The easy way isn't always the safest way

Frustration and advancement. Avatar Korra began her training in airbending, but Master Tenzin's teachings and rules didn't suit her. Wanting to help her, the former Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, suggested going to the pro-bending arena, where they met the Mako and Bolin brothers of the Fire Ferrets. Due to a mishap with the third member, Korra joined them for a match, but it turned out disastrously until in the end, she was able to perform what she learned. Now with airbending training and pro-bending training, things will become exciting for her.


It was another day in quiet Republic City.

We found ourselves at the pro-bending arena, where Korra, Mako, Bolin and Ahsoka were in the gym.

The three Fire Ferrets were having a little pro-bending training while Ahsoka stood off to the side observing their training.

It had been a couple of days since Korra joined the Fire Ferrets and during that time, she had been busy, both with pro-bending training and airbending training.

"What's the big idea with making me train this early in the morning?" asked Korra receiving the training ball. "The morning is evil."

"They stop being horrible when you get used to them." commented Ahsoka.

"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.

"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.

"Ahsoka?" asked Bolin looking at the togruta.

"Nothing at all." said Ahsoka.

"Then I wouldn't say you have nothing." said Mako frustrated as he picked up the training ball.

"Sorry, I didn't mean…" began 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 Ahsoka were shocked to hear that.

"We're sorry." said Korra.

"Yeah, we didn't know." said Ahsoka 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!" began 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 and her friend." said Mako getting up to go check on him.


Meanwhile, on Air Temple Island, Jinora and Ikki were making circling motions before launching a stream of air to move the gates at high speed, with Korra and Ahsoka 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 Ahsoka were waiting for her.

Korra stood resting her hands on her knees as she panted a little from the exertion.

"You've done well, Korra. You're making progress." said Ahsoka.

"Thank you, Ahsoka." said Korra.

It was then, when everyone, except Korra, noticed someone coming from behind.

"Ooh, he's cute." began 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 away.

"Pff." expressed Ahsoka trying to hold back her laughter, but a daggers glare from the Avatar made her stop.

"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 this morning at training." said Ahsoka.

"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 he's in trouble, then it would be better if we all went to look for him." said Ahsoka.

"Good idea and we could take Naga with us." said Korra.

"Who's Naga?" asked Mako confused.

"My best friend." said Korra.

"And a great tracker." said Ahsoka.


A short time later, Korra, Ahsoka 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.

"Honestly, it wouldn't be the weirdest thing I've ever seen." said Ahsoka.

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 got off 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.

"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.

"Ah, we don't have time for this." began Ahsoka before approaching the boy and passing her hand in front of his face. "You will tell us what happened next."

"I'll tell you what happened next." said Skoochy in a trance, much to Mako's surprise.

After coming out of his trance, 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.

"It's clear that a gang war is brewing." said Ahsoka.

"And Bolin's about to get caught right in the middle of it." said Mako.


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? I think those three guys Korra clashed with the other day belonged to that gang." said Ahsoka.

"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.

"I don't think Pabu will walk away from Bolin for no reason." said Ahsoka.

"We gotta hurry." said Mako.


Finally, after a long way traveled, they reached their destination.

"Something's not right." said Mako.

"Yes, usually there are usually guards watching. Better go carefully." said Ahsoka having her experience with criminal gangs.

While Mako and Ahsoka acted as spies, Korra casually approached the entrance before she burst the door with a kick.

"Meh, I guess that's one way in." said Ahsoka.

As the three of them entered the place, they saw that there were tables overturned and lying around.

"Bolin? You in here?" asked Mako hoping to get an answer from his brother.

"What must have happened here?" asked Korra.

"A fight, for sure and it looks like it wasn't long ago." said Ahsoka.

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 slammed the doors shut.

"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.

"They're getting away!" exclaimed Ahsoka as they all coughed a little from the smoke.

"Naga! Come!" shouted Korra calling for her animal guide.

Naga, with Korra, Ahsoka 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.

A biker lunged towards Ahsoka and tried to hit her, but Ahsoka managed to dodge the attacks easily and when the biker threw another punch at her, Ahsoka jumped on him and kicked him in the back of the head.

Another biker threw some bolas at her, but Ahsoka was able to feel them in time and dodged them just as another bolas launched at her from behind.

She then quickly turned around, stretched her arm towards the incoming weapon and stopped it in mid-air with the Force, to the surprise of everyone except Korra, as she had seen her abilities before.

With an arm sweep, Ahsoka used the Force to launch the bolas towards a biker, tangling his legs in the process, knocking him to the ground.

Two bikers charged towards her and set about trying to hit her with fists and kicks, but Ahsoka was able to dodge the attacks before performing a Force pulse that threw both opponents backwards.

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 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.

Ahsoka noticed her friends' situation and was about to draw her lightsabers when suddenly, they heard a roar and turned their heads to the side to see Naga, who had broken free of her bonds, leaping towards the bikers, but they jumped back as Naga stood protectively in front of them before letting out a roar.

Pabu jumped off of her and let out a roar of his own at the bikers.

All the bikers looked at each other before they threw a couple of cans that expelled a green gas that served as cover for them as they escaped on their bikes, leaving the square completely clear except for the Avatar, the togruta, the firebender and the two animals.

After that, Ahsoka went to help her friends along with Naga.

"Would you mind telling me what was that thing you did earlier?" asked Mako getting up from the ground.

"It's a long story. More importantly, are you okay?" asked Ahsoka.

Before answering, Korra thrust her right fist forward to throw a fireball, but then, nothing happened, much to her surprise.

"Ugh, I can't bend." Began Korra before trying again, but nothing happened again. "I can't bend!" said Korra panicking.

"What?" asked Ahsoka in surprise.

"Calm down, it'll wear off. Those guys were chi-blockers. " said Mako.

"Chi-blockers? I think I read something about it during my travels." said Ahsoka.

"Yes, in fact, I think Katara told me that she once faced one during the war." said Korra remembering what Katara told her about it.

"Who do those guys work for?" asked Ahsoka.

"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 Ahsoka.

"Whatever it is, can't be good." began 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'll make sure of it." said Ahsoka putting her hand on his other shoulder.


For many hours of the night, Korra, Ahsoka and Mako, mounted on Naga, were running everywhere in search of Bolin.

They had walked so far that Naga was beginning to get tired.

"We've been searching for all night and haven't found anything." said Ahsoka.

"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.

"And you think they'll know where Bolin is?" asked Mako.

"That's the only clue we have. We'll have to wait for him to show up tomorrow." said Ahsoka.

Later, they all found themselves under a tree, with Naga sleeping while Korra, Ahsoka 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.

"Yes. In fact, you knew where they had their lair. How so?" asked Ahsoka with slight suspicion.

"Well, we… we used to do some work for them back in the day." confessed Mako.

"What?!" asked Korra and Ahsoka 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.

"May I ask what happened to your parents?" asked Ahsoka.

"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 Ahsoka were shocked and saddened to hear that.

"Mako…" said Korra feeling sorry for the firebender.

"I'm so sorry." said Ahsoka.

"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.

"You know? you're kind of lucky." began Ahsoka catching the attention of the other two. "I was taken away from my home when I was very young. I don't remember what my parents were like, I don't even know how they felt when they took me away. Currently, I don't know what has become of them or even if they are still alive."

Korra, who had heard that story before, continued to feel sorry for her, while Mako was shocked by the story.

His parents may have been killed, but at least he and Bolin remembered them.

Their faces, their voices, what they looked like...

However, she didn't remember any of that and it was a little worse than his.

"However, I didn't feel sad or lonely, because I met people who became the closest thing to family to me." began Ahsoka before looking at the firebender. "Just like me, you too have people like that like Korra and like me. And I know that if we stick together, we will succeed in finding your brother."

Mako smiled at the togruta's words.

"Thank you." said Mako.


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.

"Huh?" asked Ahsoka waking up with a start from the screaming.

"Non-benders of Republic City!" shouted the protester.

They all 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.

"Yes and he's still as annoying as that time." said Ahsoka.

"Amon calls you to action! Take back your city! It's time for the…" began the protester before looking at Korra, Ahsoka and Mako. "It's you again! You cannot silence me, Avatar! Neither will your 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.

"You'd better answer. She's not the only one running out of patience." said Ahsoka.

"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 pulling the protester before she and the others fled the scene, though Ahsoka made sure to grab a couple of leaflets from the ones on the ground.


Later, Korra, Ahsoka 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 sneaking in on their big reveal." said Ahsoka.

"Whatever that is. I bet the information is hidden on here somehow." said Mako staring at the pamphlets.

"It's possible, look at the back. There are four drawings." said Ahsoka looking at the backs of four pamphlets. "They wouldn't do that for mere advertising."

"Do you think it's a puzzle?" asked Korra with a smile as she realized how they were going to figure out the location.

"Yeah, of a map!" said Mako grabbing the four pamphlets and piecing them together to form a small map that they compared to a map of the city nearby.

They compared it to some parts of the city until…

"Bingo!" exclaimed Mako when they found the perfect match.

"Very clever, Mako." said Ahsoka.

"That must be where it's going down." said Korra.

"Then let's not waste any more time." said Mako.

After a long time, they finally had a clear clue where Bolin was.


Later that night, Korra, Ahsoka and Mako arrived at some sort of abandoned factory where several people were headed.

"This is the place." said Mako before he and the Avatar put on hats to hide their faces and go unnoticed while Ahsoka kept her hooded cloak on.

The three continued on their way to a door where people were entering that had a guard standing next to it checking the pamphlets as if they were tickets.

On the way, Korra clung to Mako's arm.

"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 Ahsoka 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 brother and sisters." 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 surprised them quite a bit.

"Wow." said Ahsoka.

"I knew a lot of people hated benders, but I've never seen so many in one place." began 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, Ahsoka and Mako were surprised by the masked man's story, and 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.

"But that is about to change." began Amon getting Korra's attention. "I know you have been wondering, 'What is the Revelation?'. You are about to get your answer."

Korra, Ahsoka 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." began 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's eyes widened in utter surprise.

"That's impossible." said Korra.

"That guy is crazy." said Mako.

"I have a feeling he's not." said Ahsoka having a bad feeling.

"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 Ahsoka stopped her by grabbing her shoulder.

"Stop the cart. There are too many of them. We can't take them all." said Ahsoka.

"She's right. We need to be smart about this." said Mako.

"Then come up with a game plan, 'Team Captain'." said Korra.

"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.

Ahsoka was worried, as a guy with the ability to snatch powers was clearly a greater danger than they imagined.

"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.

"Any ideas yet?" asked Korra to Mako having put aside her fear to focus on the situation.

"I think so." began 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."

"Good idea. I'll go with you for support." said Ahsoka.

"Works for me.." began Korra before Ahsoka and Mako set off. "Guys." said Korra stopping them. "Good luck." said Korra clasping their hands.

"Likewise." said Mako.

"May the Force be with you." said Ahsoka before she and Mako went one way and Korra went the other.

While Korra was happy for the togruta's words, Mako was confused, as she didn't know of her other friend's truth.


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 Ahsoka 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 Ahsoka were patiently waiting for the moment to act.

"Come on…" said Mako getting impatient, as Amon was snatching bending from another bender

"I'll buy us a little more time." said Ahsoka waving her hand, having used the Force to make one of the Equalist soldiers stumble and fall.

"Sorry." said the Equalist soldier as he got up before continuing with his duty.


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, an Equalist soldier jumped towards them, but something sent him flying backwards.

Both brothers turned their heads to see Ahsoka coming to their side.

"Reunions for later." said Ahsoka before the three took advantage of the steam to escape.

The two brothers and the togruta exited through a door leading to the outside.

Once, there, they proceeded down some stairs.

However, the lieutenant came out shortly thereafter and discovered them fleeing down the stairs.

By the time Mako looked up to see him, the lieutenant pulled out two sticks that he slammed against the ladder, releasing an electric shock that coursed through the ladder and them, making them scream in pain before falling to the ground, though Ahsoka managed to land on her knees.

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.

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, something pushed him back, but he managed to stand.

When he looked up, he saw Ahsoka standing in front of the brothers ready to fight.

"If you want to kill them, you'll have to go through me." said Ahsoka.

"With pleasure." said the lieutenant with a smirk before charging towards the togruta.

The lieutenant tried to hit her with his electrified sticks, but she dodged them before kicking him in the stomach that knocked him back and before he could react, Ahsoka lunged towards him and punched him in the face, which pushed him back.

The lieutenant let out a grunt before charging back to hit her with his electrified sticks, but Ahsoka was dodging them for a while.

However, the lieutenant managed to find an opening and took advantage of it to hit her with the electrified tip, causing Ahsoka to recoil as she groaned from the pain of the mild shock.

The lieutenant decided not to let her counterattack and charged towards her again with his electrified sticks, but then.

BZZZMMM

The lieutenant suddenly stepped back with his sticks having been cut like butter while he had a shocked expression on his face.

The reason for this was that Ahsoka had pulled out her lightsabers and had cut the electrified sticks with them.

Needless to say, Mako and Bolin were starting to wake up and were equally amazed by the swords.

"W-What the hell are you?" asked the lieutenant.

"I'm the one who won't let you keep hurting innocents." said Ahsoka pointing one of her lightsabers at him.

"Innocents? You don't know anything! We're just getting what's coming to us!" said the lieutenant.

"Maybe, but I don't think what you're doing is the right way." said Ahsoka.

The lieutenant gave him a snarl and before he could say anything, a stone wall rose up beside him and slammed into him, sending him crashing into a wall that knocked him over.

"Guys, let's get out of here!" exclaimed 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, Ahsoka 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." began Amon making his subordinates stop. "She's the perfect messenger to tell the city of my power."

"What do we do with your friend? Look what her strange weapons have done to mine." said the lieutenant showing his severed weapons.

"Don't worry. We have the means to fix that." said Amon.


Shortly thereafter, the group returned to the pro-bending arena after seeing that they had escaped from the enemy.

Once there, it was decided to address an important issue.

"All right. It's time you told us. What was that thing you did when we fought in that square?" asked Mako.

"And where did you get those shiny things? Seriously, they looked mind-blowing." said Bolin.

Ahsoka and Korra looked at each other and the Avatar nodded to him in a nod.

"It's okay. I assumed this was going to happen, but I didn't imagine it would happen so soon." said Ahsoka taking off her hood to show her face to the brothers who were open-mouthed about it.

"But what…? How? What are you really?" asked Mako.

"It's a long story." said Ahsoka.

For the next few minutes, Ahsoka was telling the two brothers her story.

About coming from space, the Jedi, the Clone Wars, the Force, etc., and both brothers were listening very attentively.

"Wow. I always sensed you were special somehow, but I never imagined you'd be a space knight commander! That's mind-blowing!" said Bolin with a smile.

"Technically, I'm nothing like that anymore, but yes." said Ahsoka.

"You certainly are amazing, Ahsoka and we are grateful to you for saving us earlier." said Mako.

"You're welcome." said Ahsoka.

"Now, changing the subject." began Mako before smacking his brother on the back of the head. "I thought I told you not to get involved with Triple Threads! You almost lost your bending powers because of that!"

"I'm sorry, Mako. It was supposed to be a simple job. I didn't think the Equalists would suddenly attack us. I wanted to help in some way, since you've always been the one to help me since our parents." said Bolin with his head down.

At that moment, Mako put his hand on his shoulder, making him raise his head.

"Bolin, it's good that you did it by trying to help us, but I don't want us to get the money through the triads. We'll get through this together, like we always have, brother." said Mako.

"Oh, thank you, Mako! You're the best brother in the world!" exclaimed Bolin hugging his big brother tightly.

Korra and Ahsoka 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 Ahsoka 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 Ahsoka as Korra hugged herself.

"What happened? Did you find your friend?" asked Tenzin with concern.

"Yes, but… We were at an Equalist rally. We saw Amon." said Korra.

"What?" asked Tenzin surprised by that.

"That guy has the ability to definitely take away the powers of the benders." said Ahsoka.

"That's… that's impossible. Only the Avatar has ever possessed that ability." said Tenzin unable to believe his ears.

"Well it seems someone else has it now." said Ahsoka.

"We saw him do it." 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.

"He's right. They were just a bunch of protesters before, but as soon as people find out what their leader is capable of, panic will spread among the benders and those non-benders who agree with the Equalists will join them. I fear Republic City is going to go to war." said Ahsoka to the horror of the airbender and the Avatar.

Ahsoka almost laughed at the irony.

She had originally intended to stay out of the Clone Wars, but now she had ended up on a planet that was about to undergo one of its own.

Meanwhile, Korra was very, very worried.

What Amon did to those benders was very much on her mind.

She began to fear that that war would lead her to face him and she wouldn't be strong enough to be able to stand up to him, resulting in her losing her powers forever.

"What can we do?" asked Tenzin.

"Prepare and wait. That's the only thing I can think of." said Ahsoka as they all looked at the city, wondering what would happen next.