We're back on chapter twenty-three.
REMINDER: I DO NOT OWN LEGEND OF KORRA OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS.
Team Avatar sits there, worrying about their visit to Sarlaq. Korra stared at the potion the warlock made for her to learn the creation of the Avatar Cycle with determine. Mako looks at her in worry, but Korra noticed him looking at him, she turned her head away from him, still angry at him for breaking up with him.
Varrick and Zhu Li were walking from his yacht, and he notices Team Avatar looking all gloomy.
"My, why the long faces?" Varrick walked to the team. "What's wrong, Korra?"
Korra makes a sad face. "Mako broke up with me."
Mako glanced in guilty about the breakup.
"I-I'm sorry to hear that." Varrick said before seeing the glowing vial. "What is that?"
"It's a…" Korra couldn't finish her sentences.
"Don't tell me. Something to make you more miserable." Varrick was clueless. "Korra, you are the Avatar. You cannot take these kinds of doses."
Mako slapped his face in annoyance.
"I know a good therapist." Varrick said. "We'll take your mind off the petty breakup. And if you think you're gonna drink this drug…"
"It's a magic potion, you idiot!" Mako shouted startling Varrick. "She got that thing from the warlock to help her learn about the first Avatar. Geez, man."
"I know that." Varrick said foolishly. "Didn't I, Zhu Li?"
"Uh, yes, sir." Zhu Li said.
"Sarlaq told Korra Unalaq's gonna free some powerful dark spirit. And he said to her if he fuses with that spirit, he's gonna… He's gonna be a Dark Avatar." Bolin said.
"You can imagine that Korra's uncle can reincarnate into anyone else, starting his Dark Avatar cycle." Asami said.
"And Harmonic Convergence is coming in a week." Korra said. "I've gotta drink this potion and speak to the first Avatar."
"NO! You can't seriously believe that warlock is helping you, are you?" Mako asked bluntly. "This could be poison to kill you."
"Why are you even here, rat? I thought you've got a job to do." Korra said sarcastically with anger.
"I'm sorry, okay? I was upholding the law." Mako said. "I swore an oath, Korra! I couldn't just lie to the President! You can't just go behind his back and break the law!"
"And that means betraying me, and breaking up with me?" Korra asked accusingly.
"Yes… No! No, I did not betray you, Korra. You were about to do something risky." Mako said.
"Look, I'm trying to save my tribe. And if it means I merge Raava and Vaatu in me and become a god, I can take that risk!" Korra determined.
"A god?" Varrick was confused.
"Just look at yourself!" Mako said. "This is crazy! You are crazy!"
"Mako, don't yell at her." Bolin said. "Just calm down, the two of you."
"Oh. 'Calm down'? 'CALM DOWN'?! This is insanity! The Chief of the Northern Water Tribe is in league with a dark spirit, the Avatar started a war, tried to get the fleet behind the President's back, and purchases a magic potion from her warlock uncle! What would the press say? I'll tell you what would the press say.
They'd say 'Avatar Korra is the most terrorist in the entire world! Makes a deal with Sarlaq the warlock! Murders the Chief of the North!' That's what would the press say!"
"O-okay. So Korra's gonna be a god. So what? It's a reboot of the Avatar." Varrick said.
"Yeah, it's not so bad." Bolin said.
"Except that she's got a warlock as an ally." Asami said. "Not to mention she'd be an Anti-Avatar."
"What choice do I have, Asami? I have to stop Unalaq." Korra said.
"Yeah, but Anti-Avatar, Korra. That is a bad thing." Bolin said.
"This is getting serious." Mako said before turning away. "I've gotta tell President Raiko about this."
Korra grabbed Mako's shoulders and turned him to her. "If you ratted me out, Wang, I'll kill you!"
Mako was shocked that Korra, his ex-girlfriend would kill him. Bolin, Asami, Varrick and Zhu Li were surprised at that. Korra creates a fire blade to Mako's face.
"Korra, what are you doing?" Mako asked shockingly.
"I won't let you rat me out again." Korra said darkly.
Korra was about to do something crazy until a waterbend tried to hit them. They looked back and notices her cousins were attacking her with waterbending.
"Oh, no." Bolin said in fear. "I gotta hide!"
Varrick, Zhu Li, Asami and Bolin ran to the yacht.
"You ruined my wedding!" Eska yelled.
Eska throws a stream at Korra and Mako, but they manage to dodge it. She throws a rock at the twins, but they dodged and soon catch up with her.
"No one steals my Bolin!" Eska shouts.
She hits Korra with a block of ice. Mako attacks Korra's cousins with his firebending, while avoiding their waterbending attacks. Eska manages to knock Mako off, but he regains his balance. Korra created a vortex with airbending and sucked them in before Eska threw a sharp ice at Korra's arm, slicing her before her vortex stopped.
Korra quickly tried bend a water dome, to trap her cousins, but Eska and Desna jumped back to their jet skis to escape.
"This isn't over, Avatar Korra!" Desna shouted.
"We'll get you next time!" Eska vowed before she and her brother sailed back to the Southern Water Tribe.
Korra and Mako were exhausted from the fight with the twins. Varrick, Zhu Li, Asami and Bolin exists the yacht, as the twins were gone. Bolin was relived that his crazy ex-girlfriend was gone.
"That was close." Bolin said.
"Unalaq won't stop at nothing until he gets me the open that northern portal." Korra said.
"That's why we have to work together on this." Asami said.
"Oh, and what, let this traitor opened his mouth about something that I would try to do to save my family?" Korra asked in a grouchy tone.
"Hey, I'm still here!" Mako snapped. "And furthermore, you tried to kill me!"
"You would deserve it.
"That's enough! Look, what's done is done. Unalaq's not gonna rest until he's become a Dark Avatar. The world is counting on the Avatar to stop him. Korra, if you want to drink that potion, that's your choice. And Mako, you are gonna regret dumping her for the rest of your miserable life. Now, we can work together as a team. Okay?"
Korra and Mako looked at each other with anger. For a moment, they would have no choice.
"All right, all right. I'll help you get your godhood." Mako said with a sigh.
"I'm doing it for my tribe, my family, and the world. Not for you." Korra said with a sneer. "We are not together again. And we are not friends."
"All right! Team Avatar is back in business. Haha!" Bolin said ecstatic.
Bolin grabs Korra by the shoulder and pulls her toward Mako and Asami, where the four share a group hug.
"I'm in." Varrick said. "A friend helps his friends. Isn't that right, Zhu Li?"
"Very right, sir." Zhu Li said.
"But what about the explosions at the Cultural Center?" Bolin asked.
"I saw a firebender last night. I still don't think the Northerners are behind it." Mako said.
"Yes, they are! Who else would be behind it?" Korra suggested.
"Now, there maybe possible that whoever did it might have a connection with this Vaatu thing you spoke of." Varrick said.
"You mean there might be some kind of cult?" Asami asked.
"I think so." Varrick theorized. "I've been hearing rumours about Unalaq being a part of a secret society called the Red Lotus."
"The Red Lotus? Are they related to the White Lotus?" Korra asked.
"Or very distant from the White Lotus." Varrick said.
"We've gotta get to the bottom of this somehow." Asami said. "But what we gonna tell President Raiko about Vaatu?"
"He wouldn't believe us. He's obviously doesn't want to talk to me after someone told him I was gonna as Iroh for his help." Korra said.
"So, what now?" Bolin asked.
Varrick was thinking. "I've got it. By any chance the culprit might be targeting our ships, Asami. If we want to find out who they are and what they know about Vaatu, we've gotta need a plan."
"A sting operation. If we'd set up a bait ship, take it out into the open ocean, and capture whoever attacks it." Asami said.
"It's not that easy. For the plan to work, we need the police, and Beifong would say no." Mako said.
"We can make it work, just the three of us." Asami said. "Korra, Mako and I will be on it. Varrick, Bolin, Zhu Li, you'll be taking care of the company."
"We can still film the Nuktuk story, right?" Bolin asked.
"Yep, sure can." Varrick said.
"I don't know. I don't want to go behind Beifong's back. If she finds out, I could get kicked off the force." Mako said. "And if Raiko finds out, we'll be in jail."
"Well, you should leave." Korra said bitterly. "And if you want to rat us out, be our guest."
"Korra. Mako, I need your help. My Mom is gone. My Dad is in jail. Future Industries is all I have left of my family."
"I want to help you, but this is more than a three-person job. First of all, we'd need a ship." Mako said.
"I got a ship." Varrick said. "You guys can use that."
"All right. Either way if it works or didn't work, I'm taking this potion and I'm going to Tenzin for his help." Korra said.
"That's fair." Asami said.
"I'm fine with it." Bolin said.
"Now, let's just get this on with it." Korra said before she pushed off Mako and walked away.
Mako looked at Korra with anger, yet sadness. He was guilty for breaking her heart after that bitter argument at the police headquarters.
Meanwhile, the Southern Spirit Portal, which has been fortified with a surrounding wall and watchtowers. Malina, Eska and Desna were standing outside the portal.
"Where is he?" Eska asked.
"Your father said he would meet us at this location. He'll be here." Desna said.
Suddenly, Unalaq emerges from the spirit portal.
"Were you just in the Spirit World?" Desna asked.
"Never mind that." Unalaq said. "Where is the Avatar?"
"She was within our grasp until she and her boyfriend managed to beat us." Desna answered.
"You didn't get her?" Unalaq asked angrily.
"We tried, but it's like she knows about." Eska said before Unalaq looks at Desna and Eska with disappointment.
"How did she find out?" Unalaq asked. "Was it Sarlaq?"
"How could he be in league with Korra?" Malina asked.
"I have no doubt he wants to be a Dark Avatar, too." Unalaq said. "We are at war with the warlock."
Yep, in this universe, Varrick is a recruit of Team Avatar, not the mastermind of the explosion of the Cultural Center. But who is the mastermind in this universe? You'll find out soon enough.
Chapter twenty-four will come soon.