Chapter Text
Five days ago...
Everyone who’s anyone assembled at the pro-bending arena to witness the Championship Match of the season. The tournament hosted the White Falls Wolfbats versus the Fire Ferrets. There had been some recent gossip about a possible attack on the stadium that night so Chief Bei Fong and her forces stood guard around the arena for any suspicious activity.
However, unbeknownst to the military police, a renegade Avatar had slipped through security via an opened window. Korra had snuck out of Air Temple Island at a chance to watch her first ever pro-bending match. Unfamiliar with the building’s inner map, she followed a long hallway and hoped that eventually it would lead to the heart of the stadium.
The Avatar made a turn at the next hallway and found herself in a wide-open gymnasium. The room was filled with dumbbells of various weights and sizes, net walls, rock discs, and training equipment of all sorts. Korra was too distracted looking around the room itself that she didn’t even realize she wasn’t completely alone.
“Ey! What’re you doin’ in my gym?” An old man’s voice startled her. She turned around to find a stout, broad man standing next to her. His hair was snow white with age, but his muscular physique gave a sense that he was a former athlete despite the rounded belly.
“Uh...,” Korra was still mildly startled and needed to think up a quick lie. “I was just..looking for the bathroom and I got lost!” Nice one, Korra, she thought to herself.
“Ah... the old ‘I had to pee’ excuse!” Dammit! Not nice one! “Y’know I’m sick and tired of you kids sneaking in without payin’ - I’m takin’ you to security!”
“No, wait!” the Avatar exclaimed. She had come too far to be thrown out now. “Listen, I know you might not understand, but I’ve basically been detained from experiencing anything fun my whole life and for just one night I’d like to know what it’s like to not have someone breathing down my neck and see what a real pro-bending match is like.”
“Aww...Why don’t you use that waterbending to cry me a river. Try tellin’ that teenage sob story to the cops, girlie.”
“SERIOUSLY?!” Korra whined. She knew it was a stretch to appeal to the old man’s heart. “Ugh, all that work to sneak off the island and now I can’t even watch those awesome Fire Ferrets play...”
At hearing that name, the old man’s expression suddenly perked up and his hard lines softened. “Hold up...you’re a fan of my boys’ team? Well, why didn’t you say so!”
Korra’s eyes widened at the man’s sudden change in tone. “I’m honored the Avatar snuck outta containment just to support Bolin, Mako, and that other wet blanket,” the man said with a laugh.
He went on to introduce himself as Toza, the coach for the Fire Ferrets as well as the legal guardian of the Fabulous Bending Brothers. He knew a lot about Korra through the press’ recent interest in the young Avatar’s run-in with those ‘low-life good-for-nothing Triple Threat Triad hoodlums’.
The two walked down another set of hallways as Toza talked extensively about pro-bending and the Fire Ferrets. Eventually, they reached a door that opened to the gigantic space of the arena. Korra could have sworn she felt her jaw hit the floor when she saw how many people stood and cheered vigorously in the stands.
The match had begun only a few minutes ago. Toza pulled up two seats for the both of them as he explained how this is usually where the team prepped before a match. Korra settled herself in, still in awe at the incredible space around her.
Just then, Toza slammed his fist on the arm of the chair and cursed out the referee. “What’s the big idea, ref! That was an obvious water-hose foul, c’mon!”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Korra had only listened to pro-bending matches on the radio a few times before Tenzin cut her off. The sport’s rules were still unfamiliar to her.
Toza went on to explain to Korra the basic do’s and don’ts of pro-bending. The Avatar soon caught on to the sport and the two exchanged heated words towards the incompetent refs. It was obvious that they were being paid off by supporters of the other team to turn a blind eye.
Despite the odds, the Fire Ferrets still put up a tough fight. The firebender, Mako, continued to throw hat trick after hat trick at the opposing team, allowing the Fire Ferrets to move onto Round Two.
“Wow, your boys sure are amazing...,” Korra commented.
“And they’re single too!”
“Wha-?! Uh...,” Korra’s face suddenly felt hot and flustered after that remark. She tried to think up a response until Toza gave a hearty laugh.
“Relax, kid! I’m just messin’ with you,” Korra relaxed slightly after the old coach jostled her with his elbow. “Yep, they sure make this weak, old heart swell with pride. To think, when I met them, they were nothin’ but a couple ‘o scrawny, street orphans. Now they’re givin’ those no-good Wolf-bastards a run for their money!”
Toza gave another wholesome laugh and Korra couldn’t help but smile at the old man. She noticed how Toza’s face shone with adoration when he spoke fondly of his adopted sons. The young woman wondered how differently their childhood must have been compared to her’s.
“I wouldn’t know much about that kind of freedom. I grew up in a compound in the middle of nowhere like some prisoner.”
“Girlie, you’ll soon find out that even that is a lot better than growing up in the streets of Republic City.”
Korra thought about that statement for a while before her attention averted back to the game in front of them. The Wolfbat’s waterbender, Tahno, explicitly used his waterbending to ice the playing field which caused one of the Fire Ferrets to stumble out of their zone.
Both the Avatar and the Fire Ferret coach returned to yelling profanities at the sport officials for not calling a foul. The White Falls Wolfbats moved into Fire Ferret territory. The two sides went head-to-head as the Fire Ferrets tried desperately to survive until the end of the round. Korra and Toza are both on their feet with anticipation.
Yosai crushed an earth disc behind his back while his teammate engulfed the the rocks in a watery vortex. Within seconds, Tahno and the earthbender Yosai pulled a fast one under the Fire Ferrets’ noses. All three are knocked out of the ring and into the pool after direct contact with Tahno’s foul blows.
The buzzer signaled the end of the match and the officials announced the White Falls Wolfbats as the four-time consecutive victors. The audience erupt in a chorus of noise, not all of them positive applause.
Toza and the Avatar joined in the symphony of ‘boo’s until Korra noticed peculiar sparks of light coming from the stadium stands. She immediately directed Toza’s attention away from the ring and to what looked like a handful of metalbending guards dropping like flies.
“Toza...what’s happening?” Korra asked, already standing and taking a defensive stance. The glass dome of the arena suddenly shattered, pieces of glass and iron framing fell from above. Suspended platforms attached to a hovering airship descended upon the center of the arena carrying mysterious masked figures.
“I don’t- MMPH!” The young woman quickly twisted around to see Toza be sedated and tied within a few moments by a man dressed in an Equalist uniform. His face was partially obstructed by goggles, leaving only his fiendish smile and long mustache visibly identifiable. Korra noticed him holding a peculiar stick in one hand.
The Avatar unleashed a burst of firebending in the attacker’s direction, but the Equalist was too fast. He fluidly dodged the attack and lunged at the woman. His gloved hands clasped around Korra’s wrist and twisted it painfully. His other hand flipped a switch on his strange stick weapon which caused it to glow a bright blue.
Korra suddenly felt extreme electrical charges running up her spine as she felt the glowing blue device press against her back. The pain was relentless and seemed to go on for an eternity. Her vision started to blur and Korra could hear the crowd of pro-bending spectators’ cheers quickly turn into horrified screams. She was able to look up and witness large masses of terrified individuals rushing for the exits only to be blocked by more people with dangerous glowing blue weapons on their hands. Korra’s mind finally blacked out and her head came falling to the ground in a hard thud.
“Korra...”
“What? ...Who’s there?”
“Korra, you’re in grave danger...”
“...Who are you?”
“Korra, you must wake up. WAKE UP!”
Korra’s eyes darted open. Large, beams of light were everywhere and a man’s voice echoed calm and low around her. It took her eyes a moment to readjust. She was still in the arena. More specifically, she was in the center ring of the arena. Her hands were tied behind her back and her feet were as well. Korra sat with her legs tucked underneath her.
There were people dressed in Equalist uniforms all around her. She found the source of the voice belonging to a man wearing an odd kabuki mask. Korra guessed that this must be the Equalist leader, Amon. He was addressing the nervous audience through the suspended mic.
“People of Republic City,” In front of her, Korra saw four bodies which looked to belong to all three members of the Wolfbats and a Fire Ferret being unceremoniously dumped out of the ring and into the deep pool below.
“In just a few seconds, the Equalist party has managed to detain and rebuke the bending of four of the so-called ‘best’ in the bending industry. I will be making a lesson out of the rest of your bending idols to show everyone what happens when you try and stop our revolution. Starting with this young man, and ending with the Avatar herself.” Bolin and Mako sat tied up on Korra’s right. Amon started to walk behind the firebender, Mako.
“Psst!” Korra turned to her left and saw a disheveled Toza sitting in a similar position. His white hair was in disarray and he looked very drained and a lot older than a few minutes ago. He gestured to his eyes at Amon’s feet. Korra’s eyes quickly caught onto what Toza was hinting at. Amon had fortunately walked right underneath one of the water grates in the ring, plenty of water still inside. Korra looked back at Toza and gave a subtle nod his way.
Amon placed one hand on Mako’s shoulder, the other raised above his head. The firebender tried his best to fight back, but to no avail. Amon’s other hand slowly came to rest on Mako’s forehead. With one deep breath, Korra jumped up from her position and made motion with her tied wrists to waterbend the water from the grate. Ice instantly encased Amon’s feet and to the hand inching dangerously close to touching Mako.
In that same instant, Toza sprung up to a standing position and used his tied wrists to earthbend a couple of earth discs. He flung one in a hammer throw motion against two unsuspecting guards, knocking both of them out of the ring. Another one tried to run up behind him, but Toza quickly earthbent the disc underneath his attacker, sending him flying up in the air.
Korra, Bolin, and Mako all decided to follow in the defensive attack as the onlooking crowds of people cheered on their heroes. Water, fire, and earth discs were thrown in a frenzy. It was all the more difficult for the four of them to attack with their hands and feet bound up.
Out of the corner of his eye, Toza saw a familiar foe sneak up behind him. He attempted to bend an earth disc at his attacker’s direction, but was immediately met with a sharp, electric current hit right on his chest. The goggled man with a mustache from before had Toza in a lock and had the electric device pressed against the old man’s chest.
“Toza, no!” Mako cried. The brothers tried to leap towards their guardian’s defense, but with both of their guards down, a chi-blocker swiftly came from behind and temporarily paralyzed them both. Korra tried to act as well, but another chi-blocker had tapped into her pressure points and knocked her unconscious.
The mustached Equalist finally released his grip from Toza. The old man’s unconscious body dropped to the ground like dead weight. The sickening thud as he hit the ring initiated an anguished cry from Bolin; Mako looked on with a stunned expression. The same Equalist then perfunctorily kicked Toza’s body into the arena pool. Amon, having already broken free from the ice, took the microphone in his hands once more.
“The revolution has officially...BEGUN!” Amon and his gang of Equalists proceeded to move back towards their suspended platforms. He stopped one and ordered them to collected the Avatar.
As the assembly started to rise above the arena, a pair of metal wires attached themselves to the platform wire. Chief Lin Bei Fong sprang aggressively from within the stands and towards Amon and his followers. After finally awakening from her shocks of electricity, her eyes were dead set on rescuing the Avatar.
She swung around the platform where Korra was and kicked the Equalist holding her square in the face. The Equalist fell off, dropping Korra as a result. With one swift motion, Lin attached on of her wires to the ceiling and the other to Korra’s falling body. She jumped off the platform and swung Korra and her to the safety of the bleachers.
Several other officers had also recovered from their shock to fight back the revolutionaries keeping them hostage. With the help of a few crowd members, they soon took control of the arena again and ushering people outside and into the safety of a medical team called onto the scene.
After safely lowering the both of them down, Lin cradled Korra’s head on her lap and checked for any internal damage or concussions. Korra regained consciousness and looked up at the officer.
“...Lin?”
“Hey, kid. I need you to blink if you can hear me, alright?” The Avatar blinked in response, following Lin’s requests to check for head trauma.
“...Amon-”
“Sorry, kiddo. Looks like we’ve lost this one today. Can you sit up?” As the younger woman sat herself up, a loud, rapid beeping sound suddenly erupted from underneat the ring. The chief’s eyes widened as she forcefully heaved the Avatar onto her feet and addressed the remaining officers recovering from their shock-attack.
“GET EVERYONE OUT OF HERE. THERE’S A BOMB UNDER THE RING!”
A metalbending officer, having awoken from being doused with electricity, swung their wire towards the ring. They quickly rushed over and slung the bending brothers over their shoulders and wisked them away to safety. Bolin cried out for the officer to save Toza and Mako fought back, unwilling to be rescued while his guardian risked drowning more and more as the seconds ticked by.
“There’s no time! I have to get you to safety!” called the officer. “There’s a time bomb strapped to the arena and it’s about to explode!”
“YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE OUR DAD TO DROWN!” exclaimed Bolin, tears cascading from his face. The metalbender glanced down at the pool and then rested the distraught boys on the stands. The officer used their metal hand armor to form a sword and cut the boys loose.
“I’ll handle it. You two get out of here!” Bolin hesitantly waited before Mako ushered his little brother to safety. The officer catapulted themselves into the pool using the momentum of their metal wires.
Lin was double-checking that everyone had made it out safely before she escorted the Avatar out of the stadium. Korra rested one arm around the chief of police’s neck as they trudged up the bleacher steps.
Suddenly, the loud beeping from the ring was replaced with a singular high-pitched, uninterrupted beep. Moments later, the center of the stadium combusted into flames; debris flew everywhere and clouded the arena in a dusty cloud.
“C’mon kid, we gotta hustle!” The foundations of the stadium shook as more explosions erupted around the stadium. The two finally found their way outside and collapsed into the arms of medical officials.
Lin looked up at one of her head officers and asked in a strained voice, “Are...all of the guards present and accounted for?”
“Shiro...has been last seen inside the building,” the officer reported solemnly.
“Shiro?!” Lin’s gaze fell back to the pro-bending arena which was already engulfed in flames. Parts of the structure were already coming down as the waterbending firefighters tried their best to subdue the flames.
“Wait! I see someone coming out of the building!” exclaimed a by-stander. A hobbled figure of the guard who saved Mako and Bolin was found holding the body of Toza over their shoulders.
The bending brothers and more EMT officials ran towards the two. Bolin and Mako cried desperately for their mentor and father figure. EMT nurses ordered them to stand back as they performed CPR. Waterbending healers were also present in the scene to assist as best they could.
Meanwhile, Korra had already shaken off the feelings of defeat and instantly sought to help any injured with with her water-healing abilities. As she went through the crowd, her gaze fell on Toza’s lifeless body. The medics and healers checked Toza’s pulse one more time after a while of attempting a heartbeat recovery. Korra saw them say something to the bending brothers as they both embraced each other and cried.
Korra’s heart sank for she knew exactly what that implied. Toza had died at the hands of those terrible Equalists. Those poor brothers had now found themselves as orphans once again. The young woman went back to work healing the wounded, promising to herself that she would avenge Toza’s death one way or another.
Not too far from her, Lin spoke in a hushed tone to a detective. Beside her was Tenzin, obviously going to give the Avatar a mouthful during their boat ride back to the island which Korra was not too excited about. She strained her ears to try to catch any words of information from Chief Bei Fong. The words ‘evidence’ and ‘industries’ were the only few words of importance that Korra could pick up.
She then saw the detective carry off a plastic bag holding some mysterious content. Before she could get a better look at it, the trio separated and blocked her view. Tenzin instantly caught Korra’s eye and gave her a stern, reprimanding look. The Avatar shrunk back and fixed her gaze back on her current healing patient.
Toza’s body was zipped up into a body bag and escorted into an ambulance. Mako and Bolin sat distraught on the street curb, away from the commotion of the city officials running around fixing the damage and from any unwanted nosy journalists.
The two sat solemnly next to each other, neither speaking a word and simply letting their tears continue to fall. Bolin sniffled and Mako reached into his pocket and produced a handkerchief for his little brother. The younger man took it and blew into it loudly.
The noise of a satomobile suddenly startled the two from their thoughts. The satomobile was a swanky new model and the driver’s window rolled down to show a familiar face to the brothers.
“Hey, you boys alright? Looks like you went through hell tonight!” Mako scowled and Bolin looked away sadly. It seems they've found themselves back at square one.
Meanwhile at the Sato Estate...
Asami delicately descended the stairs of the mansion, not wanting to alert her father so suddenly. The light in the living room was on and she could hear the muffled voices of her father speaking to someone on the phone. Who could be calling at this hour? she thought to herself. Another important business call? At two in the morning?
Hiroshi Sato hung up the phone and sighed deeply to himself. “I know you’re over there, Asami.” The heiress emerged from behind the living room threshold. She could hear the strained tiredness in her father’s voice.
“Dad? Who was on the phone just now?” Hiroshi Sato’s features suddenly became grim as he looked at his daughter.
“Asami, listen carefully to what I say. The police are coming. I want you to pack as much as you can and get out of here.” Mr. Sato quickly rummaged through a desk in the living room and retrieved something in his hand. Her father’s words of urgency confused the young woman.
“Wait, what-!” Asami didn’t have time to formulate a proper response before her father had grasped her hands within his own. He locked eyes with his daughter with intense urgency that it frightened Asami.
“They’ll be here in less than ten minutes. Whatever happens, I want you to have faith and trust me. Do you trust me?” Asami nodded her head, scared tears welling in her eyes. Hiroshi’s gaze softened as he planted a kiss on his daughter’s forehead.
“I love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you too, dad.” Hiroshi let go of his daughter’s hands. Asami felt that he had placed whatever he retrieved from that desk into her grasp.
“Now go, get out of here!” He quickly ushered ushered Asami out of the living room and abruptly closed the sliding door. Asami was left frightened and confused in the hallway of her home which now felt much bigger and emptier than before. She looked in the palm of her hand and saw that she was holding an odd disc of some sort. The urgent words of her father raced back to her as she quickly made her way back up the stairs she came from and begin packing.