The weather seemed fairly nice out today, with birds chirping in the trees and the sun warming up the air as Hiccup walked round the island. Korra had just gotten back from her probending practice and was with Jinora and Ikki for some airbending practice, taking a go at the gates. Once she had changed her tactics in the probending match, weaving through the Air Gates came a lot easier to her now, which Hiccup and the others were happy about. Tenzin was also relieved that he didn't have to worry about the gates being smashed anymore.
Toothless was taking the opportunity to get acquainted with Naga, and they were off to who knows where on the island. As Hiccup headed over to the Gates to occupy his time with something, he noticed Mako walking up the steps from the docks.
"Hey Mako," he greets.
Mako looks up as Hiccup waves at him. "Oh, hey Hiccup," he replies.
"What brings you to Air Temple Island today?" he asks the probender. Mako lets out a sigh.
"It's about Bolin. Have you seen him around lately? He wasn't in the attic when I came back, and I have no idea where he is." Mako says in concern.
Hiccup frowns slightly. "I'm not sure. Korra might know, but I personally haven't seen him," he admits.
"Alright, thanks." Mako says, folllowing after Hiccup as he leads them to the Gates where Korra was practicing.
"So... what's the story behind your dragon?" Mako asks curiously with a casual tone, although Hiccup could easily read how interested he was to know more about it.
"Toothless? What'd you like to know about him?" he asks.
Mako shrugs. "I mean, I read that article you posted so that the press would stop bugging you about it, and pretty much everyone in the city has heard of it. I'm curious about the story behind it," he says honestly. "Like, why name him Toothless?"
Hiccup sighs with a small smile. "That name is never gonna stop haunting me," he mutters before replying to Mako's question. "Well, I found him washed up on the island, with a hurt wing. I helped fixed him up and then he would stop following me around, so we became fast friends," he says. "The name 'Toothless' comes more from the fact that he can retract his teeth, and I was eight years old when I named him," he admits sheepishly.
"Huh, that's pretty cool." Mako says sincerely. "It's kind of weird too, because there aren't any dragons in the history books that look even remotely similar to him."
"Yeah, Toothless is one of a kind that's for sure." Hiccup says fondly.
The two approach the gates, where Korra is standing just outside of them, panting slightly while Ikki and Jinora are chattering excitedly to her. She glances back to see them before whipping her face around to the girls, and Hiccup can only guess what they're talking about.
"...cause you like our brother...!?" is what Hiccup thinks he hears from Ikki before Korra suddenly launches them into the sky with her earthbending. That doesn't concern Hiccup one bit though, because of the fact that they've fallen off larger drops more times than he could count, giving Tenzin a heart attack. Mako has a surprised and worried look, which quickly goes away when he sees the two float gently back to the ground.
Korra turns around to face them, her face slightly red before going back to normal as she coughs into her hand.
"Oh... hey Hiccup, hey Mako," she says with a small grin.
"Hey. What were they talking about..." Hiccup starts to say, eyes narrowed suspiciously at Jinora and Ikki who giggle innocently.
"Have you seen Bolin?" Mako suddenly interrupts.
"Nice to see you to." Korra says sarcastically before noticing Mako's worried expression. "And no, I haven't seen him since practice. Think something's wrong?"
"I don't know. Bolin has a knack for getting into stupid situations. See you later," he says, moving to walk away.
"Wait! I could, uh, help you look for him." Korra offers.
"Nah, I got it." Mako says immediately, waving her off.
"Hey, Cool Guy. Let me help you." Korra says, pulling his arm to get him to stop. "We can take Naga."
"Who's Naga?" Mako asks in confusion.
"My best friend! And a great tracker," she says with a smirk.
"Don't think you're going anywhere without me and Toothless." Hiccup pipes up, rushing forwards to join them.
"Be my guest," she replies. "Although I'm sure me and Mako could handle it just fine," she adds, a little suspiciously.
"Ok well, first off, I need something to do. Second, dad... may or may not have assigned me to goon with you whenever you're not here or at the probending arena." Hiccup admits with a small grin. Korra groans in exasperation and annoyance at Tenzin's demand.
"Alright, understandable," she finally says.
"Great!" he says, clapping his hands together. "Now let's find those two!"
The five of them were now walking down the streets of Republic City at night, the small lamps providing enough light for them to see. Mako was riding Naga with Korra, who got them to the city with her waterbending, and Hiccup was riding Toothless, walking alongside them after flying to the city.
"Your best friend is a polar bear dog..." Mako comments. "Somehow that makes perfect sense."
"I'll take that as a compliment city boy," she replies with a smirk.
"And the dragon isn't as much of a surprise?" Hiccup asks with a raised eyebrow. Mako shrugs.
"Well, I've already seen him, plus the city has known about you two for a while," he explains. Hiccup frowns thoughtfully before shrugging.
"Yeah, good point."
They five of them head over to Central Station, where a statue of Firelord Zuko is at, a flame constantly coming from it. People fill the area around them.
"Well, this is his usual hangout." Mako slides down off Naga. He goes over to a group of children playing around a lamppost. Two of the children are pushing at each other, while a third crouches just behind one of them, causing the defeated child to trip, and all of the children laugh at the kid.
"You guys seen my brother around here today?" Mako asks them.
"Perhaps. My memory is a little, foggy. Maybe you can help, clear it up," one of the kids says, holding out an expectant hand.
"You're good, Skoochy. Huh. A real pro." Mako says in exasperation and pulls a bill out that he slaps into Skoochy's hand. Korra's jaw drops, and she looks over at Hiccup, who shrugs in reply.
"Yeah, I seen him." Skoochy says.
"When?" Mako asks anxiously.
"'Bout noon," he says in reply.
"What was he doing?"
"He was performing some kind of monkey-rat circus. And then..." Skoochy says, holding out an expectant hand for more money. Mako trades a glance with Hiccup and Korra before he gets another yuan out of his pocket and gives it to Skoochy.
"And then what? Why'd he leave?"
Skoochy leans forward to whisper something to Mako. "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!"
With that being said, Skoochy and the other kids take off as fast as they can, and Mako has a troubled frown on his face.
"What's he talking about?" Korra asks in confusion.
"Sounds like there's a turf war brewing. And Bolin's about to get caught right in the middle of it." Mako says grimly.
Hiccup lets out a sigh. "Well that can't be good at all. I hate gangs," he says, crossing his arms with a disgruntled expression.
After discovering where Bolin had gone off too, Mako remounted Naga and the group took off, rushing through the streets at a fast pace. Hiccup and Toothless were flying in the air this time, although just a few feet off the ground, high enough to not hit anything but low enough to converse with the others.
"So where are we headed?" Korra asks.
"The Triple Threat Triads' headquarters. Hopefully Bolin is still there and nothing's gone down yet." Mako informs them.
"And you know where it is how?" Hiccup says down to them.
"I'll.. I'll tell you guys later!" he responds, a little nervously.
"So the Triple Threat Triad? I beat up some of those yahoos when I got into town. Why would Bolin get tangled up with-" Korra starts to say, before getting cut off. Naga rushes forward in excitement as some small animal squeals. "Whoa Naga!" Korra exclaims, trying to get her under control. Hiccup raises an eyebrow at them but guides Toothless after them, where Naga eventually comes to a stop by a lampost, where a small creature is halfway up it.
"That's Pabu!" Mako exclaims, and Naga moves forward before Korra stops her. Toothless lands on the ground beside them with a curious expression directed towards the ferret.
"No Naga! Pabu's a friend, not a snack," she tells her.
Pabu climbs down the lampost and stretches his nose out, sniffing Naga. Toothless moves forward with a small warble, sniffing Pabu before he jumps onto Naga's head to climb up to Mako.
"Since when was Bolin without Pabu outside of a probending match?" Hiccup asks nervously, and Mako's expression is grim.
"We better hurry," he says worriedly.
Naga and Toothless both run through the streets beside each other as Mako directs them to where the Triple Threat's are stationed. Approaching a building, Mako directs them to it and Toothless and Naga stop by the porch, allowing Hiccup, Korra and Mako to dismount and walk forwards.
"Something's not right. There are usually thugs posted out front. We better be cautious." Mako warns them. He moves stealthily across the porch, pressing himself against the wall on the left side of the door. Hiccup sneaks with Mako on the other side, and Mako waves Korra forwards silently. However she just walks up to the door nonchalantly and kicks it down, striding inside the hideout. Mako stares at her in surprise while Hiccup just rolls his eyes, moving in after her, not bothering to be stealthy anymore. Mako comes after them, followed by Naga and Toothless.
Korra looks around the inside, hands on her hips as they notice how empty and trashed the place is. "Bolin? You in here?" Mako calls out.
A motot engine is suddenly heard outside of the building, and the three of them rush for the back door. Korra kicks it open, and they run out to see a band of Equalists on motorcycles, as well as a truck, which holds the Triple Threat Triad members, including Bolin. He looks up at them, terrified, when an Equalist closes the door of the truck, and they take off.
"Bolin!" Mako yells, and the three take off in pursuit of the Equalists. Unfortunately, two of the bikers toss a canister onto the ground, which spews out green covered smoke, blinding them for a moment. Hiccup coughs and waves the smoke away to see the group escaping on their bikes.
"What I wouldn't give to be an airbender right now!" Hiccup exclaims in frustration.
"Naga, come!" Korra yells, and Hiccup calls for Toothless as well. "Come on bud!"
The two animals rush out of the building, and they all mount them to give chase. Hiccup and Toothless take to the air after the Equalists, flying fast over the buildings to cut them off. As Korra, Mako and Naga give chase on the ground, sending bursts of flame and in Korra's case, using her earthbending to try and knock them off balance, Hiccup and Toothless speed up to get in front of the Equalists, before swinging around and turning to fly head on towards the truck.
"Toothless, plasma blast!" Hiccup says, and Toothless is all to happy to comply. He goes into a short dive, his signature shriek sounding before letting out a purple blast, headed towards the group to knock them off their wheels. It hits the ground, creating a small explosions which makes the bikers and the truck stumble, however they still manage to stay on the road. The team drives into a large open area, Naga in pursuit, and Toothless swings around again, charging up another shot.
However before he could let off a shot at the Equalists, three bikers throw bolas at them, closing around Toothless' tail and feet, and around Naga's feet as well. Toothless roars, his flight cut off, and Hiccup cries out in surprise when they both crash into the ground. He's thrown from Toothless' back, landing on the ground rather painfully, most liking leaving a large bruise somewhere on his upper body, Mako and Korra hitting the ground not to far from them.
They all look up to see three Equalists flipping off of their motorcycles to land in front of them. Hiccup gets up on his feet, charging at one, who moves to intercept him. Mako and Korra each duel off with an Equalist as well, throwing jabs of fire.
The Equalist throws a quick jab at Hiccup, who leans away before kicking out with one of his feet, aimed at his legs. However his opponent backflips over his kick, charging forwards again. Hiccup throws a few quick punches and kicks, all of which are blocked or deflected by the Equalist, but he manages to get a kick in, knocking the Equalist back a couple of feet. He rushes at him, but this time the Equalist evades his arm, hitting it with closed fists in a series of pressure points.
Hiccup gasps in pain as his arm goes limp, before frowning in irritation, backing up. Those guys were chi-blockers! A quick look around showed Mako and Korra struggling with theirs as well, one of their arms already limp. The Equalist charges at Hiccup again, and he rushes straight back at him, swinging his leg around on the ground in the hopes of sweeping him off his feet. However the Equalist jumps over his attack and hits Hiccup quickly in the legs and sides, chi-blocking him.
He falls to the ground beside Korra and Mako with a pained grunt, and all three of them look up to see the Equalists advancing, swinging their bolas in preparation to tie them all up for capture. Fortunately, Toothless and Naga spring forward with angry growls, roaring at the Equalists, who jump back. Pabu gets on the ground and squeals as well in an attempt to be intimidating, and Toothless prepares to charge up a plasma blast, eyes narrowed angrily.
Deciding it isn't worth it, the Equalists throw smoke canisters on the ground and jump backwards, quickly getting on their motorcycles and driving away. Toothless fires off a shot, effectively hitting one of the motorcycles, but the Equalist merely leaps off of it onto one of his partners, and they make their escape.
"Oohhhh... that hurts." Hiccup says with a groan as he attempts to get up. Toothless rushed over and put his head underneath his arm with a concerned growl, helping him stand to his feet. Hiccup grimaces and lightly rubs his side. The chi-blocker managed to hit the spot where he got bruised from the fall, so now it hurt even worse. "Thanks bud..." he tells Toothless with a smile.
Mako and Korra both get up as well, the latter being helped by Naga while Pabu climbs up to Mako's shoulders. Korra attempts to shoot a burst of flame, but nothing happens.
"Argh, I can't bend!" she exclaims, trying again. She becomes even more panicked. "I can't bend!"
"Korra, it'll wear off. Those were chi-blockers. Those jabs are meant to block your bending temporarily." Hiccup reassures her.
"They're Amon's henchmen." Mako adds in, rubbing his arms.
"Amon? That anti-bending guy with the mask?" she asks
"Yeah, he's the leader of the Equalists." Mako informs her.
Hiccup shakes his head with a sigh. "I still think those guys are a bunch of crap heads," he remarks.
"What do they want with the Triple Threats?" Korra asks in confusion and worry.
"Whatever it is, it can't be good. Ugh, I can't believe Bolin got himself into this mess!" Mako says in frustration, terrified for his brother.
"Mako, we are going to save your brother. I promise you that." Korra says reassuringly.
Hiccup grimaces as he moves to much, and he sighs angrily, leaning against Toothless. "Gah... Now I really hate those guys," he says in painful irritation.
Korra takes notice of his state and rushes over to his side worriedly. "Oh my gosh, are you alright? What's wrong?" she asks quickly in concern. He attempts to wave her off.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. Just a small bruise from the fall," he says in an attempt to reassure her. Mako stares at Hiccup with a raised eyebrow, while Korra glares at him in annoyance before lifting up the side of his shirt where the bruise was. She grimaces slightly at the sight.
"Yeah, small bruise my airbending," she says sarcastically. "You need to get that healed pretty quick," she says sternly in an attempt to hide the deep concern she has for him.
"Alright alright fine." Hiccup says in exasperation. "How are we gonna do that though? It's not like there's a healer lying around," he points out.
"Actually yes there is. I can do it," she informs them. Hiccup goes to protest that it can wait, but at Korra's dangerous glare, he flinches and nods his head.
"Ok fine, you win," he relents. Toothless laughs a little at his nervousness, and Hiccup glares down at him in annoyance. "Laugh it up then you lizard."
Toothless only gives him a gummy smile in response.
"Hey Mako, you got any water?" Korra asks him.
"Oh, yeah. Here," he says, pulling a small canteen out of his jacket and tossing it to Korra. "Thanks," she says appreciatively. She opens the cap and waves her hand for a moment.
Satisfied that her bending is back to normal, she bends the water out of the bottle into her hand and holds it to the bruise, where it glows blue slightly when she uses her healing abilities. Immediately, Hiccup sighs in relief and offers her a grateful smile. "Thanks."
"Your welcome. Now don't be so stubborn next time," she says with hidden relief, bending the water back into the bottle and tossing it back to Mako.
"Well, guess we better look for Bolin again." Hiccup says, and Mako nods in agreement.
"Yeah. I just hope he's still ok," he says worriedly.
For the rest of the night, they were searching high and low through the entire city for any trace of Bolin, but they couldn't find anything. Hiccup and Toothless couldn't find any sign of Bolin or the Equalists from the sky, and Naga wasn't able to pick up any scent of him on the ground. At this point they were exhausted, and even Toothless was too tired to fly anymore, and was walking on the street beside Naga.
"We've been out all night. No sign of him." Korra says in exhaustion.
"We have to keep searching!" Mako insists. "But where?"
"I am out of ideas." Hiccup says glumly.
The group is silent for a moment before Korra's face lights up. "I have an idea!" she exclaims, guiding Naga around, and Hiccup gets Toothless to follow after them. They head through the streets, following Korra's lead, eventually coming to a stop in the park by the fountain. Hiccup, Korra and Naga all dismount, and the animals walk up to the pond for some water, drinking a lot of it. The three of them were leaning against the fountain's side.
"So why the park?" Hiccup asks her.
"The first day I got into town I ran into an Equalist protestor over there," she says, pointing to a small, vacant stage.
"And you think he'll know where Bolin is?" Mako asks skeptically.
"It's the only lead we've got," she says.
Hiccup shrugs. "Sounds good to me. I'm sure dad wouldn't mind us camping out here once I tell him why," he says.
After discussing the plan, the group heads over underneath a tree in the grass to rest. Naga and Toothless are both lying on the ground next to each other, falling asleep instantly, with Pabu in Naga's saddle. Mako leans up against Naga's side, and Hiccup against Toothless. Korra takes a moment to consider who to lean against, before shrugging and sitting beside Hiccup and Toothless. Hiccup eyes her warily but doesn't comment, not really caring, and Mako seems to upset to bother right now anyways.
"So... why is Bolin running around with the Triple Threat Triad anyways?" Korra asks, looking over at Mako.
"Well we, we used to do some work for them back in the day," he replies nervously, looking away.
"Wait what?" Hiccup asks in surprise. Korra gapes at him in shock before leaning forward accusingly. "Are you some kind of criminal?" she asks suspiciously.
"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." Mako replies angrily. Korra looks away guiltily, and Hiccup eyes him with sympathy.
"I'm sorry. It must have been really hard." Korra says in apology. "Can I ask what happened to your parents?" she says hesitantly.
"They were mugged. By a Firebender. He cut them down right in front of me. I was eight." Mako replies bitterly.
"Mako..." Korra says quietly, unsure of what to say.
"Bolin's the only family I have left. And if anything happened to him..." he trails off, not wanting to finish it.
"Don't worry, we will find him. Air Nomad promise." Hiccup assures him. Mako and Korra glance at him.
"I thought you said you weren't an air nomad?" Mako questions, and he shrugs. "Still a part of the family."
Mako gives them both a small smile. "Thanks you guys. I owe you one," he says quietly. He falls asleep not long after that, leaving Hiccup and Korra still awake.
"I feel so bad for him." Korra says quietly, glancing over at Mako.
"Same here. Not everyone in Republic City has a good life unfortunately." Hiccup says sadly.
"Back home at the South Pole, I always heard great things about the city, how everyone lived wonderful lives," she tells him. "But so far the majority of people don't have good lives at all. Criminals, poverty, and the Equalists."
Hiccup nods in agreement. "Yeah. Grandpa Aang and Lord Zuko made this city as a place for everyone to live together in harmony, but that only gets so far. There's always going to be people in the world that do horrible things, it's just the way things are, no matter how many thugs are arrested."
The two sit in silence for another few minutes before she looks at him. "What's Toothless like?" she asks him.
"I thought you knew a good bit about him already," he says with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah I know but... where did he come from? As far as I know he's the only dragon that looks like this!" she says with a few gestures of her hand.
Hiccup is thoughtful for a moment. "I.. don't know. He sort of just appeared. I've had some theories that he came from my homeland," he admits.
"Your homeland?" Korra asks in interest. "How much do you know about it?"
"Nothing really, other than the blanket that came with me," he tells her. "It had my name and a sort of family crest on it, but nothing else. I've searched through everything I could think of for years, but nothing has a match to the crest. So I don't know where it could be, only that it's an undiscovered place out in the ocean."
Hiccup then smiles at her. "Enough about me! What's your life story?"
"My story?" she says hesitantly, and at his nod, she shrugs. "There's not much to tell really. Besides the time I found Naga, I've just been at the White Lotus Compound training. Ever since I was four the other three elements were easy to me, but not air," she says.
"Why would you have only been at the compound the whole time?" Hiccup questions.
Korra scoffs. "They kept saying is was to protect me, and that I wasn't ready to face the dangers of the world yet," she says bitterly.
"I think thats a load of crap." Hiccup says with a roll of his eyes.
"Really?" Korra says in pleasant surprise, and he nods his head.
"Definitely. From what I've seen, you may be a reckless, hot headed Avatar," at this, she frowns at him. "But you're also really sweet, and you can take care of yourself just fine." Hiccup finishes, a barely noticeable red tint to his face.
Korra looks away with a nervous smile, blushing as well. "Ehmm... thanks... I guess?" she says, flustered.
THe two are silent for a few more minutes, and just as Hiccup is about to close his eyes and fall asleep, he feels a weight on his shoulder and glances over to see Korra resting her head there, fast asleep. He considers moving out of the way, but then quickly drops the idea. He doesn't want to risk the possibility of her beating the snot out of him for that.
"Equality now! Equality now! We want equality now!"
The sound of the protestor shook the three of them from their sleep. Hiccup slowly opened his eyes tiredly to look around him at the park, the morning sun bathing everything in a bright glow. Korra yawns and looks up as well, blinking their eyes. They then glance at each other and notice how Korra is snuggled up to him with wide eyes. She yelps in surprise and they scramble away from each other, both blushing fiercely.
"I.. uh, umm.." Hiccup starts to stammer when the protestor yells again.
"Non-benders of Republic City..."
"Hey, if you two love birds are finished, I think that's our guy." Mako calls out. They both get up, blushing a little bit before they steel their faces, heading towards the protestor. Behind them, Naga and Toothless slowly wake up, stretching with a yawn.
"...Amon calls you to action! Take back your city! It's time for the-" the Equalist stops talking and gasps, seeing Korra approaching him. "It's you again! You can not silence me, Avatar!" he yells defiantly. Korra immediately slaps the megaphone out of his hands, sending it smashing to the ground in many pieces. He leaps back with a frightened yelp while Hiccup rolls his eyes, crossing his arms.
"Shut your yapper and listen up. My friend got kidnapped by some chi-blockers. Where'd they take him?" she demands.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he says immediately.
"Oh, I think you do." Korra says threateningly, taking a step forward. Before she can do anything, Hiccup steps in front of her, hands raised.
"Whoa, how about we stay calm and I do the talking?" he suggests quickly, and at Mako's nod, she sighs and gestures for him to go forward.
Satisfied, Hiccup turns to the Equalist protestor with a smile. "Hey there! Sorry, we're just really worried for a our friend. Do you think you could help us?" he asks politely. The protestor narrows his eyes at him.
"And wh would I want to help three oppressive benders?!" he mocks accusingly, and Hiccup's smile falls as he stares at him with a neutral expression.
"But I'm, not a bender," he deadpans.
The protestor laughs at him. "Oh really? If you aren't a bender then why are you walking around with one?" he demands.
"Because they're my friends?" he says with a raised eyebrow. Seeing the man doesn't buy it, he sighs in irritation. "Ok, look, you clearly have no idea who I am. All I want to know is if you have any idea where our friend would have been taken? You can feel some sympathy for someone who's brother has been kidnapped right?" he says, gesturing to Mako.
"If he's a bender, he's got what's coming to him. And what makes you think I should know who you are oppressor?" the protestor says condescendingly. Hiccup gestures to Toothless, who is sitting on his haunches nearby, licking his paws. The man's eyes widen slightly, and he starts to realize who Hiccup is, but still he doesn't say anything.
"Alright you know what, screw this. I'm not a bender, but you Equalist guys are insane." Hiccup says in annoyance. He waves Korra forwards and she gladly raises her leg and slams it into the ground, creating a slab of earth that shoots the table high up into the sky. The man screams in shock and leaps back, before angrily crawling around to pick up as many flyers as possible that are scattered on the ground. Mako picks one up as well and examines it.
"Witness the revelation, tonight, nine o'clock. What's the revelation?" he asks the protestor.
"Nothing that concerns the likes of you three!" he spits back angrily.
Fed up with the guy, Korra grabs his shirt and lifts him into the air with one arm, glaring at him, and he yelps in fear. "You better believe it concerns us. Spill it."
"No one knows what the revelation is!" he says instantly, shaking in fright. "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."
"Where's it happening?" Hiccup asks him.
A whistle suddenly blows at them, and they look over to see a police officer rushing towards them. "Hey! What's going on over there?"
"The Avatar is oppressing us! Help!" the protestor screams pitifully. Korra and Hiccup stare at the cop blankly, and she glances at him as he shrugs in reply.
"Let's scram," she says, throwing the protestor away. They race over to Naga and Toothless, mounting their respective animals as Mako grabs another few flyers, jumping on Naga with Korra.
Once they had left the park as quickly as possible, they found a place to hide out underneath a bridge, where they were examining the flyers that Mako picked up, sitting on a bench.
"Why didn't the Equalists put a location on these?" Korra says, examining the flyers with an annoyed frown.
"Probably 'cause they don't want just anyone walking in on their big revelation, whatever that is." Mako says in frustration, sighing in helplessness.
Hiccup then notices the back of one of the flyers, which has a red dot and several lines. He gets off the bench and kneels on the ground, flipping the flyers over to examine the back. "I think the flyers mean something. There's four different pictures on the backs of them," he says.
"So, it's a puzzle?" Korra says with a smile.
"Of a map!" Mako says in excitement. Hiccup finds four different images and properly connects them before standing up and heading to the city map on the wall beside them. After checking a few spots, he matches up the images perfectly.
"And boom. There we go," he says with a grin. Korra smirks fiercely, and Mako grins, now that they have a location.
Later that night, the group arrived at the location that was where the Revelation would be held, and looked out at it from behind a wall. There they could see people entering into the building. Toothless and Naga were staying behind, as they would be recognized and/or attract attention immediately.
"This is the place," Mako confirms. The three of them were wearing brown colored trench coats, and they put hats on to help better conceal their identity. Korra was wearing Mako's scarf to better play the part. As they walked forwards to the entrance, where the large doorman was waiting, Korra sidles up to Hiccup and grabs his arm, leaning into him. WHen Hiccup raises an eyebrow at her, she explains.
"We'll attract less attention this way," she says.
"Fair point."
Reaching the door, the doorman glares down at them with his arms crossed. "This is a private event. No one gets in without an invitation," he says.
"Uh, invitation?" Korra says sheepishly, and he raises an eyebrow suspiciously at them. Mako quickly pulls out one of the flyers and hands it to him. "YOu mean this?"
The doorman scans it before smiling at them. "The Revelation is upon us my brothers and sister," he says happily, waving them through.
"Genius." Hiccup whispers. Once inside, they come across a catwalk, where they view a large open area full of people, an image of Amon on the stage wall. Hiccup gapes in shock. "Are you kidding me?" he whispers furiously.
"I knew a lot of people hated benders, but I've never seen so many in one place!" Mako says worriedly. The trio heads down into the crowd, moving closer to the stage. "Keep an eye out for Bolin," he reminds them.
"Please welcome, your hero, your savior, Amon!" and announcer yells, and the crowd begins to cheer as Amon and a row of chi-blockers rise up from the floor on a platform, a spotlight illuminating Amon directly, who is wearing a mask and hood. Hiccup shivers slightly at the sight of him, making a disgruntled expression. Once the crowd calms down, Amon begins his speech, talking about his humble beginnings in the quest for equality, speaking about how his family and face were taken by a firebender, Hiccup wants to feel sympathetic to the guy, but at the same time it's to simple of a sob story. Even if it is true, how would a simple farm boy, bender or non bender, get such an obviously well funded and skilled organization together all on his own?
When he mentions the Avatar arriving in Republic City, everyone boos angrily, and Korra hides her face with the scarf, Mako and Hiccup standing closer to her protectively, warily eying the crowd around them.
"Nice to know how welcomed we are." Hiccup remarks sarcastically.
As Amon continues his speech about bending being the course of all problems, Hiccup shakes his head with an annoyed sigh. History can be so easily warped into something that's incorrect. The ability to bend the elements is not the cause of war, rather it's how the people use it, that decides whether or not a war starts. But then he starts to say something that shocks and infuriates Hiccup and Korra.
"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." Amon proclaims.
Hiccup blows a raspberry, and Korra glares at him furiously. "Definitely a lie right there." Hiccup states, recalling all of his lesson with Tenzin about spirits.
"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." Amon proclaims.
The trio stares at him in shock, and Korra shakes her head. "No, there's no way!" she says.
"This guy's insane!" Mako says in agreement.
"Grandpa Aang is the only one who had ever been able to do it, so that can't be true." Hiccup adds in disbelief.
There disbelief about Amon is proven wrong when the Triple Threat Triad is brought onto the stage, Bolin being with them. Korra moves to go forward, but Hiccup and Mako hold her back as Amon continues with his speech, demonstrating his ability against Lightning Bolt Zolt, the leader of the Triple Threat Triad. When it really does happen just as Amon claims it to be, Korra and Hiccup are staring forward with wide eyes filled with shock and horror. Then the rest of the gang members start to get pushed forwards, which means Bolin will be next soon.
"Any ideas?" Korra asks quickly.
"I think so. See those machines? They're powered by water and steam. If you can create some cover me and Hiccup can grab Bolin without anyone seeing, then, we duck outta here." Mako says, explaining the plan.
"I like it." Hiccup says with a smile, and Korra nods in agreement. As they move to separate, Korra grabs Hiccup's shoulder.
"Hey, good luck out there," she says seriously.
"Of course I will. Besides, not like I have anything to fear," he says, referring to the fact that he couldn't bend. Shaking her head, Korra heads off to do her thing as Mako and Hiccup quickly make their way to the front of the crowd. Mako looks around anxiously as they wait for something to happen.
"Come on..." he mutters.
"She'll pull through." Hiccup reassures him.
Sure enough, steam starts to shoot out from the pipes, covering the entire room in mist that's hard to see through.
"Let's go!" Hiccup says, leaping onto the stage. The crowd runs away and begins to scream in fear, and Hiccup rushes forwards through the smoke, before coming to a stop in the middle of the steam, seeing something.
A few feet away from him is Amon, who turns around to stare at him slowly, and Hiccup gets into a fighting position. The two make eye contact with each other, and Hiccup somehow gets the feeling that Amon already knows exactly who he is, before he suddenly backs up, vanishing into the smoke without a word. Hiccup raises an eyebrow and glances around warily, before heading over to where he last saw Bolin.
He runs up to see that Mako had already gotten to him, and were heading for the exit.
"Good job, now let's get out of here!" Hiccup says, running beside them.
"You came as well?!" Bolin says in surprise.
"Less talking, more escaping!" Mako reminds him.
They exit onto a balcony outside, and begin to climb down the ladder, Bolin first, then Mako, and finally Hiccup. When they're halfway down however, the sound of footsteps gets their attention, and they look up to see the Lieutenant, swinging his batons around. Hiccup widens his eyes in realization.
"Let go of the ladder!" he yells to the brothers, immediately jumping to the ground. Bolin and Mako are not so lucky, being unable to react in time as they get shocked, with a heavy voltage, falling to the ground in a heap. Hiccup lands with a roll, coming up as the Lieutenant drops down from the top, batons raised for him.
With a grunt, Hiccup leaps out of the way and turns to face the Lieutenant, who is already charging for him. Raising his arms, he knocks away the first baton and kicks the other, before retaliating with a sweep kick. However the Lieutenant merely flips over him, smacking him in the back with his baton, sending Hiccup smashing into the ground, and then kicking him off to the side. Hiccup hits the wall with a pained cry, looking up with a grimace.
Mako then rushes forwards, kicking and punching with his fire, but Lieutenant easily evades, knocking him to the side with his batons like he did with Hiccup. Right after that, Bolin sends large disks of earth at the Lieutenant, but once again he flips and evades the rocks, getting closer and closer. In a panic, Bolin throws up an earth wall, but the Lieutenant jumps right over it, quickly knocking the earthbender unconscious. Mako returns again, but is defeated just as quickly.
Having recovered, Hiccup rushes for the wall of rock and jumps off of the building, vaulting over the earth wall and landing behind the Lieutenant, kicking him in the back before he could react. The Lieutenant hits the ground before popping back up in a roll, sending sparks of electricity running through the batons.
"Your the non bending member of the Air family," he says in recognition.
"And I think you guys are taking this revolution way to far." Hiccup says back with a small scowl.
"You're deluded by those air freaks. These benders need to understand, there's no place in the world for them anymore," he says back angrily, prepared to rush forward, and Hiccup gets into a stance in preparation for a fight.
Before either of them could make a move however, a rock pillar comes out of nowhere and slams into the Lieutenant, knocking him into the wall harshly. Hiccup looks over in relief to see Korra standing at the entrance in all her glory.
"I wouldn't count us out just yet," she states fiercely, as he collapses in painful exhaustion.
"Oh Korra you are amazing." Hiccup says in relief.
"Thank you so much!" she beams with a smile before whistling. "Naga!"
Toothless and Naga come around the corner fast, allowing Korra and Mako to mount Naga while Hiccup mounts Toothless. Equalist chi-blockers arrive and rush for them as Bolin comes to, and he looks up with a scream as Toothless flies by, grabbing his shirt in his mouth and taking off to the air as Naga rushes out of the alley.
"AAhh! I want, to be, on, your back!" Bolin exclaims with each heavy wing flap to fly higher. Luckily they all made their escape from the Equalist hideout in one peace.
After dropping off Bolin and Mako, Hiccup and Korra headed back to Air Temple Island as quickly they could to find Tenzin pacing around in a panic. Upob boticing them, he rushes for them in relief, putting his hands on both their shoulders.
"Thank goodness! I was just about to send out a search party," he exclaims in relief. "Are you alright?"
Hiccup glances over at Korra, who shakes her head, crossing her arms nervously. "Nun-uh."
"Korra, Hiccup, what happened? Did you find your friend?" Tenzin asks in concern.
"We did dad, but we were at an Equalist rally to do it. We saw Amon." Hiccup answers gravely.
"What?!" Tenzin asks in surprise.
"He can take people's bending away. For good!" Korra says, her eyes shining with fear.
"That's... That's impossible. Only the Avatar has ever possessed that ability!" Tenzin says in fearful disbelief.
"But I saw him do it." Korra insists.
Seeing the look in their eyes, Tenzin knows they aren't lying at all. "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."
The three of them look out back at Republic City, which shines brightly in the night with promises, hiding the dark secret the city holds underneath.