On this quiet day, Korra, Mako, Bolin and the gang were in the gym, preparing for that night they were going to participate in the tournament final, their biggest match so far.
Bolin was throwing earth discs, while Mako was throwing fireballs and Korra was throwing water jets, curiously, at some hanging pictures of Tahno, which ended up shattered by the attacks. All this while quietly listening to music on the radio.
"Great! Woo! Yes!" said Korra congratulating herself on hitting the bull's-eye.
"Way to go, guys." said Littlefoot.
"If you do that same thing in the game, you'll win for sure." said Cera.
"As long as you stick to the rules, because I don't think that's going to go in favor of the rules." said Ruby.
"Man, I got a good feeling about tonight. I don't care if we are the underdogs. We can take those pompous Wolfbats." said Korra.
"It's going to be our toughest match ever, but I think you're right." said Mako.
"You even stronger than before." said Petrie.
"You will win this match. Yep, yep, yep." said Ducky.
"And then, you will be the new pro-bending champions." said Chomper.
"Introducing your new champs, the fantastic Fire Ferrets!" said Bolin putting his arm around his brother's shoulders.
Suddenly, the music on the radio began to play statically and then a voice familiar to all present was heard.
"Good morning, citizens of Republic City. This is Amon. I hope you all enjoyed last night's pro-bending match, because it will be the last. It's time for this city to stop worshiping bending athletes as if they were heroes. I am calling on the council to shut down the bending arena and cancel the finals, or else there will be severe consequences." said Amon over the radio before it went static again.
"That guy's got some nerve." said Bolin frustrated by what the masked man said.
"You think the council will give in?" asked Mako to the Avatar.
"I'm not waiting to find out." said Korra.
"She's right. You have not put some much effort here now for Amon to come and ruin everything." said Littlefoot.
"I don't want them to cancel the finals. No, no, no." said Ducky as Spike shook his head.
"But he say there will be consequences. What if he decides to attack?" asked Petrie frightened by the thought of meeting him again.
"Then we'll teach him a lesson." said Cera.
"Yes, we are stronger than before." said Chomper.
"I agree." said Bolin slamming his fist into his palm.
"Are you sure about what you're saying? You were lucky with those chi blockers that time and you almost didn't survive that guy with the electric sticks." said Mako recalling the encounters they had with the Equalists.
"Trust me. I've seen what they know and they're ready for it." said Korra with a confident smile.
"You could say we were born ready." said Ruby.
Just as more upbeat music played over the radio, the gang began to put on a little demonstration of their bending skills.
Littlefoot
Ready, set.
Time to be a fighter.
Cera
Don't look down.
Keep on climbing higher.
Ducky
Be yourself, 'cause heroes shine in different ways.
Petrie
And when your voice can't make a sound.
Chomper
Just know we hear you all around.
Ruby
Don't need to fit into the crowd.
To be a force of nature.
Cera
'Cause we're gonna be, we're gonna be, we're gonna be the best.
Littlefoot
They're gonna see, they're gonna see that we were born for this.
The gang
So if it takes forever.
We'll save the world together.
We were born ready.
We were born ready, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ducky
And if your heart surrenders.
Chomper
We'll hold it up together.
The gang
We were born ready.
We were born ready.
Don't care if the world ain't ready for me.
Petrie
So if it takes forever.
Ruby
We'll save the world together.
Littlefoot
We were born ready.
We were born ready, yeah, yeah, yeah.
The gang
And if your heart surrenders.
We'll hold it up together.
We were born ready.
We were born ready.
Don't care if the world ain't ready for me.
(Don't care if the world ain't ready)
(Don't care if the world ain't ready for me)
We were born ready.
We were born ready.
Don't care if the world ain't ready for me.
Don't care if the world ain't ready for me.
"There's no time to waste. We need to get to City Hall." said Korra before she and the others ran to avoid what could be considered a disaster in the world of sports.
Later, in the council room, the members were discussing Amon's threat over the radio and just then, Korra and her friends came through the door.
"Korra, you shouldn't be here. This is a closed meeting." Tenzin said getting up from his seat.
"As the Avatar and a pro-bending player, I have a right to be heard. You can't cancel the finals." said Korra.
"I know winning the championship means a lot to you. But as far as I'm concerned, we need to shut the arena down." said Tenzin with firm resolve.
"And what do the others say?" asked Littlefoot.
"What do you say, Tarrlok?" asked Chomper.
"Actually..." began Tarrlok before getting up. "Tenzin and I agree for once."
"The council is unanimous. We're closing the arena." said Tenzin.
"No!" said Mako.
"You can't!" said Bolin.
"I-I don't understand. I thought you, of all people, would take a stand against Amon." said Korra.
"While I am still committed to bringing that lunatic to justice, I will not put innocent lives at stake just so you and your friends can play a game." said Tarrlok.
"Pro-bending might only be a game to you, but think of what it means to the city! Right now the arena is the one place where benders and non-benders gather together… i-in peace! To watch benders..." began Mako defending the pro-bending arena.
"Beat each other up! In peace! It's an inspiration to everyone!" said Bolin.
"And we have lots of fun watching it. Yep, yep, yep." said Ducky.
"It amazing sport." said Petrie as Spike nodded in agreement.
"I appreciate your naive idealism, but you're ignoring the reality of the situation." said Tarrlok not giving in to their pleas.
"The reality is if you close the arena, you let Amon win!" said Korra.
"We can't let Amon win, because he's evil and no one wants evil to win." said Ruby.
"Exactly." said Cera.
"I'm sorry, but our decision has been made. This meeting is adjourned." said Tarrlok picking up the gavel to end the meeting, but suddenly, a metal rope entered the room and shattered the gavel, much to the surprise of the waterbender councilman.
Everyone turned their gaze to the entrance to see that the metal rope belonged to the city's police chief, Lin Beifong.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with the Avatar." said Lin.
"You do?" asked Tarrlok.
"Yeah, you do?" asked Korra surprised to hear that, as she knew the police chief didn't think highly of her.
"I expected this kind of cut-and-run response from Tenzin. But the rest of you? Come on, show a little more backbone. It's time that the benders of this city displayed some strength and unity against these Equalists." said Lin.
"We must prevent the conflict between benders and non-benders from escalating into all-out war! The council is not changing its position, Lin." said Tenzin.
"Now just a moment, Tenzin. Let us hear what our esteemed Chief of Police has in mind." said Tarrlok as Tenzin crossed his arms.
"If you keep the arena open, my metalbenders and I will provide extra security during the championship match. There's no better force to deal with the chi blockers. Our armor is impervious to their attacks." said Lin.
"Are you saying that you will personally take responsibility for the safety of the spectators in the arena?" asked Tarrlok with a smile.
"I guarantee it." said Lin.
"And we'll help." said Littlefoot.
"Yep, yep, yep. We will provide extra security." said Ducky.
"Oh yeah? And what kind of security can little creatures like you provide?" asked Lin arching an eyebrow.
The gang looked at each other, making a joint decision to reveal their big secret.
"How about we show you?" asked Littlefoot.
Then, Littlefoot and Chomper launched a pair of fireballs that neutralized each other. Then, with a stomp, Cera lifted a mound of earth that Spike climbed on and when he jumped into the air, he split the mound into two rocks that he shot with his paws. Quickly, Ducky and Ruby drew water from their canteens and as Ducky threw a drop of water that neutralized one rock, Ruby created a water whip with which she grabbed the second rock before crushing it. After that, Petrie flew high before launching a stream of air that pushed away the remnants of the previous attacks.
Needless to say, the other council members, Tarrlok and Lin were wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the gang's display of power, as they considered it impossible that non-human creatures could do that.
"W-What in the world...?" asked Tarrlok in shock before turning his gaze to the airbender. "Since when can they do that?"
"It happened before Korra informed us of Amon's abilities. I was surprised to hear about it myself." said Tenzin seeing it was time to tell all.
"Okay. Now I've officially seen it all." said Lin pinching the bridge of her nose with her eyes closed, trying to come to terms with what she had just seen.
"Now do you see it? The Equalists won't expect such a thing as this. With them and Chief Beifong's forces, the stadium will be completely safe." said Korra in support of her friends and the tournament final.
"Exactly. If we see even a single equalist, we'll get him for sure." said Cera feeling confident of her bending skills.
"Amon won't know what he's in for." said Chomper confidently.
"Well, I admit it, with their amazing new abilities, they may be able to bring some help. Besides, it is hard to argue with Chief Beifong's track record. If she is confident her elite officers can protect the arena, then she has my support. I am changing my vote. Who else is with me? " asked Tarrlok by raising his hand.
Soon after, the other council members raised their hands, supporting Lin's safety and the gang's help, while Tenzin closed his eyes and lowered his head as he shook it in denial.
"The arena stays open. Good luck in the finals." said Tarrlok to the Ferrets.
Hearing that, both the team and the gang cheered in celebration for getting the final could happen.
"And good luck to you, Chief Beifong." said Tarrlok.
After that, Tenzin prepared to leave the room.
"A word please, Lin." said Tenzin as he passed her.
Later, Tenzin and Lin were in the hallways of city hall, talking about what happened earlier.
"Tarrlok's playing you and I don't want to see you get hurt." said Tenzin worried about his old friend.
"I know what I am doing and the risks that come with it. And when were you planning to tell me about those creatures being able to bend?" asked Lin referring to the gang.
"We decided to keep it a secret, since we didn't know how the city would react to that." said Tenzin.
"I guess you're right." said Lin, as she would have done the same in her case.
"Well, if you're not going to back down about the arena thing, I'm going to be by your side during the match." said Tenzin.
"You don't need to babysit me." said Lin as Tenzin rolled his eyes.
"It's for Korra and the kids. I want to make sure they are safe." said Tenzin.
"Do what you want! It's not like I've ever been able to stop you before." said Lin angrily before walking away
"Excuse me, Chief Beifong. I wanted to thank you for your help. It... really… means a lot…" said Korra appearing with the gang trying to thank the police chief, but she continued walking, ignoring them completely.
"Ugh. What's wrong with that woman?" asked Cera annoyed by the police chief's attitude.
"Yeah, even when she's on my side, she's against me!" said Korra.
"I've known Lin since we were children, she's always been… challenging." said Tenzin.
"What happened to make Lin hate the Avatar so much?" asked Littlefoot.
"She doesn't hate the Avatar. I'm afraid her issues… are with me." said Tenzin.
"But why?" asked Petrie.
It was then that Korra understood and let out a small gasp of shock.
"Wait a second… it all makes sense now! You and Beifong, Beifong and you. You two were a couple!" said Korra with a smile.
"What?! How…?" asked Tenzin in shock that she had discovered his secret while making sure no one was around to hear. "Where'd you get that idea?"
"Ha! Your wife!" said Korra with a cheeky grin.
"She told us that before you and her were together, you were with another girl, but then you left her so that you and she could be together." said Ruby.
"We didn't expect that other girl to be Chief Beifong, though." said Chomper.
"I didn't expect it either. No, no, no." said Ducky shaking her head, as did Spike.
"Criminy! I'll have to have a word with her." said Tenzin annoyed that they knew about his secret.
"So… Pema stole you from Beifong." said Korra crossing her arms with a cheeky grin. "I'm surprised our 'esteemed Chief of Police' didn't throw her in jail."
"Oh, she tried. Anyway, Pema didn't steal me, Lin and I had been growing apart for some time. We both had different goals in li… Why am I even telling you this? It all happened a long time ago and we've moved passed it." said Tenzin.
"Well apparently she hasn't." said Cera with a cheeky grin.
"What do you… Of course she has! Anyway, this is none of your business!" said Tenzin very annoyed as he walked away.
"See you at home, Mr. Heartbreaker!" said Korra before she and the gang shared a small laugh.
Somewhere in the city, in a sort of warehouse, several Equalist recruits were loading various boxes onto several trucks. All this was observed by Amon from the upper floor.
The lieutenant approached him from behind.
"I just got word. The council defied your threat. They're keeping the arena open." the lieutenant said.
"Perfect. Everything is going according to plan." said Amon.
Later in the evening, things were getting ready in the arena for the final as they were in case of an attack by Amon and his followers.
This was quite noticeable, as in the sea around the arena there were several ships and flying in the air, several airships. All with lights pointing in all directions in search of any enemy intrusion.
Inside, several policemen were inspecting the stadium with flashlights looking for any hidden entrances or anything suspicious.
"All clear, Chief." said one of the policemen to the police chief after checking every inch of the interior.
"How is the security sweep going?" asked Tenzin standing next to Lin.
"Fine." said Lin.
"They've checked underneath the stands?" asked Tenzin.
"Yes." said Lin.
"And you have enough officers to cover all points of entry?" asked Tenzin.
"I have the skies, the bay, and every nook and cranny of this place covered. Even the little dinosaurs have helped a little with their superior-to-human sense of smell. Now leave me alone and let me do my job." said Lin.
"Lin, with so much on the line it would be nice if we could help each other out, at least for one night." said Tenzin trying to calm things down a bit between them.
"Like old times?" asked Lin with a small smile.
"Like old times." said Tenzin.
"Okay, I'll try to be less abrasive than usual." said Lin.
"I would appreciate that." said Tenzin.
Shortly thereafter, the moment for which much has been waiting had finally arrived, the final of the pro-bending tournament.
"The anticipation is palpable as we are just moments away from the championship match. Will the Wolfbats' ferocity help them repeat as champs? Or will the underdog Fire Ferrets serve up a surprising bowl of smackdown soup?" asked Shiro.
"Now I know there's a big crowd but don't be nervous. You're gonna do great, I believe in you. " said Bolin to the gang holding team T-shirts.
"Take it easy, Bolin." said Chomper.
"Like you said, we'll do good. Yep, yep, yep." said Ducky.
Spike nodded in agreement.
"Are you sure about this? Showing it to the council is one thing, but now you're going to do it in front of almost the whole town." said Mako doubting the gang's intentions.
"We've been hiding for too long." said Chomper.
"It's about time people knew about us." said Littlefoot.
"Besides, I want to let everyone see how awesome I am." said Cera.
"Well, if you're so sure, you have my support." said Korra smiling at her friends, who smiled back at her in response.
At that moment, the announcer came out through a platform lift located in the center of the ring.
"Introducing the challengers, the Future Industries Fire Ferrets!" said the announcer pointing to the side where Korra, Mako, Bolin and the gang could be seen on a platform leading them to the ring.
On a separate balcony, stood Hiroshi and his daughter, Asami. Hiroshi greeted them as Asami blew Mako a kiss and winked. Mako greeted her before blowing his own kiss.
Korra rolled her eyes along with a sigh of disgust at how cheesy that was.
Soon after, they climbed into the ring.
"All right, guys. Ready?" asked Littlefoot.
"Ready!" they said in unison.
Littlefoot and Chomper stood on one side and both let out a blast of fire from their mouths that crashed into each other. Then, Ducky and Ruby grabbed two water droplets that they threw into the crossfire, creating a small cloud of steam. Next, Petrie created an air scooter with which he went in circles quickly before launching himself into the steam cloud and unraveled it with a gust of wind generated by a wing flap. Finally, Cera and Spike, with their stomps, lifted a pair of earthen discs into the air before sending them crashing into each other, similar to fireworks.
Needless to say, the spectators were shocked by what they saw before bursting into cheers. The gang bowed in appreciation.
"Mmm. I'm sure Pabu would have done better." said Bolin with his arms crossed, as he originally intended Pabu to do a circus trick.
"I see it and I don't believe it, folks. It appears that the unknown creatures accompanying the Avatar have just demonstrated bending abilities, even of the air. Surely that is something unique in the world." said Shiro.
After that, the spotlight illuminating the Ferrets went out.
"And their opponents, the three timed defending champions, the White Falls Wolfbats!" said Shiro before pointing to the other side of the ring.
The light from the spotlight made it possible to see the three team members wearing wolf bat masks and capes as wings. Spreading their wings, they let out a howl before sparks leapt from behind them, small columns of fire as well as fireworks happened all over the stadium.
"Pff. Show-offs." said Cera.
"Although you have to admit, they really worked that one out." said Ruby.
"Me think we should done it harder." said Petrie.
Tahno took off his mask and cape, showing him he still had that smile.
"I'm gonna knock Tahno's stupid hair off his stupid head!" said Korra.
"Good luck everyone." said Littlefoot as he retreated with the rest of the gang to the balcony.
The two teams got into fighting stance, awaiting the moment of the start.
"The champs and challengers face off at the center-line." said Shiro just before the starting bell rang. "And here we go!"
Just as the bell rang, Tahno lunged toward Korra and tried to hit her with an uppercut with a water-wrapped fist without ever crossing the line. Fortunately, Korra was able to dodge the blow by jumping backwards.
"Tahno tries to clean the Avatar's clock with some dirty water boxing." said Shiro as Tahno managed to hit Korra with a diagonal water wave.
Mako threw a fireball at the earthbender, but he dodged it with a leap before throwing two earth discs at him.
"Ming shakes off Mako's attack and returns the favor." said Shiro as the two discs hit Mako, along with a third disc, pushing him into zone two.
The two teams went back to throwing elemental attacks at each other.
Bolin threw a pair of discs at another opponent, but he dodged them by doing acrobatic leaps.
"Shaozu gets fancy, but Bolin ricochets a disk off the ropes and says 'No, thank you sir!'" said Shiro as one of the discs Bolin threw bounced off the side ropes, sending it toward the opponent and knocking him over and knocking him to the other side.
"Nice shot!" said Ducky.
"I have to admit, they're pretty good." said Littlefoot.
"Not as good as our friends. Cheer up, guys!" said Chomper.
Tahno advanced a bit before blocking a stream of Korra's water with his own water before jumping up and throwing it at Korra, but she dodged it.
"The waterbenders slug it out, looking evenly matched." said Shiro as Tahno combined two water drops before throwing a large water jet at Bolin, pushing him into zone three. "Tahno gets a little too worked up and unleashes a deluge on Bolin that would certainly elicit a foul."
However, the Wolfbats had the green light to advance.
"Or apparently not." said Shiro a bit confused.
"What's the big idea, ref? That was a hosing foul!" said Mako complaining, but the ref was sticking to his decision.
"And the Wolfbats advance despite Tahno exceeding the waterbending time limit. A questionable call by the officials." said Shiro as the teams proceeded to continue with the match.
Suddenly, the earthbender lifted an earth disk that was right under Mako's foot, causing him to stumble forward, which he took advantage of to hit him with an earth disk, sending him into zone three.
"Ming trips up Mako with another dirty trick!" said Shiro.
"Oh come on, refs! There was some funny business in that last play!" said Tenzin.
"Wouldn't have guessed you knew the rules of pro-bending?" asked Lin crossing her arms with a smile.
"I've been brushing up. That Wolfbat blatantly bent a disk outside of his zone." said Tenzin.
"Is it just me or is something weird going on?" asked Ruby.
"Why referee not saying anything?" asked Petrie.
"I don't know, but I don't like this at all. No, no, no." said Ducky.
"The Ferret brothers are backed up to zone three and the Wolfbats smell blood." said Shiro as Tahno threw a water blade that Bolin dodged with a leap, but Tahno froze the water blade, causing Bolin to slip when he landed, which the firebender took advantage of to hit him with a fireball, sending him out of the ring. "Looks like Tahno snuck in an illegal icing move but once again there's no call. I don't know what match the refs are watching but it's obviously not this one."
"What is wrong with those refs?! Do they have a treestar in front of their eyes or what?!" asked Cera very angry at how the match was going.
"I think I know what might be going on." said Littlefoot.
"The what?" asked Chomper.
"I think the referees and the Wolfbats are in cahoots." said Littlefoot.
"Sure, that way they can cheat all they want without the referees scolding them for all that cheating." said Ruby.
"They're cheating?! That's it! I'm going to go take them down myself!" said Cera very angrily proceeding to go to the ring.
"Hold on, Cera." said Littlefoot getting in his friend's way to stop her. "If we do that, they'll disqualify the Ferrets."
"And what do you suggest we do? Because I'm not going to sit by while those cheaters get away with it." said Cera.
"The only thing we can do is wait for Korra and the others to win the match fair and square." said Littlefoot.
"He's right. They'll play dirty, but our friends play fair. Yep, yep, yep." said Ducky as Spike nodded in agreement.
"Me trust friends." said Petrie.
"They're better." said Chomper.
"*Sigh* Okay, fine, but if those cheaters end up winning, I'm going down anyway." said Cera.
Meanwhile, Tahno and the earthbender launched a water jet and an earth disc that hit Korra, sending her into zone three.
"Oh… a splash-and-clash sends the Avatar to zone three as well." said Shiro as the opposing team advanced forward before launching a three-element combo attack at the Avatar, but then, Mako got in the way and tried to block the attack, but to no avail and both he and she ended up outside the ring.
That's when the bell rang for the finish.
"It's a knockout! The Wolfbats win the championship for the fourth year in a... Hold on a second, folks!" said Shiro, as he had discovered that Korra was holding on to the ringside with one hand while holding Mako with the other.
"Scratch that! The Ferrets are still alive, but just barely." said Shiro.
Korra, with all her might, started swinging Mako around until in the end, she managed to throw him back into the ring, though that caused her to end up falling into the water.
As soon as Mako landed in the ring, he launched a fireball of a kick that hit Tahno in the back, knocking him down in the area in front of him. Tahno stood up and shot a furious glare at Mako who responded with a smile.
"What an unbelievable move! These Ferrets aren't just bending the elements, they're bending my mind! The underdogs survive to see round two." said Shiro.
The gang let out a sigh of relief that their friends would continue in the match.
Later, the Ferrets were at their side of the ring, huddled together for a private conversation.
"What's wrong with these refs?" asked Korra.
"They've been paid off; it's the only explanation. Someone wants us to lose." said Mako coming to the same conclusion as the longneck.
"If the Wolfbats are gonna fight dirty, then so should we." said Korra.
"No we can't! The refs have it out for us. If we're gonna win this thing, it has to be fair and square." said Mako.
"Argh, that's no fun but… all right." said Korra.
"Round two!" shouted the announcer.
As soon as the opening bell rang, the two teams proceeded to launch elemental attacks at each other.
Tahno launched a water jet that Korra dodged before launching another jet that Korra blocked with her body.
"The opening salvo is a brutal call as both sides give it their all." said Shiro as Korra attempted to throw a water jet, but then, found herself unable to move her foot and upon looking down discovered it was covered in ice due to Tahno's earlier attack. "But once again, Tahno sneaks in a little ice to get the upper hand." said Shiro as Tahno took advantage of Korra's moment of distraction to hit her with a water jet and send her to the back area.
Bolin threw an earth disc that hit one of the opponents, sending him backwards. Then the earthbender raised an earth disk which he used as a shield to protect himself from a fireball from Mako, but the resulting explosion sent him backwards.
Several fireballs were sent at Mako who easily dodged them before launching his own fireball.
"Wowzers! Those look like illegal head shots to me!" said Shiro as Mako leaned back to dodge a fireball heading for his head.
Just then, the final bell rang.
"Round two will be decided with a tie-breaker!" said the announcer.
"I hope they pick water. That way Korra would teach that guy a lesson." said Cera.
The referee flipped a coin, and when he caught it...
"The Fire Ferrets win the coin toss. Which element do you choose?" said the referee.
"I'm taking this one." said Korra choosing water as their element. "Let's go! You and me, pretty boy!"
"Thought you'd never ask." said Tahno.
The others backed off and the waterbenders moved into position before the center circle rose slightly.
The two opponents moved back and forth, waiting for their opponent's move.
"Come on, little girl. Give me your best shot." said Tahno trying to provoke her, but she remained serious and focused before throwing a bullet-fast stream of water at him which Tahno dodged, but then, another stream of water hit him under the chin, knocking his helmet off in the process.
However, that was just a thought of what Korra planned to do.
So she sent a jet of water at him from below, but he dodged it and as Tahno proceeded to throw a jet of water at him, Korra threw another one at him from below that hit him under the chin, knocking his helmet off in the process and causing him to fall off the central platform.
After that, the final bell rang.
"Hmph, chump." said Korra making the same gesture as Tahno.
"Round two goes to the Fire Ferrets!" said the announcer.
"Yes! Take that one!" said Chomper.
"Nice hit, Korra!" said Littlefoot.
"You better learn, cheater." said Petrie.
As the center platform came down, Korra rejoined the rest of the team.
"Nice one!" said Mako high-fiving Korra.
"That's the stuff. You are my herooo-ah!" said Bolin overjoyed at Korra's victory.
"We might actually win this thing!" said Mako hopefully.
Meanwhile, the other two members of the opposing team were helping Tahno up, but he pushed them away as he got fully up.
"Let's send them to a watery grave!" said Tahno angrily and almost losing his mind.
"I can't believe your sweet-tempered father was reincarnated into that girl. She's tough as nails." said Lin slightly impressed by the Avatar's fighting form.
"Reminds me of someone else I knew at that age. You might get along if you would only give her and maybe the kids a chance." said Tenzin.
"Hmph." expressed Lin unable to find a negative in what the airbender said.
"One round apiece: who wants it more? " asked Shiro just as the starting bell rang.
The next instant, the two teams began to launch elemental attacks at each other, with the Wolfbats attacking the most ferociously.
"The Wolfbats fly out of the gates, swinging with bad intentions." said Shiro as Bolin held back a stream of water before throwing an earthen disc.
"The challengers are showing a lot of heart but the champs are really starting to find their rhythm now." said Shiro as Tahno climbed over the edge ropes to leap and dodge a ground disc and a water jet.
"Can the Ferrets hang in there with the best, especially when the best are frankly getting a little help from the refs?" asked Shiro as the earthbender threw an earth disc at Korra who was able to resist with her body.
"It's all down to this final round!" said Shiro as Korra threw a water jet at Tahno which he blocked with his arm.
"Mako is leaving it all in the ring but it looks like Tahno and Ming are up to more shenanigans!" said Shiro as Tahno crouched behind his teammate.
Said teammate lifted a disc of dirt from behind him which he broke into pieces and then, Tahno caught the pieces in a large drop of water which he then split into three streams with stones which he threw.
Each stream of water with stones hit each member of the Fire Ferrets, sending them out of the ring.
"Oh, this has gone too far! That water had rocks in it!" said Shiro.
"Knockout!" said the referee before the end bell rang.
"Oh, come on! Those were illegal head shots! Open your eyes, ref!" said Tenzin, very pissed off at the referee's actions.
And he wasn't the only one.
"That foul! Foul!" said Petrie.
"They cheated! Cheated, cheated, cheated!" said Ducky.
"That's the last straw! I'm going to get them out of the ring myself!" said Cera ready to go to the ring, but Littlefoot, Chomper and Ruby held her back.
"Well, folks it's a controversial call but the Wolfbats notch a nasty knockout to win the match!" said Shiro as said team waved to the crowd congratulating their victory. "For the fourth year in a row, they'll be crowned tournament champions."
"I barely broke a sweat!" said Tahno arrogantly as he removed his helmet. "Anybody else wanna scrap with the champs?"
Unnoticed, a spectator covered his mouth with a handkerchief bearing the Equalist symbol. And he wasn't the only one. Several spectators began to put on handkerchiefs with the symbol. A sign that they were members of the Equalists.
Then, those members reached into the popcorn bucket, revealing that it was the hiding place for some kind of glove.
Tenzin was still mad about how the match had ended. When he calmed down, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye and when he turned his head slightly, he was shocked to see a member of the Equalists sneaking up on them.
"Look out!" shouted Tenzin, but it was too late, for when that guy touched Lin with his glove, he threw an electric shock at her, causing her to scream in pain and knocking her down.
Tenzin hit the Equalist member with a blast of air, but an electric shock hit him and knocked him down, courtesy of another Equalist member.
The same thing was happening to the policemen, as before they knew it, Equalist members approached from behind and hit each one with their electrified gloves.
Fortunately, that was noticed by someone.
"Hey, what's going on?" asked Littlefoot noticing something odd on stage.
Meanwhile, in the pit, Korra and the two brothers stuck their heads out of the water to catch their breath and as they looked up, they saw electric sparks all over the bleachers.
"What?" asked Korra confused by what was happening.
That's when someone landed on a platform near the water. The three members of the Ferrets turned around to see the lieutenant, much to Korra's horror.
Before they could do anything, the lieutenant slammed his electrified sticks into the water, causing all three to scream in pain before falling unconscious.
"Folks, there is some sort of electrical disturbance in the stands. Metalbender cops are dropping like bumbleflies. There appear to be masked members of the audience wielding strange devices on their hands." said Shiro just as an Equalist member entered the room he was in.
"One of them is in the booth with me right now, folks! He is leveling one of those glove devices at me now and I believe he is about to electrocute me. I am currently wetting my pants." said Shiro before he was electrocuted.
Meanwhile, in the balcony, the gang had heard everything Shiro said.
"Oh, no! They're here!" said Chomper in horror as he realized that the Equalists were attacking.
At that moment, they heard footsteps of people approaching.
"Someone's coming. Hide!" said Littlefoot as the gang hid in the lockers.
A couple of Equalist members entered the balcony, looking for any possible stragglers. While they were distracted, Cera took advantage of that to ram one from behind, knocking him down in the process and before the other acted, Chomper hit him with a pair of fireballs that knocked him down.
"Two down, but there are still more Equalists left besides those two." said Ruby as she and the others came out of hiding.
"What we do now?" asked Petrie.
"We can't just stand here and do nothing. We have to go help our friends and all the people in danger." said Littlefoot.
"What if we run into more of them?" asked Ducky.
"In that case, we will fight." said Littlefoot.
"I like that plan. Let's show those guys who we are." said Cera.
With all that said, the gang left the balcony to help as many as they could while taking down any Equalist members they could find.
Meanwhile, in the ring, the Wolfbats were beginning to panic at how the situation was going.
Suddenly, several people could be seen climbing up the central ascending platform.
Tahno turned around and was horrified to see Amon and several Equalist soldiers in the middle of the ring.
The situation had become very bad in the arena. The Fire Ferrets who were still unconscious were being pulled out of the water and the spectators were being held back by the Equalist members who were pointing their electrified gloves at them while Tenzin and Lin were still unconscious. But the worst was for Tahno and his group who were in the ring facing Amon and his soldiers.
"What's going on here, ref?" asked Tahno.
"I don't know!" said the referee.
Amon and his group began to slowly move forward, forcing them back slowly.
"All right, you want a piece of the Wolfbats? Here it comes!" said Tahno throwing a stream of water at the masked man, which he easily dodged before running towards them.
Tahno and his companions began to throw elemental attacks at him, but Amon positioned himself between Tahno and the firebender. Amon grabbed the latter by the arm and spun around with him included before throwing him to the ground.
Tahno was trying to throw a couple of jets of water at him, but some boleadoras wrapped around his wrists before he fell. The same thing happened to the last team member before another boleadora wrapped around his legs.
Now Tahno was on his knees, held by the arms by two Equalist soldiers and Amon in front of him.
"Wait, please don't do this! I'll give you the championship pot, I'll-I'll give you everything just please don't take my bending!" said Tahno very desperate to get out of that one, but Amon raised his hand and put his index finger on his forehead while he had a horrified expression on his face as he felt his power being taken away from him.
With the job done, the soldiers threw the Wolfbats into the water pit while posters with the Equalist symbol were hung all over the stadium.
Under the ring, the lieutenant was dragging Korra with the others who were still unconscious. Korra opened her eyes for a moment before slipping into unconsciousness again.
It was then that she saw visions of the past again.
She saw Toph saying something to Aang while pointing at something, a mysterious man with Aang behind him, that same man rising up with a triumphant smile, Aang in the Avatar state in front of that man as he expelled a wave of wind and then she saw Aang coming out of the Avatar state with a face of fury.
Meanwhile, the lieutenant tied the three pro-bending fighters to a pillar with a very long rope.
Above the ring, Amon grabbed the microphone.
"I believe I have your attention, benders of Republic City. So once again, the Wolfbats are your pro-bending champions. It seems fitting that you celebrate three bullies who cheated their way to victory because every day, you threaten and abuse your fellow non-bending citizens just like the Wolfbats did to their opponents tonight. Those men were supposedly the best in the bending world and yet it only took a few moments for me to cleanse them of their impurity. Let this be a warning to all of you benders out there: if any of you stand in my way, you will meet the same fate." said Amon, causing the spectators to gasp in horror and fear.
"Now, to my followers: for years the Equalists have been forced to hide in the shadows, but now we have the numbers and the strength to create a new Republic City. I'm happy to tell you that the time for change has finally come. Very soon, the current tyrannical bending regime will be replaced by a fair-minded Equalist government. You and your children will no longer have to walk the streets afraid! It's time to take back our city." said Amon.
As the masked one continued his speech, Korra and the others had awakened, only to find themselves bound and unable to break free.
"How are we gonna get out of here?" asked Mako.
Neither of them knew what to do until then, Korra spotted something...
"Littlefoot?" asked Korra seeing the longneck swimming towards the platform.
"You okay?" asked Littlefoot.
"A little tied up, but the rest fine." said Bolin.
"Don't worry. I'll get you out of there in no time." said Littlefoot emitting a flame at the tip of his tail with which he began to burn the rope.
"Where are the others?" asked Korra.
"Let's just say they're taking care of the rest." said Littlefoot to the confusion of the Ferrets.
Back in the ring, Amon continued his speech.
"For centuries, benders have possessed an unnatural advantage over ordinary people. But thankfully, modern technology has provided us with a way to even out the playing field. Now anyone can hold the power of a chi blocker in their hand. My followers and I will not rest until the entire city achieves equality, and once that goal is achieved, we will equalize the rest of the world. The revolution has…!" continued Amon about to raise his fist in the air when suddenly a gust of wind hit him from behind, knocking him to the ground.
Both the eyes of those present went wide with utter surprise. The lieutenant and the Equalist soldiers looked up to see the cause of that surprise attack, who was flying.
"Eat dust, Amon!" said Petrie before dropping a raspberry.
"Get him!" ordered the lieutenant furious at the flyer as the soldiers readied their bolas to throw them.
Petrie let out a small scream before flying all over the place dodging a couple of boleadoras before blocking two others with airbending.
Despite being curious as to what was going on, the Equalist members made sure to keep their eyes on the spectators they were pointing the electrified gloves at.
Suddenly, a couple of Equalist members heard a strange groan and looking up the stairs, saw Spike charging towards them. Taking advantage of the surprise, Spike charged at one, knocking him into the water and before the other touched him with his electrified glove, Spike, with a flick of his tail, threw a disc of dirt at him (which he picked up on his way) and knocked him into the water as well.
Because the electrified gloves were activated, when they came into contact with the water, they both suffered an electric shock that knocked them unconscious.
Unfortunately, that was noticed by the other members who were standing by.
"Hey, you!" two Equalist members looked up the stairs to see Cera with two elevated earth disks on either side. "Catch this!" said Cera before throwing the earthen discs which hit the two members, knocking them into the water and ending up in the same situation as the previous two.
Another Equalist member let out a cry of pain due to Chomper biting his leg. He broke away from him and before either member could do anything to him, Chomper threw two fireballs at them that knocked them both down, knocking them into the water in the process.
Two other members began to panic, as they didn't know what or where they would be attacked. Suddenly, Ruby and Ducky jumped out of the crowd and quickly, Ruby squirted one of the members, knocking him into the water.
The other pointed a little fearfully at Ducky who held up her hands in surrender, but retained her smile.
"Oh, I would not do that if I were you, no, no, no." said Ducky.
"Kill you?" asked the member.
"No, stand on that edge." said Ducky before quickly creating a water whip with which she grabbed the member by the leg and pulling, caused him to stumble and fall backwards into the water. "Told you."
Just as Amon stood up, he could see most of the members holding the audience hostage had been taken down by the gang.
"Those creatures... No matter what you do, you won't stop the revolution!" said Amon just as a blimp with the Equalist symbol passed over the stadium and a few ropes were thrown into the ring, shattering the glass ceiling in the process.
Amon, the lieutenant and the Equalist soldiers grabbed onto the ropes, which had small platforms for support and the ropes pulled them up.
Meanwhile, Spike was licking Lin's face to wake her up, which he succeeded in doing.
"Ugh. That's enough. I'm awake now." said Lin before seeing the airbender wake up as well. "Tenzin!" said Lin with concern.
The two adults watched in horror as Amon escaped before suddenly a huge explosion happened in the ring which the Ferrets who had been freed by the longneck.
"What was that?" asked Bolin startled by the explosion.
"I don't know, but it wasn't any good." said Korra before running over and creating an ice rink in the water so she could see what was going on. "I'm going after Amon!"
"I'll go with you!" said Littlefoot going to Korra's side.
"No! It's too dangerous!" said Korra trying to keep her friend out of danger.
"Like I told you, you're not alone in this." said Littlefoot with determination.
That was enough to convince the Avatar.
"Okay. Let's go!" said Korra.
"Be careful!" said Mako as Korra and Littlefoot jumped into the water.
With waterbending, Korra created a pillar of water with which she and Littlefoot propelled themselves to reach Amon's airship, but unfortunately, there wasn't enough water and the pillar eventually came apart.
The two began to fall, with Korra hugging Littlefoot, but before they fell any further, a metal rope wrapped around Korra, managing to stop her and the dinosaur from continuing to fall.
The cause of this was Lin, who was using the metal ropes to balance both herself and them and with a very strong pull, threw them both upwards.
Fortunately, they got high enough to reach one of the ropes leading up to the airship. The two hit the Equalist soldiers on the platform with their firebending before climbing onto the platform and grabbing onto the rope, though Korra had to hold on with one hand as she grabbed Littlefoot with the other to keep him from falling, due to the platform being too small.
The two exchanged glances with Amon before Littlefoot threw a flare out of his mouth, which he dodged as he entered the airship. After seeing that it was no longer any use, Littlefoot stopped shooting fire out of his mouth and that's when the two looked around to see all the police boats and airships set on fire and shot down.
Lin climbed up to the roof of the arena and threw a metal rope that grabbed an Equalist soldier who was on a rope platform intending to swing at them, and pulled him to the ground.
A pair of Equalist soldiers came down the rope from the platform where Korra and Littlefoot were standing and kicked them both down as they too fell.
Fortunately, there wasn't much height, so they managed to land on their feet on the roof next to the two soldiers.
Lin grabbed an ascending platform with her metal rope, but the lieutenant hit her in the back with his electrified sticks, causing her to scream in pain before falling to the ground.
The three Equalist soldiers ran towards them, but Korra knocked one down with a fireball to the back. He tried to get up, but Korra stepped on his back to use him as a springboard and jump high into the air. While she was in the air, she threw fireballs at the others, knocking them down in the process.
The lieutenant was about to finish Lin off with his electrified sticks, but Littlefoot rammed into him and pushed him away from her. Then he threw a fireball at him, but he dodged it. He then threw another one, but he dodged it as well before he started to run away.
Korra and Littlefoot chased after him and when they caught up, he tried to hit them with a sweep of his electrified sticks, but Korra dodged them by jumping while Littlefoot ducked to avoid him.
Then, with a sweep of his tail on his legs, Littlefoot knocked the lieutenant to the ground. Korra was about to hit him with a fire axe kick, but he rolled out of the way.
The two began throwing fireballs at him, but the lieutenant dodged all the attacks as he advanced toward them to hit them with his electrified sticks, forcing them back.
Lin managed to wake up in time to see two Equalist soldiers charging towards the three combatants with their bolas at the ready. So she threw her metal ropes at them, which tangled around them, and tossed them to either side of the roof.
Then she spotted the airship and threw a metal rope that wrapped around the rope on a platform. Retracting her rope back, Lin began to ascend toward the airship.
Meanwhile, Korra and Littlefoot dodged another attack from the lieutenant.
The lieutenant tried to punch them several times, but they dodged every attack before Korra grabbed him by the arm and kneed him in the stomach, knocking him down in the process.
Littlefoot was going to hit him with a fiery stomp, but the lieutenant blocked it with his electrified stick and went back on the attack. The two threw fireballs at the lieutenant, but he dodged them all.
Suddenly, as Korra kicked horizontally to launch a wave of fire, which the lieutenant dodged, the lieutenant was about to take advantage to hit her with his electrified stick, but Littlefoot reacted quickly and created a whip of fire in his tail with which he hit the lieutenant.
The lieutenant got back up, ready to continue fighting. Korra and Littlefoot charged towards him before they both launched a joint wave of fire that hit the lieutenant and knocked him off the roof.
Just when they thought they had the victory, the glass on the roof below them began to crack and the two began to fall.
Lin began to debate what to do. Whether to save the Avatar and the longneck or stop Amon, leader of the Equalists. Finally, she made her decision and let go of the ropes that bound her to the airship, causing it to begin to fall. Tying four metal ropes to the edge of the hole, Lin quickly propelled herself towards them.
She then threw one metal rope that clung to the wall and another that Korra grabbed with one hand while grabbing Littlefoot with the other. Lin swung them both over and all three landed on the stands, safe and sound, though Korra and Littlefoot rolled a bit on the landing.
"You all right?" asked Lin helping them up.
"We're fine." said Korra.
"Yeah, thanks to you." said Littlefoot.
"Don't mention it, kids." said Lin before the three of them turned their gaze upward to see Amon's airship flying away. "Looks like we lost this one."
At that moment, Mako, Bolin and the rest of the gang arrived, with the former hugging Korra.
"I'm so glad you're okay!" said Mako.
"Me too!" said Bolin giving them both a quick hug.
"Of course they were going to be okay. Those guys had nothing to do against us." said Cera.
"Yep, yep, yep. We gave them a lesson." said Ducky as Spike nodded.
"But we still couldn't stop Amon from attacking the arena." said Chomper.
"Me had eyes and ears open, but me no imagine Amon attacking like that." said Petrie.
"I can't believe Amon did this. I played right into his hand." said Lin feeling disappointed with herself.
"He played us all." said Tenzin.
"And now that Amon has done all this, what does it mean now that Amon has done this?" asked Ruby.
"It means Republic City is at war." said Tenzin as they all looked at the destroyed ring.