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A Terrible Synergy

Chapter 4

Her body felt wonderful. All her movements were fluid and precise; every foot step and arm fickler was perfectly in sync with the bending brothers. Unfortunately, what is a capitol physique and a well-rested body anything without the mindset? Mental toughest was always one of the most important attributes of any fighter in the ring. Her mind was nowhere it needed to be. This unsettled her immensely as the championship match lurked closer and closer with every passing day. She tried not thinking about it much, and the brothers never asked what conspired that night with her shady 'acquaintance'. Of course the brothers thought about it and obviously suspected that it wasn't good shown by their unwillingness to bring up the subject. Despite all this confusion the Avatar looked flawless and fought like true warrior. Mako knew that the champion mentality would come in time.

The firebender drilled them for a total of two hours and by the end of the difficult practice filled with grueling technical calisthenics and defensive as well as offensive maneuvers the belief of winning appeared to become more attainable inside their heads. Winning the Championship no longer seemed to be a one in a million chance but a possible objective. Practice always seemed to eliminate all doubt. The waterbender punched and dipped instinctively countering the earthbender's aggressive attack. The motions came so natural she needn't even think. She twisted gracefully, her lithe limbs swept under Bolin's legs besting him within seconds. She only wished this principle of practice was true when dealing with boys; particularly with Noatak, but Noatak was something different. He was a man and she knew that there was a huge difference between what a man and what a boy was. She didn't have very much practice dealing with older men. Her only real experiences were the flings that she had with some of the white lotus guards that were around her age back at the compound. She never really went that far though, only some kissing and mild foreplay. She began to think of Noatak in that way. She could feel her cheeks redden. No had ever kissed her that way before.

The waterbender couldn't deny how attracted she was to this man. His voice made her shutter. He was sophisticated and enigmatic yet held a characteristic which was so familiar to her. She only had met him three times and she knew her heart was slowly falling for that man she barely knew at all. He always seemed to throw her off balance with his particular way of going about things, always keen in maintaining his casual indifference. She never could predict his movements or his actions because they were so unlike anybody else she had ever met. Her eyes grew wide as she realized she had been thinking of him the entire time of practice. She bit down on her tongue as her blood began to boil in a sudden rage. Her fingers flexed in and out as the water swirled and retracted around her. Grunting, the Avatar held nothing back as she propelled a water whip full speed toward the newspaper clippings of the Wolfbats that hung on the string in front of her, virtually ripping them to shreds. Her tense shoulders relaxed as she released a huge sigh. Certainly, one thing that would never change was how much of a stress reliever bending was to her. She could simply remove the negative chi from her body if she concentrated hard enough.

The waterbender vouched to think of other things but that was ultimately futile; it was if her mind had stitched his image into the inside of her skull. She repeated to herself that she didn't need him; that he meant nothing to her, but she knew that his image was stitched on the wall of her heart as well.

She threw her arms up in victory as the debris from the pictures wafted passed her face to only disintegrate a few seconds later into the air, "Man, I got a good feeling about tonight. I don't care if we are the underdogs. We can take those pompous Wolfbats!"

The two brothers looked over in similar confidence; both had recently finished their final set of combination attacks indicated by their shortness of breath and sweaty limbs. The Firebender loosened his helmet pulling it off and smiled, "It's going to be our toughest match ever, but I think you're right." No doubt they were the most capable and fittest team in the league. If they played their cards right tonight no one could defeat them.

Bolin jumped in beside his brother slipping his arm around his neck in a playful manner, eager for the night's showdown with the three timed champs. His voice imitated the legendary Shiro Shinobi's, "Introducing your new champs, the fantastic Fire Ferrets!"

At that moment the mentality of a champion finally flooded to Korra's attention making its way to her pulsing heart. She pumped her arms up and down. Screw Noatak she thought I have a game to play.She could feel herself smiling wide; she understood her team's position and how prepared they were. She wasn't going to throw away months of hard work over a guy she barely knew.

The radio music that was fueling Korra's shift in attitude suddenly cut out, a wave of unnerving static filled up the room as the three looked over in curiosity. A deep, menacing voice broke through. The Avatar froze, the hair on her neck stood on end as the brothers bravely inched toward the radio, "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."

Her stomach dropped ten stories as her usual immovable pluck plummeted into apprehension and insecurity. She settled her racing heart by reminding herself that it was okay to be afraid. Noatak's words came streaming through her mind Stay away from him. Stay away from him.

"That guy's got some nerve," Bolin spoke. He was the first one to encounter Amon's uncanny prowess two months ago when he was captured. He had almost lost his bending.

The brothers turned toward her, obviously concerned about the announcement's influence on her. She blinked freeing herself from her minor stupor eyeing the Firebender.

"You think the Council will give?"

Vitality that had been fostering in her once again resurfaced, her eyes appeared to spark; she was the Avatar and a probender. No one could take that away from her, "I'm not waiting to find out. We need to get to City Hall."

-0-

The championship was still on. The grandeur of the event could be felt everywhere; the very best of the league were about to face off tonight. The probending fans were ecstatic running through the streets in pure delight and anticipation of the event. In truth, what the Firebender spoke about the sport bringing people together was true; both rich and poor, bender and nonbender where consolidating rapidly outside the gates of the arena. Despite the overbearing sensation of being watched by the police force, the mood in the arena was like any other night.

The three took their places as Shiro Shinobi called them in, "Introducing challengers, the Future Industries' Fire Ferrets!" The crowd erupted in a loud and absolutely welcoming uproar for the known underdogs. The waterbender clenched her hands into tight, determined fists, she wanted to fight. She craved to fight and the wait was absolutely killing her. The thought of Noatak and the threat of Amon retired to the recess of her mind. Nothing seemed to matter more than the moment in front of her. The opportunity was right there before her as if it was taunting her. She knew the brothers were ready too, which only made her more excited.

"And their opponents, the three timed defending champions, The White Falls Wolfbats!"

The trio was clad in bat costumes, how fitting, Korra thought as she rolled her eyes. From her view they appeared as if they were a bunch of little school kids showing up to play an innocent game of dress up. The crowd was going mad and, if the wardrobe wasn't enough for them to eat up, the arena began to flare up in a brilliant show of colors and light by an elaborate fireworks display.

Her temper had reached its zenith. Shoving her fist into her palm she boldly announced to her teammates, "Let's win this and put Tahno in his place." The old Korra had finally bounced back; she no longer wanted to wallow in the misery which Noatak had brought upon her. The moment beckoned her to lift her fists and fight, and fight she would, as she articulately shouted, "I'm gonna knock Tahno's stupid hair off his stupid face!"

The bell cracked as Shinobi roared, "Here we go!"

The match from that point was a blur to her. She saw that the Wolfbats had jumped forward the instant the bell sounded aiming to take her out of the game prematurely. In response, the Avatar gracefully sprung into a backflip. This maneuver successfully avoided Tahno's advances by a mere inch. The waterbender's mind seemed to darken as the sensation of combat numbed all other tangible sensations. Fighting to her was solely instinctual and intuitive. Her strategy was simple as well: find the enemy's weakness and strike. The referees were no help to them. The Wolfbats were fighting dirty without any consequence, but the foul play only gave more fury to the icy sting of her attack.

The match continued and Shinobi's narration was only a subdued mumble in her focused mind. Suddenly, she was in zone three; her muscles prepared for the impact of another Wolfbat attack. A waterblast came and knocked her into Mako launching them both off the platform. No! her mind thundered in her ears; she would not give up. All the hard work over the season had come down to this point. Her hand reached for his as the other miraculously extended to catch the edge of the battle platform. She felt her shoulder pop.

Thinking that they had won, the Wolfbats rejoiced shooting their arms in the sky, but their faces showed no surprise of the results, "It's a knockout! The Wolfbats win the championship for the fourth year in a- Hold on a second, folks! Scratch that! The Ferrets are still alive, but just barely!"

The Avatar could feel the strength in her shoulder waning and her fingers slipping: now or never. Utilizing all the reserves of energy she had left, the waterbender rocked back and forth in order to amount enough momentum to successfully launch Mako back onto the ring. Throwing him skyward, she released her hold falling into the waiting water below.

"What an unbelievable move! These Ferrets aren't just bending the elements, they're bending my mind! The underdogs survive to see round two."

The Fire Ferrets were huddled at their end. Korra had waterbent their uniforms dry and was glad to find that there was no substantial damage done to her shoulder. They knew the championship hung in the balance if they did not perform well in the second round.

The Avatar's burrows furrowed in frustration, "What's wrong with these refs?"

"They've been paid off; it's the only explanation. Someone wants us to lose," the Firebender stated sullenly.

"Fine, then if the Wolfbats are gonna fight dirty," the waterbender turned and leered in their direction, "then so should we."

Mako immediately shot down her suggestion, "No we can't!" the eldest brother announced firmly as a leader should, "The refs have it out for us. If we're gonna win this thing, it has to be fair and square," their captain decreed. The Avatar was thankful for their leader's level head because her temper would never allow her to make that call.

Korra released a small sigh of dissatisfaction, "That's no fun but… alright."

Bolin smiled and pounded their shoulder pads encouragingly, "Don't worry we can do it guys. Just like practice!"

The second round of the match commenced in a similar fashion to the first, however, now the Ferrets knew the majority of the Wolfbats' tricks and were more equipped to deal with them. In the second round, there was quite a change in the way that the Ferrets attacked and defended. They moved like a true team showing the crowd that they belonged to be in the championship game. The round ended with a draw and the Avatar fulfilled her promise by cleaning Tahno's clock in the following tie breaker. Both contenting in ruining his hairdo and cleaning the smug grin off his face.

"One round apiece: who wants it more?" The bell sounded again initiating the final round.

The Wolfbats were relentless in their foul play, and the Fire Ferrets were falling back. Their determination wavered as their opponents attacks become laced with rocks. No fouls were called as the multiple rock-laced water blasts connected with their already battered bodies.

Soon the Avatar was the only remaining Fire Ferret left in the ring. Korra stood hearing the sound of the brothers' fall into the cold and unforgiving water below. The water was nowhere for a champion to be, but Tahno's dirty water blast was too much for her in the end. The rock linked with the right side of her face as momentary blindness took control. She realized she was no longer standing when the falling sensation in her stomach became overwhelming.

"Oh, this had gone too far!" Shiro Shinobi bellowed in dismay, "That water had rocks in it!"

"Knockout!" The referee affirmed. The crowd roared in response. The Avatar poked her head out of the water retracting air back into her stifling lungs. Blood trickled down her cut temple; the rocks had split the skin open there.

It happened so suddenly; the game, the result, but none of it mattered anymore. There was something more significant happening in the stands. She focused her eyes on the Policemen. They were being confronted by people adorned in dark masks. A glove of some kind fit over their hand; it was an electric glove. "What?" Korra gasped in disbelief. Stunned, her head twisted every which way seeing the bright light of electricity everywhere. The ubiquitous sight just validated to herself that what her eyes saw was the truth.

The familiar voice of Shinobi was shouting on about the match, which concealed the equalist's footsteps in the stadium. As things began to become clearer, Amon's lieutenant dropped down to the lower level of the platform. There the Fire Ferrets waded in water like sitting ducks, "Well, folks it's a controversial call but the Wolfbats notch a nasty knockout to win the match! For the fourth year in a row, they'll be crowned tournament champions!"

Amon's threat was actually becoming a reality. They needed to get out of the water. She turned her body, her eyes honed in on the lieutenant as he stood there grinning darkly. Without thought or further examination of the situation, she propelled a powerful water whip toward him but the attack was pointless. Her limbs went numb and her mind went blank the moment he electrocuted the water.

The equalist then pulled her and the brothers from the water; if he hadn't they would have drowned to death sinking from the weight of their pro-bending armor. The combination of the stress and hysteria from the electrocution and the impact of her skull bouncing against the hard cement as the man pulled her from the water, filled her head with fleeting images of her predecessor and his companions. Sometimes she would get these images, but it was in rare situations with high amounts of stress. A weathered and disgruntled face that she was not familiar with always flashed to her attention last. She could have sworn the man inside her head looked like an older version of Noatak but she couldn't relay on that assumption due to the fact that her mental state wasn't clear enough.

She felt her head snap back against a pillar and the Avatar's eyes came into focus. The waterbender's pupils dilated sucking in any light that waited idly by. Her hands instantly rose to her waist where she found tight ropes constricting her body. The brothers were tied up beside her. What happened?

"I believe I have your attention, benders of Republic City…" Korra's head tilted upward toward the direction of the deep, threatening voice. It was Amon's, he had bested her and Chief Bei Fong's police forces. He had breached the arena's defenses so easily as if they simply were just yellow tape to step over. She had been so focused on forgetting about Noatak that she had lost herself in the game. A feeling of overwhelming dejection and self-loathing rushed over her but it was soon replaced. She had been selfish and narcissistic over the past few weeks. Her jaw tightened, she promised to herself that she would put an end to this as Amon spoke his threats above: "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."

Mako shook his brother awake but to his dismay he remained unconscious, "Korra, how are we going to get out of here?"

The lieutenant hadn't block their bending. "Give me a second," Korra concentrated on breathing. Soon the water vapor in the air began to freeze around the surface of the taut fibers. Within seconds they became fragile enough to break liberating the trio. The firebender moved his brother into a more comfortable position.

"I have to go after him."

"I don't think that's a good idea. You don't know what's up there!" Always Mako being the cautious one.

"Mako, if I don't go who will?"

With that Korra was gone in a tunnel of water. She could faintly make out her friend's loud cry to watch her back. She landed on the platform taking in her bearings, Lin and Tenzin where nowhere to be found. They must have been neutralized by the electric gloves that the rebels in the audience were welding. Looking up, she found Amon glaring at her as he ascended on a metal cable to his airship. She scowled in disgust and she promised herself that he wasn't going to get away with this: dozens of good men and women injured, the whole population of the city terrified, and the destruction of a place where people could enjoy themselves without threat of violence. In a wave of intense rage she propelled herself upward in a huge explosion of water and fire to the nearest raising platform, it was just under his heels. She easily knocked the two chi blockers from it. The cool night air skidded against the surface of her warm skin.

"Come here Amon! You coward!" she roared vehemently. Concentrating the already present chi in her fists, she released it in an enormous blow of fire toward the masked man but he simply jumped onto the ledge of his airship dodging the attack with graceful ease. She leapt to the other side of the opening pulling herself up in a display of strength, athleticism, and guts: after all, if she had missed she would had been falling a few hundred feet to the ground.

"Give it up, Amon!" she growled.

"And why would I do any such thing?" he replied coolly, his dark blue eyes cut right through her, "After all, you are on my airship, my territory. You have made a grave mistake, Avatar," he stepped closer to her covering the distance between them until he stood a few feet away.

At least a dozen or more Chi blockers rushed into the cargo bay. She was outnumbered, the only route of escape was to jump but they were over buildings now. The fall would surely kill her. Amon wouldn't let her escape that effortlessly anyway. If only she was more adept with airbending then Tenzin would have had taught her the basics of flight by now.

"Amon, sir, what are your orders?" one of the Chi Blockers inquired. He seemed to be a captain of some sort.

"Stand by," he commanded firmly not even looking in their direction. The Avatar's arms were still prepped in bellicose position. Noatak's voice ringed again: Stay away from him,but she hadn't listened.

"You don't want to fight me, Avatar. Not now for there is no one except my men to see your demise," the hooded man stated resolutely, "So, let's make this easy. Surrender and I'll allow you to keep your bending for the time being. Sounds like a fair deal. I could do much worse," he stepped even closer so that they were a foot away. Korra shuttered in temporary fear of the man. He saw her fists spark, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. At least for the sake of your boyfriend."

"What are you talking about?" The Avatar's eyes went wide in shock.

"Hmm, who was it? What was his name? Ahh," he leaned close to her ear so no one but her would hear, "Noatak," gripped her chin roughly.

"What did you do to him?"

"Nothing yet."

"What are you?"

"You don't want to know," her eyes looked at his. His voice, his demeanor, his mannerisms, his confidence.

She dropped her arms, "You're right. I don't want to know."