Disclaimer: I own nothing. Percy Jackson and the Legend of Korra belong to Rick Riordan and Nickelodeon respectively.
Life on Air Temple Island is typically very calm, peaceful and quiet. Fiery explosions are none of those things.
The day started off like many others. Korra was up, doing morning stretches in the courtyard, doing her meditations, and had already eaten breakfast. Percy was asleep the entire time.
Now, a blearily awake Percy was watching Korra attempt the air gates once again, eating a fruit for breakfast, and slowly nodding off again because it was early.
Korra was haggard, the kids had stopped shouting advice when they realised that Korra was just throwing herself at the gates with zero finesse and Tenzin was lamenting his life decisions.
"Patience, Korra!" Tenzin shouted, as the assembled group watched the Avatar get thrown around by the spinning gates. This only seemed to frustrate the Avatar even more, and after hitting one more gate, her anger boiled over.
In rage, and in the middle of the air gates, Korra started Firebending, with a zealous determination to destroy the gates which had thus far stopped her from advancing any further in her training. She would later refer to it as, "Stress-bending."
The kids, Tenzin, and a now thoroughly awake Percy, all stared in shock at the teen girl's actions.
"That was a 2000-year-old historical treasure," Tenzin said slowly. His anger rising with every word he said. Then he snapped. "What – What is wrong with you!?" he all but screamed at Korra.
"There's nothing wrong with me!" Korra rebuffed. "I've been practicing, just like you taught me, but it isn't sinking in, okay! It hasn't clicked like you said it would."
"Korra, this isn't something you can force. If you would only listen . . ." Tenzin tried to placate but was interrupted.
"No. If you would only look and see what was actually happening, you could have prevented this," Percy said, stepping between the two, looking at Tenzin. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Korra walks out of meditation early every day, but you always drag her back the next, hoping for a different result. You put her on the air gates every day, hoping that she'll make it, but nothing's changed," he implored. "Soon enough, it was all going to explode in your face, and it finally has! Both figuratively and literally," he said, motioning to the burning wreckage that was once the air gates training ground.
"I am trying to teach Korra Airbending, Percy. This is how it has been taught for thousands of generations, and it will work again. It isn't insanity because it does work," Tenzin tried to explain, but Korra was too angry to care.
"It's still insanity because I'm not the same as old Airbenders. Think again, Tenzin. This isn't going to work anymore!" Korra exclaimed, storming off to go do anything else.
Percy made to run and stop her but hesitated. Instead, before leaving he left Tenzin with some parting advice. "You made mistakes, Tenzin. You can't baby a teenager into learning Airbending. You've got to figure out something else. I'm gonna go, make sure she doesn't destroy anything else. We're done for the day," he said, running off to catch up with the wayward Avatar.
When he finally did, she was at the dock, waiting for the ferry. Percy approached cautiously. Even though he had just stood up for her, she was still a moody teenager, and her temper could flare in any direction. Not that he'd ever tell her that.
"I told him you were done for the day. I think you left quite the impression," He remarked, coming to stand next to her.
Korra huffed a tired sigh. "I just can't put up with him anymore. I feel like I've learned more about Airbending from you than I have from him, an actual Airbender!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah. I am pretty great," Percy cheekily remarked.
Korra nudged him a little harder than normal, meaning that she was still somewhat angry about earlier. By now, they could see the ferry making its way back across the island, returning with Air acolytes and loaded with groceries for the island's inhabitants.
"Thanks for standing up for me by the way. Now that it's over, I'm afraid I might have said something that I'd regret in front of the kids," Korra apologised.
Percy smiled, "No problem. What else am I here for," he said wryly.
Korra gave a small chuckle. "I don't know, you tell me. Didn't Katara tell you to make your own path before we left?"
"Yeah, but not much has happened really. I've watched a few bending matches and that's about it," Percy said.
"You could stay and teach me Airbending?" Korra suggested.
"Nah, that's Tenzin's job," Percy waved away easily.
"Well, if you don't do something, then people aren't gunna know who you are," Korra warned.
"Not true. Saikhan's already got us figured out," Percy said suggestively, nudging Korra with his elbow.
Korra was green the entire ferry ride to Republic City, and it wasn't from seasickness. Probably.
It was just after midday when the two Water Tribe teens left the ferry to explore more of the city together. Now, with Percy more familiar with the city's layout, the chances of them getting lost again were slim.
They didn't get lost, and instead actually had a very good afternoon. They got some food from some street vendors, explored some shops, toured more parts of the city, and just had an overall good time. Finally, the evening came. The two made their way towards the arena; lit up and bustling with more people than Percy had ever seen at it.
Percy showed a staff member his ticket, then watched as Korra produced a crumpled paper slip of some kind that clearly wasn't a ticket and handed it to the same clerk. A moment later the clerk gave her back her paper and she made her way back to him.
"What'd you do? Tell him you were the Avatar and that he had to let you in?" Percy asked jokingly.
Korra lightly slapped his chest in admonishment. "Of course not. The paper just said I was a guest of someone already in the stadium. It's just that, that someone's seats are very exclusive, so there's not a ticket for them. Just verbal invitation," she explained.
"Someone got you the best seats in the house? I thought I was going to have to smuggle you in from the back," Percy said.
"I tried that already. They'll catch you. I got lucky and someone brought me to their seats to watch the game," Korra said.
Percy narrowed his eyes suspiciously at that. "Someone, who you don't know, found you, and brought you to their seats to watch the game? You realise how sketchy that sounds?" he inquired.
"Yeah, now that I say it out loud, it doesn't sound great, but it worked out okay. He was definitely flirty, but not malicious, so stop worrying," Korra assured.
"I won't, but okay."
They came to a set of stairs going up and down.
"Well, I'm going down. So, I think this is where we split," Korra said as Percy made to start climbing the stairs.
This gave him pause. He pulled Korra out of the way of the throngs of people, eager to make their way to their seats so they could watch the game which would start any second.
"What do you mean? There aren't any viewing seats down there, just maintenance and stuff," Percy said. He knew this from his first time inside the stadium; he had tried to go downstairs, thinking he could sit somewhere down there, but was quickly turned away and directed upstairs where the rest of the crowds were going.
"Uh, that's where my friend told me to meet him," Korra said.
Percy narrowed his eyes slightly. Suspicion was clear in his voice when he said, "Are you sure? Because the stands are up there," Percy said, pointing up.
"Of course, I'm sure," Korra said with a roll of her eyes. "Look, I know what I'm doing. I was here yesterday and watched the game. I'm going to meet up with my friend down there, then I'm going to watch the game."
A part of Percy wanted to argue, to say that she might be making a mistake. But Korra was stubborn, and far more likely to get angry and cause a scene if he tried to keep her with him instead. Besides, he wanted to get inside and watch the game which would start soon anyway, and he knew that Korra was the same. Especially since Tenzin had forbidden her from so much as listening to a game over a radio.
So, reluctantly, he let her go. "Fine," he sighed. "I'm in row 26 E. If you need something, come find me, okay."
She rolled her eyes at Percy's protectiveness. "I'll be fine, so I wont need to come find you," she said. She started to make her way downstairs, but not before calling up to him, "Enjoy the game!"
Percy sighed. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen because she went downstairs. Not necessarily a bad something, just a something.
Shaking the worry from his mind, he started climbing the stairs and soon reached his level. He was thankful that the game hadn't started yet, but also confused because the match should have started a few minutes ago. The Platypus Bears were already in the ring, but there was no sign of the Fire Ferrets.
He quickly found his seat, seeing Asami already there.
"Hey," he said as he slipped into his seat, somewhat startling her.
"Oh, you made it. I was worried for a second," she said.
"I think I'm still worried. Have I missed anything?" He asked.
"I'm not sure. Nothing's happened yet, but there's been no sign of the Fire Ferrets," she said, probably just as confused as Percy was.
"Huh. Weird," Percy said.
They sat in silence for a while, before Asami prompted Percy. "So, what took you so long to get here?" she asked.
Percy shrugged his shoulders lightly in embarrassment. "Sorry. Getting to the stadium was a nightmare in itself. I swear, the entire city is here for the game," he said. Asami chuckled lightly. "Then, once I finally got here, I had a little mix-up with my friend. She said she was meeting some people downstairs, but I'm pretty sure the only things down there are storage closets and maintenance rooms," Percy explained.
"A friend, huh?" Asami asked. "Is this the same friend who gave you money to buy a ticket the first time?" she asked.
I actually laughed at that. "Oh hell no. Korra couldn't even afford food from a street vendor," he laughed.
"Street vendors overprice their wares, you know?" Asami said.
"Ah, I did not know that," Percy said, having now stopped laughing. "But she's still broke. So, it wouldn't matter either way."
Just then, the crowd started cheering. This drew Percy and Asami's attention to the platform. A retractable ramp that the teams use to get from their locker rooms to the playing platform was being extended, carrying the Fire Ferrets to the field.
The first thing Percy noticed was the Ferrets Waterbender was distinctly feminine and looked nothing at all like their usual Waterbender. Percy also thought he could see a ponytail sitting high on the new player's head, but he couldn't make out anything else. Even still, that feeling that something was going to happen at this match returned in full force.
The announcer announced that the Ferrets had a new Waterbender, but he seemed just as clueless as to who she was as Percy was.
They watched as the players all assumed a bending stance. Percy, curious to see how this replacement Waterbender compared to Hasook, was carefully critiquing her form. She seemed to know what she was doing, because he couldn't really spot any flaws in her stance.
The match started with a whistle and bell, and immediately, the unknown Waterbender knocked Platypus Bears Earthbender right off the side of the platform with a powerful, well-bend stream of water.
Percy wanted to cheer. The new Waterbender showed real promise for the Ferrets. He was just about to stand and celebrate when he realised that no one else was. In fact, people were booing. It puzzled him because the Waterbender in question was cheering, but she was the only one.
"Wha–" he started, but the referee blew his whistle.
"Fire Ferret Waterbender, Penalty. Move back one zone," he said firmly.
"What happened? Why?" Percy asked, completely confused.
"Players can only be knocked off the back of the platform. Anything else is a penalty," Asami explained.
"Really?" Percy asked.
She nodded in reply. "That's how the game's played. Teams need to force each other back into their own zones and then off the back of the platform."
"Huh. I did not know that," Percy said, subtly trying to sink in his chair, hoping to not look like an idiot. Like the Ferrets new Waterbender.
"Yeah. That's the objective of the game. Players can't move into zones ahead of them unless the entire enemy team is pushed out of the zone. If they do, then they have to move back another zone," Asami continued.
"And if they're already in the last zone?" Percy questioned.
Asami shrugged. "Then they're probably going to have to sit out the rest of the round."
Percy hummed in acknowledgment. "Okay. What other rules have I missed?"
"Players can only bend the most basic aspects of their elements, nothing advanced. So, Waterbenders can't turn water into ice, Firebenders can't use lightning, and Earthbenders can't bend metal. Theres also no hosing. So, a Waterbender can't bend a continuous stream of water at the other team, and a Firebender can't do the same, but with fire. Earthbenders have to use the provided earth discs in the ground. They can't crush or manipulate them into anything else, and they can't use too many at once. Also, it's illegal to combine elements at one player," she explained.
"Combine elements?" Percy asked.
"So, if someone is going to attack another player, the player's teammate can't slip their own element into the mix. The best example of this would be an earth disc hidden inside a water stream. A player can block the water, or the earth, but they can't do anything if it's both. It's blatant and obvious cheating."
"Okay. That seems like a no-brainer," Percy said. "But, what if, say, the Waterbender and Earthbender attacked the same player separately? Like, an earth disc from one direction, and a water stream from another?"
"That should be fine. It still gives the player enough warning time to dodge both elements if they're separate. If they're combined, like, hidden inside one another, then it becomes almost impossible to see both. A play like that is completely illegal and can end your career in an instant," she warned.
The bell was rung, and the game was put back in action. The Ferrets Waterbender seemed to be a fairly adept Waterbender, from what Percy could see. But, she obviously didn't know how to play. He watched as she proficiently bent some water around her and sent it at the other team. But before she could properly aim it, she got hit by an earth disc, and forced further back into her zone. She impressed Percy with an acrobatic flip in the air, pulling some water to her and then kicking it at the Platypus Bears. But upon landing, her foot crossed into the zone in front of her.
The line she crossed lit up red, and a buzzer was heard, stopping the game again.
"Foul. Over the line. Move back to zone three," the referee said. The crowd's booing became even louder than before.
"So, mister Waterbender," Asami said. "What do you think of the new player?"
"I think she's a good bender, not a great player," Percy said. "To me, she's proved herself a better bender than Hasook did in seconds of playing time. She just doesn't know the rules of the game, I guess."
"Really? But, she hasn't done anything," Asami said.
"We've seen her do stuff. Just nothing's been right," Percy corrected. "She had good power when she fouled the first guy, and it was fast. No one had any time to react. As for just now, I think she just didn't bend the water fast enough, but she did bend it properly."
"Properly?" Asami asked.
"Every other Waterbender I've seen in these games have adapted styles of bending water. You see, Waterbending is about smooth, flowing motions. If there's a rock in a stream, water doesn't try to force its way through; it doesn't try to move the rock. It tries to go around the rock. Same thing applies to Waterbending, except real Waterbending is the whole movement. You pull the water and then manipulate it around you until you need to let it go. Like the tides, Waterbending is all about a push and a pull. You have to pull the water towards you before you can use it. Here, there's no time to pull the water around yourself. They just focus the water in the quickest way possible, then let it go. It's kind of like a dance, in a sense," Percy explained.
"A dance, eh?" Asami said, playfulness in her voice. "Are you saying you dance?"
"Bending is a dance. Most Water Tribe dances are actually bending forms, just without actually bending. So, yeah. I do dance," Percy replied, just as playfully.
"Wow. Most guys in the city wouldn't admit that they dance to anyone," she said.
Percy shrugged his shoulders. "It's part of my culture. And how I train. Bending is an art. So, any bender that says they don't dance are liars," Percy affirmed.
"Good to know then," Asami said.
The Platypus Bears won the first round easily. When the second round started, their attacks were aimed primarily at the new Waterbender. There was absolutely no way for her to dodge all of the oncoming fireballs, and earth discs. Though to her credit, she didn't fall down. And she wasn't moving back.
"Oh, this is gunna hurt," Percy said, already wincing as he watched the Platypus Bears' Earthbender line up an earth disc at the Ferrets Waterbender. Said Waterbender was completely open to the attack. There was no way for her to pull enough water to her in time to block the attack.
Made worse was that the Platypus Bears' Fire and Waterbender suddenly redirected their attacks towards the new player! Now, she was about to get hit by an earth disc, fireball and water stream all at once.
Asami gasped frightfully next to him, obviously reaching the same conclusion that Percy had: This girl was dead.
Which is why it came as a shocking surprise when she didn't die. A surprise made even greater by the fact that she used the earth discs next to her to block all three attacks.
Collectively, the entire arena gasped in bewilderment. Everyone was frozen, not comprehending what had just happened.
Percy blinked once, twice, but nothing changed. He couldn't quite believe what his eyes were showing him. He tried looking closer. And that's when he realised that his eyes really were telling him the truth.
The player's ponytail was in a familiarly high position on her head, and her bending style was so good because she was using a style that Percy himself was intimately familiar with. It was Southern Water Tribe style. The exact same kind that Percy and Korra were brought up using.
And the way the player, the Waterbender, literally bent the earth discs to come to her defense, left no shred of doubt as to who the new player really was.
It was Korra.
At the moment, Percy was too shocked and confused to react in any way. Should he be angry? Why would he be angry? She doesn't need to tell him everything that goes on in her life, and he doesn't need to know everything she does either.
Should he be jealous? Well, he's definitely a little jealous that she's actually playing in a professional match with no prior experience in the sport. Otherwise, he had no real reason to be jealous of her. If anything, he should be congratulating her for replacing the Ferrets' other Waterbender.
That stray thought gave him pause. Should he be congratulating her, or should he be condemning her. But why would he condemn her? Because she's doing something for herself for once?
Then he had an epiphany. Throughout their lives, Percy and Korra have always been there for each other. Whenever Korra was feeling too cooped up in the southern compound, or just stressed and annoyed by something, Percy was always there cheer her up. He was always happy to be her anchor to the material world, the thing that keeps her sane at all times. He didn't have to stay inside the training compound they both viewed as a prison. After Korra had mastered Waterbending, when Percy chose to continue learning the element, it could have been done anywhere. But he chose to learn it inside the compound, only because Korra would have been stuck there, all alone otherwise.
Korra, likewise, offered the same support. She knew that Percy was often feeling neglected during his stays at the compound, while she's busy training in the other elements. Which is why when Percy started experimenting with Waterbending, trying to see how far the limits can truly be pushed, she supported him fully. Despite the stuck-up elders of the White Lotus telling him anytime he attempted to push the boundaries of Waterbending that he was wasting his, and the Avatars time, she always stuck with him, often putting herself at odds with the White Lotus because of it. But her faith in Percy bore fruit, spectacularly. But more often than not, even his experimentation wasn't enough to satisfy his ever-mounting boredom. So once again, Korra would go out of her way to spend time with him, even going so far as to shirk off her own training duties just to make sure that Percy hadn't gone crazy.
There were many times when the elders of the White Lotus would actively try and kick him out of the compound. They thought he was just a distraction for Korra, and that removing him would be a great boon for the young Avatar. They just didn't expect for such heavy resistance to come from the very person they thought they were trying to benefit.
As youths, Percy and Korra's stubbornness was legendary. The two were immovable in the face of adversity and disagreements. Their stubbornness mellowed out as they grew older, but it left a very long lasting impression.
The fact of the matter, Percy reasoned, was that he and Korra had always been there for each other, through thick and thin. And Korra's situation, with what must have led her to playing in an actual Pro Bending game, was not at all dissimilar to what they would do back at the compound. Korra would get frustrated over something to do with her training and need to go blow off some steam. Guards and elders would all try and stop her, but Percy would always come to her rescue. Either by standing up for her, or even sneaking her out of the compound without telling anyone, he'd always have her back.
And with that, he knew what he needed to do. He'd do what he's always done. Support and be happy for her no matter what. But that would come later. The decision of whether or not she would continue to play came down to the ref. If he decided that she wasn't going to be allowed to play, then Percy knew he'd leave to go find her. But until then, he'd do what he's always done: Accept what's happening in the world and move forward.
"That's. . . The Avatar," Asami breathed next to him. She, like everyone else, was shocked to see such a prominent, world renown figure at something as simple as a Pro Bending match, let alone to see her playing in said match.
"No shit," said Percy, more composed than Asami due to him already being used to Korra's wild and spontaneous personality.
"Do you think they'll let her play?" she asked.
Percy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know anything about this games rules, so I'm probably the last person you should be asking that to. But the way I see it, as long as she only bends water, she should be fine. I don't see a problem with it."
Asami pondered his solution for a moment. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense," she said finally. "But still, it's a little unfair, isn't it?"
"Why?" Percy asked, perplexed.
"Well. . . She's the Avatar," Asami said simply.
"So?" Percy asked.
"Well, surely there's got to be some kind of unfair advantage with having the Avatar on your team, right?" she explained.
"Not really. Sure, the Avatar can bend all four elements, but the only way she can is by mastering them all individually first. If she wants, she could just bend one element. There's nothing stopping her from using Waterbending exclusively in a Pro Bending match," Percy replied.
The people around them started to quiet down. Looking over, Percy and Asami saw the referee returning to his place overseeing the ring. His verdict would decide whether or not Korra could continue playing.
"The Avatar will be permitted to continue, so long as she solely bends water," he announced. This seemed to please the crowd, but it clearly upset the Platypus Bears.
"Guess you're right," Asami nudged Percy's shoulder.
Percy sent her a wry smirk, playfully rubbing the spot she nudged.
Clearly, the knowledge that Korra was the Avatar did nothing to change the way anyone played. If anything, it made the Platypus Bears even more determined to win. The next round started, with the Ferrets bending brothers being completely overlooked by the Platypus Bears, who instead chose to target Korra with absolutely everything they had.
She got hit again and again. She was given barely any time to recover and defend herself, and even less to counterattack. She dodged what she could, but slowly and surely, she was pushed off balance until, teetering on the edge of the first zone, she got hit by a combo. First was a fireball which broke her block, followed quickly by an earth disc to her exposed abdomen. And when she was doubled over in pain, she got hit by a quick stream of water which pushed her right off the edge of the ring, straight down into the pool of water below.
The entire time, Percy was gripping the armrest of his seat so tightly that he should have broken it. His knuckles were white. He was sweating. He anxiously watched Korra get pummeled by merciless attacks back-to-back with no reprieve whatsoever. When she finally got knocked off the ring, he almost wanted to look away.
"Come on! That can't be fair!" he exclaimed in outrage, rising out of his seat. 'Surely,' he thought. 'Surely that was a penalty of some kind, right?'
But to his dismay, no one seemed to share his concern. People were treating it as if it was just part of the game, to have an entire team focus all their bending at just one specific member of an opposing team.
"There's no way that's legal, right?" he asked Asami instead.
"Honestly, your guess is as good as mine now," she said.
Unhappily, Percy sat back down and watched the rest of the match. The Platypus Bears were playing it safe now. They had already knocked one of their opposing players off the ring, so all they had to do was hold their territory and they'd win the round.
Korra was back for round three. Even from the distance, Percy could tell she was unhappy about something.
"That's it, right," he asked Asami, sadly.
"What's it?" she said.
"The Ferrets already lost two rounds. There's only one left, so they cant win, can they?" he clarified.
"Sort of," she said. "The only way for the Ferrets to win now is if they get a knockout. Otherwise, they've lost," she explained.
That gave Percy some hope.
The last round started, and right off the bat, the Platypus Bears sought to separate the Fire Ferrets. The Bears' Waterbender worked overtime, trying to bush the bending brothers of the Ferrets into the corner of the ring. With a constant onslaught of water, he managed to keep the two brothers pinned down, unable to fight back or block.
That left Korra to face the other two benders of the Platypus Bears, alone. She blocked a fireball with her water, then dodged an earth disc. She couldn't bring enough water to stop the next fireball though, and while dodging the next earth disc, brought herself closer to the edge of the first zone. A sudden, and unexpected wave of water pushed her off balance, knocking her back two zones before she managed to stabilize herself, just in time to dodge more fire and earth projectiles.
Percy thought she was done for. She'd been bombarded by bending ever since she stepped foot into the ring, he figured they wouldn't let up, and that she'd get hit by one lucky shot, and plummet into the pool below.
But Korra always had a tendency of doing exactly what people didn't expect.
It was as if a switch had been flipped. She started evading all incoming projectiles. Not dodging, just avoiding. She was spinning in slow, counter rotating circles. None of the incoming earth discs or fireballs were hitting her. She wasn't retaliating, just spinning.
It wasn't any form of Waterbending Percy had ever seen her do. But then he realised that it wasn't Waterbending. It was Airbending!
Percy had studied Airbending while he was developing new Waterbending forms, kinda like how Iroh developed the technique of redirecting lightning by watching Waterbenders and recognised the swirling motions of her form. He had also seen her constantly practicing this very form many times at Air Temple Island. It seemed to be the only pert of her Airbending training that she didn't not enjoy.
"Holy shit," Percy breathed. This was probably the first time he had ever seen Korra actually perform an Airbending form in practice. Sure, she practices them daily, but to know if she's succeeded in learning them, she needs to take them through the air gates and avoid touching any of the gates. So far, she's been unsuccessful. Until now.
Now, she was avoiding everything coming her way, with effortless ease.
"How's she doing that?" questioned Asami. Percy didn't need to look to know that she was amazed also.
"She's being the leaf," Percy said without thinking, remembering something Meelo had said as encouragement or Korra.
"What?" Asami asked.
"Sorry, just something I heard somewhere," Percy excused. "She's doing an Airbending form," he said.
"What?!" Asami exclaimed. "But the ref just said that she can't bend more than one element. She shouldn't be allowed to do that," she insisted.
"The ref said she can only bend water. He said nothing about performing the bending forms of other elements, without actually bending said elements," Percy corrected.
Asami thought about that for a bit, before asking, "So, why Airbending?"
"Air is the elements of freedom. Airbending is all about free-flowing movements. Taking the path of least resistance, and always adapting to find a better way," Percy explained.
Turning to look back at the game, it seemed that the Platypus Bears had all worn themselves out. Their attacks weren't even reaching the Fire Ferrets anymore. The bending brothers were able to leave the corner and opened up with a ruthless barrage of fire and earth, obviously wanting payback for being forcibly sidelined that entire round.
From the back, Korra had gone back to Waterbending, launching long ranged water strikes from afar, never missing.
First to fall was the Waterbender, followed soon after by the Earthbender. Both were the focus of concentrated attacks from all three Fire Ferrets. Korra had the honor of knocking the Firebender out of the ring, with three back-to-back water strikes which finally sent the last of the Platypus Bears off of the ring.
"And just like Mako did last time, all the Avatar had to do was avoid all the Bears' attacks, let them tire themselves out, then strike at once," Percy finished proudly. This might have been one of his happiest moments, watching the girl he grew up with overcome the adversity to winning an all-important game.
And with that, the Fire Ferrets were in the championship tournament. And Korra was going with them.
It took a while, but finally Korra made it to the docks. She paused when she saw Percy waiting patiently for her but continued moving forward anyway.
"Tenzin's gunna flip, y'know," he said idly. "When he finds out you used an Airbending form to win the game. Nice going by the way. I think congratulations are in order," he remarked.
"You're not mad?" Korra asked tentatively.
They boarded the ferry that was waiting there to take them both back to the island.
"I thought about it for a while," Percy said finally once they were underway. "Should I be angry that you ditched me to go play in a Pro Bending match, or no? I also wondered if I should be jealous of you because of it," he said.
"I didn't ditch you to play," Korra said. "Yesterday, I snuck off the island and broke into the arena. Found myself in the players gym. Got caught by a manager but was saved by Bolin."
"Bolin? He's the Fire Ferrets Earthbender, right?" Percy asked.
"That's the one," Korra affirmed. "Anyway, he invited me into the players locker room, which sounds way grosser than it really is. Anyway, I watched the game from there yesterday, and went back there today. There must have been some reoccurring anger between Mako Bolin and Hasook, because Hasook didn't even show up for the game today," she said.
"Is that why the game was so late starting?" Percy asked.
"Yeah. But at the last minute, I volunteered myself to play instead. That's how I ended up playing. I didn't ditch you without telling you I'd be playing, because I didn't even know until a few minutes after the game was supposed to start," she finished.
"Well, that at least makes me feel a little bit better," Percy said.
They stayed in silence for the rest of the ride. Soon enough, they were back on Air Temple Island, making their way slowly up the hill towards the main temple.
"A-are you sure you're not mad?" Korra finally asked nervously.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Percy said, a soft smile on his face. "I thought about it for a while, and finally decided that this was pretty much exactly what we've always done in the past. You getting to stressed out by your training and needing an escape. Me, always helping and covering for you in some way. It's all just business as usual," he said.
Korra smiled softly. "Yeah, I guess it is," she said. "But are you sure your not just the tiniest bit jealous?" she asked playfully.
"Pfft, why would I ever be jealous of you?" Percy asked sarcastically. He got an elbow as his only reply. "What I mean is, I got over whatever jealousy I felt towards you a long time ago. It all came down to, why would I be jealous of you, when I can love you for who you are instead," he said fondly.
Korra blushed slightly at his words. As they finally reached the temple, Korra stopped them both. Leaning up on her toes, she kissed his cheek, before wrapping him up in a tight hug. "Thanks. For everything," she said lovingly.
"Always," Percy said.
A/N
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