God, I'm freaking out for the series finale. Is anyone else losing their minds over the huge cliff-hanger from Kuvira's Gambit? Besides everybody, I mean. I also realized far later than I should've that Korra is coming to an end the same day as my anniversary. And since my girlfriend and I are both obsessed with the show… It's going to be a hell of an emotional day. I'm not sure I'll be able to deal with it.

As much as I love how the intensity of the seasons keeps increasing, part of me actually misses watching pro-bending. I swear, if Bryke made a spin-off focused solely on pro-bending, I'd be all over that.

Bet

"This is awesome," Korra said excitedly as she and Asami took their seats in the pro-bending arena. "I haven't seen a match in ages!"

"Well, you're welcome," Asami replied with a small smile as she took a sip of her beverage. "I figured it would be a better way to spend the evening than doing nothing."

Korra glanced around the arena excitedly, taking in the forgotten sights and sounds that she had come to enjoy as a pro-bender. Of course, watching a match was very different from actually competing in one; the moment that bell rang, all of the outside distractions simply shut off, and her entire world became planning each move against her opponents. In a way, she longed to be back in the ring – bending was what she had grown up with, after all. But mediating balance in the world tended to be a full-time job, and since she was no longer stationed in Republic City to train, her duties took her out of the city far more often than would have been feasible for an athlete.

Korra turned her attention to the VIP box and noticed it was empty. It was odd, considering the match was only minutes from beginning; someone should have been seated and comfortable by now. She turned to Asami and asked over the buzz of the crowd, "Who's in the box tonight?"

Asami turned her gaze to the box before shrugging. "I don't know. I didn't really ask when I bought the tickets. Maybe there's no one tonight."

Korra raised a brow at this. The first time she'd ever watched a match in the arena, she'd had the privilege of doing so from a dressing room. It wasn't much of a seat, but it was hard to beat the view she'd had of the match. Of course, that had nothing on the VIP box; situated right at the centre of the ring, it was the best seat to watch from. But it was reserved for only the most important guests, and every time she'd seen Asami at a pro-bending match, the woman was seated in the VIP box. Whether it was with her father or a guest she'd brought along, the head of Future Industries had never been seen sitting in the stands with the rest of the audience.

Asami noticed the look and stared at her. "What? What's wrong?"

Korra simply shook her head. "I dunno. I figured you'd be sitting in there tonight. I thought the reason we were out here was because someone had already reserved the box."

Asami glanced away, and Korra noticed a hint of embarrassment flash across the engineer's features. "Actually," she said hesitantly, "I wanted to sit out here tonight. I hope you aren't disappointed that we aren't in there. I should've asked before I bought the tickets."

"Oh! No, it's fine!" Korra replied quickly with a wave of her hand. "Of course I don't mind. I was just curious, that's all. Whenever I played I always saw you in there. I assumed it was just a rich person perk."

"Well, it is," Asami answered with a small shrug. "I just… I didn't want to be seen as a CEO tonight, and thought that you could maybe use a break from being the Avatar. I thought we could just be ourselves, watching a game just like everyone else here."

Korra was silent for a moment, studying the other woman intently. It had never really occurred to her, but Asami did appear in the public eye quite often, being more or less the face of innovation in Republic City as well as one of its richest residents. Seeing as she was brought up that way, Korra just assumed Asami was used to the attention. She had never once considered that the young businesswoman might appreciate anonymity once in a while, to just be a normal person having fun. It was certainly something she had come to consider lately, with her rising appearances in the media these days.

The bell announcing the beginning of the match shook her from her thoughts, and she smiled at Asami with a nod. "I think that was a great choice."

Asami smiled warmly in return before turning her attention to the game, which had quickly gained momentum. Korra followed suit, studying each playing intently and coming up with moves in her head as she watched opportunities unfold on the ring. It was tough to determine which team was winning, as the exchange of territory was constantly flowing back and forth. It was obvious that the teams were evenly matched, which meant that this was going to be one tense game.

I forgot how different it is to watch a match like this," Korra said as the first round came to a close. "I wish you could play this way. It's easier to see everything coming at you."

Asami laughed at her joke before studying her carefully. "Do you miss it?" she asked curiously. "Playing in the ring?"

"Totally," Korra replied without hesitation. "I've always thought the sport was fun. When I was little and got a break from my training, I would always try and find some White Lotus member who was listening to highlights of a match on the radio. I mean, I was stuck in a training compound 24/7, so there wasn't much for me to do anyway. I don't know how many other nine year olds were glued to the radio listening to pro-bending," she said with a shrug, and Asami laughed.

"I think if I hadn't been the Avatar, pro-bending would have been all I wanted to do with my life," she continued. "I mean, it's bending. As a sport. You can't find something more awesome than that."

Asami smiled widely as the second round began. "You were always fun to watch. There was something different about the way you played. It was like you kept a traditional element to your bending while everyone else focused on just hitting each other straight-on."

"Thank the White Lotus for that. That was years of their time spent trying to beat that into me," Korra said with a grin, and they shared a laugh. They watched the match continue for a moment until Asami sighed as a team was pushed back a zone.

"Come on," she mumbled. "The Rabaroos have to win this round. I have money on this match and it doesn't help that they're already down a round."

Korra stared at her in surprise. "I didn't know you gambled."

"Well, I don't, really," the engineer replied. "But I overheard Bolin and Mako talking about the match this afternoon, and they were both going on about how the Tigerdillos were going to dominate the Rabaroos, and… Well, one thing led to another. I bet them each ten yuans that the Rabaroos would come out on top tonight."

Korra glanced back at the ring in time to notice a Rabaroo player fall back to zone three. "Maybe that wasn't a good idea."

Asami shrugged as the second round also went to the Tigerdillos. "What can I say? Not really a gambler."

Korra flashed a grin and watched the ring as the teams prepared for the final round. The match was as exciting as she'd imagined it would be, but the fact that Asami was here made it even more pleasant. For some reason, the thought of the rich, genius innovator enjoying something as mundane as pro-bending made her appreciate the woman's company all the more.

The final round began with an explosion of excitement as both teams lost a member to zone two within seconds. The crowd was louder than Korra was sure she'd ever heard it, and even she found herself on the edge of her seat, calling her own encouragement to the ring. The energy began increasing as the Tigerdillos fell back to zone two and the Rabaroos received the green light to advance.

"Go, Rabaroos! Show us a knockout!" Asami screamed, and Korra fought the urge to laugh at her friend's enthusiasm. She rarely got the chance to see Asami lose herself like this; the woman was usually so composed and well-mannered in public because of her reputation. It was certainly beneficial to act 'normal' now and again – they should start making a habit of doing this.

"Come on, you can do it!" Asami yelled as the Tigerdillos were quickly assaulted back into zone three. Korra glanced at the scoreboard and noticed that the time was ticking away. If the Rabaroos were going to win, they needed a knockout. And with thirty seconds left with three opponents still standing, the odds were stacked, even with the huge territorial advantage.

In an explosion of several colliding earth discs, the play was suddenly covered in a cloud in dust. Flashes of light and sounds of contact were all that could be determined through the haze, and the cheering from the audience somehow became more intense – everyone was anxious for the scene to clear in order to observe the result. From the dust, one player suddenly went hurtling into the water, and Asami jumped out of her seat in excitement.

"Yes! Two more, come on!" she screamed, and Korra found herself on her feet as well, as anxious as her friend to see for herself how the match's conclusion. The seconds were ticking, and the field was still partially obstructed by the dust. One way or the other, this match was going to be close.

At that moment, a second player followed his teammate into the water, and Asami grabbed Korra's arm in excitement. Korra grinned at the woman's enthusiasm while noting with mild surprise the strength of her grip. She was really intent on winning that bet.

"You can do it! One more! Knockout!" the engineer screamed.

"Twelve seconds!" Korra yelled. "Come on!"

More flashes. A Rabaroo player was thrown back a zone.

"Spirits, come on!" Asami was all but hysterical.

"Eight!" Korra wasn't sure when she'd begun screaming as loud as her partner. "Seven!"

The dust had finally settled. The remaining Tigerdillo player was frantically dodging and deflecting, trying his hardest to survive the final seconds for the win.

"Five! Four!"

The Rabaroo firebender took a leap forward and prepared a blast in her palm.

"Three!"

Asami's eyes were wild. "Take the shot!"

Korra was pulling her hair in agony. "Two!"

The shot connected, and with a brilliant flip, the Tigerdillo player went spinning off the ring, contacting the water right as the buzzer rang.

No one moved. The audience fell silent, unsure of who had claimed victory. Korra and Asami stood rigidly with held breaths, watching the referees quickly converse. One of them made a sign at Shiro Shinobi, whose voice rang across the arena in excitement: "The hit was good! It's a knockout!"

The audience exploded into cheers at the unbelievable comeback. Korra and Asami grabbed each other into an embrace as they screamed their enthusiasm. Korra couldn't believe it: watching that situation was entirely more stressful than actually being in it. With so many of her own close calls in the ring, she was surprised none of her fans had ever had heart attacks.

"I can't believe it," Asami said breathlessly, releasing Korra and wiping excited tears from her eyes. Korra noticed how hoarse she sounded and grinned. She wouldn't have much of a voice tomorrow – that was for sure.

"Looks like you won your bet," she replied happily. "Was it worth the stress?"

Asami glanced back at the ring and ran her fingers through her hair in exasperation. "For that victory? Anything would've been worth the stress," she replied with a smile. "Want to come see tomorrow's match?"

Korra nodded without hesitation. "You know I'm in. I think the Platypus Bears are playing the Boar-q-pines. That'll be a good match – the Boar-q-pines are on a hot streak. There's no way they're losing to the Platypus Bears!"

Asami only smirked at her, eyes dancing mischievously. "You want to bet, Avatar?"

Korra's grin only widened. "You're on, Sato."