AUTHOR'S NOTES: And thus the Avatar returns to Republic City. Those who came to this fic hoping for the Korra/Asami relationship that's pretty much inevitably going to happen can take assurance in knowing that those slow-burning flames are being rekindled starting in this chapter. It's a few more before things really take off, but it is what it is. Also, for whatever reason, I've always kind of pictured Tahno as being several years older than Korra, so there's that.
Happy Reading!
BOOK ONE: POWER
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: THE PROBENDING HEROES
Korra's bold response left the sisters skeptical for a moment.
"You don't mean…" Kwan raised an eyebrow.
"They gotta deal with it." Korra responded, verifying the sisters' theory.
"Don't you dare until after you win," Nakkoa warned, "Because firstly, you're *going* to win, and secondly, if you disqualify us at this point I'm wringing your neck."
"She's not kidding," Kwan shook her head, "I'd even jump in to help her."
"I love how this team uses violence as a morale booster," Korra's sarcasm was dripping, although her expression betrayed her amusement, "Although with a name like 'Prison Breakers', I guess it makes sense now, doesn't it?"
"Just shaddup and get up there," Kwan laughed, pushing the little Avatar forward.
The tiebreaker was different from standard-fare Probending. The central platform was raised, indicating this was going to be a close-quarters fight. It was only when the announcer mentioned that "Reigning Champion Tahno will square off against feisty newcomer Korra!" that Korra even learned this smug bastard's name.
"Aren't you a little young to be playing with the adults?" Tahno taunted.
"Aren't you a little stupid to brag without backing it up?" Korra riposted.
"Hot," Tahno licked his finger mockingly before 'touching' the air and making a 'Tsss!' sound.
"If you knew who I was you'd be grovelling," Korra taunted, "and that's where you're gonna be in about 4.2 minutes—tops."
The bell rang and a fast-paced waterbending melee immediately broke out between the two. Korra was much faster than Tahno, but the older waterbender was as slippery as his words sounded, and his movements were precise and calculated. For a couple of minutes the two seemed at an impasse, with Korra itching to airbend him in the chest and blast him clear off the stand, but her determination to play by the rules kept her in check. It was only after Tahno attempted to grapple with the smaller waterbender that he realized his mistake. Korra was *much* stronger than she looked, and she grinned ear to ear as she grappled with Tahno in turn.
"Let's get wild!" she whispered, before bending backwards and effectively reverse-suplexing Tahno and throwing him from the platform. A bell rang, and Korra was declared the winner of the match. Her time had come.
"DEAL WITH IT!" she jeered, before backflipping away from the announcer and launching into perhaps the largest and most gloriously vulgar display of power the Probending Arena had ever witnessed. Blue flames spewed from her mouth as she juggled water and earth between her hands, and levitated herself with airbending. She finished this display by flinging the elements skyward, twirling on her heel and replacing the earth and water as if nothing had ever happened (and allowing the fire to dissipate), and all in all it had lasted less than five seconds.
"Did I see that right?" Shiro exclaimed, although this was more rhetorical than anything at this point, since the crowds were in just as much of awe as he was. "That waterbender just used earthbending… and firebending. And airbending! You've gotta be kidding me! Ladies and gentlemen, the Prison Breakers somehow got their hands on the Avatar of all people! The Avatar, here, playing in a Probending match! Wait… is that even legal?"
"It BETTER be legal!" Korra shouted, "I beat him fair and square just like all the others!"
"Good job..." Tahno jabbed as he left to go recuperate with his team, "...Uhvatar."
There was a mumbling among the referees for a moment, before they turned to Korra.
"The Avatar will be permitted to play as long as she continues to solely bend water!" They announced, much to Korra's smug pleasure. "Her… rather brazen displays of power… between matches are technically not illegal either, provided she does not strike anything or anyone, whether object, player, or spectator."
"Deal," Korra raised her fist. True to her word, she refrained from using any of her abilities besides waterbending for the rest of the time. Ultimately, there were 21 matches in all that day, which kept Korra busy until late in the afternoon. Of course, these matches were also broadcast on the radio, much to the interest and intrigue of the Red Lotus.
"So now all of Republic City knows the Avatar is nearby," Ming-Hua was the first one to make a comment about it to Zaheer. "It makes me wonder if this was such a bright idea."
"That's the brilliance of Kwan's old plan," a smirk crept over Zaheer's face, "they can know of her presence all they want… but she is untouchable. I do not need to see Korra's vulgar displays of power to get an idea of what they were."
"She's a show-off," Ming-Hua commented, seating herself next to Zaheer, for once devoid of any water tendrils at the moment, "And in a way, it's brilliant. By letting the city know just how powerful she is, they know that she is dangerous."
"And that is precisely why she is untouchable," Zaheer turned to face the waterbender, "Even if she is not accompanied by Nakkoa and Kwan, she detests being restrained, and will break free of almost any restriction imposed upon her. She is free."
"And what of our operation?" Ming-Hua raised her eyebrow, glancing around briefly to see if any water was within 'reach', "we can't hide up here forever, and with the Avatar revealed, I don't think it's even necessary anymore."
"We will move, if necessary," Zaheer remained calm, "but unless Avatar Korra somehow manages to completely turn around and reject everything we have taught her in the last 548 days—she kept count too, you know—then we could all be slain tomorrow and the Avatar returned to her White Lotus compound, and we still would win."
"Call it a woman's paranoia," Ming-Hua shook her head as Ghazan wandered in, "but dying doesn't exactly sound like a fun idea. How do we 'win' if we're dead?"
"Because the Avatar has embraced our ideals," Zaheer turned to look Ming-Hua (and by extension, Ghazan) in the eyes. "She will not be suppressed, and in her drive to bring balance to the world, do you imagine her as the type to let corrupt rulers exercise their power over her?"
"Kwan must've had the right idea with waiting all these damn years then," Ghazan quipped.
"But if the Avatar is there to regulate governments…" Ming-Hua piped up, "Who is there to regulate the Avatar? Outside of the Avatar State we could likely contain her, but what happens when you corner a beast? Did Nakkoa have a point with all her paranoia?"
If the Avatar does turn against us… especially if she tries to use the Avatar State…" Zaheer mused, "Then we end her and her cycle—permanently."
Ghazan and Ming-Hua both seemed surprised at this notion. "After all the ass we just busted training her into this unstoppable juggernaut?" Ghazan's jaw dropped, "now you're telling me that waiting 10 years for this moment was a waste of damn time? If we kill her off right after all the work we put into weaponizing her then what was the point?"
"Slaying the Avatar unprovoked would just create outrages and a power vacuum," Zaheer hummed, "If she cooperates, there will be no need to slay her. She will make her way down a path that is better for the world."
"And how do you intend to slay the Avatar should she go rogue?" Ming-Hua bent water from outside through the window and onto the stump where her left arm would have been (her right arm-stump was still devoid of any water tendril), "You would need her in the Avatar State to end the cycle permanently."
"Let me tell you the story of Avatar Zakura," Zaheer leafed through the book he was skimming before coming to a page bearing a stylized depiction of an Earth Kingdom woman bound in unbreakable chains. "Poison is one of the few things that can force an Avatar into the Avatar State against their will—and all but the strongest or purest poisons will get broken down as the Avatar Spirit fights to keep its host alive. However, even the Avatar State cannot break down pure liquid metal. If we need to resort to slaying the Avatar, we will do what those who tried and failed to slay Avatar Zakura 3500 years ago did."
"You've told us this story before," Ghazan crossed his arms, "wasn't she the one that basically metalbent that stuff right out of her?"
"She was," Zaheer nodded, "Because she did not stay and fight. Avatar Zakura was used to running for most of her life. The Order of the Avatar Slayer hunted her vigorously until the zenith of their work culminated in poisoning the Avatar. However, instead of trying to fight them, she fled. Tell me—is Korra the type clever enough to try and deal with her own injuries when there is an enemy in front of her, or would she try to fight the enemy while her body fought the poison?"
"Okay, I'll bite," Ming-Hua used her water tendril to take the bottle next to Zaheer and take a drink. "Did you seriously come up with this 'slay the Avatar' contingency plan all before we've even gotten the slightest notion that Avatar Korra might betray us?"
"Would you believe me if I answered affirmatively?" Zaheer replied with a smirk.
"Hmph," Ming-Hua gave and amused but short laugh as she took another drink. "Hopefully it remains just that then—a contingency plan."
"I wouldn't worry," Zaheer assured them. "Because of her love of power and our ability to provide it, I'm certain the Avatar is wrapped around our finger..."
Much like the last time they were in Republic City, Nakkoa got them a suite at the same hotel, which meant (to Korra's delight) they were spending at least another day here. The only difference this time was it was suite 461 instead of 428, but that was still an easy enough number for Korra to remember.
After getting cleaned up and taking a short power nap, Korra got up and took a walk. She went for a much more ragtag look than she usually did, this time only donning her shirt and pants, as well as the headband to conceal her forehead. Lessons from Ghazan and Kwan in the mountains had made her appreciate going barefooted slightly more, and for some reason, it felt right this time of the afternoon. That, and the Avatar cared little for her appearance, as indicated by her long, unkempt hair that hung undone behind her.
She wanted to find the Sato Estate without actually asking someone how to get there, because she wanted to talk to Asami again. Maybe after obtaining that knowledge, she would consider fixing up her appearance a bit more.
It went without saying, therefore, that when Korra nearly ran into Asami sitting in a car outside of her hotel, that Korra looked a bit shocked.
"Korra?" Asami stepped out and approached her, "Is that you?"
"Asami?" Korra blushed a little, "Damn, I didn't exactly want you to see me like this."
"And so your logic is to go out like that in public?" Asami chuckled, "The dress you wore last time was cute, but I'm hardly concerned about your clothes as much as wanting to know about the girl wearing them. How have you been? Where have you been?"
"Out in the mountains somewhere," Korra shrugged her right shoulder, pointing her thumb towards the north, "learning Avatar stuff I guess. I'm sure you don't want to hear lectures on focus points, meditation, and how to properly direct lightning, do you?"
"I'm more interested in what you did on your off-hours," Asami indicated, heading back to her car, "Here, hop in. let's go for a ride and we can catch up."
"Dressed like this?" Korra stammered.
"You're willing to go barefooted on the dirty street and suddenly concerned about the floor of my vehicle?" Asami laughed, "Come on, Korra. You look just fine."
Korra opened the passenger door and got comfortable. The car didn't have a roof, and so once Asami started it up and they got moving, the breeze felt nice against her skin. She wondered why she suddenly felt less secure about every little choice she met, and briefly wondered if Asami's presence had anything to do with her inability to fully think straight.
Regardless, Korra poured out her "life story" of the last year and a half, and listened attentively when Asami did the same. Asami obviously didn't have any bending to learn, but she had clearly spent more time on her test track, considering that even at 16½ years old, she was already driving through the streets of Republic City as expertly as any cab driver.
"My father's also been at work designing a great many other vehicles, and even looking into some kinds of weapons," Asami explained, "I can understand his desire to arm and defend himself though, after what we've been through."
"Shit, did something happen to you guys after I left?" Korra frowned, but otherwise enjoyed the wind in her hair, "I still owe your dad an apology, by the way."
"You already apologized, silly," Asami ruffled Korra's wild hair, "but no; we've been okay. It's just that it's better to have arms and not need them, than to need them and not have them."
"Fair point," Korra leaned back, closing her eyes, "but how have you been? Honestly, throwing myself into the Probending ring was the most fun I've had in over a year!"
"You were incredible," Asami's eyes lit up, "I was in the stands, and that's how I knew where to find you. After you left, I followed your truck."
"Anyone else and I'd say that's creepy," Korra laughed, "but if you didn't come looking for me, I would have come looking for you. Speaking of which… those Fire Ferrets…"
"Hey, I may not be a bender, but I'm a huge fan." Asami admitted, still expertly weaving through Republic City with no real destination in mind, "The Fire Ferrets were dirt-poor, but persistent. When I told my dad their story, it seemed even he sympathized with their situation. Of course, he had to share his life story with them before extending his offer to sponsor them… and the rest is history. They've been the Future Industries Fire Ferrets ever since."
"So how are they?" Korra looked at Asami again, admiring how her sleek black hair flowed behind her—a sharp contrast to her own thick mop which mostly just got in her face. "That Bolin guy seems pretty nice; Mako seems a bit more like the leader, and I dunno what to make of that waterbender guy."
"They're a decent group," Asami smiled, "Mako and Bolin are siblings, much like your friends Nakkoa and Kwan. Honestly if I had known that team was coming back I'd have offered to sponsor you guys… but it seems you didn't even need it. You're a natural, Korra."
"I wasn't aware of how skilled Nakkoa and Kwan were at the sport either," Korra admitted, "I guess my style really just meshed with theirs, and we became unstoppable." The size of their victory purse hadn't hurt either, and Korra still had a great deal of cash in her pockets that she planned to blow off on candy and other things later. Her trademark candy pouch (which had been lovingly refilled an hour earlier) was also still on her other hip.
"Well, I'm glad you had fun either way," Asami smiled as her car slowed to a stop in front of a massive building that Korra recognized right away: Sato Estate.