It was another day in quiet Republic City.
We found ourselves at the pro-bending arena, where Korra, Mako, Bolin and Izuku were in the gym.
The three Fire Ferrets were having a little pro-bending training while Izuku stood off to the side watching as he took notes.
It had been a couple of days since Korra joined the Fire Ferrets and during that time, she was busy, both with pro-bending training and airbending training.
When they weren't with both, she would join Izuku in his training to control his Quirk.
What she would do was throw elemental attacks at him and create running obstacles and sometimes Izuku would even give her advice based on the notes he had taken.
"What's the big idea with making me train this early in the morning?" asked Korra receiving the training ball. "The morning is evil."
"We're the rookies, so we get the worst time slot in the gym." said Bolin, receiving the ball before passing it to his brother.
"And you're the rookiest of us all. We gotta get you up to speed if we wanna survive in the tournament. Deal with it." said Mako throwing the ball hard at the Avatar.
"You deal with it!" said Korra throwing the ball so hard at him that it sent him flying backwards with a groan.
"Don't worry. As long as we have the formation created by our strategist, we are assured of victory." said Bolin with a confident smile.
"I wouldn't be so sure, Bolin." said Mako.
"He's right. Now that they've seen your formation, you won't be able to use it anymore, so you'll have to use another formation." said Izuku.
"Well, whatever you come up with, it'll be a good idea." said Korra confident in her friend's abilities.
"There are my little hard-working street urchins." they all turned their gaze to the entrance of the gym to see a man in a fancy suit approaching them. "It's an honor to finally meet you, Avatar."
"And you are…?" asked Korra with slight suspicion.
"Butakha. I run this whole pro-bending shebang." said Butakha before reaching into his jacket to pull out a wad of bills. "Here's your winnings from the last match." said Butakha handing the wad to Mako who had what was clearly a fake smile on his face. He was about to put away the money received when… "Ah, ah, ah, not so fast. First, you owe me for the Avatar's new gear, gym, and equipment rentals from last month, rent on your apartment, and a personal loan for groceries." said Butakha as he was taking money from the wad until he took it all in full.
Mako was shocked to see that the huge wad of bills had turned to nothing and looked at his brother with a frown because of the last thing he mentioned.
"What? I'm a growing boy!" said Bolin rubbing his belly.
"Oh, and one more small item of business: The Fire Ferrets need to ante up thirty thousand yuans for the championship pot." said Butakha.
"Thirty thousand yuans?!" exclaimed Bolin very surprised.
"Sorry, kids." began Butakha putting his hand on Mako's shoulder. "You got 'til the end of the week to come up with the dough, or else, you're out of the tournament." said Butakha with his arms crossed before walking away.
"You wouldn't happen to have a secret Avatar bank account overflowing with gold, would you?" asked Bolin to Korra who reached into her pockets and pulled them out to show that they were completely empty.
"I got nothing. I've never really needed money. I've always had people taking care of me." said Korra.
"Izuku?" asked Bolin looking at the green-haired boy.
"I don't think the money I have is worth anything in this city. Not to mention I don't have that much." said Izuku, as the yen was very different from the yuan.
"Then I wouldn't say you have nothing." said Mako frustrated as he picked up the training ball.
"Sorry, I didn't mean..." started Korra apologizing to Bolin.
"No, it's all right. It's just ever since we lost our parents, we've been on our own." said Bolin.
Both Korra and Izuku were shocked to hear that.
"We're sorry." said Korra.
"Yeah, we didn't know." said Izuku feeling sorry for the two brothers.
"So, anyway, how are we gonna come up with the money?" asked Mako.
"Oh, oh, I got it! I got it!" began Bolin squatting down and holding up Pabu for all to 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." said Mako very seriously.
"I was serious." said Bolin feeling disappointed.
"Don't worry about it. I'll figure something out. I always do." said Mako walking away.
Bolin stood up to look at his brother before forming a face of determination.
Later, at the city's central station, at the foot of a statue of Fire Lord Zuko, stood Bolin and Pabu on a carpet, with a small bar placed over two glasses, with Pabu wearing a circus costume and Bolin wearing a fake mustache.
"Come one, come all. See Pabu the fantastic fire ferret as he crosses the Ladder of Peril… *gasp in mock amazement* upside down!" said Bolin as Pabu was licking himself. "Psst, psst." voiced Bolin giving Pabu the signal to act.
At his handler's warning, Pabu began to walk across the catwalk face down, much to the joy of the earthbender.
"Big finish, buddy. Stick the landing." said Bolin as Pabu leapt somersaulting through the air to land on his front paw. "Ta da!" exclaimed Bolin just as someone walked past him and tossed a couple of coins into the boat. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen! You are too kind! Seriously, too kind! You can come back here and put money right in this…" said Bolin shaking the jar a bit before checking its contents.
"Okay, that's fine, that's fine. One yuan down, 29,999 to go." said Bolin dejectedly.
Just then, a familiar red satomobile pulled up in front of him and the driver's window rolled down so he could see him.
"Hey, Bolin. Is that you?" asked the driver.
"Oh, hey there, Shady Shin." said Bolin waving at him.
Shady Shin got out of the vehicle to approach him.
"Heard you're a big time pro-bending player now. Not bad." said Shady Shin.
"Uh, thanks." said Bolin.
"So listen. I got an offer for ya. Lightning Bolt Zolt is lookin' to hire some extra muscle." said Shady Shin.
"Uh, I don't know, Shin. Mako told me to stay away from the Triple Threats." said Bolin.
"Pfuh, your brother ain't the boss of you. It's just a little security work. Nothin' crooked." said Shady Shin before tossing a wad of bills into the boat, causing Bolin to gasp in utter shock. "You game?"
Meanwhile, Mako was in some sort of factory, shooting lightning from his fingers at some sort of battery along with other benders shooting lightning.
Soon after, the finishing siren sounded and Mako took off his protective helmet and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Later, near nightfall, Mako had returned to the loft where he and his brother lived.
"Bolin, I'm back! Picked up your favorite dumplings!" said Mako lifting a bag in the air. Due to exhaustion, Mako sat down on the sofa with a little groan. "Hey, I found some work down at the power plant. Made some decent money." said Mako as he ate one of the dumpling. "Bolin?" asked Mako calling for his brother but received no answer. "You here, bro?"
Mako began to wonder where his brother was and that's when he turned to look out the window that gave a view of Air Temple Island.
"Huh, I bet the little lovebird is making a house call." said Mako getting up to go check on him.
Meanwhile, on Air Temple Island, Jinora and Ikki were making circling movements before launching a stream of air to move the gates at high speed, with Korra and Izuku on the other side.
Korra launched herself towards the gates and unlike the previous times, she was managing to pass between them while making spiraling motions.
"Good. Light on your feet!" said Jinora advising her.
Finally, Korra reached the other side, where Jinora, Ikki and Izuku were waiting for her.
Korra stood resting her hands on her knees as she panted a little from the exertion.
"You did well, Korra." said Izuku.
"Thank you, Izuku." said Korra.
It was then when everyone, except Korra, noticed someone coming from behind.
"Ooh, he's cute." said Jinora, since who they were seeing was Mako who was walking up the stairs with his hands in his pockets. "Korra, is that the handsome firebender boy that drives you crazy?" asked Jinora with an amused smile.
Korra was confused by that until she turned her head to see Mako approaching, but the next comment caused a horrified expression to form on her face.
"Does he drive you crazy in a bad way, or does he drive you crazy like you like him?" asked Ikki teasingly.
In the next instant, Korra, with a stomp, erected a mound of earth that threw the two sisters far away.
"Pff." voiced Izuku trying to contain his laughter, but a daggers glare from the Avatar made him stop.
Korra quickly turned around to greet the firebender.
"Ahem. Oh. Hey, Mako." began Korra a little nervously as the two sisters landed softly behind, watching the scene with little chuckles between their teeth.
"You seen Bolin?" asked Mako.
"Nice to see you, too." said Korra.
"No, we haven't seen him since training." said Izuku.
"Think something's wrong?" asked Korra.
"I don't know. Bolin has a knack for getting into stupid situations. *Sigh* See you later." said Mako about to leave.
"Wait. We could, uh… help you look for him." said Korra.
"Nah. I got it." said Mako.
"Mako, Bolin is our friend. If we all work together, we could find him in no time." said Izuku.
"Good idea and we could take Naga with us." said Korra.
"Who's Naga?" asked Mako confused.
"My best friend. And a great tracker." said Korra.
A short time later, Korra, Izuku and Mako were on Naga's back as she walked through the city.
"Your best friend is a… polar bear dog. Somehow, that makes perfect sense." said Mako.
"I'll take that as a compliment, city boy." said Korra.
They continued walking until they reached the central station.
They looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"Well, this is his usual hangout." said Mako as he and the others climbed down from the polar bear dog.
Nearby was a group of children playing with each other.
"You guys seen my brother around here today?" asked Mako as they approached a boy in a cap.
"Perhaps. My memory's a little ..."foggy". Maybe you can help "clear it up"." said the capped boy scratching his nose before holding out his hand as if he was waiting for something.
Izuku couldn't believe it.
There was a person in trouble and that kid was taking advantage of the situation to get money.
He supposed that was to be expected since he was in an ancient themed city.
"You're good, Skoochy. Humph, a real pro." said Mako handing the boy a ticket, much to the Avatar's surprise.
"Yeah, I seen him." said Skoochy.
"When?" asked Mako.
"About noon." replied Skoochy.
"What was he doing?" asked Mako.
"H-he was performing some kind of monkey rat circus. And then…" began Skoochy holding out his hand.
"Listen, his brother might be in danger. Can't you help us?" asked Izuku.
"Heh. I can tell you're new. Listen, newbie, in this town, nothing is given for nothing. If you want something, you'll have to pay for it." said Skoochy.
"Give it up, Izuku. It's hopeless." said Mako handing the boy another bill. "And then what? Why did he leave?"
Skoochy moved a little closer while covering one side of his mouth with his hand.
"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 Kais? All the triads are muscling up for something real big. Now that's all you're getting outta me!" said Skoochy before driving off with other kids.
"What's he talking about?" asked Korra.
"Sounds like there's a turf war brewing. And Bolin's about to get caught right in the middle of it." said Mako.
Izuku began to worry more about his earthbender friend, as he didn't expect to get into a fight between triads.
Moments later, they began running through the city with the three of them riding on Naga.
"So where're we headed?" asked Korra leading Naga in the directions given by the firebender.
"The Triple Threat Triad's headquarters. Hopefully Bolin's there and nothing's gone down yet." said Mako.
"The Triple Threat Triad? Korra, didn't we confront them when we arrived in the city?" asked Izuku remembering the mobsters they arrested.
"Yes and we beat the crap out of them, but I don't get it. Why would Bolin get tangled up with…?" asked Korra curiously when suddenly Naga suddenly turned around as she was chasing an animal moving in the shadows.
"Whoa, Naga!" said Korra trying to stop her mount.
Naga kept chasing that animal until he ended up climbing up a lamppost, where they could see what animal it was.
"That's Pabu!" said Mako recognizing his brother's pet.
Naga, tongue out, tried to catch the fire ferret, but Korra stopped him.
"No, Naga! Pabu's a friend, not a snack." said Korra as the fire ferret came down the lamppost to the polar bear dog's height.
Both animals sniffed each other for a bit before touching noses and seeing that the polar bear dog was friendly, Pabu climbed on top of her until he stood on Mako's shoulders.
"Wait, if Pabu is here, that means…" said Izuku starting to worry.
"We gotta hurry." said Mako.
Finally, after a long way traveled, they arrived at their destination.
"Something's not right." said Mako.
"Let me guess, there are usually bullies at the entrance, right?" asked Izuku having his experience watching movies and training exercises.
"Yes, so go carefully." said Mako walking to the entrance cautiously.
While Mako and Izuku were acting as spies, Korra casually approached the entrance before she burst the door with a kick.
"If Aizawa-sensei saw that, she would have scolded her." commented Izuku knowing how serious his teacher was.
When the three of them entered the place, they saw that there were overturned tables lying around.
Just by looking at that, Izuku could deduce that there was a fight, but the question was, who did they fight?
"Bolin? You in here?" asked Mako hoping to get an answer from his brother.
Suddenly, they all heard the sound of a vehicle starting up.
They quickly jumped out the back door, only to find several motorists and a truck starting up.
The back doors of the truck were open, allowing everyone to see Bolin bound and gagged groaning for help before another guy in uniform closed the doors.
"Bolin!" shouted Mako as he and the others ran to chase them, but two of the bikers threw some cans that expelled a green smoke that stopped them long enough for them to escape.
"We can't let them escape!" shouted Izuku as they all coughed a little from the smoke.
"Naga, come!" shouted Korra calling for her animal guide.
Naga, with Korra, Izuku and Mako on her, emerged from the smoke and began to chase at full speed after the bikers behind the truck.
Mako threw a fireball at one of the bikers, but stepped aside to dodge it.
A second biker dodged another fireball.
Korra tried to stop him by using earthbending to raise a mound of earth that threw the previous biker into the air, but he managed to land straight and continue on his way.
The chase took them to a square where several bikers broke away from the others.
One of them threw a bola that got tangled in Naga's legs, causing her to stumble and throw her passengers who fell to the ground with a groan.
The bikers did a few somersaults in the air before positioning themselves in front of them.
One biker charged towards Korra who threw a fireball, but dodged it by jumping over it as he continued on his way.
The biker tries to hit her, but Korra blocks the blow with her arm before throwing a jet of fire at him, but he dodged it by ducking before hitting Korra's arm.
Korra tried to throw fire at him once more, but the biker raised her arm, sending her attack shooting upwards.
Korra somersaulted in the air to hit him with a fire axe kick, but the biker dodged it.
She tried to hit him with a fire kick, but the biker blocked it with his own leg which he tangled with Korra's.
It was then, when he began to repeatedly hit Korra's right side, causing Korra's right arm to become unusable as she groaned in pain.
Despite having one arm less, Korra threw a fireball with her other arm, but the biker dodged it.
She then tried to throw another fireball at him from a low kick, but the biker jumped to dodge it.
Korra jumped up and threw a more powerful fireball at him, but the biker dodged it again.
The two charged at each other until Korra stopped and threw a fireball at him, but the biker dodged it again.
She then tried again, but had the same result.
Izuku quickly activated his Quirk when one of the bikers charged towards him.
The biker set about giving him various punches and kicks, trying to do the same thing to him as Korra, but Izuku was able to dodge them all.
"He's fast, but he's not as fast as Kacchan and Tenya." thought Izuku remembering how fast his teammates were when it came to fighting.
"Detroit Smash!" shouted Izuku throwing his fist forward, but stopped it just inches away from the biker as he didn't want to hurt him too much.
Despite not touching him, the force of the wind was so strong that it sent the biker flying, to the surprise of everyone else except Korra, who had witnessed it before.
Two bikers threw their bolas, grabbing his arms and pulling the ropes to restrain him, allowing a third biker to approach towards him.
However, Izuku pulled his arms, sending the bikers flying until they crashed into the third biker.
Suddenly, Izuku was surrounded by several bikers, as they could see that he was a greater danger than the Avatar or the firebender.
It was then that Izuku jumped high into the air with his leg up.
"Manchester Smash!" shouted Izuku impacting his foot on the ground, causing a wind wave that sent all the bikers flying.
Meanwhile, Mako, who had ended up with his right arm disabled, tried to hit him with a fireball, but the biker dodged it as he stepped behind him.
Then, the two bikers hit both of them on the left side repeatedly.
In the Avatar's case they went so far as to hit him in the leg, causing her to stagger and then both bikers hit them, sending them backwards, knocking them down side by side.
"Korra!" exclaimed Izuku worried for his friend.
Korra and Mako looked up to see their opponents closing in on them as they swung their bolas ready to strike them, much to the horror of the firebender and the Avatar.
However, before they could take another step...
"Delaware Smash!" shouted Izuku releasing his finger, launching a blast of air that sent the two bikers backwards before stepping in front of Korra and Mako.
All the bikers looked at each other before they threw a couple of cans that expelled a green gas that served as cover as they escaped on their bikes, leaving the square completely clear except for the Avatar, the green-haired boy, the firebender and the animals.
Izuku let out a sigh of relief as he deactivated his Quirk seeing that the fight was over.
After that, he went to help his friends along with Naga, who had managed to free herself from her bindings.
"Would you mind telling me what that strange power you used was?" asked Mako getting up from the ground.
"It's a long story, but are you okay?" asked Izuku.
Before answering, Korra threw her right fist forward to throw a fireball, but then, nothing happened, much to her surprise.
"Ugh, I can't bend." said Korra before trying again, but nothing happened again. "I can't bend!" said Korra panicking.
"How is that possible?" asked Izuku in shock.
"Calm down, it'll wear off. Those guys were chi-blockers. " said Mako.
"Chi-blockers?" asked Izuku.
"Come to think of it. Katara told me that she once faced one during the war. Chi-blockers are fighters that can block the bender's bending through pressure points." Korra said remembering what Katara told her about it.
Izuku was surprised.
He knew there were people who used acupuncture as a method to let the body's energy run, but he hadn't expected there to be an opposite method.
He even wondered if that could affect the Quirks in the same way that Aizawa's power does.
"And w-who were those chi-blockers?" said Izuku.
"They're Amon's henchmen." said Mako.
"Amon? That anti-bending guy with a mask?" asked Korra.
"Yeah, he's the leader of the Equalists." said Mako.
"What would they want from the Triple Threats?" asked Izuku, as he thought the Equalists were just protesters, but if they went to such extremes, they were worse than he imagined.
"Whatever it is, can't be good." said Mako before putting his hand to his face as he sighed in frustration. "Urgh, can't believe Bolin got himself into this mess!" said Mako crossing his arms before Korra put her hand on his shoulder.
"Mako, we are going to save your brother." said Korra.
"We promise." said Izuku putting his hand on his other shoulder.
For many hours of the night, Korra, Izuku and Mako, mounted on Naga, were running everywhere in search of Bolin.
They had walked so far that both Naga was starting to get tired.
"*Yawn* We've been the same all night. No sign." said Izuku a little tired.
"We've gotta keep looking. But where?" asked Mako starting to despair.
It was then that Korra came up with an idea.
"I have an idea!" said Korra before leading Naga in another direction.
Soon after, the group found themselves in the park, where the polar bear dog was able to drink water from the fountain while the others sat down to rest.
"Why did we come all this way?" asked Mako.
"The first day we got into town, we ran into an Equalist protester over there." said Korra pointing to an area of the park.
"That's right. Maybe he knows something if he supports the Equalists." said Izuku.
"And you think they'll know where Bolin is?" asked Mako.
"It's our only lead right now." said Korra.
Later, they all found themselves under a tree, with Naga sleeping while Korra, Izuku and Mako were still awake.
Korra determined to break the awkward silence, decided to ask something that was on her mind.
"So, why is Bolin running around with the Triple Threat Triad, anyway?" asked Korra.
"Besides, you knew where their lair was. How so?" asked Izuku.
"Well, we… we used to do some work for them back in the day." confessed Mako.
"What?!" asked Korra and Izuku in unison and in shock.
"Wha-Are you some kind of criminal?" asked Korra.
"No! You don't know what you're talking about. 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." said Mako telling a little of his past.
"I'm sorry. It must have been really hard." said Korra feeling sorry for the firebender.
"You were only doing it to protect your brother. That's a very noble thing to do." said Izuku.
"Can I ask what happened to your parents?" said Korra.
"They were mugged, by a firebender. He cut them down right in front of me. I was eight." said Mako in a slightly cracked voice, as it wasn't an easy subject to tell.
Needless to say, both Korra and Izuku were shocked and saddened to hear that.
"Mako…" said Korra feeling sorry for the firebender.
"I'm... I'm so sorry." said Izuku.
"Bolin's the only family I have left. If anything happened to him…" began Mako saddened at the memory of losing his family and at the possibility of losing his brother.
It was then that he noticed a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Izuku giving him a determined look.
"It's going to be okay." said Izuku.
"Why?" asked Mako.
"Because we're here." said Izuku with a toothy grin.
Despite the situation, Mako felt a little better seeing the kind and determined smile of the green-haired boy.
Korra also gave him a smile as a sign that they were going to make it.
The next morning, everyone was sleeping peacefully, with Korra and Mako sleeping together side by side.
"Equality now! Equality now! We want equality now!" shouted the protester causing everyone to wake up with a groan.
But as soon as Korra and Mako saw how close they were, they quickly backed away as they shouted.
"W-what happened?" asked Izuku suddenly waking up to the screams.
"Non-benders of Republic City!" shouted the protester.
Everyone turned their gaze to the front to see the protester on a table in front of a poster of Amon.
"That's the guy." said Korra pointing at him.
"Amon calls you to action! Take back your city! It's time for the…" the protester began before looking at Korra, Izuku and Mako. "It's you again! You cannot silence me, Avatar! Neither will your weirdo friend!"
But then, Korra slapped the megaphone away from him causing it to shatter as it hit the ground.
"Shut your yapper and listen up. My friend got kidnapped by some chi-blockers. Where'd they take him?" asked Korra.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." said the protester crossing his arms and looking away.
"Oh, I think you do." said Korra before stomping her foot on the ground, causing a mound of earth to rise up under the table, throwing it into the air and scattering the papers on it.
The protester set about picking up the pamphlets littering the floor.
Mako picked up one of the ones that were falling around and read it.
"'Witness the Revelation tonight, nine o' clock'." said Mako reading the contents of the pamphlet. "What's this 'Revelation'?" asked Mako to the man.
"Nothing that concerns the likes of you two!" said the protester before Korra grabbed him by the collar of his clothes and lifted him up a little.
"You better believe it concerns us." said Korra.
"Answer us." said Izuku wanting answers.
"No one knows what the Revelation is! And I have no idea what happened to your friend. But if he's a bender, then my bet is he's getting what's coming to him." said the protester
"Where's it happening?" asked Mako when suddenly, a whistle blew.
They turned their heads to the side to see a guard half a distance away from them.
"Hey! What's going on over there?" asked the policeman from a distance.
"The Avatar's oppressing us. Help!" shouted the protester.
"Let's scram." said Korra throwing the protester before she and the others fled the scene, though Izuku made sure to grab a couple of pamphlets from the ones on the ground.
Later, Korra, Izuku and Mako stood at a streetcar stop, scanning the pamphlets for anything that would tell them where the revelation was being held, but found nothing.
"Why didn't the Equalists put a location on these?" asked Korra.
"Probably because they don't want just anyone waltzing in to their big 'Revelation', whatever that is." said Mako.
"It must be something very important and secret if they don't put the address in plain sight. They probably have it hidden in these pamphlets." said Izuku analyzing the pamphlets.
"It's possible, look at the backs. There's four different images." said Mako looking at the backs of four pamphlets.
"So, it's a puzzle?" asked Korra with a smile realizing how they were going to figure out the location.
"Yeah, of a map!" said Izuku putting the four pamphlets together, with Mako's help, to form a small map that they compared to a map of the city nearby.
They compared it with some parts of the city until...
"Bingo." exclaimed Mako when they found the perfect match. "That must be where it's going down."
After a long time, they finally had a clear clue where Bolin was.
Later that night, Korra, Izuku and Mako arrived at some sort of abandoned factory to which several people were heading.
"This is the place." said Mako before the three of them put on hats to hide their faces and go unnoticed.
The three continued on their way to a gate where people were entering that had a guard standing next to it checking leaflets as if they were tickets.
On the way, Korra clung to Mako's arm.
"What are you doing?" asked Mako.
"We'll attract less attention this way." said Korra just as they reached the door.
"This is a private event. No one gets in without an invitation." said the guard at the door with his arms crossed.
"Uh... invitation?" asked Korra surprised that that was needed to get in.
"You mean this?" asked Izuku pulling out a couple of pamphlets and showing them to the guard.
The guard took the pamphlets to check them.
"The Revelation is upon us, my brothers and sister." said the guard stepping aside to let them pass with a smile.
Once inside, the three of them walked a bit until they reached a box where they saw something that quite surprised them.
"W-What is this?" said Izuku.
"I knew a lot of people hated benders, but I've never seen so many in one place." said Mako as the three of them looked at that, in front of a stage there were thousands of people. "Keep your eyes out for Bolin." said Mako before the group walked down from the stage until they were in the middle of the crowd.
Suddenly, the spotlights came on, illuminating the stage quite brightly.
"Please welcome your hero, your savior… Amon!" shouted the announcer as a compartment opened in the middle of the stage through which ascended a platform upon which stood several Equalist soldiers, the lieutenant and the masked man leading the Equalists, Amon.
The audience erupted in cheers at his arrival as Amon approached the microphone.
"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 from me. Then, he took my face. I've been forced to hide behind a mask ever since." said Amon recounting his life.
Korra, Izuku and Mako were shocked by the masked man's story, they even began to feel sorry for him.
"As you know, the Avatar has recently arrived in Republic City." said Amon, causing the audience to boo at the mention of the Avatar.
"And if she were here, 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." said Amon as Korra gritted her teeth in anger at the masked one's words.
"And then there is his companion, Deku, possessor of a very unique power." said Amon causing Izuku's eyes to widen at the mention of his name of hero.
"He says with a smile that everything will be fine, but it's not, because he's no different from the other benders who use their power to make non-benders feel inferior."
Izuku gritted his teeth in anger at how he said those lies about him and about the phrase his master, All Might, used to say.
"But that is about to change." said Amon getting Korra and Izuku's attention. "I know you have been wondering, 'What is the Revelation?'. You are about to get your answer."
Korra, Izuku and Mako looked at each other briefly, a little nervous about what that revelation would be.
"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." said Amon angrily to Korra. "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."
Hearing that, Korra and Izuku's eyes widened from utter surprise.
"That's impossible." said Korra.
"That guy is crazy." said Mako.
"It has to be a lie." said Izuku.
"Now, for a demonstration. Please welcome, Lightning Bolt Zolt. Leader of the Triple Threat Triad, and one of the most notorious criminals in Republic City." said Amon as some Equalist soldiers pushed the aforementioned, who was tied up, to stand next to Amon, receiving much booing in the process.
"Ah, boo yourself!" shouted Zolt as more soldiers brought in Shady Shin, a couple of men and Bolin who was completely terrified by the situation he was in.
"There's Bolin." said Korra ready to go save him, but Mako stopped her by grabbing her shoulder.
"Wait, we can't fight them all. We need to be smart about this." said Mako.
"So what can we do then?" asked Izuku.
"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." began Amon backing up a bit as the lieutenant untied Zolt who rubbed his wrists. "I will give Zolt the chance to fight to keep his bending." said Amon as the lieutenant sent Zolt with a shove to the other side of the stage.
"You're gonna regret doing that, pal." said Zolt with a cocky grin before throwing a fireball that Amon dodged, then threw another one, but he dodged that one too.
Zolt threw another fireball, but Amon dodged it as he charged towards him and dodged his fireballs.
Switching strategies, Zolt decided to throw a lightning at him, but Amon easily dodged it before stepping in front of Zolt, grabbing his wrist and pushing it aside, causing the lightning to go in another direction.
Even though Zolt continued to throw his lightning, Amon made him turn around, causing the lightning to hit part of the spot.
He then grabbed him by the back of the neck with his left hand, causing him to groan slightly and then placed his right hand on Zolt's head, with his thumb on his forehead and two fingers on one side.
Suddenly, the lightning began to dwindle into a flare that eventually died out soon after.
After that, Amon released Zolt who fell to the ground with a groan as Amon put his hands behind his back.
Zolt started to get up with a groan of effort before looking at the masked man.
He tried to throw a fireball at him, but nothing happened, and he ended up falling to the ground again.
Zolt got to his hands and knees as he groaned a little from the effort.
"Wha… what did you do to me?" asked Zolt in fright.
"Your firebending is gone. Forever." said Amon to the astonishment of the audience.
While the audience was in awe, Korra was completely terrified, as she was unable to believe what she had just seen.
However, she wasn't the only one, as Izuku was also terrified, as it reminded him of a villain he knows he will have to face at some point.
All For One.
A powerful villain, who had been around since the beginning of Quirks and possessed the ability to snatch people's Quirks to add in his arsenal of Quirks.
But while he stole Quirks and gave them to others, Amon was able to permanently eliminate them.
All Might told him that the One For All couldn't be stolen, so it was impossible for All For One to steal it, but he remembered the time Aizawa used his Quirk to temporarily remove it.
Which meant that even if it couldn't be stolen, it could be eliminated and that was what truly scared him.
"The era of bending is over. A new era of Equality has begun!" said Amon raising his fist, causing the audience to raise their fists as they cheered.
One of the men who were bound began to tremble in fear as the Equalist soldiers untied Shady Shin and pushed him towards what would be his doom.
"Mako, we're running out of time. Have you come up with anything?" asked Izuku having put aside his fear to focus on the situation.
"I think so." said Mako before turning his head to the side of the factory. "See those machines? They're powered by water and steam. If you create some cover, I can grab Bolin without anyone seeing. Then, we duck out of here."
"I'll go with you." said Izuku.
"Works for me." said Korra before Izuku and Mako set off. "Guys." said Korra stopping them. "Good luck." said Korra clasping their hands.
"You, too." said Mako.
"Be careful." said Izuku before he and Mako went one way and Korra went the other.
The Avatar came to a corridor where there was a machine with two valves.
Korra turned one of the valves hard, but because of how sturdy it was, she could only turn it a little, though that caused a jet of steam to shoot out of the pipe.
"It's not enough." said Korra easily turning the other valve, which was much smaller.
"Hey, you!" Korra turned to the side to see the gate guard walking toward her.
Meanwhile, Mako and Izuku were advancing through the crowd.
They reached the front row just as Amon was snatching bending from Shady Shin.
Bolin let out a gasp as they took the last one before him, so he would be next.
Back in the hallway, Korra had the guard in front of her.
"Is there a problem, my brother?" asked Korra keeping her cover.
"What are you doing back here?" asked the guard.
"Uh… looking for the bathroom?" asked Korra using the old bathroom excuse as she smiled nervously.
That didn't convince the guard who reached his hand back to grab a wrench, which the Avatar noticed.
The guard tried to hit her with his wrench, but Korra easily dodged the attacks.
Returning to the central area, Mako and Izuku were patiently waiting for the moment to act.
"Come on…" said Mako getting impatient, as Amon was snatching bending from another bender.
"Don't worry, I know she'll make it." said Izuku trusting his friend.
Korra dodged another attack that hit one of the pipes, bending it in the process due to the force put into the attack.
Korra removed her scarf and after dodging another key strike, wrapped it around her hand.
With her strength, she pulled the guard until she threw him against the valve machine, breaking several pipes that expelled a lot of steam and knocking the guard down.
"Thanks. This should be enough." said Korra to the unconscious guard.
Just then, they were untying Bolin, preparing him for his turn while he was terrified.
They lifted him up and pushed him until he was behind Amon, who had finished off the previous bender to turn around and see the earthbender.
"Uh, hello, Amon, sir. I think there's been a big misunderstanding." said Bolin before Amon started walking towards him.
Back in the hallway, Korra manipulated the steam to throw it at the machine, causing an explosion that created a smokescreen as people began to scream.
Bolin was shocked as the steam covered everything.
Amon took advantage of the steam to back up and disappear into it.
Bolin was grabbed from behind by an Equalist, but Mako grabbed him and threw him away from him and his brother.
"Bolin, you all right?" asked Mako.
"Yes! Mako! I love you!" said Bolin opening his arms to hug his brother, but then, Izuku came and pushed him back.
"We don't have time for this." said Izuku as the three of them took advantage of the steam to escape.
The two brothers and the green-haired boy exited through a door leading to the outside and once, there, they proceeded down they went down some stairs.
However, the lieutenant came out shortly after and discovered the boys fleeing down the stairs.
By the time Mako looked up to see him, the lieutenant pulled out two sticks that he slammed against the staircase, releasing an electric shock that coursed through the staircase and them, making them scream in pain before falling to the ground.
With a leap, the lieutenant jumped down to hit Bolin with his electrified sticks, but Bolin managed to move out of the way in time and get up, as did Mako and Izuku.
First, Mako threw a fireball at him, which the lieutenant dodged before running towards him and trying to hit him with his electrified sticks, but Mako dodged them.
However, the lieutenant ran one stick through his legs, making him airborne before hitting him with the other stick in the stomach, sending him to the ground.
Bolin proceeded to throw a couple of buckets of earth at him, but the lieutenant dodged all the thrown objects as he charged towards him.
Nervous, Bolin erected a wall of earth to protect himself, but the lieutenant, with a couple of somersaults, went over the wall and landed behind Bolin.
Just as he turned around, the lieutenant began to hit him with his electrified sticks before touching him with the tip, sending him an electric shock that made him scream in pain until he ended up unconscious.
It was then, when Mako came out from the side of Bolin's wall and tried to hit the lieutenant with a flying fire kick, but he dodged it.
He then threw a horizontal fire wave at him, which he dodged as the attack knocked down the wall.
The lieutenant charged toward him to hit him.
Mako dodged a couple of attacks before trying to throw a fireball at him, but the lieutenant dodged it before hitting him in the chest with his electrified stick, pushing him backwards before hitting him with the tip of his two sticks, sending him an electric shock that made him scream in pain before falling unconscious.
"You benders need to understand, there's no place in the world for you anymore." said the lieutenant preparing to settle the final blow, but then, he noticed something incoming out of the corner of his eye and jumped back in time to dodge a horizontal kick from Izuku.
However, that kick sent a wave of wind that pushed the lieutenant back and when he stood up, he saw Izuku standing in front of the brothers with his Quirk activated.
"Wow. I have to admit, I was hoping I could have a confrontation with you, weirdo." said the lieutenant.
"Why are you doing this? You say you fight for equality, but you attack innocent people!" said Izuku.
"Innocent? We are simply standing up to those who oppress us" said the lieutenant pointing at the downed brothers.
"Not all benders are like that!" said Izuku.
"You'll never understand! You're not a bender, not even a non-bender!" said the lieutenant.
"You're right." began Izuku before getting into a fighting stance. "I'm a hero!"
Quickly, the lieutenant charged towards Izuku, who put pressure on one finger.
"Delaware Smash!" shouted Izuku releasing his finger, launching a blast of wind in the process, but the lieutenant easily dodged it.
Izuku repeated the same process, but the lieutenant was able to dodge all the attacks the closer he got to him.
When the lieutenant caught up to him, he tried to hit him with his electrified sticks, but Izuku was able to dodge them easily.
They were like this for a while until finally, the lieutenant managed to find an opening and he took advantage of it to hit him with one of his electrified sticks, knocking him back and allowing him to be able to deliver more blows with his electrified sticks.
He raised them high to give him a strong blow, but Izuku managed to grab both sticks with his hands, managing to avoid the electrified tips.
"Manchester Smash!" yelled Izuku giving the lieutenant a side kick, sending him flying backwards.
The lieutenant stood up slightly with a groan before looking with an angry expression at the green-haired boy.
"Compared to those I've faced, you're no big deal." said Izuku recalling his battles against his classmates and villains.
The lieutenant, feeling insulted, let out a snarl at him and before he could fully get up, a stone wall rose up beside him and hit him, sending him crashing into a wall that knocked him down.
"Guys, let's get out of here!" said Korra arriving on the scene before letting out a hiss. "Naga!"
At her friend's call, Naga came running to the scene, just as Mako and Bolin were waking up, but also as Equalist soldiers appeared on the scene.
Quickly, Korra, Izuku and Mako climbed on top of Naga as she ran away from the scene at full speed.
Bolin let out a panicked yelp when he saw Naga run up to him and grab him by the shirt with her mouth, causing him to bounce off as the polar bear dog ran away.
"Hah… Oh… Yah… Stop… I want… to be… on… your back… please!" said Bolin as he bounced.
"The Avatar. That's her!" said the lieutenant as the soldiers chased after them.
"Let her go." said Amon making his subordinates stop. "She's the perfect messenger to tell the city of my power."
"What do we do about her friend? He's clearly more powerful than we thought." said the lieutenant.
"If he's on the Avatar's side, then, he's also our enemy. If he says he's a hero, then, let's give him the villain he expects." said Amon.
Soon after, the group returned to the pro-bending arena after seeing that they had escaped from the enemy and once there, Izuku decided to tell the two brothers the truth about him.
"So, just so I'm clear. You're from another world where most people have Quirks, which are basically super powers, and your Quirk gives you inhuman strength, but you don't quite control it." said Bolin pointing to what he and his brother had been told.
"Yeah, that's pretty much my story. Guys, I'm sorry I lied to you, but I didn't know how the others would react to it." said Izuku.
"Well this is my reaction." said Bolin before going quiet for a few seconds. "It's mind-blowing! You have to tell me all about your world! Oh and also about those heroes." said Bolin with a smile of excitement.
"Izuku, if it hadn't been for you and your Quirk or whatever, we would have died." said Mako before putting his hand on the green-haired boy's shoulder. "You were truly a hero."
Izuku smiled in joy at those words.
"Now, back to the other topic." said Mako before smacking his brother on the back of the head. "What the hell were you thinking, Bolin?! I told you not to get involved with the Triple Threats, and what happened? You were kidnapped by the Equalists and almost lost your bending!"
"I'm sorry, Mako. Shady Shin fobbed me off with that money thing and… well… I just wanted to help raise the money for the boat. You've done a lot for me since that with our parents, and I wanted to do something for you for once." said Bolin with his head down.
At that moment, Mako put his hand on his shoulder, causing him to lift his head.
"You're safe now and that's what matters. It's good that you did it with us in mind. We'll get the money, but not through triads. We'll get through this together, like we always have, together as brothers." said Mako.
"Oh thank you, Mako! You're the best brother in the world!" exclaimed Bolin hugging his big brother tightly.
Korra and Izuku stood to the side watching the tender moment between brothers with a smile.
Later, on Air Temple Island, Tenzin was in a hallway with a couple of White Lotus guards.
They were about to talk about something when they saw Korra and Izuku arrive on the scene.
"Thank goodness. I was just about to send out a search party. Are you all right?" asked Tenzin with concern approaching them.
"More or less." said Izuku as Korra hugged herself.
"What happened? Did you find your friend?" asked Tenzin with concern.
"Yes, but… We were at an Equalist rally." said Korra.
"And we saw Amon." said Izuku.
"What?" asked Tenzin surprised by that.
"He can take people's bending away. For good." said Korra.
"That's… that's impossible. Only the Avatar has ever possessed that ability." said Tenzin unable to believe his ears.
"It's true, I read that Avatar Aang used that ability to wrest bending from Fire Lord Ozai at the end of the war." said Izuku.
"And we saw him do the same to the leader of the Triple Threats." said Korra with fear and concern.
"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." said Tenzin as they all looked out over the city, wondering what would happen next.
Later, on her way back to her room, Korra noticed something out of the corner of her eye and turned her head to see Izuku looking down at the city from the stairs.
Filled with curiosity, she approached him.
"Izuku." said Korra causing the green-haired boy to startle. "Are you okay?"
Izuku looked at her for a bit before turning his gaze back to the city.
"A little." said Izuku.
Korra, worried about her friend, sat down next to him.
"Is it about Amon?" asked Korra.
"Yes, but that's not exactly it." began Izuku to Korra's confusion. "Do you remember the villains I faced?" asked Izuku receiving a nod from the Avatar. "It turns out there was one villain I didn't get to face. I only met him once and it was enough to terrify me."
"Who?" asked Korra curiously.
"All For One." said Izuku sending a slight shiver down the Avatar's spine at the mention of that name. "He's a villain who has lived a long time. Longer than you and I combined. His power allows him to snatch power from anyone and keep it for himself."
Korra's eyes widened in horror as she learned that there was a villain who had a similar power to Amon, only this one kept the power he snatched, which could make him a totally dangerous and powerful enemy.
"When I saw Amon snatch the bending from that bender, I once again remembered the feeling I felt when I saw All For One for the first time." began Izuku before clenching his fists that were shaking. "I had never experienced fear like that before and after he was locked up, I hoped I would never feel it again."
Suddenly, Korra jumped in and enveloped the green-haired boy in a comforting hug.
"Take it easy. If that guy is locked up in prison, he won't hurt you anymore." said Korra trying to comfort the green-haired boy.
Despite the fact that she was partly right, he knew that sooner or later he would have to face him or his student, Tomura Shigaraki, as it was his duty as the bearer of the One For All.
"And if he ever shows up again, I will be by your side. I promise." said Korra with a loving smile.
That was enough to make Izuku feel a little better, as he felt he could trust her completely, but... does he trust her enough to tell her his biggest secret?