Chapter 9

After the match, Korra and Sota followed Bolin to the gym so that Korra could learn the more athletic style of bending. Sota wasn't as interested, given that he was a waterbender and the earthbending style wouldn't help his waterbending much.

At least, that was what he told himself. But deep down, he knew that it was because of that girl he had met earlier. For reasons beyond him, Sota couldn't get her off his mind, which he found to be weird as he had only spent a few minutes with her. In a small vent…in close proximity…close enough that he could smell the scent of Jasmine coming off of her-

"Sota?" Korra called, bringing him out of his thoughts. Sota yelped, startled by this, his face heating up a bright red color that Korra instantly noticed. "Are you ok? You haven't said a word since we left the locker room, and your face is all red."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine!" he spouted off quickly, making Korra suspicious. "Yep, totally, definitely, without a doubt, fine."

An evil smile broke out across her face, instantly worrying Sota. "Oh, I get it; you were thinking about your imaginary little girlfriend, weren't you?" she teased.

"No! And she's not imaginary!" Sota protested in his natural defense mechanism against his sister, his mind slowly processing what she said. Realization seemed to strike him a moment later as he added, "And she's not my girlfriend!"

"Ahh, that's so cute," Korra taunted, pinching his cheek. Sota smacked her hand away in anger as she said, "Wittle Sota's got a giwlfwiend."

Before Sota could protest, or in this case, waterbend his sister out of a window, Bolin walked back in, his uniform put away, now back in a sleeveless shirt and dark green pants. Mako walked in a few paces behind him, walking past the squabbling siblings to lean against the stair railing behind them with his arms crossed.

"Alright, let's see what you got," Bolin said enthusiastically. Sota was grateful to have his sister's attention off of him as she walked over to where a few stacks of earth disc had been set up.

Korra shifted into her stance, planting her feet and launching two of the disc into the waiting net across from them.

"That was great," Bolin complimented as he turned back to her. "Good power. But, in a real match, you'd be a sitting turtle duck." Korr looked at him, confused. Wasn't this how normal bending was done? "Not so upright and flat footed."

Korra dropped her stance as Bolin shifted into one himself. Sota instantly noticed that it was indeed quite different from what Korra had done. Bolin was dancing on his feet and had his hands up to guard his face, moving around lightly as if he were more of a boxer then a bender. Korra took notice of the stance, intrigued by the difference between what she had been taught.

"See? Light on your toes, right up until the moment you need to dig in, and strike, then-" Bolin threw two quick jabs as he feet dug into the ground and stayed planted. Two more discs flew across the room, swinging wide before moving back toward the center and into the net.

Korra was wide eyed, definitely impressed by the display, as was Sota. Neither of them had ever seen bending done like that before, and just from this small demonstration, it was clear that Bolin was very good at it. Confidence was practically radiating off the earthbender at their amazement.

"Ok, let me try it again," Korra said, determined to get this down. Copying Bolin's stance, she danced around awkward for a few seconds before planting her feet and firing off two quick jabs. The discs flew into the net precisely, and Korra smirked in satisfaction.

"Wow!" Bolin cheered. "Nice adjustment. You're a natural at this."

"Nice one, Korra," Sota said in agreement.

"Not bad," Mako commented nonchalantly with a shoulder shrug.

"What's it take to impress this guy?" Korra asked Bolin. Sota was more surprised that he had commented at all, and didn't think what Mako said was so bad.

"What? I said no bad," Mako replied, annoyed by her question. Korra gave him an unimpressed look, making Mako shake his head. "You know what? It's getting late. I think I'm gonna turn in. You kids have fun." Pausing, he looked over his shoulder and said, "Nice to me you; Avatar Korra."

Sota could hear the inflection in the older boys voice, but ignore it to say, "What about me? I'm here too, you know."

"And your little brother," he added sarcastically, adding to the reasons that Sota really didn't like him.

"Yeah, been a real pleasure," she replied just as sarcastically.

"Ass," Sota mumbled under his breath.

"See ya upstairs, bro," Mako said as he made his way out of the gym.

"Upstairs? You guys live here?" Korra asked the earthbender.

"Yep, in the attic," he said. "It's nothing fancy, but we've got some great views."

"I can imagine. I bet you could see the whole city from up there," said, secretly wanting to check it out for himself. I wonder if that girl has seen the view from up there? I bet she has hundreds of times.

"You bet. So, back to bending," Bolin said, focusing back on Korra. The Avatar nodded, shifting back into the stance from before. "Why don't you throw that combo one more time."

Korra did so with zero hesitation and a smile on her face while Sota watched, not the least bit surprised that his sister was picking it up so quickly. This went on for another hour as Bolin instructed her in the art of probending earth disc, but soon, the two siblings had to go, knowing full and well that if they didn't get back soon, they would most likely get caught, not to mention that Korra had to get up early to practice her airbending training with Tenzin.

"Hey, it's cool," Bolin said, noticing the bummed look on Korra's face as well as the exhausted one on Sota's. "You guys are coming to the match tomorrow, right? It's the last one before the championships."

"We'll definitely be here. There's no way we're miss it," Koraa promised. Sota nodded his head, though his thoughts had once again moved back to that girl, silently wondering if she would be here and watching as well.

The next morning had been horrible for the two siblings. After successfully sneaking back in, neither of them got very much sleep, which left both pretty irritable. When questioned about their exhaustion, Korra would often give the person an annoyed look, but would say nothing, while Sota would stare at them for a few moments before asking them what they said again. It took a while for the two to fully wake up, Sota especially who had fallen face first into his breakfast, but eventually the two were awake enough to get on with their day.

Sota quickly practiced his waterbending, which was difficult with his mind trying to process at the tired pace it was, as well as his constant distraction of his mind drifting back to that girl. With an annoyed growl, Sota dropped the water back into the pond with a loud splash, and stomped off away from it.

What was the point in trying to practice bending when all it was going to do was make him think of the arena and that girl? And why was he even thinking about her? It was just some random girl. He had met plenty of people since he had moved to the city, none of which had stuck in his mind like her. So why did she? What was so different about her?

A loud explosion drew him from his thoughts as he looked up to the top of the hill where a large ball of fire shot off into every direction. His eyes grew wide as he ran up the steps to the training ground, stopping next to Jinora. Korra stood in the middle of what he guessed was the central point of the explosion, her breath ragged as she looked around at the destruction she had caused to the spinning doors.

Sota was just as speechless as the airbenders, not really sure what to say, or if he should say anything at all.

"That was a two thousand year old, historical treasure…"Tenzin said slowly as he came out of his stupor. "What-WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

"Good luck figuring that out," he said under his breath. Jinora elbowed him, giving him a look displeased look at his joke though it didn't seem that Tenzin heard him or took notice of his presence.

"There's nothing wrong with me!" Korra protested.

"You want another opinion on that?" Sota said, earning a glare from both his sister and his best friend.

"I've been practicing just like you taught me, but it just isn't sinking in, ok?" she continued as she turned back to Tenzin. "It doesn't click like you said it would!"

Sota opened his mouth to make another comment, but was stopped at Jinora slapped her hand over his mouth. Glaring at her, Sota proceeded to lick her palm, causing her to draw back and suppress a shriek of disgust as she wiped her hand on his shirt.

"Korra, this isn't something you can force," Tenzin said, trying to reign in his patience. "If you had only listened to me-"

"I have been!" Korra shouted back, cutting him off. "But you know what I think? Maybe the problem isn't me. Maybe the reason I haven't learned airbending yet is because you're a terrible teacher!"

Sota was stunned as he watched his sister march off without another word. The kids looked up to Tenzin as he growled in frustration.

"Yeah, you're a bad teacher, Daddy!" Meelo cheered, clearly not understanding the implications of the situation, before kicking at the debris happily. Sota wanted to facepalm himself for the younger boys comment, but restrained himself as the two girls hugged their father in an effort to comfort him. Holding his head down, Sota turned and climbed down the stairs after his sister. Once they were a good ways away from the others, Sota looked at his sister from behind and spoke.

"Korra-"

"I don't wanna hear it," she said, not in the mood for his jokes or his commentary on what just happened. "Just be ready to leave for the arena before dinner. We have to get their early to watch the Fire Ferrets match."

Sota said nothing else, knowing it would do no good, especially when she was this angry. He just hoped that Korra knew what she was doing.

By the time they made it to the arena, Korra was in a much better mood, though she still refused to talk to Tenzin or to even talk about what had happened. Sota didn't push it, instead focusing on holding in the excitement he felt to see the match that was coming up, as well as hoping that he would run into that girl again.

"Hey, Korra," he called, grabbing her attention. "I'm gonna go see if I can find a snack. I'm starved."

"Fine, but don't take too long. You don't wanna miss the match. Just meet me in the locker room," she said as she kept walking.

Sota nodded, watching her turn a corner before turning around and running down the hall. He had no idea where he was going or even where to start looking for her, but for whaever reason, he couldn't stop thinking about her, and he was determined to find her and talk to her again.

Sota spent the better part of fifteen minutes looking all around, but found no sign of her amongst the crowd or the more restricted areas, which he was surprised that he was able to get into without any trouble. Of course, he wasn't going to question it. He could hear the sounds of the crowd cheering as the match that was just going ended, giving them a quick intermission to clean the ring before the next match, which he knew was the Fire Ferrets.

With a defeated, disappointed sigh, Sota turned to head back toward the locker, only to feel himself being yanked back once again. As he was dragged into the small corridor, Sota felt him excitement flare back up as he turned to see a girl.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the girl he had been hoping to find.

This girl was clearly a citizen of Earth Kingdom decent. Her skin was a light cream color while her hair, which was held in two thin ponytails in the back which were then tied together to make one long one that stopped just short of her shoulders, was jet black. Her tunic, which was a dark green, went from her neck, all the way down to her feet. Under it, she wore matching green pants over her black shoes while a silver belt that was no doubt made of metal was wrapped around her slim waist. The sleeves of the shirt she had under her tunic were light green, the same light green as her bored, unimpressed eyes, and covered her arms, stopping at the metal wristbands she wore.

Sota gave a disappointed sigh, causing the girl to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Nice to meet you too," she said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. Sota suddenly felt embarrassed by his rude behavior.

"Sorry, I just thought you were someone else," he apologized.

"Let me guess; pretty girl, Fire Nation, gold eyes, crawls around in vents like a weirdo?"

"You know her!?" He questioned, grabbed her by the shoulders. The girl raised her eyebrow again before gripping both his hands, and pulling them off of her and shoving him back. Sota blinked, embarrassed at his overreaction.

"Yes, I know her," she said, dusting her shoulders of imaginary dust. "But why should I tell you anything about her?"

"I need to talk to her," Sota said desperately. "Or at least know her name."

"She didn't even tell you her name?" she asked in exasperation, shaking her head and mumbling, "I can't believe how dumb she is…"

"Please, uh…" Sota paused as he realized, he hadn't learned her name either; he really needed to work on that, especially when it came to girls.

"The name's Jun," she said, dismissively before pushing past him without another word. Sota looked at her, confused, but followed behind her down the hall. "The girl you're looking for is named Mai-Ling, and I can tell you, she's not here."

"Oh…that's a shame," he said, a bit sad that she wasn't at the arena. "Well, since you know her, maybe you can tell her I was looking for her? My name's Sota by the way." Jun said nothing as she continued to walk down the hall, ignoring him completely. Sota rolled his eyes; seems that there were a lot of rude people here in the city. As he brought his eyes back to her, he noticed that there was a small metal spool attached to the back of her belt that reminded him of the ones the metalbending police wore, but he quickly dismissed it. There was no way a girl who was the same age as him could have gotten a hold of one.

"So, I'm guessing you're a fan of probending too?" he asked, trying to strike up conversation, but once again only received silence. "Not much of a talker, I see."

"No, I'm not," she replied. "And obviously I like probending, or else I wouldn't be here to watch the match."

The two preteens stopped in front of a fancy door, making Sota a bit nervous as to what could be on the other side. Jun ignored him, pushing it open to reveal a private booth with an amazing view of the ring. Sota stared, wide eyed as they walked in, never noticing Jun closing in behind him until she shoved him toward one of the seats. Sota gave her an annoyed look, but took his seat anyway while Jun took one next to him, reclining in the soft material of her seat. Sota prepared to do the same, until something in the ring caught his eye.

"The Platypus Bears know a green player when they see one, and they are focusing the brunt of their bending on this poor girl," The announcer said as the waterbender on the Ferret's side was relentlessly pummeled by the enemy team. Just as they shot a dual attack of fire and water at her, two earth discs came up to protect her.

Sota could only smack his forehead in exasperation while Jun leaned forward in her seat, eyes wide in shock, much like the rest of the crowd.

"Wait a minute-did that waterbender just earth bend!?"

The referee blew the whistle before crying out, "Foul; I…think…"

Korra looked around confused before putting on a cheeky, nervous smile and shrugging her shoulders. Sota once again facepalmed, begging the spirits above to strike him down now and end the embarrassment and misery he felt.

"Did I see that right?...Hold on folks, we're just waiting for the referees official call, but, I think…this replacement player could be…there's no way…you've got to be kidding me! She's the Avatar, folks! Playing in a probending match! Can you believe that!"

"I can, and I really wish I didn't," Sota said, shaking his head as he watched his sister regroup with the other Ferret players. "Korra, what were you thinking? Tenzin's gonna destroy us when he finds out about this."

"Wait, you know the Avatar?" Jun asked in surprise.

"Unfortunately, yes. She's my older sister."

"Wait-what!? You're the Avatar's brother!?"

"Yeah. And trust me, it's not all it's cracked up to be," he replied, gaze still focused on his sister. "I just hope she hasn't screwed Mako and Bolin over with this stupid stunt."

"The Avatar will be permitted to continue," the referee said. "So long as she solely bends water."

The crowd cheered in excitement, though it wasn't felt by everyone as the Platypus Bear grumbled unhappily. Sota sighed in relief; well, that was one solution that was taken care of. He focused on the ring once more where the next round was now underway, and things were not looking good for Korra.

"This girl maybe the Avatar, but she's no probender. And the Platypus Bears intend to exploit that weakness."

The announcer was right, that much Sota could say was true. The Platypus Bears were hammering Korra relentlessly with their bending, and unfortunately for her, that meant she was completely screwed.

"You think your sister has a chance?" Jun asked, still focusing on the match. Before Sota could answer, Korra was hit with a three bender combo which sent her bouncing across the ground, and over the edge into the water.

"And…she's in the drink."

"That answer your question?" he asked dejectedly, turning to the girl, only to see that the seat next to him was empty. "Uh, Jun?"

"Sota." The young waterbender felt the blood in his veins freeze up instantly at the voice. Turning his head slowly, he gulped at the very angry look on Tenzin's face.

"Oh, hey, Tenzin…" Sota said slowly as he got to his seat. "What are you doing-"

"March." The airbending master commanded. Sota said nothing else, quickly running out of the room, Tenzin right behind him. Once out in the hall, he grabbed Sota's shoulder and said, "Take me to the locker rooms, now."

Head held down, Sota said nothing as he began to walk and guide Tenzin to the locker rooms. It took them less than a minute to get there, making Sota question just how he had gotten lost the previous night though he didn't question it as he and Tenzin rode the elevator down to the lower part of the ring where the pool was, just as Korra emerged from the water.

Looking up, Korra stared into the angry face of her master as well as the terrified face of her little brother.

"Oh, hey, Tenzin…" she said nervously. Sota almost laughed at the irony of their shared reaction to him, but refrained; the last thing he needed to do was make Tenzin even angrier. "I thought you didn't like coming to these matches?" The nervous laugh Korra gave one seemed to seal their fate more as she climbed out of the water.

"Once again, you have flagrantly disobeyed by orders," he said, arms crossed, much to Sota's relief. That is, until he soon found himself under Tenzin's scrutinizing gaze. "And not only did you go with her, you helped cover it up! You two were to stay on the island. Now, let's go!"

Tenzin turned to leave, Sota following behind like a lost puppy, but stopped as Korra refused to move.

"No! I'm kinda in the middle of something," she protested.

"You got knocked out in the first ten seconds of the round," Sota commented, though he was once again ignored.

"I've tried my very best to get through to you by being gentle and patient," Tenzin said, turning back to look at her. "But clearly the only thing you respond to it force! So I am ordering you to come back to the temple, right now!"

"Why? So Sota and I can sit around and meditate about how bad I am at airbending? You know I'm beginning to think there's a reason I haven't been able to learn it; because maybe I don't even need it!"

"Korra, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say," Sota said. "Maybe you haven't gotten it yet, but you're the Avatar, of course you need to learn it."

"Sota is right. That is a ludicrous suggestion!" Tenzin said heatedly. "The Avatar needs to learn airbending, it is not optional!"

"No, this is what I need to learn!" she argued back, pointing to the ring. "Modern styles of fighting!"

"Being the Avatar isn't all about fighting, Korra! When will you learn that?"

Not in this lifetime, that's for sure. Sota thought sarcastically.

"I have a match to go finish," she said dismissively as she turned around and walked to the elevator, the referee calling out the end of round two. Tenzin huffed, grabbing Sota by the wrist and dragging him along behind him.

Korra made her way back into the ring for round three, and got into position. As soon as the bell rung, she began bending at her opponents, but noticed soon that the heat wasn't on her anymore. They had clearly changed tactics and were now trying to take out Mako and Bolin.

"The Platypus Bears come out of the gate and quickly go after the Ferret Brothers," the announcer said as the two were back into the ropes and pelted with various attacks. "They're corralled in the corner, wedged in the edge of Zone One. Unable to come to the Avatar's rescue; and boy, does she need it."

Korra was completely helpless as she was pelted with fire and earth from the opposing team, nearly getting knocked back a zone.

Up in the stands, Sota watched worriedly as his sister was outmatched. He quickly pulled away from Tenzin, drawing the his attention first to him, then to Korra as she dodged an earth disc before getting nailed by a blast of water. The force of the attack knocked her backward into Zone Two.

"Looks like the Avatar's probending debut is going to be cut short."

Tenzin sighed, running a hand down his face in disbelief while Sota continued to look on worriedly.

"Come on, Korra…" the young boy mumbled. Tenzin looked to him and then back to the ring, confused as to why these two were so enamored by this.

"She's been pushed back into Zone Three and that water is calling her name," The announcer said as Korra literally teetered on the edge of the ring, narrowly spinning out of the way of a disc. Pulling herself together in determination, Korra moved forward to the front of the zone. "It's only a matter of before-hold the phone! Stop the presses!"

To everyone's surprise, Korra had dodged not only another disc, but a fire blast as well, almost effortlessly. "She's still in the game, folks! And she's moving like an entirely different player! All of a sudden, the Platypus Bears' strikes are only striking air!"

"Yeah! Go Korra!" Sota cheered along with the crowd.

Tenzin stood behind him, stunned by what he had just seen. "How about that…"

"You see, Tenzin?" Sota asked, looking to the older man. "I know Korra may be a bit irrational at time, and she definitely didn't say what she meant the right way, but sometimes, it just take the right kind of motivation to get the point across."

"I believe you're right, Sota," he admitted. "Perhaps I was wrong; maybe this is exactly what she needs."

"The Platypus Bears have no juice left, but Mako and Bolin are still fresh and juicy!"

The two brothers instantly jumped back into the fray, pummeling their opponents from Zone One while Korra attacked with her water from back in Zone Three. The Platypus Bears were barely able to keep up, and it was clear that it was starting to take its toll as one by one they were assaulted and sent back into the next zone and then the next before taking a spill into the water below. Their firebender was the only one left, and he stood no chance as Korra bent water attack after water attack at him, sending him over the edge.

"Knockout!"

Tenzin and Sota cheered, the younger of the two quickly realizing this and looking at the man in confusion though he had already composed himself as the crowd began to cheer. As Tenzin began to walk away, Sota gave his sister one last proud glance before jogging after him.

"The Fire Ferrets come from way behind and steal the win! What an upset! The rookies, Avatar in tow, have nabbed a place in the championship tournament! I cannot believe it!"

Korra gave an appreciative wave to the crowd before walking over to Bolin and high-fiving him. Mako smiled as he walked over to his brother and new teammate.

"Korra, what can I say? You really came alive in that last round. The way you dodged their attacks? You are a natural," he said. "Sorry about the way I treated you before. Your brother too."

"Thanks. I'll be sure to let him know that," she said. "But I can't take all the credit. Someone else taught me those moves."

Back at the temple, Tenzin stood by and supervised as the air acolytes replaced the spinning door mechanism. Korra walked up to him, unsure of how to really apologize for her behavior.

"I'm really sorry…about everything I said. I was really frustrated with myself and I took it out on you."

"It's alright, Korra. Sota explained it all, and I think I owe you both and apology too. I was trying to teach you about patience, and I lost mine," he admitted.

"No hard feelings?"

"Of course not. By the way, you really good out there tonight," he complimented. "You moved just like an airbender."

"Wait, you stayed an watched?" she asked in surprise.

"Well, Sota persuaded me to, but yes, I did. Probending turned out to be the perfect teaching tool for you."

Korra gave him a grateful smile, which he returned, before saying, "I'll see you tomorrow for airbending practice, bright and early. And by the way…" she said, jogging away from him for this last part. "I kinda permanently joined the Fire Ferrets, and we're playing in the tournament in a couple of weeks."

Tenzin could only sigh at her impulsiveness, but knew that this was really for the best.

"It was amazing, Nora! You should have seen it how Korra pulled herself together at the end of the match and used her airbender training to dodge!" Sota explained excitedly.

"Sounds like she's really getting the hang of it then," she said happily. "I guess that means that you'll be spending more time at the arena then?"

"Yeah, Korra told me she actually joined their team and that they're gonna be in the championship tournament in a few weeks. I'm actually kinda jealous of her; I'd kill to be able to play in a probending match."

"Well, have you ever thought about playing in one?" She asked him. At the confused look he gave her, Jinora continued to explain, "The age requirement for the league is fifteen. You'll be thirteen in less than a year. I bet that if you started practicing now, you would be a great probender by then."

"But that's almost three years from now. Who knows if Korra and I will even been in the city still by that time." he said.

"Well, it never hurts to be prepared, right? Plus, maybe this will give you a reason to stay."

"Maybe…" he said thoughtfully. "But even so, I don't know any earth of firebenders. I can't be a one man bending team."

"Well it's like you said; that's almost three years from now," Jinora said cheerfully as she got up and headed for the door. Looking at him once more, she said, "You never know what could happen," before closing the door behind her and heading for her own room.

"Yeah…maybe…" he said thoughtfully as he climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling.

The arena was quiet as people finally made their way out and toward their various vehicles to head home. Two young girls climbed into their private carriage, closing the door behind them as the driver turned on the engine and made his way into traffic.

"So, you got to meet him; what do you think?" Mai-Ling asked Jun excitedly.

Jun, unlike her friend, held no excitement and kept her face the same stoic, bored way it usually was. "He seems good, but we still don't even know if he's even a good waterbender. You're basing your opinion strictly on what you saw when he waterbent into the window last night and on the fact you've got a crush on him."

"I do not have a crush on him," Mai-Ling protested, turning away from her friend. Jun simply rolled her eyes at this. "Look, he's the only one that's come along that seems even remotely good. Plus, he's related to the Avatar! Who could be better than that?"

"Fine, whatever," Jun said. "You win and get your way. Like always. But we'd better hurry up and get to him; we don't have a lot of time."

"Thank you," she replied with a bright smile that just radiated sweetness. "I'm sure he'll fit into the plans perfectly."

"Can you not smile at me like that? You know how creepy I think it is."

Mai-Ling continued to smile as she looked out the window, excitement for what was to come already in her head.