Hey guys, Happy New Year! Man it has been a minute since my last chapter but I'm back with another one. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 3: The Revelation
Ichigo shifted in his sleep. A girl with long, orange-coloured hair appeared in his dream.
"Kurosaki-kun!"
She was replaced by two guys. One looked like a complete nerd with glasses and a strange white outfit. The other was gigantic and looked Hispanic.
"Honestly, Kurosaki. You need to stop rushing into things like this." The nerd said.
The giant nodded.
Then they faded out too. A girl with medium length black hair, dressed in black robes with a sword appeared next. She looked straight at him.
"Don't worry. We'll find you. Wait for us, Ichigo."
Ichigo woke up with a start. Korra was standing beside the bed with concern in her eyes.
"Are you all right, Ichigo?"
He rubbed his eyes. "Yeah. It was just a dream," he said more to himself than to her. "What are you doing in my room?"
"Mako says that I have to go train and I wanted to take you with me."
"It's like 6:00 in the morning!"
"5:00 actually. I'll ask them why when we get there. Now come on or we'll be late."
"You'll be late, you mean." Ichigo grumbled as he got ready. He looked at the mirror and cried out at his reflection. It looked like him but with pure white skin and hair. The eyes were black with yellow pupils. Then his reflection returned to normal.
"Everything okay in there, Ichigo?"
"Yeah, everything's fine."
When he had finished, they took a ferry ride to the Arena. Korra led them to the gym. Mako and Bolin were already there.
"You're late." Mako said.
"Sorry, Ichigo was primping himself in front of the mirror."
"I was not!"
Bolin laughed. "Okay, let's get started. Ichigo, I guess you can sit over there."
"If I'm just gonna sit and watch then why did I come in the first place?"
"Because we enjoy your company, Ichigo." Korra replied smugly. "It's also so we can get to know each other a little more."
"Don't you remember, Korra? I have no memories."
The two brothers looked at them in confusion and Korra explained the story to them.
"Wow." Mako said, "I had no idea. I'm sorry."
"Whatever," said Ichigo, "I don't care. It actually might be a good thing; having no memories. Means I get to make a fresh start. Amend any mistakes I may have made in the life I had before this." He hesitated, then added, "But it's also a pain in the ass."
They all laughed. Bolin picked up a large ball and they started throwing it around between the three of them as Ichigo leaned against the far wall.
"So what's the idea of making me train so early in the morning?" Korra said grumpily. "The morning is evil."
Bolin answered her; "We're the rookies so we get the worst time slot in the gym."
He tossed the ball to Mako. "And you're the rookiest of us all." The elder brother stated, "We've got to get you up to speed if we want to survive in the tournament. Deal with it!"
He threw it forcefully at her. Korra caught it and threw it harder back at him.
"You deal with it!" He wasn't expecting the pass so he was sent to the floor with a grunt.
The gym door opened and a large man walked through. He was dressed in drab brown-green clothes with a black designer hat. His eyebrows were thick and bushy and he had two tufts of hair above both sides of his upper lip.
"Ah, there are my hard workin' street urchins," he said.
He strode over to them. Ichigo rose to his feet and joined his friends.
"It's an honour to finally meet you, Avatar," the man said.
"And you are…?"
The man took off his hat in greeting as he replied. "Butahka. I run this whole pro-bending shebang." The hat went back on. He pulled a stack of money from his coat.
"Here's your winnings from the last match."
Mako smiled as he accepted the money.
"Uh-uh-uh, not so fast." Butahka took some of the money off. "First, you owe me for the Avatar's new gear." He began taking off more as he listed several other things. "Gym and equipment rentals from last month. Rent on your apartment and a personal loan for groceries."
The money was now completely gone. Mako glared at Bolin.
The little brother rubbed his stomach. "What? I'm a growing boy."
"Oh," Butahka continued, "and one more small item of business: the Fire Ferrets need to ante up 30,000 yuans for the championship pot."
"30,000 yuans?" Bolin cried.
Butahka put his hand on Mako's shoulder. "Sorry, kids. You got until the end of the week to come up with the dough. Otherwise, you're out of the tournament."
He walked away. "Selfish jerk." Ichigo muttered. Bolin turned to Korra.
"You wouldn't happen to have a secret Avatar bank account overflowing with gold, would you?"
She turned out her pockets. "I got nothing. I've never really needed money. I've always had people taking care of me." She smiled.
Mako scowled. "Then I wouldn't say you have nothing."
Korra looked at him. "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't mean…"
"No, it's okay," Bolin said, "It's just, ever since we lost our parents, we've been on our own."
"I'm so sorry. I didn't know."
"So anyway," Mako steered them back on track, "How are we gonna come up with the money?"
"Oh! Oh! I got it, I got it." Bolin knelt down next to Pabu, the brother's pet ferret. "You see, I've been training Pabu to do circus tricks. Now people would pay good money to see that."
"Come on, Bolin. We need serious ideas."
"But I was serious." Bolin looked dejectedly at the floor.
Mako sighed. "Don't worry about it. I'll figure something out. I always do."
Later that day, Bolin sat in a popular city square beneath a statue of Fire Lord Zuko. Overtop his normal drab clothes, he had put on a flashy red and yellow shirt that looked like something a wrestler would wear. He had also taken the liberty of sporting a large fake moustache. In front of him were two upturned cups with a thin board placed across them. Pabu stood atop a small bucket, wearing a circus animal hat and shirt and licking his paws.
"Come one, come all," Bolin was saying, "See Pabu, the Fantastic Fire Ferret as he crosses the Ladder of Peril." He took an intake of breath for dramatic effect. "Upside down." He looked expectantly at Pabu who continued to lick his paws. "Psst! Psst!" He whispered insistently.
Pabu looked up and the little ferret walked on his hands across the ladder and did a little flip at the end.
"Tada! Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. You are too kind. Seriously, too kind."
A man tossed a single coin into the bucket.
"You can come right back here and put money in this…" He shook the bucket. "Okay, that's fine. That's fine. One Yuan down, 29,999 to go."
He looked up as he heard a car stop in front of him. It was a red, low-riding Sato-mobile. A shifty looking guy rolled down the window. He was dressed in nice, blue clothes and had a sharp, brown goatee to match his hair.
"Hey, Bolin. That you?"
"Oh. Hey there, Shady Shin," Bolin said awkwardly with a wave.
Shin opened the car door and stepped out. "I heard that you're a big time pro-bending player now. Not bad."
"Uh, thanks."
"So listen, I got an offer for you. Lightning Bolt Zolt is lookin' to hire some extra muscle."
"Uh, I don't know, Shin. Mako told me to stay away from the Triple Threats."
Shin scoffed slightly. "Your brother ain't the boss of you. It's just a little security work. Nothing crooked."
He tossed a big pile of money in the bucket. Bolin looked at it and gasped wildly.
Shin smirked. "You game?"
Meanwhile, Mako was working in a factory, shooting lightning at a machine along with several other workers. The factory whistle blew and he took off his facemask and rubbed his greasy forehead.
He returned home to the attic in the pro-bending arena
"Bo, I'm back," he said. "Picked up your favourite dumplings."
He sighed as he sank onto the couch. "Hey, I found some work down at the power plant. Made some decent money." He began eating the dumplings. "Bolin? You here, bro?"
He didn't get an answer. He turned and looked out the window at Air Temple Island. He smiled knowingly. "Huh. I bet the little lovebird is making a house call."
Korra was now able to pass through all the gates flawlessly. Jinora and Ikki sent the gates spinning and Korra danced through them.
"Good, light on your feet." Jinora said. Korra finished, breathing hard as she came to the other side. Jinora looked behind her and glimpsed Mako coming up the steps.
"Ooh, he's cute. Korra, is that the handsome Firebender boy that drives you almost as crazy as Ichigo does?"
"Does he drive you crazy in a bad way?" Ikki asked. "Or does he drive you crazy like you like him?"
Korra sent them flying away with a bit of earthbending just as Mako came up behind her.
She cleared her throat. "Oh, hey, Mako." She said as the girls giggled.
"You seen Bolin?" He asked roughly.
"Nice to see you too. And no, I haven't seen him since practice. Think something's wrong?"
"I don't know. Bolin has a knack for getting into stupid situations." He sighed. "See you later."
"Wait, I could, uh, help you look for him."
"Nah, I got it. Where's Ichigo?"
"Oh, he said he was going into town but he should be back by now."
"Great. Now there's two people I need to find."
Korra grabbed his arm. "Hey, cool guy, let me help you. We can take Naga."
"Who's Naga?"
"My best friend. And a great tracker."
A little while later the two of them were riding on Naga through the streets of Republic City.
"Your best friend is a polar bear-dog." Mako said slowly. "Somehow that makes perfect sense."
"I'll take that as a compliment, city boy." They smiled at each other.
The first place they looked was the city square.
"Well, this is his usual hang-out." Mako jumped off Naga and saw a group of kids laughing and playing. He went up to one of them. "Hey, you guys seen my brother around here today?"
The kid smirked slightly. "Perhaps. My memory's a little… foggy. Maybe you can… clear it up." He held out his hand.
Mako sighed. "You're good, Skoochy. A real pro." He handed him a few bills.
"Yeah, I seen him."
"When?"
"About noon."
"What was he doing?"
"He was performing some kind of money-rat circus. And then…" Skoochy put out his hand again. Mako rolled his eyes and gave him more money.
"And then, what? Why'd he leave?"
Skoochy looked around to see if anyone was listening. "Shady Shin showed up and flashed some serious cash. Bo took off with him in his hot rod. The Triple Threats, the Red Monsoons, the Agni Kai's, all the Triads are muscling up for something real big. Now that's all you're getting outta me!" He ran off.
"What's he talking about?" Korra asked gravely.
Mako cursed. "Sounds like there's a turf war brewing and Bolin's about to get caught up right in the middle of it."
They got back on Naga.
"So where are we headed?" Korra asked.
"The Triple Threat Triad's Headquarters," Mako replied. "Hopefully Bolin's there and nothing's gone down yet."
"Triple Threat Triad? Ichigo and I beat up some of those yahoos when we got into town. Why would Bolin get tangled up with-"
Suddenly Naga barked and surged forward.
"Whoa, Naga!" Korra pulled the reigns but she wouldn't stop. They glimpsed a small creature running. Naga was obviously chasing it. The little thing climbed up street lamp pole and Naga stopped.
"That's Pabu!" Mako cried.
"Naga, no. Pabu's a friend not a snack."
The two animals bumped noses and Pabu ran up to Mako's shoulder.
"We gotta hurry." Mako told her.
When they arrived, Mako narrowed his eyes. "Something's not right. There are usually thugs posted out front. We'd better be cautious." He crept silently up to the door and peeked inside the window. Seeing nothing, he waved Korra forward.
Korra ignored him and promptly kicked down the door. Mako followed her inside. It was deserted. Furniture was strewn all over the place.
"Bolin? You in here?"
They heard engines revving. The two of them raced to the back door and saw a large truck followed by strange guys riding motorcycles. They wore masks that covered their whole head. Painted on the forehead of the masks was a single, large red dot.
The doors to the truck were still open and they glimpsed a tied-up Bolin with Shady Shin beside him in a similar fashion. Bolin cried out when he saw them but a gag muffled his call.
"Bolin!" Mako and Korra started running after the truck. Two of the masked men threw gas canisters at them.
"Naga, come!" Korra coughed. They jumped on the animal and made chase.
The bikers trailed behind the truck, protecting it. Mako sent blasts of fire at them but they were evaded easily. Korra trust her hands up and the ground began to crack behind the nearest biker. A sharp hill of earth shot out of the ground but the biker simply rode it like a ramp, landing the jump with skill.
The truck led them through several streets then they came out into a wide, open area. Two of the guys on bikes turned round and threw tripping wires at Naga's feet. They wrapped around her legs and Korra and Mako were sent sprawling to the ground.
The masked guys got off their bikes and charged them. Korra sent a blast of fire at one but she flipped over it. They began engaging in close combat with Korra desperately trying to gain the advantage. But her opponent kept dodging her strikes.
Then the woman started making fast, hard hits to points on Korra's body. She cried out as her arm went limp. She gasped and continued to right with only her left hand. Then she was kicked backwards into Mako, who was also paralyzed. The two fighters advanced but Naga cut through her bindings and jumped to defend them, roaring loudly as she did so.
The two fighters glanced at each other then flipped away while throwing more gas canisters to cover their escape.
Korra got to her feet. She threw a punch. "Argh. I can't bend." She tried again. "I can't bend!"
"Calm down." Mako also stood. "It'll wear off. Those were Chi-blockers. They're Amon's henchmen."
"Amon? You mean that anti-bending guy with the mask?"
"Yeah. He's the leader of the Equalists."
"What do they want with the Triple Threats?"
"Whatever it is, it can't be good." Mako grunted in frustration. "I can't believe Bolin got caught up in this mess."
Korra put her hand on his shoulder. "Mako, we are going to save your brother. I promise you that. Maybe we should look for Ichigo. He may have some leads."
For the rest of the night they searched. Finally, Korra brought Naga to a slow walk.
"We've been out all night," she said, "No sign of him."
"We've gotta keep looking. But where?"
Korra lowered her head in thought. Then she gasped. "I have an idea!"
She led them to the same park that her and Ichigo fished at when they first arrived in Republic City. They stopped beside a fountain and dismounted. Naga and Pabu started drinking the fountain water.
"When we first got into town," Korra said, "Ichigo and I ran into an Equalist protestor over there." She pointed to the spot.
"And you think he'll know where Bolin is?"
"It's our only lead right now."
The two of them sat down and laid their backs against Naga on the grass beneath a tree. Korra looked at Mako questioningly. "So why is Bolin running around with the Triple Threat Triad anyway?
"Well, we-we used to do some work for them back in the day." Mako explained.
"What?! Are you some kind of criminal?"
"No. You don't know what you're talking about." He said indignantly. "I just ran numbers for them and stuff. We were orphans out on the street. I did what I had to do to survive and protect my little brother," he finished angrily.
"I'm sorry." Korra apologized. "It must have been really hard. Can I ask what happened to your parents?"
Mako sighed deeply. "They were mugged, by a firebender. He cut them down right in front of me. I was eight."
Korra stared at him sadly. "Mako."
He pulled his scarf over his mouth. "Bolin's the only I family I have left. If something happened to him…" He didn't continue and Korra didn't press any harder.
The next morning, they were woken by the sound of a loudspeaker. The same protestor was standing on his table and yelling.
"Equality now! Equality now! We want equality now!"
Korra groaned and opened her eyes. Mako did the same and she cried out as she saw that they had slept with each other's heads together.
"Aah! I, uh…" They separated quickly and looked at each other, stuttering.
"Non-benders of Republic City!" The protestor continued.
"That's the guy." Korra pointed to him.
"Amon calls you to action! Take back your city! It's time for the-"
He gasped as he saw Korra. "It's you again! You will not silence me, Avatar!"
Then he yelped as she knocked the loudspeaker from his hand.
"Shut your yapper and listen up. My friend got kidnapped by some chi-blockers. Where'd they take him?"
He crossed his arms defiantly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh, I think you do."
Korra used Earthbending to upturn the table that he stood on. All the flyers that were on top of it were scattered into the air. Mako caught one and started reading it.
"Witness the Revelation tonight, 9:00. What's this Revelation?"
"Nothing that concerns the likes of you two."
He yelped again as Korra grabbed his shirt and lifted him off the ground with one hand.
"You'd better believe it concerns us. Spill it."
"No one knows what the Revelation is! And I have no idea what happened to your friend. But if he's a bender, then he's gonna get what's coming to him. Speaking of friends, that guy who was with you a couple days ago came to see me."
"What?"
"Yeah. He said he was interested." He laughed. "Maybe you should choose your friends more wisely, Avatar. You never know when they'll turn their backs on you."
"Ichigo would never do that!"
The man just laughed. A whistle blew. A police officer across the park had spotted them.
"Hey! What's going on over there?"
"The Avatar is oppressing us! Help!"
Korra tossed him to the ground. "Let's scram, Mako." Mako nodded and reached down and grabbed a few of the flyers. As they rode away, Mako looked at Korra.
"Do you think what that guy said about Ichigo is true?"
"No. I don't." She looked thoughtful. "Well, maybe. When we first heard this guy, Ichigo said that he's right. He said that people with power always abuse those without it. And Ichigo is a non-bender. So out of the four of us, he's the only one who'd get oppressed."
Mako nodded with understanding. "I see."
Korra sighed. "All I know is that we have to find him."
The evening after meeting Butahka at practice, Ichigo had returned to the Island. He thought about his dream in the morning. Do I know those people? Were they from my old life? If they were, then they'd be looking for me. I have to make my presence known if they're going to find me.
Ichigo went around the Island until he found Korra. "Hey, Korra, tell Tenzin that I'm going into town. I'll be back soon."
"Okay," she replied hesitantly, "What are you going for?"
He walked away. "There's someone I need to find," he said over his shoulder.
"Okay, well don't be gone too long, Ichigo."
"I won't."
He caught a ferry from the Island and rode it to the city. By then it was getting dark and cold. He was only wearing a thin shirt and pants so he checked his pockets to see if he had any money. He found a few bills, enough for a jacket.
There was a cheap clothing store nearby so he went there. The lady running the store was very friendly and he bought a light coat, warm enough for this kind of weather but useless in the snow.
He used up all his money to pay for it and walked out the store. Ichigo put on the coat. It was a nice fit. There was a hood on the back and he pulled it on to cover his orange hair. Looking around, he found his bearings and headed towards the park.
The lead protestor was there, cleaning up his stuff. He jumped in surprise when he saw Ichigo."
"You!" he exclaimed, "You were that guy with the Avatar! What are you doing here? To kill me?"
Ichigo shook his head. "I just want to talk."
The man paused then nodded. "All right. I'm listening."
Ichigo began. "Like you, I am a non-bender."
"Really? But you were with the Avatar."
"Please. Don't interrupt me." Ichigo said with a scowl.
The man gulped. "Okay. Sorry."
Ichigo continued, "I'm kind of a strange case. Avatar Korra found me several weeks ago, encased in ice. I have no memories of who I was or how I got there. I've been able to remember some things but they always fade away. I had a dream last night. I saw faces that I didn't recognize. They said they were looking for me."
"Why are you telling me this?" The man said with obvious confusion.
"Because I think that Amon can help me."
"Amon?"
"Yes. Now I know that you probably don't know him personally. But do you know any way that I can see and perhaps meet Amon?"
The man considered this. "What proof do I have that you are not spying for the Avatar?"
Ichigo hesitated then replied in a cruel tone. "Avatar Korra is a fool. She is misguided and reckless. I hate being around her. She is an oppressive bender like all the rest. I will prove my worth to the Equalists by exploiting the Avatar's stupidity. So that Amon can bring equality for us all."
The man smiled. "I can see that you're sincere. All right, I'll help you." He indicated a pile of flyers. "Take one of these. It's an advertisement for the Revelation."
"Revelation?"
"It's where Amon will supposedly show himself to the people. All non-benders should be there."
Ichigo nodded and took the flyer. On the back, there was an incomplete map of Republic City.
"What is this?"
"Oh. Here." The man took three more flyers and put them all together. When they were lined up in a square, the map was full and showed the location.
"The Revelation will happen there. At 9:00 tomorrow."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me. Thank Amon. Soon, he's going to change the world for the better."
Ichigo smiled. "I look forward to it."
That night, Ichigo slept on a bench. He lay awake but with closed eyes. The voice that he had heard in his head before began to laugh.
"You're a pretty good actor, King," the voice said almost audibly. "But we both know why you're really doing this."
Ichigo replied with his thoughts. I wasn't acting. I need to regain my memories.
"Of course you do. But why do you think that this Amon can help you?"
I don't know if he can or not. I just need to see for myself what kind of man he is. If he can help me then I am prepared to join him. What if my old friends are with him? I mean all I can do is try. If it works, then I can finally know who I was.
"I'll tell you what you were. You were a self-righteous fool who didn't care about himself. All you cared about was protecting your friends. Now look at you. You're trying to ignore your new friends and do what is best for you. But do you really want that? Do you want to turn against your friends like this?"
Shut up.
"I don't think you do. You want to regain your power so you can protect them."
Shut up! Shut up!
"It's never about you, is it, King? It's all about the ones that you love."
SHUT UP!
Finally the voice left. Ichigo was breathing hard. He tasted salt in his mouth and he realized that he was crying.
He brushed away the tears angrily and resigned himself to sleep. Ichigo slept for a while and the sun was high in the sky before he awoke. His eyes opened and he groaned. Sleeping on a bench had not been good for his back. He was sore all over.
Taking the map in his hand, he studied it. It would take many hours to reach the location specified on the map, maybe even all day. He sighed and started walking.
Korra and Mako were sitting on a bench beside a map. They had placed the flyers on the ground and were studying them.
"Why didn't the Equalists put a location on these?" Korra asked.
"Maybe because they didn't want just anyone waltzing into their big Revelation, whatever that is," Mako said in reply. "I bet the information is hidden on here somehow."
He picked one up. "Look at the backs. There's four different images."
"So, it's a puzzle?"
"Yeah. It's a puzzle of a map!" He picked up four sheets and held them up to the map beside them. He moved the four images around until he found where it matched. There was a dot on a building near the ocean.
"Bingo. That must be where it's going down."
That evening, Korra and Mako approached the location. They were wearing hats and scarves to conceal their identities.
"This is the place." Mako said. As they approached the entrance, Korra put her arm through Mako's. "What are you doing?"
"We'll attract less attention this way."
A large man was at the entrance acting as a guard or bouncer. They saw people moving inside. A guy with a hood covering his face moved in just before them. The big guy at the door blocked their path.
"This is a private event," he said gruffly. "No one gets in without an invitation."
"Uh, invitation?" Korra asked innocently.
Mako reached into his pocket and pulled out a flyer. "You mean this?"
The man smiled and motioned for them to proceed. "The Revelation is upon us, my brother and sister."
They went inside.
Ichigo saw the building ahead and smiled tiredly. He'd been walking the whole day since he had no money for cab fare. He went up to the entrance but a large man stopped him.
"Do you have an invitation?"
Ichigo nodded and withdrew the flyer. The man took it. "The Revelation is now upon us, my brother."
Ichigo smiled at him as he walked past. "Indeed."
Out of the corner of his eye he glimpsed a couple coming after him that looked vaguely familiar but he paid them no heed.
He moved inside and was genuinely surprised at the amount of people there. He sensed the couple coming behind him and quickly walked into the crowd.
Mako looked at the giant crowd. "I knew a lot of people hated benders, but I've never seen so many in one place. Keep your eyes out for Bolin."
They mingled into the crowd and moved closer to the front. Spotlights came on and Ichigo tensed with anticipation.
A man started speaking. "Please welcome, your hero, your saviour, Amon!"
The floor on the stage opened and there he was. Rising through the smoke like a phantom, Amon had his hands clasped behind his back. He was dressed simple, with a military style jacket and boots. The jacket also bore a hood, which he wore. But the mask was the most striking.
It covered every part of his face, with drawn in facial details. The mask was yellowish and a large red dot, symbol of the Equalists, adorned the forehead. The crowd started cheering and applauding.
Ichigo stayed silent. As did Korra and Mako. Amon had five chi-blockers behind him and one other man with a droopy moustache.
Amon walked forward to the microphone at the front of the stage, raised his hand and started speaking. His voice was raspy and deep. Chilling.
"My quest for equality began many years ago. When I was a boy, my family and I lived on a small farm. We weren't rich. And none of us were benders. This made us very easy targets for the firebender who extorted my father. One day, my father confronted this man. But when he did, that firebender took my family away from me. Then he took my face."
The crowd started exclaiming at that. "I've been forced to hide behind a mask ever since. As you know, the Avatar has recently arrived in Republic City."
The crowd started booing and Korra hid her face under her scarf. Ichigo winced.
"And if she were here," Amon continued, "she would tell you that bending brings balance to the world. But she is wrong. The only thing bending has brought to the world is suffering. It has been the cause of every war in every era. But that is about to change."
His voice took on a slightly amused tone. "I know you have been wondering, 'What is the Revelation'? You are about to get your answer. Since the beginning of time, the Spirits have acted as guardians of our world. And they have spoken to me. They say the Avatar has failed humanity. That is why the spirits have chosen me to usher in a new era of balance. They have granted me a power that will make equality a reality. The power to take a person's bending away… permanently!"
The crowd gasped and Korra's eyes widened in shock. Ichigo was stunned.
"That's impossible." He muttered. "This man is insane. And what was that crap about Spirits? The Soul Society and the Gotei 13 are the guardians."
He realized what he had just said. But the memory was already gone.
"That's impossible." Korra said. "There's no way."
"This guy is insane." Mako agreed, not realizing that Ichigo had just said the same thing several meters away.
"Now for a demonstration." Amon continued. He gestured to several tied up figures. "Please welcome: Lightning Bolt Zolt, leader of the Triple Threat Triad. And one of the most notorious criminals in Republic City."
The crowd booed. "Aah, boo yourself!" Zolt retorted.
The spotlight fell on the other prisoners. Bolin was there, looking terrified.
"There's Bolin." Korra said.
Ichigo looked at Bolin in shock. "What the hell is he doing here?"
Korra started moving forward but Mako grabbed her arm.
"Wait," he said cautiously, "We can't fight them all. We need to be smart about this."
"Then come up with a game plan, Team Captain." Korra replied sarcastically.
Amon was still speaking. "Zolt has amassed a fortune by extorting and abusing non-benders. But his reign of terror is about to come to an end. Now in the interest of fairness, I will give Zolt the chance to fight to keep his bending."
One of Amon's men untied Zolt and he got to his feet.
"You're gonna regret doing that, pal!" He blasted fire at Amon. The Equalist leader dodged it. Then Zolt fired lightning at him. But Amon grabbed his wrist and forced him to his knees.
Then he grabbed Zolt's neck and placed his thumb and forefinger on his face. The lightning downgraded into fire then it faded away into nothingness. Zolt fell forward. He tried to bend but nothing happened. The crowd gasped.
"What, what did you do to me?"
"Your firebending is gone… forever."
The crowd exclaimed again. Amon turned to face the crowd. "The era of bending is over. A new era, of equality, has begun!" He raised his fist and the crowd started cheering.
Ichigo backed away. "I'm in way over my head here. I gotta get out." Then he looked at Bolin's quivering face. "But I have to save Bolin."
A chi-blocker untied Shady Shin and kicked him forward towards Amon. Korra looked at Mako.
"Any ideas yet?"
"I think so. See those machines?" He indicated two-barrel type things on the wall. "They're powered by water and steam. If you create some cover, I can grab Bolin without anyone seeing. Then, we duck outta here."
"Works for me." They started moving. Mako advanced to the front while Korra went to the side. She left the large room and entered a hallway. She started unlatching the pipes but it wasn't enough.
Then the big guard from out front came up behind her.
"Hey, you."
Mako and Ichigo both moved forward as Shin got his bending taken. The guy before Bolin was untied.
Korra faced the big man. "Is there a problem, my brother?"
"What are you doing back here?"
"Uh, looking for the bathroom?" She could almost sense Ichigo facepalming.
The man pulled out a heavy wrench and swung at her. She ducked and it hit the pipes. Then she grabbed her scarf, wrapped it around his hand and used his momentum to throw him into the machine.
It broke and steam filled the air.
"Thanks. This should be enough."
Finally, Bolin was grabbed. He tried to talk his way out of the situation.
"Uh, hello, Amon, sir. I think there's been a big misunderstanding."
Amon came forward. Korra bent the steam into the wall and there was an explosion. The crowd started screaming and steam filled the room. Amon still moved forward. Then Ichigo jumped onto the stage and slammed into Amon.
"Don't touch him!"
A chi-blocker grabbed Bolin from behind but Mako was already there and he threw him away into the crowd.
"Bolin, you all right?"
"Yes! Mako, I love you!"
Mako grabbed him and they ran out a door. They were high up and there was a ladder leading to the ground. Bolin started going down and Mako followed him.
Meanwhile, Ichigo was using all his strength to push Amon away. He had seen Mako grab Bolin.
So they were here too?
He and Amon grappled for control. But he couldn't push him any farther.
Man, this guy's strong!
Then suddenly, Amon threw Ichigo over his shoulder. He cried out as he hit the ground. He rolled away but Amon was on to him.
Mako and Bolin were about halfway down the ladder when the man with the droopy moustache came running to the top of the ladder. He took two sticks from his back and placed them on the ladder.
Electricity surged through them and Mako and Bolin were sent screaming to the ground. He jumped down to them. Mako and Bolin flipped away. Mako sent two blasts of fire him but he dodged them, tripped Mako and hit him in the chest with his lightning stick.
Bolin threw several rocks at him. But the man avoided them too. He charged forward and Bolin made a wall to protect himself. The man simply flipped over it and hit Bolin several times. Bolin fell to the ground, unconscious.
Mako came back firing but he too was sent to the ground. The man looked at their fallen bodies.
"You benders need to understand. There's no place in the world for you anymore."
A sudden block of earth sent him into a wall. Korra was there smiling.
"I wouldn't count us out just yet."
She whistled loudly. "Naga!"
Naga barked and ran over to them. Korra grabbed Mako as Chi-blockers leaped from the platform above them.
They jumped on Naga and she started running while gripping Bolin's shirt in her mouth. The earthbender was being bounced along as she ran.
"Please, stop. I want-to be-on your back!"
Ichigo came face-to-face with Amon.
"Who are you?" The Equalist leader asked. "You're not a bender. Why are you against us?"
Ichigo grinned. "Because a guy once told me to protect my friends with my whole heart. So I'm gonna do that. And I'm gonna kick your ass while I'm at it."
Amon smiled under his mask. "Interesting."
Ichigo jumped up and kicked Amon in the gut. Then he turned around and ran as fast as he could away from the building, back to the shore, back to Air Temple Island.
Korra arrived back on the Island and went to Tenzin. When he saw her he was relieved.
"Oh, thank goodness. I was just about to send out a search party. Are you alright?"
She shook her head.
"Korra, what happened? Did you find your friend?"
"Yes, but, I was at an Equalist rally. I saw Amon."
"What?"
"He can take people's bending away, for good."
Tenzin was shocked. "That's- that's impossible. Only the Avatar has ever possessed that ability."
"But I saw him do it."
"I believe you. I don't know how Amon has achieved this power. But this means the Revolution is more dangerous than ever. No bender is safe."
Ichigo quietly climbed through his window, into his room. He looked at himself in the mirror. His breath was coming quickly.
"What was that?"
He had been scared. More scared than he'd ever felt. "I've never been scared. Never for myself. Not against Byakuya, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra or even Aizen."
He cursed as the memory faded. "This man, Amon. He's terrifying."
Someone knocked on his door. He opened it. Korra was there.
"Ichigo!" She hugged him. Normally he would have pulled away but now he hugged her back. "I was so worried, Ichigo. Where were you? What were you doing?"
He sighed. "I-I can't tell you. I'm sorry."
"You can't tell me? Why?"
"I'm not ready."
She looked at him with concern. "What happened to you?"
His eyes wouldn't meet hers. "Ichigo. What happened?"
"I was at Amon's rally. I saw what he can do."
"You were there too?"
"Yes. Listen, Korra. You can't tell Mako. Or Bolin. Least of all Tenzin. Please?"
She nodded. "Okay. But in exchange you have to tell me what happened to you. But only when you're ready."
"Thank you, Korra."
She smiled weakly at him. "Sleep well, Ichigo."
He nodded and she left. Ichigo swallowed deeply then sat on the floor in a meditative stance.
The voice came immediately. "What do you want, King?"
I want you to tell me your name.
"My name?"
Yes.
"Very well. My name is…"
And that's the end! Tell me your thoughts. I can't promise that a new chapter will be coming soon but it will be coming… eventually aha. I'll try though, I promise:)) See ya next time!
