Chapter 9: The Spirit of Competition
The Pro-Bending Championship is upon us! After impressing with her first day in the ring, Avatar Korra earned herself a spot on the Fire Ferrets. But the Avatar and her teammates will need all the bending power they've got to withstand what's coming their way. The Fire Ferrets are playing with the big boys now!
Winter had finally come to Republic City, and the first snow had begun to fall. Fortunately for Korra, she was currently nice and cozy inside the pro-bending arena. And with the workouts the two Fire Ferret brothers were giving her, Korra was kept sufficiently warm.
Another earth disc was hurled at her courtesy of Bolin. Already prepared, Korra dodged and countered with two globs of water. Truth be told, her taking down a notorious gang leader and deadly firebender single-handed just last night, had given Korra quite the confidence-booster, and she felt even more invincible and untouchable then usual. As such this last-minute training Mako had insisted upon was a breeze.
Not that Mako and Bolin were slouches though. Both gave Korra a solid workout, with Mako in particular slinging fireballs like it was nobody's business.
If the Phoenix King had Mako's skills, I might have just been in trouble last night Korra joked to herself as she deflected another of Mako's attacks. Might have.
Finally, Mako shot a blast of fire at his brother, which managed to knock him down…but not before he shot out an earth-disc that hit Korra in the stomach and caused her to fall over as well, Korra managing to take Mako with her with one last water attack. The three teammates shared a laugh as the fact that they had all knocked each-other down in rapid succession sunk in.
"I gotta say it's been great having you back, Korra" Mako said as he stood back up and removed his helmet.
"Feels good to be back" Korra agreed. "Although Tarrlok isn't too happy about my 'leave of absence'."
"Hey, you joined the Fire Ferrets before you joined his task force." Bolin pointed out.
"Okay, come on team, huddle time."
Korra and Bolin obeyed and Mako cut right to the chase: "OK, it's our first match of the tournament tonight. I know the three of us haven't been a team for very long, but even so, the Fire Ferrets have never been this good. Are we ready?"
"We're ready!" Korra and Bolin replied in unison.
"Not quite" a familiar female voice said, catching the trio's attention. Turning around, they saw Asami holding up a pro-bending uniform. "You'll need these."
"Hey, Asami" Mako greeted happily as he walked over to her.
"Good morning, sweetie"
"These new uniforms look great."
"You look great, champ"
Mako smiled and shared a light kiss with Asami that quickly became more passionate as a watching Korra reacted to the sight with a look and sound that young children make when forced to eat food they don't like. After their kiss was concluded, Mako turned back to Korra and Bolin and waved good-bye. "Well teammates, I'll see you before the match tonight. Asami and I have a lunch date" As he said this, Mako put his arm around Asami and left the pro-bending arena with her.
"Alright, okay, we'll chat with you guys later, you know, see you when we see you…" Bolin said awkwardly, his last words becoming so faint they were almost a mumble. As Korra went to go pick up her bag, Bolin turned to her. "Soooo...Korra, there they go, and here we are, all alone in the gym. Just you and me. Two alone people. Together. Alone"
"Yeah…look, Bolin, I gotta head back to the air temple to train with Tenzin. See ya later!"
And in an instant, Korra was gone as well, leaving a dejected Bolin alone. He sighed, grabbed his things, and left as well.
-X-
Pabu struggled in Bolin's arms once again as Bolin in turn struggled to give him a proper bath in a basin of water.
"Work with me here, Pabu! You wanna look spic and span in your new uniform, don't you?"
Bolin tried to lower Pabu down into the water, but once again Pabu resisted, pushing his legs against the edges of the basin. But in spite of the Fire Ferret's resistance, Bolin finally managed to get him into the water. As Bolin set about giving Pabu a good wash and scrubbing, he said to his brother: "So, what do you think of Korra in a girlfriend sort of way?"
"What do you mean?" Mako asked with a raised eyebrow. "I think she's a great teammate and a good friend, but…" Mako paused as he realized what his brother was getting at: "Oh, no. Bolin, don't do that. It's a bad idea to date a teammate."
"Why? What makes a teammate different from any other girl?"
Mako sighed. "You really can't guess? Look Bo, its not just that Korra's a teammate, there's also the fact that, well…"
"Well what?"
"Bo, we both know how you are with women. And, I don't think Korra's the kind of woman who wants to be shared."
"Ah come on. Korra and I are perfect for each other. She's strong, I'm strong. She's fun, I'm fun. She's beautiful, I'm gorgeous!"
Mako shook his head at his brother's less-then modest opinions of himself. Pabu tried to get out of the water basin while Bolin was engaged in conversation with his brother, but Bolin caught him in time and picked him up.
"Okay, I don't care what you think, I'm gonna ask Korra out."
Mako sighed deeply. "I'm warning you, Bo. I don't think it's a good idea. Especially with the tournament, which is starting tonight. Keep your head out of the clouds and your priorities straight, okay?"
Bolin sighed. "Yeah, yeah I know. Guh." Bolin turned back to Pabu. "You know what I'm talking about, Pabu. I'm talkin' about real love."
Mako shook his head. Hate to say it bro, but somehow I don't think you know the meaning of the word.
-X-
"So, how's it going with the tall, dreamy firebender boy?" Jinora asked Korra as the young Avatar was busy feeding some lemurs. "You've been spending a lot of time together lately…"
"Oooh, yeah!" Ikki added. "Tell us all about the magical romance!"
The girls' obnoxious and barbed questions caught Korra's attention, and not in a good way. "What? Listen you two: I'm not interested in Mako or any romantic stuff. Besides, he's all into that prissy, beautiful elegant rich girl..." Korra trailed off. Realizing that she'd just shown how jealous of Asami she really was, Korra sighed and decided to drop the act.
"Alright, you got me. But like I said, he's with someone else. What should I do?" Korra didn't really expect the two girls to give her a serious or helpful answer, but she also figured that humoring them might get them to go away more quickly.
Jinora was first to give a suggestion: "Oooh! I just read a historical saga where the heroine fell in love with the enemy general son who's supposed to marry the princess! You should do what she did."
"Which would be…?"
"Oh, she rode a dragon into battle and burned down the entire country" Jinora said matter-of-factly. "Then she jumped into a volcano," Jinora then clasped her hands together as she finished in a sickeningly over-dramatic tone: "It was so romantic."
"Uhh..."
"No no, no!" Ikki said, pitching in next. "Jinora's got it all wrong. The best way to win a boy's heart is to brew a love potion of rainbows and sunsets that makes true lovers sprout wings and fly to a magical castle in the sky where they get married and eat clouds with spoons and use stars as ice cubes in their moonlight punch…" Ikki spun into the air as she finished: "Forever and ever and ever!"
"Suddenly the volcano bit makes a lot more sense…" Korra muttered.
The incredibly awkward conversation was interrupted by soft laughter. Turning around, Korra could see Pema standing behind her and the girls.
"Oh, hey Pema... Uh, how long where you standing there?" Korra asked, blushing as she did
"Long enough. But trust me, I know what you're going through. Years ago I was in the exact same situation with Tenzin."
"Daddy was in love with someone else before you?" Ikki asked in a surprised tone.
"That's right" Pema replied with a smile.
"Yeah," Jinora said. "Mommy never told you?"
Ikki shook her head no. Meanwhile, Korra asked Pema what she had done to win Tenzin's heart.
"Well, for the longest time I did nothing. I was so shy and scared of rejection, but watching my soul mate spend his life with the wrong woman became too painful. So I hung my chin out there and I confessed my love to Tenzin. And the rest is history."
Jinora and Ikki sighed wistfully in unison. Korra meanwhile, considered. Was it really that simple? To just blurt it out? Somehow, Korra doubted whether or not it would work. But then again, here was a woman who had tried it standing right next to her, with the two little girls at her sides and a possible third in her womb as tantamount to her success.
What the heck? Korra decided. Might as well try. And so what if he says no? I can handle that…can't I?
-X-
"Folks, after a year of waiting the pro-bending championship tournament is finally here! Tonight is the first set of matches of our single elimination 16-team bracket. And I gotta tell you these are the most tenacious and talented bending trios this arena has ever seen!"
Korra, Mako, and Bolin were all so overcome with anticipation and excitement that they were hard-pressed to contain it, much less keep their heads in the game. For the two brothers especially, they had a lot invested in winning the championship. Their blood was rushing through them, their chests tingled, and their hearts were pumping so hard and fast it was a wonder that they couldn't be heard by others. For a moment Korra wondered if the opposing team's members weren't also overcome with a similar feeling of anticipation.
The Ring Announcer's voice cut through the air: "Introducing our first team; the Future Industry's Fire Ferrets!"
The crowd erupted into deafening applause that stung the Fire Ferret's ears but also caused their anticipation to grow all the more. Then the Ring Announcer gave the name of their competition to more thundering applause: The Red Sand's Rabaroos.
The Fire Ferrets all lined up to face their opposition. Mako wore a look of steely resolve that was far and away the most determined demeanor of all six of the young pro-benders. Korra too though had a look of unflinching confidence.
Bring it on.
And then the bell rang and the first round began in earnest. Fire, Earth, and Water all went flying all over the ring in an instant and didn't cease or let up for even a second. When the dust finally settled though, only the Earthbender Rabaroo was still standing, unleashing a flurry of earth discs at her three opponents as Shiro Shirobi gave his usual hammy commentary: "What an explosive opening volley! Both teams quickly recover and unleash a barrage of bending!"
Indeed, the Fire and Waterbender Rabaroos had managed to get up and were unleashing their own attacks at the Fire Ferrets alongside their teammate. Korra fended off attacks and retaliated alongside Mako. Bolin, though standing separately from Korra and Mako, was still every bit as in the game as they were. In fact, as he launched earth disc after earth disc out at his opponents, one could almost make the argument that he was giving the Rabaroos even more of a run for their money then his two teammates working together were.
"I am astonished by the level of improvement displayed here by the Fire Ferrets" Shirobi said just as Korra and Mako's tag-teaming finally managed to pay off when the Rabaroo's Firebender got sent flying over the line. The buzzer sounded and the crowd went wild.
"No wonder the Avatar has been absent from the papers lately. She's obviously had her nose to the grindstone in the gym!"
As Shirobi said this, the Fire Ferrets advanced into the next zone, and the next phase of the round began in earnest, with Korra and Mako unleashing a never-ending barrage of balls of water and fire, respectively at their opponents, the constant movement plus all the fire flying around heating them up and causing sweat to soak their uniforms and trickle down their foreheads. And all the while Shiro continued to describe the action in his usual hammy and over-the-top tone: "The Ferrets advance in Rabaroo territory and are holding nothing back!"
As Mako and Korra continued to keep up the pressure, Bolin kept going with the earth discs. The Earthbender Rabaroo, however, managed to live up to her team's name by continuing to hop and bounce out of the way of every attack.
"Oola continues to dodge the Fire Ferret's attacks…"
But it didn't last. Mako's fire balls managed to finally get Oola and knock her down, and between him and Bolin the Rabaroo's waterbender, didn't last much longer.
"…And all three Rabaroos are down! The Fire Ferrets easily take round one." Shirobi announced to the roaring crowd.
The Fire Ferret's all let out a gasp and took in some breaths as they continued to sweat from the physical exertion. But their reprieve was short, as the bell rang the second the Rabaroos were all back on their feet. The announcer threw his hand out to the side with two fingers pointed.
"Round two!"
The bell rang and the Rabaroos Water and Fire benders directed their attacks at Bolin, who did his best to weather the assault.
"The Rabaroos are looking for payback and they go straight after Bolin…"
As Korra came to Bolin's aid, the young earthbender once again brought his A-game to the match, launching a flurry of earth discs at his opponents, managing to keep them on their toes and in the case of the Rabaroos' Waterbender, leaving her vulnerable to an attack from Korra that sent her tumbling past the line. Korra allowed herself a slight smirk of satisfaction as her foe rolled backwards like a ball.
"…but Bolin is a force of nature! Look at him go! And Korra's just sent Uma back into zone two!"
Bolin continued to force the Rabaroo's Earth and Firebenders back more and more, managing to finally knock out the former with an earth disc that struck her hard enough in the stomach to send her flying right over to the edge of the ring. This also left the firebender vulnerable to a fireball barrage from Mako.
"The Ferrets are on a roll tonight and they win round two!"
The crowd went nuts once more, and truth be told, the Fire Ferrets felt a similar sense of jubilation. Shiro Shirobi was right: they were on a roll. At the rate they were going, winning the championship would be a breeze.
"Round three!"
The Rabaroos were the first to strike, unleashing a volley of earth discs, water, and fireballs in the Fire Ferret's direction, and the Fire Ferrets replied in kind as Shiro Shirobi continued to describe the fight: "With the Rabaroos down two rounds, they'll need a knockout to win! And with the way the Fire Ferrets are playing, I don't see that happening!"
The Earth and Firebending Rabaroos were pushed back, with Korra and Bolin sending a merciless torrent of water and earth their way just as they were getting back up, the two elements clouding their vision as they unleashed their onslaught.
"…These Ferrets are working together like a well oiled bending machine!"
The Firebender Rabaroo was sent over the line and the Fire Ferrets advanced into the next zone to the roar of the crowd. The Fire Ferrets kept up their offensive, with all three of them knocking the Rabaroos around like they were training dummies.
"The Rabaroos are just fighting to stay on their feet at this point!"
Finally, Korra struck the Rabaroo's Firebender with a particularly strong blast of water that doused her flames and knocked her back a zone. Her Earth and Waterbender teammates fell shortly after her, downed by Mako and Bolin, respectively.
"Aaaand….down goes Ottie, Oola and Uma!"
"All three rounds go to the Future Industry's Fire Ferrets, who win their opening match of the tournament!" the Ring Announcer declared.
For Korra, the news sunk in immediately. She leaped into the air and shouted with joy. Mako and Bolin were in similar moods of ecstasy, the fatigue they felt from expending so much energy doing absolutely nothing to lessen the joy of their triumph.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Bolin shouted happily, bringing his brother and Korra into a group hug. For a few moments the three just stood there, sweating buckets and basking in their first victory of the championship. Korra wondered how they would feel if they actually won the whole tournament…
Finally, the three parted, and Korra and Mako went into their lockers while Bolin stayed out a little longer to wave to the crowd.
"Wow…" Mako said as he inhaled deeply. "…We were really connecting out there in the ring…"
"Yeah, no kidding. If we play every match as well as we did this one, we'll have this tournament in the bag."
"I sure hope so. To actually win…"
"It means a lot to you, doesn't it?"
Mako breathed in deeply again. "Yeah, it does. Not so much the fame, or even the prize-money itself. Just what I would do with it…my brother and I could finally leave our pasts as street urchins in the dust…"
"Yeah…"
"…And besides, I think it would help my relationship with Asami. You know, if I could actually stand on the same level she's at…not just be the poor guy she's got to shell out money for…"
Mako's mention of Asami only served to remind Korra of her own feelings for him, and in turn Pema's own recounting of how she had first won Tenzin. With this in mind, Korra decided to take her chances: "You know…I feel like the two of us have been connecting really well out of the ring too…"
"Yeah, I'd say we have. I think I could probably say you're one of my only friends Korra…"
"Right. So, I was thinking we should spend some time together…"
"We have been spending lots of time together."
"I mean outside of the gym, and not while searching for kidnapped family members or fighting chi-blockers."
Mako seemed a bit taken-aback by Korra's statement. Catching on to what she meant, he sighed. "Look, Korra, I don't know. I mean Asami and I are..."
Realizing that this was the moment of truth, Korra rushed forward and cut Mako off, choosing to just let it all out to him: "Look, I really like you, and I think we were meant for each other."
For a moment, Mako said nothing, his face taking on a look of total shock and surprise. Finally though, his surprise began to dissipate, and as his demeanor changed, Korra's heart sank lower and lower, breaking apart into little pieces as it did.
"Oh man…" Mako sighed and put his hand to his face before saying: "Look, Korra, I think you're a great teammate and more importantly, a good friend. Like I said, pretty much the only friend I've got. But Asami and I…I…I love her, Korra. I know it sounds crazy, since we've only known each-other for a short while now, but I love her. Ever since my parents died, the only people I've had in my life have been Bolin and Toza. I love them both, but…its not the same. I've always felt empty inside, Korra. I've put so much into my pro-bending career, training so much, because aside from my brother I've just never had anything else to live for…and, well, when I'm with Asami I feel…happier. I feel as if that void inside me's been filled. I know it may sound crazy, but…that's how I feel. And I'm sorry, but…I can't lose that."
For the longest time it seemed like there was silence between them. Korra took in every piece of Mako's little speech as best she could, and the more she did the more she knew right then and there that it was over. There was no hope of her and Mako ever being together, not after he had just confessed how deep his relationship with Asami really went. She had no chance. He had already found happiness with someone, and she could not change that. Perhaps she should have felt happy for him that he had apparently found the happiness in his life he had been seeking ever since his parent's deaths, but instead she felt sick to her stomach. As if she had been forced to ingest a vial of poison.
Seeing the pain on Korra's face, Mako sighed again and said in a tone that was a sincere as they got: "Korra, I'm really sorry, but I just don't feel the same way about you."
"I…" Korra did her best to suck it up but found she could not. She had sorely underestimated how much Mako's rejection would hurt, and now she was paying the price for it. She was falling apart and she needed to get away from Mako as fast as possible, the happiness of their shared victory mere moments ago now feeling as if it had happened a life time ago.
"I'm sorry, Mako. Forget I ever said anything…"
Korra left the locker room, desperately fighting to keep the tears out of her eyes and the pit in her stomach from swallowing her whole.
-X-
"Congratulations, guys! You were so amazing out there!"
Asami and Mako embraced one another as Asami kissed Mako on the cheek. Afterwards the two left the arena together, leaving Bolin to go looking for Korra.
He caught up with her just as she was about to go back to Air Temple Island and called out to her: "Hey Korra! Korra, wait up!"
Catching her attention, Bolin ran up to Korra and said in-between pants: "Hey, Korra, sorry I didn't get to ask you this earlier, but I was thinking; you and me. We could go get some dinner together. Sort of a date situation."
"That's really sweet of you, Bolin. But I don't think so. I don't feel very date-worthy."
"Are you kidding me? You're the smartest, funniest, toughest, buffest, talentedest, incrediblest girl in the world!"
Korra couldn't help but smile and giggle at Bolin's over-blown praise of her. "You really feel that way about me?"
"I felt that way since the moment I saw you! Trust me, I know we're going to have so much fun together."
Korra thought about it. She was still reeling from the pain of Mako's rejection, and truth be told, anything that could both get her as far away from him as possible, and also maybe help get her mind off the painful encounter would not be unwelcome.
Finally, Korra came to her decision: "You know what? I could use some fun. Okay, sure."
Bolin burst into a grin as he declared: "Yes! Who's the luckiest guy in the world? Right here, Bolin!"
-X-
The next set of matches in the tournament were not due for a few days, so Korra and Bolin had some time to unwind and spend time together. Truth be told, Korra did indeed enjoy the time she and Bolin spent together, as he was fun to hang out with, and tended to know the most fun places to be in Republic City, not the least of which was a place where the two got to watch races between satomobiles that had been modified to be light-weight and extremely fast. Given who Asami's father was, Korra was a little surprised that she didn't see her or Mako in the crowd when she and Bolin went. But as it stood, she didn't really mind either.
After watching the race, Bolin took Korra to a restaurant that he claimed to be one of his favorites. As Naga rested outside the door, Bolin and Korra had their dinner, namely green noodles.
"So, how do ya like it?" Bolin asked.
"It's delicious! And totally authentic. Man, I didn't realize how much I missed Water Tribe grub…"
"Well, that's great, 'cause like I told you on the way here, this is my favorite joint. See? You love Water Tribe food, I love Water Tribe food. Just another reason we're so great together!"
Korra elected to ignore Bolin's remarkably transparent attempt at flirting with her and instead asked him: "Hey Bo, who's that creepy guy over there that keeps glaring at us?"
The "creepy guy" in question was, in every sense of the word, a pretty boy, with his porcelain face and black hair, he almost reminded Korra physically of Asami, though there was something about his features that seemed almost unnatural. Not to mention that his demeanor was the same sort of insufferable smugness that had been among Councilman Tarrlok's many "charming" traits.
"That's Tahno and the Wolfbats." Bolin replied. "They've been the reigning champs of Pro-Bending for three years running. Don't make eye contact."
But Korra already had, choosing to return Tahno's leery gaze with a glare. Tahno returned it with the kind of sly grin that Korra would have loved nothing more then to punch right off. Getting up, he and his teammates, along with the girls they had picked up, all made their way over to Korra and Bolin's table.
"Ah nuts, here he comes. Don't mess with this guy. He's a nasty dude."
Korra wasn't listening. Tahno's smugness was the sort of thing that tended to strike a nerve and try as she might, she was finding it real hard to remember the lessons of mindfulness both Tenzin and Aang's spirit had tried to teach her…
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Fire Ferrets. Probending's latest in a long line of street-urchins and second only to the Rabaroos as it's saddest excuse for a team. Tell me, how do a couple of amateurs like you luck your way into the tournament? Especially you, Avatar."
Korra huffed in annoyance as a visibly nervous Bolin did his best to ease things, his eyes falling on two of Tahno's girls.
"Uh, hey there Mei. Jojo. Uh, heh, fancy seeing you two again…"
Both girls gave him icy looks that silenced him immediately. It didn't take a genius to guess the nature of their history with Bolin. Meanwhile, Tahno leaned in very close to Korra and whispered: "You know, if you'd like to learn how a real pro bends, I could give you some...private lessons."
That was when Korra snapped. Being belittled and then hit on by a lecherous snake of a man was more then Korra was willing to let slide, especially when she had been trying desperately to enjoy herself and escape the pains that had been with her since Mako's rejection. Standing up fully, she glared at Tahno and responded coldly: "You wannna go toe to toe with me, pretty boy?"
Tahno smiled smugly again. "Sure, go for it. I'll give you the first shot."
"Korra don't! He's just trying to bait you. You hit him, we're out of the tournament."
"You should listen to your ladykiller buddy there. Clearly he's the one with the brains on your team"
Korra's fists clenched even tighter. She fantasized using her earthbending to uppercut the slimeball through the roof of the restaurant but in the end she had to let rationality prevail. Mindfulness or no, Korra giving him what for wasn't worth costing Mako and Bolin that which they had both been working their whole lives for. So she unclenched her hands and stood down.
And then she whistled.
In an instant, Naga's head burst through the shutters and the Polar Bear Dog let out a roar that caused Tahno and his gang to leap out of their skin in terror. Tahno's look of shock and startled surprise alone was something Korra would've paid a thousand yuans to get framed on her wall. After a few moments of reeling in terror, Tahno let in a deep sigh, composed himself, and promptly stormed out of the restaurant in a huff, his teammates and their girls all following right behind. Korra and Bolin didn't even wait until they had all left the restaurant before both exploding with laughter.
"HAHAHAHA! That was epic! I have never seen someone humiliate Tahno like that. You are one of a kind, Korra."
"Ah, don't give me all the credit. Naga's the one who made that sissy wet his pants."
Bolin nodded in-between small fits of laughter. Tears were in the corners of his eyes. "True that. Remind me to get her a nice fried fish to eat sometime."
The next day went by in much the same manner as Korra and Bolin's first night out. Neither Tahno nor his teammates crossed paths with the duo again after Korra humiliated them, and neither Korra or Bolin were complaining. Instead they spent the last day before their next match in the championship having fun. To put it simply, Bolin treated Korra like a queen. He took her for soda, brought her to one of the tallest towers in Republic City, and just generally doted on her. Korra knew what Bolin was doing, but he had yet to fully open up, and until he did, Korra was content to not press the issue, and instead pretend that it wasn't there. She had taken Bolin up on his offer of spending time outside of pro-bending to get away from Mako and do her best to forget the heartbreak his rejection had caused her. The last thing she wanted was to get caught up in another romantic sob-story, especially when it was with Mako's brother.
And besides, the way Korra saw Bolin look at a passing pretty face, she knew he would not be for her. The painfully obvious history between Bolin and Tahno's girls was also hard to ignore, and finally Korra suspected that during the time he was not spending with her he was out with other girls, though she couldn't prove it, and again, she didn't feel the same way about him so she never pressed the issue.
The next day the Fire Ferrets' next match finally came, and Korra found her heart racing as she was forced to be near Mako again. She was smart enough to know that if she couldn't keep her aversive feelings under control her performance would suffer as a result, and by extension, the Fire Ferret's performance as a whole would suffer. She would need to suck it up, at least for as long as she and Mako were in the ring together.
And I thought the Airbending Gates were an impossible task.
As Korra, Mako, and Bolin made their way into the ring, Shiro Shirobi's voice could be heard describing the current state of the tournament: "Eight teams have been eliminated, and eight advance into the quarter-finals which get underway tonight" As the Fire Ferrets finally came into view, Shiro continued, his voice somehow managing to still be heard over the roaring crowd: "The rookie Fire Ferrets are about to take on the former and longest reigning champs, The Borqupines. Youth clashes against experience in a battle for the ages, or rather of the ages."
The bell rang the second Shirobi finished his sentence. The Borqupines were the first to attack, but the Fire Ferrets reacted quickly enough that they weathered the Borqupines' opening barrage well. The Borqupine's Earthbender launched an Earth-Disc at Korra who cartwheeled out of the way…only to go flying into Mako by accident, her legs flying into Mako's chest and face and causing them both to tumble down.
"Ooh! Korra dodges but slams right into her teammate!"
Before Korra or Mako could react in any substantial way, the three Borqupines all ganged up on Bolin and managed to send him right over the line.
"Down goes Mako, and Bolin and Korra!"
"Round one goes to the Borqupines!" the Ring Announcer declared.
"What was that about?" Mako demanded. "You were supposed to defend while I attacked!"
"I had an opening, so I took it!" Korra shot back.
Bolin interceded, desperately trying to be the voice of reason: "Guys, guys, pull it together, or we're done!"
Korra and Mako exchanged a quick, cold glance before both turning to Bolin and nodding wordlessly. The bell rang and the Fire Ferrets prepared for the second round of the match.
"The Ferrets are looking to mount some offense here in round two."
Indeed, Bolin went all-out, putting everything he had into keeping two of the three Borqupines at bay as Shiro continued to narrate the spectacle: "Bolin lets fly a flurry of attacks. He's a one man bending battalion!"
By contrast, Korra was struggling, and she knew the reason why. Any chance she had had of burying her current problems with Mako for the duration of the match evaporated with their brief little argument. And the Borqupines could see her vulnerability, and exploited it with ruthless precision as the two brothers continued to keep them at bay. Korra's head was buzzing hot with activity both from the stress of the bending battle and also her unresolved feelings with Mako. Between the two things she couldn't concentrate, instead putting in a horribly half-hearted effort with her waterbending that got her nowhere except face-down in the floor of the ring. Fortunately, as Korra forced herself up somewhat she could see Bolin unleashing a flurry of earth discs that took down the Borqupine's water and firebenders.
"The Ferrets seem to be having a tough time finding their rhythm tonight, but thanks to Bolin they narrowly notch round two!"
None of the Fire Ferrets had long to catch their breath before the bell rang once more and round three began in earnest. Korra was the first to strike, unleashing a long stream of water. Flames flew all over the ring as Mako and the Borqupine's firebender were the next ones to attack, with the other two Borqupines and Bolin all following right behind. Mako did reasonably well against his counterpart, but once again, Korra struggled, only narrowly avoiding the earth disc launched her way and walking right into an attack from the Borqupine's waterbender, the whip-like strike of the liquid stinging Korra's skin and no doubt leaving a bruise.
"Not sure what's eating at her but this is not the same Avatar Korra that helped her team take out the Rabaroos."
That particular announcement only served to further irritate Korra, who felt the observation like a slap across the face. As if her performance wasn't weighed down enough by her own personal issues, now she felt humiliated on top of it.
A blinding series of bright flashes of flame dissipated to reveal that Mako and the Borqupine's Firebender had managed to knock one another out. Bolin managed to take down the Borqupine's waterbender, but Korra didn't see the Earthbender Borqupine's next attack until it was too late. Next thing she knew her stomach was almost as bruised as her ego. As Korra clutched her stomach and gasped for air, she could see Bolin and the Earthbender's Borqupine, engaged in an intense exchange of earth discs that managed to go on long enough for the bell to ring once more as the Announcer declared: "Time's up! Round three is a tie. We go to a tie-breaker to decide the match!"
The referee held a coin up to the light. The coin was red on one side and blue on the other. The referee tossed it and the red side came up.
"The Fire Ferrets win the coin toss." The referee boomed. "Which element do you choose?"
Korra stepped forward confidently, doing her best to ignore the lingering pain her belly. "I got this."
Bolin put a hand on Korra's shoulder in an attempt to dissuade her. "Look Korra, no offense, but frankly your head's not in the game. I'm gonna take this one."
"You sure Bo?" Mako questioned. "You went at it for a pretty long time that last round."
"So did the Borqupine's earthbender. I can take him." And with this reassurance, Bolin stepped forward and said confidently: "We choose earth."
The other four pro-benders stepped away from the center ring, which then rose up, creating a platform.
"Looks like the earthbenders will collide in the tie breaker face-off!"
And as Korra and everyone else looked on, Bolin and the Borqupine's earthbender once again engaged in an exchange of earth discs, but this time it was nowhere near as intense due to both combatants having spent a lot of energy during their last one on one mere moments ago. And the Borqupine, being the much older of the two, was suffering the most for it. And Bolin took advantage of that. So many earth-discs were flying by that Korra's eyes were hard-pressed to keep track of them all. Eventually, the two combatants leaped over to the other's raised section of the ring. No sooner had Bolin landed however did he turn around and grab the Borqupine around the waist, who sprawled his legs back in response.
"Bolin goes in for the grapple!"
What followed next was a bit hard for Korra's eyes to follow, but it seemed as if the Borqupine's earthbender locked his hands under Bolin's stomach and reversed the hold. But while he was airborne, Bolin forced his opponent back with another earth-disc.
"Bolin strikes from mid-air knocking Chang to the edge of the circle."
Taking advantage of his opponent's being temporarily stunned, Bolin landed and launched a pair of earth discs at the Earthbender Borqupine that sent him flying over the edge of the ring and into the water below.
"Another strike from Bolin and Chang's in the drink!"
The bell rang and the match finally came to a close, the crowd bursting once more into deafening applause. And Bolin was hollering and cheering right along with them.
"The Future Industry's Fire Ferrets win their quarter-final match!" Shiro proudly announced. "Oh, that was a close one, folks. Nevertheless, youth trumps experience tonight."
Mako and Korra both sighed in unison. Nobody could possibly deny that it had been a close call. In every way it was the opposite of their first victory: as opposed to their almost effortless win and tight teamwork in that match, here it was as close a victory as one could get. It was made worse by the fact that Korra knew that deep down, she and her inability to get her head back in the game were the reason.
Following the match Korra tried to leave the pro-bending arena as quickly as possible so as not to deal with Mako and the choice words he would no doubt have for her regarding her poor performance. But unfortunately for her, while she managed to avoid Mako, Bolin caught up with her, still sweating from all the heavy-lifting he had been forced to do.
"Hey Korra, wait up! I wanna talk…"
Korra wanted desperately to just keep walking but thought better of it and instead turned to face Bolin, who finally managed to close the large distance between them.
"Hey Korra, what was that about back there? You didn't seem to be doing too well…"
"What do you mean?" Korra asked defensively. "I did my best!"
"Come on, we both know you can do way better then that. What happened? Why wasn't your head in the game? Its not about us is it?"
Korra found herself getting annoyed fast and fought hard to suppress it as she replied: "No. It was not about us."
"Oh, then what was it?"
"Its about your brother!" Korra shouted in response, briefly losing control of herself. "I told him how I felt about him, I told him how much I cared, and he…" Korra lowered her head and said more softly: "…and he doesn't feel the same way about me."
Bolin seemed to be silent for the longest time, his face taking on a confused expression as Korra's words sunk in. "Oh…but…I kind of thought that…you and I were…"
Korra sighed deeply and said: "Look Bolin, its not that I haven't enjoyed the time we've spent together, because I have. But…"
"But what?" Bolin asked
"I'm not blind, Bolin. I saw the way Tahno's girls looked at you when you said their names. I know how you are with girls in general. The way you look at any pretty face in the crowd…"
"What? Ah, come on, that's nothing…"
"Mei and Jojo? Also Jin, Xing, Yi Shi, Cuo…Mako's told me about some of your flings, Bolin, and I'm not stupid. I remember how we first met. How you just passed me off as your latest girl of the week. But I don't want to be your girl of the week. I don't want to be shared, Bolin. I want to be exclusive, and…I don't think you want to be. So I just don't see how things could ever work out between us. I'm sorry Bolin, but that's just the way it seems to be. I still like you as a friend, but you're not willing to commit, and I'm not willing to be shared."
Once again, there was silence as Bolin struggled to find some way to respond to the cold hard truth Korra had laid out for him. But there was nothing to say in response and they both knew it Everything Korra had said was true, there was just no disputing it. Bolin could try and deny it but he knew there was no use. So finally he lowered his head solemnly and said softly: "So I guess that means its over between us?"
"We can still be friends, Bolin" Korra said, feeling guilty and not wanting to hurt her friend any further. "We don't have to be together together. But we can still hang out together, have fun. You know, maybe also share a few secrets between friends. But we don't have to be in love with each-other…"
"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. We don't have to be together, we can still be friends…" Korra could see the pain and hurt of rejection all over his face, and as she did, she realized, it was how she had looked when Mako had rejected her advances. It was the exact same look of quiet, pained rejection when Mako had made it clear that his heart was with Asami. All of a sudden, she realized she was now in the exact same position.
"I'm sorry, Bolin…"
"No, no, that's OK" Bolin said. "No need to apologize. Its…probably for the best things are ending this way. At least we can still be friends."
"Yeah," Korra said with a deep sigh as all of a sudden she found herself understanding Mako's rejection a lot more. "Friends..."
Author's Note: I know this chapter will likely vex those among you that are die-hard Mako/Korra shippers, but that is not a couple I like, so I eliminated it. It is gone. Totally. Utterly. And honestly, it wasn't hard to do.
Here's the thing: I will admit that it is often a staple of, shall we say, less-than professional fan-fictions to do things like have pairings you like at the expense of other characters and pairings. But I feel that what I'm doing here is better than the usual example, if it can even be called an example at all. For one thing, I actually strived to show that Mako is not a bad guy for not returning Korra's romantic feelings. He simply doesn't feel the same way. I do not demonize any of the characters involved, but rather try and make all parties at least somewhat sympathetic. That's the reason why I chose to not have Korra use Bolin to make Mako jealous, because that eliminates any sympathy I may have had for her previously. Using someone else to make another person jealous is a sleazy thing to do, and I decided that my version of Korra wasn't go to lower herself to that.
And the thing is, I'm sorry, but Mako/Korra really isn't a good pairing. And since I already made clear my dislike of it in an earlier author's note, I'm not going to repeat myself too much. Just enough to counter the argument "Makkora" shippers would make that he was lying when he said he didn't feel the same way, and that Korra's kidnapping brought out his true feelings. The thing is, I might have believed all of that if it had been more well done, been given more time to properly develop, and if Korra and Mako actually had a little something called chemistry, but none of the above were present. Instead, it felt like they jumped way too quickly from point A to point B, especially when one considers that his feelings still seem to be fully with Asami in Episode 7, and two episodes later, it's the opposite. I just don't buy it.
Finally, I like Asami/Mako for a couple different reasons: for one thing, this is a bender and a non-bender together romatically in a conflict between benders and non-benders. Not only that, but Asami lost her mother to firebenders. She has every reason to hate them, and yet, not only does she go in the completely opposite direction as a fangirl of Pro-bending, but is in love with a firebender. She and Mako being a couple is the strongest argument against Amon's cynical "us against them" views, and you better believe I'm gonna emphasize that later in the story. After all, the fight against the Equalists is a war of ideals. How do you win that kind of war? Simple: you discredit the argument and ideals of the opposing side. Asami, a non-bender who lost her mother to firebenders loving another firebender, is one of the best ways to do that. Basically, it's a couple that better serves the main conflict.
I'm also gonna freely admit that Asami is my favorite of the Korra Krew. Beautiful, badass, a really nice girl in spite of being rich (not something you see every day in fiction), and a friend to benders when she has every reason not to be. She really did deserve way better then the pitiful treatment she got in the show proper. I mean, she chose to stand against her own father to help the man she loved, and he doesn't even bother to properly break up with her before running off with someone else. That is kind of awful, and much like Korra using Bolin to make Mako jealous, it's just plain sleazy. How can I not feel bad for poor Asami here? Especially when she is easily the most likable member of the group?
Anyway, I think I've ranted enough for one chapter. I hope you all enjoyed my novelization of what was honestly one of the weaker episodes of the show. I don't mind saying that my version is better.