If there's one thing I hate across all worlds, it is getting up early in the morning. I am not an early bird, and waking up is pretty hard for me. The alarm clocks here are the old-fashioned kind which sends an ear-splitting ring in the morning. Fortunately, all it took was some electrical engineering to have my clock hooked up to my radio, such that every morning I would wake up to the soft sound of jazz. However, today it was different. Instead of the soothing jazz music, it was instead the voice of the newscaster as he read out the latest headline.
"This just in folks, in a shocking twist of events, four metalbender policemen in their police van was ambushed in Dragon's Flat Borough by equalists. They left a message saying 'All who stand in the way of Amon will perish'. A fifth policeman is missing. We are currently awaiting for Chief Lin's statement at the police headquarters. In other news..." The newscaster read out in a dramatic tone as if telling a story. Right, this was still old-timey news.
I shut off the radio, rubbing the sleep away from my eyes. These equalists were getting bolder and bolder with their actions. In the past, it was just protesters on the streets and handing out flyers. Now, they have just ambushed Republic City's policemen. This was more likely than not a show of force, showing off their prowess to the police, as well as striking fear into the hearts of the public. After all, if even the police are afraid of the equalists, what more the public. Nonetheless, these were the responsibilities of the police and Chief Lin. I, on the other hand, have more pressing issues to deal with, such as the malfunctioning telephone line to my flat unit.
Before I knew it, it was already five in the evening. Work was like most days - reports and meetings. However, since the probending season is entering the quarter-finals, Asami and I were spending more and more time watching the training sessions of the probenders. After all, Future Industries had a stake in the future of the Fire Ferrets, and Hiroshi gave us his blessings on what he often described as the pet project of his daughter and me. Sometimes it feels very ironic that two non-benders would be watching and making sure the training of a probending team goes smoothly.
"Hey, Bolin!" I greeted as I entered the training arena, watching Bolin practice his curve shots with the earthen discs. Unlike most times, however, he did not instantly drop whatever was at hand and run to give me a bone-crushing hug, but instead just sort of grunted a response before continuing bending the earthen discs. Seems like this competition has made him mature.
"So what's the roster for tonight?" Asami called across the gym. I looked at the piece of paper hung up on the wall, showing the Fire Ferrets fight for the night. It was the Boar-q-pines. An experienced pro-bending team, they had been the longest-reigning champions until being recently displaced by the Wolfbats and going on a hiatus. However, this season they have decided to make a comeback and reclaim their title as the champions. Old but experienced, they have crushed every single opponent they've met so far in the competition.
"It's the boar-q-pines," I replied.
"Oh, the oldies?" Asami asked. I rolled my eyes, as old as they were, with age comes experience. I've seen their plays before, and their uncanny ability to predict their opponents' moves. Only psychic abilities or experience would be able to explain that.
"As old as they are, they are a formidable foe," I noted, sitting down opposite Asami at the table.
"And that is why we are training doubly hard to fight them," Bolin said, slapping a sweaty hand on my shoulder while reaching for his cup. Asami slid the cup over to him, while I removed his hand from my shoulder. Gulping down his drink as if he spent the past forty days in the Si Wong Desert, Bolin added, "Well, at least I am. I have no idea where Mako is, and Korra is probably hanging out somewhere on Air Temple Island meditating."
"Well, if I could I would gladly coach you but you seem to be the most knowledgeable here," I quipped, to which Asami and Bolin laughed. "You're a good man, and a smart one too. I'm sure you can figure something out," Bolin replied.
"So, how did the date between you and Korra last night went?" Asami asked, leaning forward in interest. Bolin meanwhile had a surprised expression, gasping, "How did you know Korra and I went on a date?"
"I'm pretty sure you announced it to everyone present in the room after the match last night," I noted, not taking my eyes off the book I found lying on the table.
"Ohh, right I remember now. Well, I'm telling you guys, she's one of a kind," Bolin excitedly said. He recounted his entire date, from Narook's noodelry to the top of the observation tower. I could probably guess for certain that he was into her, madly.
"I think she's a nice girl, but you sure you want to date someone who's also your teammate? I mean it could entirely throw off the team dynamics," I cautioned, to which Asami nodded and agreed. Bolin's face dropped for a moment, saying, "Yeah, that's why my brother told me too. I guess I shall see what happens from here?"
"Hey Mako, I'm with the Republic City Times, could I ask you a few questions?" a reporter asked Mako, only to be given the cold shoulder as he stormed past and through the doors of the arena.
A few doors away, Korra did the same thing too, almost taking the door off its hinges as she slammed it open.
"What is going on?" the reporter asked himself as he saw possibly the two blackest faces in his life.
"What are they doing?" Asami asked as in the arena below, Korra dodged a stream of water only to smash into Mako's midsection. A curving shot by the Boar-q-pine earthbender hit its mark, sending Korra and Mako flying off the platform. Boin was taken out moments later by the combined water and fire blast.
And the worst part was, it was not a fluke. The Fire Ferrets had been faring badly since the start of the game, making mistakes that would ensure even rookie teams were able to take them out, much less experienced ex-champions. However, looking at them individually, Bolin was performing normally, if not a little more aggressively. Meanwhile, Korra and Mako were completely off. Furthermore, I swear that I had seen them stare angrily at each other, if only for a few split seconds. Something was going on.
Thankfully, the Fire Ferrets performed better in round 2. It was all just Bolin, managing to knock all three Boars out in rapid succession. As for Korra and Mako, they are not as clumsy as before, but I could tell some intense tensions were going on. Before long, round 3 ended in a tie, with both waterbender and firebender on both teams being knocked out of the arena at the same time. Well, at least that's what the judges say. So now it was time for a tiebreaker.
I had no idea how a tie-breaker was done. Asami, on the other hand, had read the rather confusing rule book cover to cover and was there to educate me. A coin would be tossed and the winning team gets to decide the element that was going to be chosen for the tiebreaker. The two benders from each team would enter a raised platform and begin one-on-one combat to determine the winner. For the Fire Ferrets, more often than not it would be Mako taking the one-on-one since he is the most aggressive and fire allows for the quickest strikes since they generate their element.
The Fire Ferrets won the coin toss, but to my surprise, it was Bolin taking the one-on-one instead of Mako. I was surprised, but relieved too, for Bolin seemed to be the calmest and on-form member today. At his current state, I wouldn't trust Mako to take the one-on-one tiebreaker. Furthermore, if the Boar-q-pines had won the coin toss, there was no doubt they would have chosen either water or fire, seeing how badly Korra and Mako had played earlier on.
After a quick but intense one-on-one, Bolin was declared the winner and the Fire Ferrets won the quarterfinals, moving onto the semis. Asami and I headed to the holding room at the ends of the arena, while the drawbridges extended for the Fire Ferrets to victoriously walk back, while the Boar-q-pines swim back to the elevator. It was a victory no doubt, but a close one, too close for my liking. Even the announcer noted that it had been a close fight, and this was not the same Fire Ferrets that played the past few games. Something had to be done.
"Congratulations guys… guys?" As I walked through the door of the locker room, expecting to see the entire team there, I was surprised to find only Bolin lying exhausted on the couch. Korra and Mako, however, were nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Korra and Mako?" I asked, only for Bolin to sigh as he took off his helmet.
"I think they argued before the match, that's why they performed so badly," Bolin stated. "They are probably continuing the argument somewhere outside right now."
"I'll try to find them," Asami said as she left the room before I could even reply. As helpful as she was trying to be, I still feel Asami going in now would make things worse. At least she should wait until they cool off and are more level-headed. But she's fast and I would never be able to catch her. Hopefully, she would not be able to find them.
"Don't worry Bolin, every team has its fair share of arguments," I assured as I sat next to the earthbender. "The thing that sets a good team apart from a bad one, is whether the argument can be resolved or ends up tearing apart the team. And I believe that the former is more likely. Plus you did great out there, I'm glad you're taking your training seriously."
Bolin looked up at me and nodded, "Thanks, Jay. I knew I could always count on you to give good advice. You're a great friend ya know? Now, who wants to get some grub?" I politely declined, stating that I still had to find the two other Fire Ferret. As I left the room, I heard him muttering to Pabu about the great date he has planned for the night.
"Korra, we need to talk," Mako said as he approached Korra who was leaning on some railings gazing out into the bay. Not even waiting for her to acknowledge his presence or even reply, he continued, "Look sometimes you can be so infuriating..."
"Save your breath," Korra quipped back, not even turning to face him. "You're right about calling me so full of me. I didn't even know why I bothered telling you my feelings when that's all you're going to do."
"I know I shouldn't have said that, but you were insisting that I have feelings for you and that I was a liar," Mako retaliated, this time getting Korra to turn to face him.
"And you're not one? Weren't you the one who said that you have feelings for someone? Weren't you the one that was sending out all these signals?" Korra shot back, this time taking a few steps towards Mako who refused to back down.
"Yes, but it was not for you!" Mako shouted. Thankfully, he and Korra were in a remote part of the arena, far from any passers-by, hence the lack of commotion.
"LIAR!" Korra took a few steps forward, jabbing a finger into Mako's chest. Staring straight into his eyes, she questioned, "Then tell me, who is it for."
"It's for Asami!" Mako shot back, swatting away Korra's accusatory finger. With that Mako turned and walked away. Sure, he did think Korra is a pretty cool friend, but that's it. Just friends. He did very briefly consider the possibility of a romantic relationship between them, but it amounted to nothing compared to Asami.
"You'll regret choosing that prissy rich girl!" Korra shouted after Mako, but he was already gone. The fire inside her now gone, Korra turned back to face the sea, before wandering down the path to wherever it led her.
"Nicely done Korra. Maybe you should learn more about anger management," Korra told herself sadly as she walked down the path towards the small pavilion at the end.
"Gosh, I'm sorry… Mako?" Asami began apologizing after she slammed open a door to quickly, almost hitting the other person, who turned out to be Mako. She had been searching for him and Korra within the arena but to no avail. "Mako, you alright?"
"I'm fine I guess, I just had a quarrel with Korra that's all," Mako said as he continued walking in his original direction, only to be held back by Asami.
"That's is not fine and you know it," Asami stared into Mako's eyes. Mako just stared back at her with an empty, dead look. Seeing she was making no progress, Asami suggested, "You know what, how about we head over to get some dinner and you can tell me about it. You up for it? "
Mako thought for a moment, before letting out a small smile, "You know what, I think I am."
"Darn it! Where are they?" I smacked my hand against the balcony of the arena. Having two-thirds of the team at odds with each other is not a good thing, especially since they are now nearing the finals and have another match tomorrow. I understand that Korra is probably very stubborn, and I expected Mako to the sensible captain to hold the team together. Now it is the two of them that are giving trouble.
Looking from my balcony, I gazed across the harbor. Republic City was a large city. Korra and Mako could be anywhere by now. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. This was made worse by the fact that tomorrow the Fire Ferrets had another match scheduled. I knew that there was a strong chance that Korra and Mako would return to the arena by tomorrow out of their sense of professionalism, but that wasn't something I wanted to leave to chance. Weighing my options, I decided that the last resort would be to enlist the help of Tenzin. He was, after all, her mentor and guardian.
Just as I was about to leave the balcony and continue my search, I suddenly heard a yell before a blast of flame shot out from a pavilion below towards Yue Bay. Peering over the ledge, I spotted a lone figure standing inside the pavilion. It was none other than Korra. Quickly running down the stairs, I made my way towards the pavilion, not wanting Korra to leave and disappear before I got there.
To my relief, Korra was still at the same place when I reached the ground floor, leaning against one of the pillars of the pavilion. The lights within the pavilion illuminated her, who had changed out of her pro-bending uniform and was now wearing her usual outfit and parka. As I walked closer, I could hear splashes after splashes. Wondering what was going on, I walked closer until I spotted a pile of rocks on the railing, with Korra throwing them one by one into the water.
"You know, if you keep throwing those rocks the fish would get angry," I casually remarked and I strolled behind Korra. She jumped up a little, startled by my presence but did not turn to look around.
"So what's the matter Miss Avatar?" I asked, leaning on the railing behind her. I heard Korra take a breath, before sighing and replying, "Nah it's fine, I'm alright." Despite what she claimed, I could hear the telltale choking sound of tears.
"Come on, you'll feel better if you share," I coaxed, trying to get Korra to open up on what is plaguing her mind. A small part of me wanted to jump right into lecturing her about letting her emotions and feelings cloud her judgment and focus, especially with the tournament right around the corner, but I suppressed that urge. After all, she is still a young girl with the weight of the world resting on her shoulders, just because she can bend three more elements than an average person, or four compared to me.
"I said it's fine. It's just… kinda stupid and unimportant and a waste of time," Korra hesitated, before speaking as she continued tossing stones into the water. The fish are really going to be pissed.
"I think it's important to address it seeing how it has affected you," I continued, walking into the pavilion to shelter myself from the light drizzle that was starting to form. "So what is? Parents? The stress from probending? You liking a guy? Avatar stuff?"
Korra stiffened slightly at the mention of liking a guy. It was subtle, partially masked by the parka she was wearing flapping slightly in the wind, but nonetheless spotted by me. "So it is about a guy. Bolin?" I pushed further.
"Don't be ridiculous Jay, no guy would like me when there are other options around," Korra sighed as she dumped the stones all at once into the water. Leaning forward on the railing, she just stared out into the bay.
"Come on, don't be like this. Honestly, I think you're great and pretty amazing," I assured. Like everyone else, Korra had her strengths. Of course, she had her flaws too, but that just meant she was human. A guy would certainly be fortunate to have her, although he had better be a powerful bender in case she gets mad and bends all four elements at him.
Upon hearing that, Korra immediately spun around and asked, "You think so? You mean it?" I was slightly taken aback, but mainly because of the speed with which she spun around. Nodding, I replied, "Yeah, of course."
Korra held her elbow with her other hand, suddenly finding her shoes really interesting. I was about to ask her if the guy she liked was Bolin, when she suddenly asked, "So...if I like a guy, what do you think I should do?" Well, looks like she was one step ahead of me.
"Hmm," I mused, before continuing, "My advice is just to do whatever suits you. If you're the more direct kind, which I think you are, then the best way is just to be direct. If you want a more subtle approach then maybe try dropping hints? It also depends on him though."
"Ohh," Korra nodded in acknowledgment, before asking, "What is your style?"
"Well, I would of course say I'm more of the direct kind. It just my style though, you have to find what suits you," I explained, as she listened and nodded. She said nothing else, her mind obviously in deep thought. In my opinion, I think that Bolin is the more direct kind, so she shouldn't have much trouble getting the message across to Bolin.
"I think Bolin's style should also be direct-" I opened my mouth and started speaking when Korra suddenly lunged towards me. Before I could even defend myself from what was most certainly an impending attack without reason, I suddenly felt something warm and slightly moist on my lips.
Time seemed to slow down, as my lips communicated the sensation to my brain. After what seemed like an eternity, my brain finally clicked as it registered the sensation on lips - another pair of lips. It took a little while more for the entire situation to sink in. Korra had lunged forward and smashed her lips into mine, without any prior warning. To say I was shocked was an understatement.
The duration during which Korra had her lips against mine felt like an eternity. In that time, most of my thoughts were just plain shock. Shock that it was happening to me, and shock that it was not for Bolin as I had assumed. Wrongly. But in the midst of it, there was another thought too. Somehow, despite how wrong and unexpected the action was… it felt nice. And right.
As quickly as it had happened, the kiss ended, with Korra pulling back, blushing furiously. Getting over my shock, I was about to ask her what was going on when she suddenly spotted something behind me, before looking down in shame. Spinning around, I saw him. Bolin, the man I had assumed was the one Korra had the feels for, was standing not too far behind me, Pabu on his shoulders and a bouquet in his hands. A strong gust of wind blew a few petals from the bouquet, as I spotted some glistening in his eyes. Then, without warning, Bolin started bawling, throwing his bouquet on the ground before sprinting off.
It took me a few seconds to react, but by then, Bolin was already gone, leaving just me and Korra standing in an otherwise empty waterfront. If only I had been a little faster, maybe I would have been able to stop Bolin, but then again so much had happened so fast. Turning back, I saw Korra staring down, avoiding eye contact with me.
"Korra," I started, only to be interrupted by her. "Sorry," she whispered, "I… I don't know what got over me." I looked at her, understanding her point. At the same time, I was still shocked and surprised at the twist of events. I did not sense any indication, no matter how small, that Korra had feelings for me. Maybe I was being dense and oblivious, and that would probably be my fault, but it still isn't my fault that I was shocked to say the least. Oh, and Asami was still waiting for my answer. Things were so complicated now.
"Look Korra, I think we should take some time to think this over, both me and you, before we make rash decisions alright? Right now, I need you to focus on your competition completely. Afterward, we can always talk about this anytime. Deal?" Korra thought for a moment before she bit her lower lip and nodded. With a whistle, Naga was summoned, and the two disappeared into the night.
Meanwhile, I had a whole new problem - Bolin. He, like Korra, had a competition tomorrow, but unlike Korra, he was probably still out there in the city, probably drowning his sorrows. If we were to stand any chance to win tomorrow's game, I had to find him. And fast.
It was already almost an hour, and I had yet to find any trace of him. I checked the arena thoroughly, even enlisting the help of a few night watchmen, and also his apartment, but to no avail. Desperate, I was now driving around the city, trying to spot any trace of the earthbender. The chances that I would find him in such a huge city were slim, but nonetheless, I still had to try. Another reason was that I somehow felt responsible. Responsible for not pushing away Korra faster, stopping Bolin in time or even picking up the very subtle clues from Korra. Turning up the heater I installed in my car, I braced myself for the long night ahead.
"Jay! You're here early! Jay? Jay!" Asami called out to me, interrupting me from my sleep. Rubbing my bleary eyes, I initially was woken to a slight shock when I found myself hoboing on a bench in front of the arena. Soon, the memories from the night before had flooded back in. I drove around the city for hours, searching high and low for Bolin, to no avail. I considered finding the police and filing a missing person report, but given the circumstances, they would probably just brush it off. After all, there were more important things to be concerned with, such as the radical Amon. In the end, I returned to the arena and staked out at the entrance, hoping to catch Bolin as he returned to his apartment, but soon fallen asleep on the bench.
"Gosh Jay, you look terrible! Have you been sleeping here all night?" Asami rushed over, helping me sit up in the bench. Sleeping on the hard, uncomfortable, cold and uneven bench took its toll on my joints, especially my shoulders. Once I had been seated vertically, Asami folded her arms and stared at me, obviously demanding an explanation.
"Have you seen Bolin?" I asked Asami, who simply shook her head. I sighed, and this did not escape Asami's sharp eyes. "What is going on?" she questioned.
"Bolin's missing and I couldn't find him the entire night yesterday," I said, obviously withholding information to avoid complicating an already complicated situation. At the end of the day, I still knew that I would have to tell Asami, but I decided that this can wait until at least when the competition ends and everyone is less stressed. "I say him crying and running off into the night and before I could stop him, he vanished."
Asami opened her mouth, but was interrupted by another person. "Has anyone seen Bolin?" Mako called out as he walked towards us, his hair still messy and still trying to get into his coat. A particularly cold gust of wind made him stop trying to adjust his coat and instead just wrapped it around his torso.
"That's what we're talking about," Asami explained, continuing, "Jay was just telling me how he spent the entirety of yesterday night trying to find Bolin after he saw Bolin running off while crying." Hearing that, Mako raised his eyebrows at me. "Crying you say?" I nodded.
"Well, I don't know why he would be crying, but when Bolin is heartbroken, he would either be under a certain tree at central park, Narook's noodelry or Avatar Aang's museum. Why not we split up to find him? I know the exact tree," Mako suggested. It was agreed upon that I would take Narook's Noodelry, while Asami would take the museum. Agreeing to meet back in an hour, we all set off to our respective places.
"Hello Narook, it Bolin here?" I asked as I entered Narook's Noodery. The boss nodded at my presence, before gesturing towards a pile of bowls, at least a dozen. I immediately spotted Pabu sleeping in one of the bowls with an oversized belly, before spotting Bolin sleeping amongst the pile of dishes, his face inside one of the bowls. Thanking Narook, I went over to Bolin to wake him from his peaceful, food-induced slumber.
"Come on, wake up Bolin. I'm taking you home," I told Bolin as I gently nudged him. He looked up, his face a mess with streaks of noodles and sauce, before realizing who I was.
"No, don't call me that you betrayer. I can't trust you. The only one I can trust is Pabu, right Pabu," Bolin cried out, ending his dramatic cries by picking up Pabu from the bowl. The creature started to move, only to collapse under its weight.
For the next few minutes, I tried convincing the earthbender to leave his sanctuary of noodles and return home to prepare for the match, but it was evident that talking alone wasn't getting him anywhere. Calling upon every muscle in my body, I hoisted the stocky earthbender on my shoulder, carrying him out of the store. He tried resisting and squirming, but thankfully for me his indigestion prevented him from being much of a hindrance. Paying his tab, I carried him out of the store and into my car.
Throughout the entire car ride, Bolin kept wailing about how I took his dream girl Korra, whom they were destined to be together for the entirety of time until the world turns upside down and the badger moles became the dominant race. His words, not mine. I tried reasoning with him, that it had been a big misunderstanding and I didn't want to betray him, but he would have nothing of that. Eventually, however, he fell asleep soundly in the back of my car, especially with the low drone of the engine. Right, I still haven't changed my car from the crappy one Asami was complaining about the other day.
"Oh good you found him," Mako said while helping me drag a sleepy Bolin out of the backseat of my car. Pabu hopped out, but his bulging belly kept him firmly stuck to the ground. Chittering in annoyance, he slid on his after Bolin. Dragging the still sleepy earthbender back towards the arena where their apartment was, I asked Mako, "So, what are you going to do with him? You know, for the match tonight?"
"I have my ways," Mako said with a slightly smug look, and seeing my questioning look, he revealed, "A dunk in an ice-cold bath." This would be interesting.
"Enough! Enough! I'm awake bro!" Bolin screamed as Mako dumped yet another bucket of snow, ice and water mixture on top of Bolin's head. Of course, I added my secret ingredient - a handful of salt. Of course, Mako didn't understand why it makes the water colder, but judging by the way Bolin was screaming and squirming, the results speak for themselves.
"Are you finally awake now? Jay told me that you've been doing nothing but eating noddles in Narook's for the whole night. Do you know how much of your tab he's covered?" Mako questioned, as Bolin shook the water out of his hair. Shaking his head, Bolin glanced up at me, before shaking his head and saying, "Yea, I'll pay him back. I think I had better go train right now." With that, Bolin got out of the tub, grabbed some dry clothes, and headed towards the gym.
"What's wrong with him? Something must have happened last night," Mako asked, looking at me.
"Don't worry about it, you should focus on your match later tonight. I think that should be your main priority right now," I tried to defuse the situation, but Mako was adamant about finding out what went wrong with Bolin.
"Look, I know the tournament is important, but my brother is more important. And he's part of the team too," Mako insisted. At least he cares deeply for his little brother. Deciding that it was best to just tell Mako what happened, I sat him down and explain the situation to him.
" I knew it, I told him that it was a bad idea to try to date a teammate but he just wouldn't listen!" Mako slammed his cup down on the table, pinching his nose bridge. "And Korra too! What is wrong with her? Why does she have to play her games using Bolin? Is she trying to get back at me?"
"Get back at you? What do you mean?" I asked Mako from my seat on his couch.
"That Korra! She also said pretty much something similar to me that she liked me, but I rejected her! And now she's playing with Bolin's feelings to get back at me or make me jealous or something!" Mako shouted in exasperation, before muttering, "I'm not going to let her off."
"Mako, I think you should calm down first. Settle everything after the match ends alright?" I tried to calm him down. I would be lying if I wasn't terrified of him in his angry state. Mainly because he can firebend and I could not. Furthermore, from what I've read, firebender's bending are sometimes augmented by rage. I didn't want to end up being fried meat.
"Don't worry, it's not your fault. Afterall, you did so much to try to find Bolin and bring him back," Mako assured, before stating that he would return to train for tonight's match. Wishing him well, I left his apartment and headed off.
"And the winner is… the Fire Ferrets!" I was jolted out of my deep train of thoughts, which was even more incredible since this was easily the most intense match of the season, with Korra managed to clutch with a hat trick. At least that was what happened according to Asami. Meanwhile, as all the action was happening, I was lost in my train of thoughts, which involved a certain water bender Avatar and a non-bending inventor. For the umpteenth time, I noted to myself about how complicated our friendship dynamics have become.
"Great job guys!" Asami said as she rushed into the locker room, just as the Whitefall Wolfbats entered the playing field. I entered after her, expecting the atmosphere to be cold and awkward given what has happened so far, but to my surprise, I instead found the Fire Ferrets embracing each other. If they had truly buried the hatchet, then it would just prove that sports, and of course winning, help build friendships.
As Asami was talking to Mako and Korra was healing Bolin's injury, which I did not even realized thanks to my deep thoughts, my eyes glanced towards the playing area, where the Whitefall Wolfbats were busy dominating their competition. What started out as a glance turned into a full-blown stare in shock, as the Wolfbats easily swept their opponents off the arena, as if they were just dust. Before I even knew it, the buzzer buzzed for the final time and the announcement came - the Whitefall Wolfbats had down. And this was although their opponent was a seasoned team that came in within the top three for the past few years.
"I hope that the Fire Ferrets know a good doctor, because they're gonna need one," the announcer announced as the unfortunate opponents, now probably victims, were hauled off in stretchers. Looking back at the Fire Ferrets, all three of them, and Asami too, were in shock. Looks like the final match for the Fire Ferrets would turn out to be their toughest yet.
Another gust of cold wind blew in my face, as I folded up the collars of my trench coat. It was late at night, a good three hours after the match had ended. As I stood on the balcony, the very same one I had spotted Korra from just the day before, I sighed as I looked out into the open sea, musing about my current predicament. Two different people. One is the most powerful bender, the other being a non-bender. One having spent her whole life living in isolation in the South, one being at the heart of the most bustling city.
Firstly, there was Asami. To say she looked good would be an understatement. Sweet, caring, she was all things a guy wanted, even though they would surely be intimidated by her un-womanly interests, as well as her father being the most powerful businessman in the city. That being said, she was surprisingly humble and down-to-earth, rather than being some prissy rich girl. And I did not doubt that she was tough too. So in summary, a caring, humble girl, that is tough too.
If Asami was tough, then Korra takes it to a whole new level. She was tough, tough and tough, since it was unlikely than a single tough would suffice to describe her. And boy was she powerful too, being able to theoretically bend four elements, but she still hasn't mastered air. Korra was kind and caring too, although in a different manner from Asami. If someone was hurt, Asami would comfort the person, while Korra would probably beat up the one who had hurt said person. Oh, and Korra was kind of cute too. So, two people, so different yet so similar.
"Hi Jay, thought I would find you here," I turned around, only to see Korra standing by the doorway, holding her elbow as usual. It looks like that would be her standard nervous pose. I nodded in acknowledgment, as she walked up to me and stood beside me as I turned to look back at the sea.
"So… I already talked to Mako and Bolin, and we are all alright now," Korra said hesitantly. "That's good. After all, tomorrows' a big day," I noted.
"Yea...big day, anyways, I still haven't spoken with you yet," Korra started speaking. This caught my attention, and I turned to fully face her. "So… what do you have in mind?"
"I was thinking about stuff… about you. Mainly about yesterday, but also about the other times when I was with you, like that day when I was at the Memorial Island or even when you saved me at the warehouse during the rally," Korra started, and my mind flash-backed to the day she faced off with Amon, when I hugged her as she just cried into my arms.
"Anyways, as I was saying, I listened to your advice and thought about my feelings. I'll be honest, I had feelings for Mako as well, but he rejected me that day before you came. But thinking back, I think that my feelings for Mako were just more superficial and fan-girlish. But for you, I don't know… it just feels different and more genuine. I'm so confused Jay," Korra finished her heartfelt speech, before leaning on the railing and staring out into the sea. Not knowing what to do, I simply patted her on the shoulder, as she looked up at me.
"Korra, I think you should focus on the match first. I promise you, after you finish the match tomorrow, I will talk to you about this alright? Don't let this affect your performance tomorrow alright?" I said, before giving Korra a quick hug. As with that day, the hug somehow just felt… right. It was an indescribable feeling, but it felt like it was meant to happen. Giving me a weak smile while I gave her a thumbs-up, Korra headed into the doorway where she emerged from.
As I took the elevator down to the back entrance, I suddenly tripped over something, almost falling down the steps. Picking it up and holding it up to the moonlight, I realized it was a pro-bending helmet, with the blue markings showing it belonged to a water bender. As I held the helmet up to the moonlight, I could barely make out the marking on the back - Mo Ce Mongoose Lizards. The name sounded familiar, and a few seconds later my brain clicked - it was the team that was just destroyed by the Whitefall Wolfbats. In the final knockout - all three of the Mongoose Lizards were knocked out by their elements from the Wolfbats - with the waterbender being knocked out by a water blast to the head, since water was the only element that allowed headshots.
As I flipped to the front, my heart stopped. The front visor had a nasty crack, complete with a hole that looked like one made by a speeding bullet. This was simply not the result of a water blast. Something was definitely wrong. As I continued holding it up the moonlight, I spotted what could possibly an answer - small pieces of earth lodged in the cracks surrounding the hole. Putting the entire helmet in a paper bag that was in one of my coat pockets, I headed back to my home. There was some forensics to be done.