and Korra waved to him goodbye as he went to follow his brother. Letting out a heavy sigh, the girl took off her uniform, chucking it angrily into the locker.
"Stupid Mako! Stupid Pro-Bending! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" She yelled as she slammed the locker door shut, "Doesn't he understand that I'm new to this whole thing! They were the ones who forced me on their team to begin with! What where they expecting I'm still human..." She complained to herself, and stopped as she placed her Parka back on, "Wait...am I human?"
Slowly she gathered her backpack, a gift from Tenzin's wife Pema, and headed towards the ferry that shuttled her back towards Air Temple Island. Even with the thought a warm receptive home waiting for her, the girl's footsteps dragging along as her thoughts where to jumbled. As she walked she didn't realize the mistake she was making. To caught up in the failure at the Pro-Bending arena, she didn't even notice the shadows slowly gathering around her.
"Avatar..."
Korra's eyes went wide open and she looked around to see herself surrounded by Equalist. Putting herself in a fighting stance, she warned them to stay away, "How do you know who I am!" She cried, and bended some fire at the men who circled closer to her.
"The walls have ears..." One of them replied, and they slipped on a thick glove Korra had never seen before. They didn't try and ask her to come with them, or make a deal. Instead they attacked her, and the novice Avatar did her best to repel as many men as she could. Throwing chunks of the dirt road, fire and water at them, she kept them from getting close to her.
"Damn it!" She screamed, delivering a strong kick to someone's face, and elbowed one in the stomach who tried to sneak up from her behind. "There's to many!" She yelled, hoping someone would notice the fight and come to her aid.
When she finally thought she had the upper hand, her legs where taken out from underneath her, and one of them slammed her into the ground. She tried to catch her breath, when they grabbed her, an electric shock sent through out her body as she screamed in pain. Her cries echoed through out the small empty street until her light started to fade away, and darkness engulfed her.
-Unknown Time Later-
Korra's eyes fluttered open, as she tried to move her body, but couldn't. Looking around at her blurry surroundings, she could feel the cold touch of metal around her wrist and feel, her hands held up above her head, and her feet together. "Where am I?" She asked weakly, only to be answered by a fist across her face.
"You speak when spoken to," Someone said and Korra could feel her lip split open as blood trickled down her cheek. Yet the Avatar was stubborn and rarely agreed with other's as she spit a mixture of blood and spit into his face. "Bitch!" The man yelled as he hit her across the face again and the Avatar could feel hot tears well up in her eyes.
"Please...calm down..." a familiar voice said and Korra looked at the mysterious mask of Amon's that stared back at her. "We don't want to spoil all the fun..." The revolutionary leader bent down and smiled as he looked at her, "I have to say I'm suprised...I never thought that the Avatar would be a poor girl like you."
"Bite me!" Korra snapped, and she could feel one of the men who guarded her kick her strongly in the side. She let out a cry of pain, as Amon shook his head.
"You should have stayed hidden Dear Avatar...If you did you wouldn't have to suffer nearly so much...do tell me what is your name?" He asked and Korra glared staying silent. "I see, I thought since you where a coward who hid for 17 years that you would be easy to break but it seems I was wrong...that's okay...you won't stay silent for long."
Amon motioned for the men to rip the back of Korra's tank top opening, exposing her dark, water tribe skin to the air. Slowly the took a small knife, thin like a razor blade and drew it down her back over and over again at an angle. Korra's whole body would shudder each time the blade pierced her skin, and the Avatar started to cry.
"I'll ask again..." Amon said, as they finished making the final cut. "What is your name..."
Korra growled, "Fuck you..." She said and Amon smack her face with the back of his hand. "FUCK YOU!" Korra screamed as loud as she could.
"You try my patience you insolent girl. Someone needs to teach this street rat some manners!" Amon said harshly standing up, stepping away as Equalist surrounded her, each taking turns as they hit and kicked her. Soon Korra's face was beaten badly, her eyes swollen and bruised as she tried to look at the masked man in front of her. With ribs that had to be broken, and a body so badly beaten any movement hurt, she still tried to fight against her restraints.
"Bravo Avatar..." Amon said, slowly clapping his hand's together, "You are a lot tougher than I imagined...must say I am impressed..." Slowly her grabbed her face with a gloved hand and tilted Korra's face upwards, "But your courage is all for not...the age of bending is over...and you will watch it fall..."
Amon stood up and started to walk away when Korra mustered the strength, "You're wrong..." She said. The man stopped in his tracks and turned around.
"How so?" He asked with a mocking curiosity. "The people trust me...are on my side...they believe in my message and you...you abandoned them in hopes of an easier life. I don't think you understand here...I am the good guy...you are the villian..." Amon said and Korra started to laugh.
"No...you are the bad guy. My momma taught, that no matter how just your cause is...or how much you care...it's the choice's you make that define a person..." She had to stop a moment in order to take a deep breath. "I may have been born the avatar...but it is Korra who will stop you..."
Amon smiled, "So it's Korra is it..." That was the last thing he said as more men gathered around Korra, placing those electric gloves on her body, shocking her until she screamed and passed out again.
Korra couldn't open her eyes again, both of them too swollen shut for her to even flutter an eyelid. Yet she could hear a faint whisper around her, as if there was voices, and then a hand that jerked her shoulder and forced the girl to sit up, feeling another blow to her stomach. Suddenly she could hear Amon's voice rise up above the murmurs.
"Republic City! I give you, your Avatar!"