[intercom voice] Paging Dr. Yueh. Dr. Yueh to Medical Bay 94.

[Nurse] Don't worry. You'll be fixed up in no time.

[Racer in pained groan] Did… Did I win?

[Nurse] You… participated.

[Racer] Yay…

[Saito] So… how long do you think we'll be here?

[Kiro] I'm not talking to you… [A moment of awkward silence] You know what? I can't believe you made me do that. We are so screwed!

[Saito, with a smirk] Thought you weren't talking to me.

[Kiro] Hey, look, I know it's all a big joke to you. But not to me! I was paying my dues. I was going places. And now, because of you, they're gonna bust me down… I don't even know how many tiers!

[Saito] I'm sorry, Kiro. But come on, didn't you feel it? Even for just a second, didn't you feel… liberated? Like you were something else? Like you could be more than what they say you are?

[Kiro] [sighs, reluctant] Yeah, I felt it. I did. But it doesn't matter. We're going to get punished and demoted. [sighs again] Xiao Jun saw the whole thing. This is so embarrassing.

[Saito] [pauses, with a spark in his eyes] Maybe… maybe it doesn't have to be. What if this is just the beginning? Maybe we showed them something today. Something they didn't expect. And maybe we don't have to stop here.

[Kiro] [skeptical] Yeah? And what exactly is the "next step" in this genius plan of yours?

[Then a deadly android appears and scans both Saito and Kiro]

[Android] It's all clear, sir.

[Xiao Jun] So… you must be the miners who participated in the Republic City 5000? I'll admit, what you did today was one of the craziest things I've ever seen.

[Saito] Sir, this is all my doing. He had nothing to do with it, and we're sorry.

[Xiao Jun] I LOVED IT!!!

[Both Saito and Kiro] You did?

[Xiao Jun] How could anyone not love it? You gave my best racers a real run for their money. It was a masterpiece!

[Kiro] So… we're not getting demoted?

[Xiao Jun] Demoted? [chuckles, then bursts into laughter]

[both Saito and Kiro laugh nervously]

Demoted! [continues laughing]

[Saito] What the heck is happening?

[Xiao Jun] The fact of the matter is, we're halfway into the first shift since the race ended, and that mining crew has already reached 250% of quota. You inspired them to work even harder than before! My respects to both of you.

[Saito] Avatar Xiao Jun, sir, we joined the race to show everyone our potential. That we can do more than just… mine.

[Xiao Jun] Outstanding! I love that someone can think for himself. Perhaps you two could tour the mines, speak to your brethren, and help them see their potential.

[Saito, laughing in surprise] Wow! Okay, great. [stammering] That sounds incredible. We would love to…

[Android] Sir… it's time.

[Xiao Jun] Ah, yes. I'm sorry, friends. We're preparing for our next journey to locate the Tree of Life. But in the meantime, I've got a treat for you. Hang tight. EVAC, have someone escort these heroes to my personal service facilities. Best care in Republic City. Until next time, legends.

[As Xiao Jun and his androids depart, Saito and Kiro exchange stunned looks, absorbing everything that just happened. They're not only off the hook—they've gained Xiao Jun's favor and an unexpected opportunity.]

[Kiro] Xiao Jun. [laughs] The Xiao Jun!

[Saito] Still mad at me?

[Kiro] After all this, I guess I'm less mad at you.

[Saito] SEE?! What did I tell you? I got a feeling that everything's gonna change, and we're gonna go—

[heavy footsteps approaching]

[Gongmen] [growling] Miners!

[Kiro] Oh…

[Saito, nervously] Hi, Gongmen.

[Saito] Oh, no, no, no.

[Kiro] No! [Both yelling]

[Kiro] Wait, wait! You don't understand! We were supposed to go to Xiao Jun's service pod!

[Gongmen] You two nincompoops aren't going to see anyone ever again. I'll make sure of that. [stomps off]

[Kiro] You're making a mistake! Ask Xiao Jun!

[Saito, groaning] I hate that guy! Great, just great! The one time we catch a break, and Gongmen's ready to crush us into gravel!

[Kiro] Relax! Xiao Jun's not going to let his "legends" get stomped. Right?

[Saito] I hope you're right, because if this goes sideways, we're going to be nothing but a couple of unlucky rocks.

[clattering]

[clattering continues]

[Masked individual] You! How did you get down here? There's no access to this level. There is nobody down here but me.

[Saito and Kiro walked backwards out of fear]

[stammers indistinctly] Oh, my gosh, you're real! You're others! You're not… me! You're here, and you're not me! [laughs]

[Saito] Uh… yeah?

[Masked Individual] AWESOME!!! I am so sorry. That must have been weird for you. I just haven't had a lot of company since they put me down here in sublevel 50.

[Kiro] 50? I thought there were 40 sublevels.

[Masked Individual] That's what I thought! Turns out there are ten more, and they are not [chuckling] very pleasant. Probably why nobody ever really talks about them.

[Saito] Don't get offended but how long have you been down here?

[Masked Individual] How long have I been here? [laughs] Let's see, somewhere between a long time and forever? I mean, I had other jobs, but I kept getting reassigned 'cause I'm so good at what I do. Oh! I'm Hok, by the way. And I'm actually working on some alias for myself. The one I'm floating right now is "The Blizzard Wolf". Which is actually pronounced… [deep voice] "The Blizzard Wolf." But if you have any critiques…

[Kiro] Yeah, great. How do we get out of here?

[Hok] Great question. You don't.

[Kiro] We don't?

[Hok] Nope. We have limited access to the waste management area, but the new shift manager there does not like distractions. No, they prefer we stay here on the task at hand.

[Saito] Which is…?

[Hok] Oh! The scrap comes in from the chute there onto the conveyor belt. Our job is to look for anything that might be worth salvaging before it hits the furnace and gets smelted and burned to ash.

[Kiro] So… in other words, you just watch garbage burn?

[Hok] Yes! It is so great that you're here now. I can't wait to learn everything about you. And then tell you everything about me! I have a lot of hopes and dreams that I am just dying to share with one or two new best friends.

[Saito] Uh, yeah, We would love to…

[Hok] [splutters] Where are my manners? Come on, I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew. Hey, guys, we've got company!

[Turns out, the crew is just statues made by scraps to keep himself sane from his loneliness]

[Hok] This is Shakur, this is Kiowa and this is Bruno.

[Saito] "Bruno?"

[Hok] Yeah, he is foreign.

[Saito] Question: Do they talk back to you?

[Hok] Umm… [Imitating "Bruno"] "They're not real, they're just a figment of your imagination." [laughing] Jeez, you think I'm that crazy? I mean sure we been here since they kicked us from plumbling…

[Kiro gazing at Saito while doing a "crazy" gesture, only for the latter to shush him out]

[Saito] Well it's just you've been down here a…

[Hok] No I was talking with Bruno.

[Kiro] [whispers to Saito] This guy is completely nuts. We have to find a way out of here before he starts naming us too.

[Saito] [whispering back] Just play along. Maybe he knows something that can help us escape.

[Hok] [turning back to them, oblivious] So, what brings you two fine gentlemen down to Sublevel 50? Just out for a casual stroll through the underbelly of Republic City?

[Kiro] Uh… let's just say we took a wrong turn.

[Hok] [laughs] A wrong turn? You ended up fifty levels down from the main floor. I'd say that's more than a little detour, wouldn't you?

[Saito] [trying to stay calm] Yeah, well, things got… complicated. But now we really need to get back up.

[Hok] [pretending to think deeply] Hmm… let me check with the crew. [turns to the statues] Hey, fellas, what do you think? Should we let them leave?

[He pauses as if listening to their replies, nodding thoughtfully.]

[Hok] Shakur says it might be too risky. Kiowa agrees, but Bruno… well, you know Bruno. He's always the rebel! [chuckling]

[Kiro] [nervous laugh] Yeah, Bruno's a real wild one.

[Saito] [attempting to keep Hok's focus] So, Hok, do you ever get visitors down here? Like guards or… anyone?

[Hok] [grins] Oh, no. Nobody comes down here. They're too scared, you see. Afraid of the… [leans in dramatically] waste chute monsters.

[Kiro] [skeptical] Waste chute monsters?

[Hok] Oh, yes! They're the creatures that lurk in the dark, feasting on scraps and anyone foolish enough to wander too close. But don't worry, they don't usually come out unless they hear… [whispers] voices.

[Saito] [gulps] Great. Just great.

[Hok] Don't worry, though! If any monsters come, you'll have The Blizzard Wolf on your side! I'm the bravest waste sorter this city's ever seen.

[Saito] [muttering to Kiro] I don't know if that's comforting or terrifying.

[Kiro] Let's just get through this without becoming waste chute monster food.

[Hok] [claps his hands] Alright, comrades, shall we get back to work? The furnace waits for no one, after all! And who knows? Maybe we'll find something interesting down here that can help us escape.

[Saito and Kiro exchange a wary glance as Hok cheerfully leads them toward the conveyor belt, where bits of scrap metal and debris clatter down, awaiting their inspection.]

But then Saito noticed something on "Bruno's" body and tried to look but accidentally destroy the statue much to Hok's dismay.

[Hok] OH, BRUNO! NOOOOOOOO!!!

[Saito] Oh my gosh I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to.. [Hok] Brunooo…! [Saito] Let me help you fix "him". [Hok, crying] My man Bruno…

[Saito] Hok, look! There was something hidden in… uh, Bruno. [holds up the book and the map]

[Hok] [sniffles, still emotional] Bruno… gone too soon. But wait… what's that?

[Saito] It's a book about the origins of our world, which predates decades not before the Avatar Wan, but Raava and Vaatu themselves!

"Long ago before humanity and the spirits came to existence… there was the realm of the Oni and the Lion Turtles; the Lion Turtles had the power to create, the Oni had the power to destroy. Their war was never-ending. Until the Lion Turtles planned a strategy to imprison the Oni for millennia and therefore prevent the world to be consumed by destruction. Nobody knows when the Oni will come back to strike again, but there's certainty that the moment some unnatural imbalance had surfaced, the Oni will use this opportunity to escape their prison." [Then Saito notices a map that located the Oni's prison in the Spirit World]

[Hok, in shock] Holy Raava!

[Saito] [thinking aloud] If this is true, it changes everything we know about our world's origins. The Lion Turtles weren't just protecting people and spirits—they were trying to keep these Oni from breaking free. It means that this could possibly be where Avatar Korra died 22 years ago. Which means this is where we could find the Tree of Life.

[Kiro] What are you talking about? It's an old piece of paper inside a statue made of garbage.

[Saito] Or it's a clue to find the Tree of Life before the Oni can escape.

[Kiro] No. No way. Hell no! Absolutely not!

[Saito] Kiro please this could be our chance to show everyone we're not…

[Kiro] You already tried to "show everyone"in the race you tricked me into running, which got us stuck down here in this waste hole with this, uh… [cut to Hok's worried face] … really cool guy.

[Hok, genuinely touched] Oh, thank you!

[Saito] Kiro, listen. I know the race was reckless, but this… this is bigger than us. If what's in this book is real, then we're talking about saving the world. Don't you want to be part of something that matters?

[Kiro] [frustrated] What I want is to get out of here, go back to a normal life, and not mess around with ancient prisons, Oni, or whatever this "Tree of Life" is supposed to be! There's a reason no one goes to the Spirit World. It's dangerous! I'm waiting right here until Xiao Jun finds us.

[Saito] Oh, okay. Yeah. Hmm. Well, we'll just stay here forever. That cool with you, Hok?

[Hok] Forever? This is great! I have new coworkers and roommates. There's plenty of room now that Bruno is dead. I usually sleep on the conveyor belt, but you can totally have it. I'll sleep in the corner next to Kiowa.

[Kiro moans out of annoyance for Hok's extensive talking]

And I mean, come on, how often do you get to go on a life-or-death worklife with a guy called "The Blizzard Wolf" by your side?

[Kiro] [rolls eyes] Okay, fine. But if we end up getting chased by some ancient monster or falling into another bottomless pit, I'm blaming both of you.

[Saito] [grins] Hah, ha! Yeah, buddy.

[Hok] [excitedly gathers his makeshift gear] This is going to be amazing! We'll be legends! Just wait till you hear my theme song—it's going to be epic.

[Kiro] Great! Now how do we get out of here?

[Hok] Oh… easy I know a way out… but it won't be easy.

[Kiro] Why is there so much trash? Ah! Disgusting!

[Saito] Warn me next time, please. My mouth was open and I almost choked on a rat's carcass

[Hok] Only 49 sublevels to go!

[Trash comes down the chute, much to the trio's disgust]

[As they make their way out of the waste management area, Saito clutches the book and map tightly, feeling a sense of purpose and determination. He exchanges a hopeful glance with Kiro, who, despite his reluctance, can't help but feel a spark of curiosity. Together, with Hok by their side, they embark on the unknown journey, heading toward the Spirit World, ready to uncover the truth and protect their world from the ancient threat of the Oni.]