Pro-Bending Team

When it came to Pro-bending, firebenders were in a unique situation. Unlike the earthbenders and waterbenders, who were naturally limited by the availability of their elements, firebenders were able to produce their own element from their own chi. As such, there were rules in place preventing firebenders from going too crazy with the amount of flames they produced. That meant that when it came down to it, it wasn't about the how much power a firebender used but how he used it. If Mako were a more prideful person, he might consider himself to be a master of control and precision.

And right now, he'd have to be just to survive the round. The Fire Ferrets were in their third round against the Golden Temple Tigerdillos, Mako was the only Ferret still in the ring, and he'd already been pushed back to Zone 3. Meanwhile, all 3 of the Tigerdillos were in his team's Zone 2, ready to force him over the edge and claim victory.

Mako would be the first to admit that he may have gotten a little ahead of himself in the first round. He was kind of nervous about not making a fool of himself in front of Toza's guest, who was watching from his team's ready room, and despite that, he'd taken a solid hit while performing a somewhat over-the-top backflip and he'd been forced back along with Bolin and Hasook, costing his team the first round. Luckily, he'd managed to find his stride and just barely managed to clinch a win in the second round.

However, the 3-on-1 mess he currently found himself in could be blamed entirely on his team's waterbender. Somehow, Hasook made the total rookie mistake of actually running into his own teammate. Hasook managed to tackle Bolin to the ground, leaving them open to an attack which sent them both over the edge. After being left to fend for himself, Mako was eventually pushed back to the very edge of the ring. One misstep and he'd be taking a dip, and any chance his team had at making it to the Championship would be gone for good.

"It's all up to Mako now!" the voice of Shiro Shinobi came in over the arena's loudspeakers, only making Mako's desperate situation all the more apparent.

At that moment, Mako wanted nothing more than to take Shiro's microphone and shove it straight down his throat. Unfortunately, his angry rantings were cut short as he just barely avoided a rock disc that missed his head by mere inches.

One of the first things that Mako learned in Pro-bending was that it was easier to avoid an attack than trying to block it. Even though, initially, every instinct he had was screaming at him to stand his ground and use his firebending to try to reduce the damage of the blow, it quickly became clear that he would only end up burning through all of his energy at a much faster rate. Even if it left you open to taking the full force of the hit should you fail to move out of the way in time, dodging was the most efficient way of ensuring that you incurred the least amount of damage.

After 2 years and literally hundreds of hours of practice, Mako had overcome his initial hang-ups and now had better spatial awareness than most of the other Pros. And his skills were on full display right now.

"He's bobbing and weaving, he's weaving and bobbing, but he's not hitting back," Shiro commented. "If Mako's knocked out the Ferrets' fabulous season is over."

Mako growled to himself as the overly enthusiastic commentator felt the need to point out the obvious and put that much more pressure on the last Ferret standing. And he was definitely feeling the pressure as he was forced to avoid an all-out assault from all 3 elements. Given the close range of his opponents, Mako was still on the very edge of the ring with barely any room to move, and the water was waiting for him below. But he had a plan. Mako knew the Tigerdillos were one of the most aggressive teams in the league; they relied on overwhelming their opponents before they ever got the chance to hit back.

"He is dancing on the edge of the ring, surviving the three-on-one barrage," Shiro continued. "It seems his plan is to let the Tigerdillos punch themselves out."

Mako really wished someone would take that mic away from the tiny man in the booth as he deliberately pointed out Mako's plan for the whole world to hear. Luckily by now, Mako's plan had already begun to take effect as the Tigerdillos' strikes had become noticeably weaker.

Mako finally decided to launch his first attack, sending a fire blast at the Tigerdillo waterbender.

"And his plan is working!"

By now, like the other Tigerdillos, the waterbender was completely worn out, so his meager water defense was instantly evaporated upon contact with Mako's fire blast, sending him over 5 zones back and careening into the water below the platform.

"Hahn is in the pool, they've got nothing left in the tank, and Mako is on the offensive!" Shiro exclaimed.

Mako realized that they were in the endgame now. Neither he nor any of the Tigerdillos had the strength or energy to keep going. The winner of this match was going to be decided by the end of this round. The only chance Mako had now was to keep up his momentum and not give the Tigerdillos a chance to recover.

"It's two-on-one," Shiro announced. However, he quickly had to correct himself as Mako launched an incredibly powerful fire blast with an overhead kick, causing the Tigerdillos' firebender to bounce off one of the railing's posts and into the water. "Scratch that; it's one-on-one," Shiro rectified, "and it's an Earth and Fire slugfest!"

The last Tigerdillo seemed to have somewhat regained his footing as he was now exchanging quick and rapid strikes with Mako, blow-for-blow, as their attacks collided in mid-air. The resulting dust cloud obscured everyone's vision of the ring. Unfortunately for the Tigerdillo, this gave Mako the opportunity to land a solid hit on him, driving him back. However, unlike his teammates, the earthbender managed to stop himself just before he was pushed over the edge of the ring. He summoned an earth disc as he got ready to defend himself.

"There's so much smoke and dust from the firefight I can't even see where the Fire Ferret is," Shiro commented.

The earthbender knew that since he was pushed this far back, that meant Mako was now allowed to advance. In mere seconds, their situations had become completely reversed. Mako must have been able to move faster than he anticipated because, rather than trying to defend himself, the final Tigerdillo seemed unable to do anything other than look on in shock as Mako burst forth from the dust cloud, a fireball already summoned at the end of his fist. Mako sent one last powerful blast into his opponent's chest, knocking him over the edge, and claiming victory.

"It's a knockout!" Shiro declared. "What a wing-dinger of a hat-trick, folks. Mako pulls off the upset of the season, winning the match for the Fire Ferrets!"

...

Korra was having the time of her life. Being able to actually watch a real Pro-bending match was so much more exciting than she imagined it would be, especially the final round. That rude firebender, Mako was his name apparently, was on the cusp of losing, with 3-against-1 odds against him. And yet, he still managed to completely turn things around and clinch a victory right out of the jaws of defeat. Korra and the rest of the spectators had all been on the edge of their seats up until the very end; well, almost all the spectators.

About 30 seconds after Mako had been left on his own, Koda decided to quit watching the match. When Korra sent him a questioning look, he merely responded by saying, "The match has already been decided."

"You shouldn't give up on the Ferrets yet," Korra reprimanded. "He might be able to hold out."

"That's not what I meant," Koda clarified. "I mean that it's over for the Tigerdillos."

The nonchalant manner in which Koda expressed his confidence in the lone firebender confused Korra. She was all for having optimism and never giving up on a fight, but come on. Realistically, the best that the Ferrets could hope for was Mako just surviving until the end of the round.

Then they would have a shot at winning the fourth and final round. If that happened, then it meant that there would be a Sudden Death round where the winners of the match would be decided. It was a longshot, but still well within the realms of possibility. The only thing Mako had to do was survive until the end of the round.

However, things didn't quite play out like Korra had predicted. Rather than staying on the defensive, Mako instead went on the attack. According to the commentator, he only did so after the Tigerdillos 'punched themselves out.' In less than a minute, Mako'd managed to outmaneuver and overpower all three of his opponents and knocked them all out of the ring.

Korra turned to Koda as he moved to stand near the bridge leading to the arena, waiting to greet the new victors. "There's no way you could have known that was going to happen," she insisted.

"You don't win a battle by being stronger than your opponent," Koda responded with his arms crossed.

From the confused expression Korra was sending him, he could tell she didn't quite understand his statement. "You win by being the last man standing," he continued. "If you use up all your stamina before you defeat your opponents, then you lose. It doesn't matter how strong your attacks are if they fail to hit."

She then gained a look of clarity as the Fire Ferrets made their way across the catwalk back to the locker rooms. "Woohoo, yes! One more win and we're in the championship tournament," the Ferret's earthbender cheered as he moved to talk to Korra. "So, what'd you think? Bolin's got some moves, huh?" he asked in what he likely believed was a suave manner.

"Knock it off, Bolin," Mako lazily said, cuffing Bolin on the back of the head as he walked by.

Ignoring their team's firebender, Bolin continued, "Yeah, anyway, if you didn't hear during the match, I'm Bolin and Mr. Grumpy-pants over there is my big brother, Mako."

"Korra," she said simply, introducing herself.

"And that guy over there is Hasook." Bolin jerked his thumb towards the corner of the room, but rather than making introductions, Hasook seemed to be preoccupied arguing with their team's captain.

"You did more harm than good out there," Mako reprimanded. "You almost cost us the match."

"We won didn't we?" Hasook asked in irritation as he took off his helmet.

"Barely!" Mako heatedly replied.

"Get off my case, pal," Hasook growled as he threw his helmet to the ground and stalked out the door.

"Useless," Mako sighed as he moved towards his own locker to take off his gear.

"You guys were incredible out there," Korra congratulated. "Especially you, Mr. Hat Trick."

"You're still here?" Mako asked.

"And you're still a jerk," Korra said, she later turned to Bolin. "That was so cool though. Think you can show me a few tricks?" Korra asked with hope filling her eyes.

"Absolutely," Bolin answered in excitement.

"Right now?" Mako asked in exacerbation. "Come on, Bolin."

"Just ignore him," the younger brother said as he waved his hand. "Yeah, I could show you the basics," he continued smugly. "I'm just not sure how my earthbending would translate to your waterbending, but we'll figure it out."

"Won't be a problem," Korra said casually as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm actually an earthbender."

Bolin paused as it took him a moment to process that information. "I'm sorry, no, no. I didn't mean to assume," he said awkwardly. "Cause I, ya know...I was just figuring with your Water Tribe get-up... that you are... a water tribe... gal."

"No, you're right I'm a waterbender," Korra confirmed, once again, as casually as she could, "and a firebender." She turned her gaze towards Mako who was still by his locker.

"Mmhmm," Bolin placed his hand under his chin as he mulled over this new information. "I'm very confused right now," he concluded.

Koda snorted in amusement. "You know? This is a lot funnier when it's not happening to me," he smiled.

"You're the Avatar," Mako said as he finally acknowledged Korra before turning his attention to the other guest. "And that would make you..."

"Koda Beifong," he finished with a smirk. "Nice to meet you guys."

"No... way," Bolin said in astonishment. "It's the Avatar," he loudly whispered to his brother, "and Chief Beifong's son."

...

Koda was leaning against a wall back in the Pro-bending gym. Mako was a couple feet away from him, leaning against the wall as well. He hadn't elaborated any further about the 'situation' that his mother had helped the bending brothers out of, but Koda'd figure it out eventually.

Meanwhile, Toza was lazily sweeping the floor. Most likely, he just wanted to keep an eye on them as they were using his equipment. The 3 of them were watching as Korra and Bolin did some target practice.

"Alright, let's see what you got," Boling said. Korra was in a traditional earthbending stance as she shot two rock discs into a net across the gym.

"That was great, good power," he said, sounding somewhat impressed, "but in a real match you'd be a sitting turtle duck." Bolin then gestured to Korra's stance.

Korra frowned, wondering what he could be talking about.

"Not so upright and flat-footed," he continued. Bolin then brought his fists up, protecting his face, and bounced around on the tips of his feet. "Stay light on your toes, right up until the moment when you need to dig in and strike. Then... pop, pop." Bolin threw two quick punches, sending two earth discs flying. Unlike Korra's straight shots, Bolin's earth discs flew in curved arc before hitting the net at precisely the same time.

Korra was slack-jawed as she tried to figure out how he did that. "Okay, let me try it again," she said, determined to duplicate Bolin's shot. Korra then brought her feet closer together and only bent her legs slightly. She gave a couple short, experimental hops from one foot to the other before planting her back foot, twisting her front, and throwing two strong punches. Two more earth discs flew across the gym in a similar manner to Bolin's.

Satisfied with her work, Korra put her hands on her hips and smiled at Bolin. Koda didn't know why, but seeing the way that Bolin was interacting with Korra and the way she smiled at him just really irritated him.

"Wow, nice adjustment!" Bolin exclaimed. "You're a natural at this."

While they were training Koda was sitting off to the side with Bolin's brother Mako.

"Didn't think they would stick someone like you with a babysitting job." Said the firebender.

"The hell do you mean 'someone like me'?" Koda asked.

"Officer Koda Beifong, Republic City's golden boy, grandson of the late Avatar Aang, former United Forces soldier, and poster boy of the police department." Mako answered as both he and Koda watched Korra and Bolin practice.

"True I am those things, but I'm also Korra's friend. Personally I find it to be a vacation to watch over her. It was either this or catching wannabe thugs and writing paperwork all day." Koda said with a shudder.

"Heh, funny. I thought since you're the Chief's son you got some of the better cases?" Mako questioned with interest.

Koda glared at him, "I don't ask for special treatment. I work my ass off like any other officer to get where I am today. If I do end up running the police department then I'm going to earn it by going from the bottom up." Koda said with determination.

Mako just stared at him for a moment and spoke up to Korra, "Not bad." He said in a dull tone as he complimented her strike.

"What does it take to impress this guy?" she asked Bolin.

"What? I said, 'not bad.'" Mako said

"Don't worry Korra. I think Mako here is just a man of few words." Koda said.

Mako gave him a grin, "Someone understands me. I'm gonna turn in. It was nice to meet you Avatar Korra, Beifong." He said as he walked to his room.

"Yeah, it's been a real pleasure." Korra said sarcastically.

"See you upstairs bro." Mako said as he walked out the room.

"Upstairs? You guys live here?" Korra asked with interest.

"Yep. In the attic, but it's nothing fancy. But we have some great views. So back to bending, why don't you throw that combo one more time?" Bolin asked.

"I got an idea. Hey Koda, why don't you try?" Korra asked.

"Hmph," Koda planted his right foot behind him before slamming his left foot down hard, bringing him into the traditional horse stance as he mirrored Korra's original form at the start of Bolin's lesson. Although his words were confident, his movements seemed slower and clunkier than they should be, almost like he wasn't used to using this style. Nevertheless, he continued.

Koda then pushed his right arm forward in an open-palm thrust. However, rather than launching one or two earth discs, he sent four whole stacks, more than four dozen discs in total, flying towards the net. Unlike the previous strikes which had harmlessly bounced into the net and then rolled to the ground, the multitude of earth discs was too much for the relatively weak net to handle. The connection points at the ceiling and floor snapped, causing the net and the large pile of rocks to continue on and impact the wall behind it with a near-deafening BANG.

Bolin and Korra were speechless.

"I'll be outside Korra." Koda said. He later left the building and waited for Korra.

'Next Day'

The Gates that were smacking her around only angered Korra, one of the spinning panels managed to hit her in the back and almost knocked her on her face.

That was the last straw. Between the physical abuse of her training and the mental stress she was suffering from, Korra's had enough. She knew there was no way that she was going to be able to navigate her way out without getting hit from every angle, and she'd already used up all her patience to even attempt to try. Korra beyond angry right now, and she just wanted to get out of the Gates so she could sort out her feelings. She summoned a fireball in her hand and growled in frustration as she prepared to launch a devastating fire blast to clear herself a path out of the annoying contraption.

Koda, Tenzin, and the kid's eyes were wide with shock.

"That was a 2,000 year old historical treasure," Tenzin later got angry, "What... What is wrong with you?!" Koda later looked at Tenzin and Korra and later walked away with the three kids, "C'mon guys," Koda called for his brother and sisters, "Let's have them duke it out..." as the three were walking he watched as Tenzin and Korra were arguing. Koda sighed, Maybe I have to give her lessons... he thought.

Tenzin and the family were in the dining room about to eat dinner, he was stressed out having to deal with Korra. "Okay," Pema had a tray of food as she put it down on the food, "everyone here?" She later looked around and noticed Korra was missing, "Where's Korra?"

"Honestly Pema, I am at my wits end with that girl. I... I don't know how to get through to her," Tenzin said. Pema later went to Tenzin and put a hand on his shoulder, "Dear, the best thing you can do right now is give Korra some space." Tenzin looked at Koda who was reading a book, "But look at Koda, he was never was like that," Tenzin said. "Well to be fair, I was raised by two separate households," Koda said. He resumed reading his book and then Tenzin looked at his two daughters, "You must promise me you won't be like that during your teenage years." Jinora had a book and looked at her father, "I will make no such promises," she said.

"Smart," Koda said to his sister.

Tenzin could feel his right eye twitching in irritation. Whether she realized it or not, Jinora had just parroted the same dismissive one-liner that her older brother had used just moments after arriving on the island. Tenzin feared that Koda's occasional disrespectful nature was already starting to influence his innocent, younger siblings' behaviors.

Pema sighed as she took her seat at the table, and she mentally prepared herself for whatever drama was about to ensue.

...

Later at night, Koda was reading a book and later saw Tenzin coming up to him, "Koda!" Koda looked and saw Tenzin who was clearly angry, "You and I are going to get Korra!" Koda later sighed and followed Tenzin to the pro-bending arena. "Do you think this is a good idea?" Koda asked. Tenzin looked at Koda as he began to explain, "Look I understand that you're trying your best to teach her, but the way your way of teaching her isn't working. Sure it may have worked for me, but I was not brash or impulsive whatsoever, and we both know full well that it's true," he later sighed, "What I'm trying to say is just be more open-minded." Tenzin didn't look back at all, while Koda just sighed, Well, I tried Korra...

'At the stadium'

Tenzin stormed his way through the Pro-bending stadium, Koda was following his father. He was livid—no, he was furious. Not only was he angry about the blatant disrespect that Korra and his own son had shown him by even coming to this place, but he had also delayed because Oogi had refused to wake up this evening. He'd been forced to take the ferry, prolonging the trip even further, so his foul mood was only getting worse the longer he had to stay in this... establishment.

Everything about this place put him on edge. Whether it was the loud and raucous noise of the spectators or the smell of stale popcorn that filled the air, it all went against the calm, structured environment that Tenzin had lived his whole life in. As Tenzin made his way down the hallway to the main arena he could feel the stickiness of spilled confession drinks cling to the bottom of his shoes. He arrived just in time to see someone wearing red armor get knocked off the back edge of the ring.

Wasting no more time, Tenzin leapt over the railing that was meant to keep spectators from falling into the water below while Koda stayed behind. There were more than a few gasps of surprise as the people around him saw him use his airbending to slow his descent and direct himself to where Korra was.

"And it's also going to be your last," Tenzin declared as he finally set down on the metal platform.

Upon hearing the sound of his voice, Korra tensed up as she turned to meet his gaze. "Oh, hey Tenzin," she greeted nervously. "I thought you didn't like coming to these matches... ha-ha."

"Once again the two of you have flagrantly disobeyed my orders," Tenzin said in disappointment, "You were to stay on the island. Let's go," he commanded.

"No," Korra refused, "I'm kind of in the middle of something."

"I have tried my very best to get through to you by being gentle and patient, but clearly the only thing you respond to is force!" Tenzin finished angrily. "So I am ordering you to come back to the temple, right now!"

"Why?!" she asked, matching his angry tone. "So I can sit around and meditate at how bad I am at airbending?"

"I don't have time to discuss this here. And you," Tenzin directed his ire at his eldest son, pointing his finger at him, "you are supposed to be protecting Korra, not exposing her to more potential danger. Who knows who could be watching and waiting to attack her, right now? The Triads, Equalists—"

"I'M THE AVATAR!" Korra interrupted, clenching her fists. "I can't do my job, if everyone is constantly trying to fight my battles for me!"

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

"I have a match to finish," she huffed, making her way to the elevator that would raise her back up to the ring.

"The Platypus Bears win Round 2!" the ring announcer declared.

Tenzin turned down the hallway leading back to the stands. Perhaps Korra's parents could talk some sense into their hard headed daughter. He planned on simply leaving and going back to Air Temple Island to contact them, but he was surprised to see Koda walking beside him as he made his way along the stands, towards the main exit. Tenzin sent his son a sidelong glance, subtly enquiring as to the reason for his continued presence.

In response, Koda calmly grabbed his father's shoulder, stopping him from leaving. "You're going to want to see this," he declared as he turned his gaze towards the Pro-bending ring. Tenzin's face told Koda that he was skeptical of that assertion. Nevertheless, he joined his son in watching the third round just as the bell rang. After all, it couldn't hurt to make sure that he and Korra actually came right back after the match was over.

"The Platypus Bears come out of the gate and quickly go after the Ferret brothers," Shiro said.

The Platypus Bears' earth- and waterbender turned to attack Mako and Bolin, leaving their firebender to deal with Korra. Mako and Bolin must have been expecting the Platypus Bears to focus solely on Korra, just as they had done in the previous round, because the two of them seemed totally unprepared as they were both pushed into the ring's ropes, unable to counterattack.

"They're corralled in the corner, wedged in the edge of zone one, unable to come to the Avatar's rescue," the commentator continued, "and boy, does she need it?" With the 'bending brothers' subdued for the time being, the Platypus Bear earthbender turned his attention to Korra as he and his firebending teammate began to push her back. Within moments Korra was pushed to the very edge of Zone 3, her arms pinwheeling as she tried to keep from tumbling over the edge for the second time in as many rounds.

"Looks like the Avatar's Pro-bending debut is going to be cut short." Even as someone who had never seen a Pro-bending match, Tenzin could tell that Korra was giving a very embarrassing display. He groaned, closed his eyes, and covered his face with his left hand as he waited to hear the inevitable splash, signaling Korra's loss.

"She's been pushed back to zone three, and the water is calling her name." While Tenzin, Shiro, and even the vast majority of the audience seemed to have already accepted the fact that Korra was about to lose, Koda hadn't given up on her, watching intently and waiting for that crucial moment when everything would click into place.

Korra had finally stopped flailing her arms and both of her feet had settled back onto the surface of the ring, but her back was turned to the other Pro-benders. Unknown to her, there was a fireball screaming towards her, aimed to hit her right between her shoulders. However, at the last moment, Korra seemed to have sensed the attack coming and spun out of the way, and she didn't stop there. She continued her circular movement as an earth disc missed its mark by mere inches. As Korra turned to face her opponents, her expression was no longer panicked and hyper-alert; she was calm and completely at ease.

"It's only a matter of time before—" Shiro stopped, flabbergasted by what he was seeing. "Hold the phone, stop the presses. She's still in the game folks!"

"There it is," Koda whispered, just barely loud enough for his father to hear him.

The Platypus Bears continued to try to knock Korra out, but no matter how hard they tried or how small of an area Korra was allowed to move in, she deftly dodge all of their attacks. Even their waterbender had diverted his attention away from Mako and Bolin to try to overwhelm the rookie Pro-bender. Korra continued her circular formations with her arms out in front of her with her finger splayed, just as she had seen Jinora and Koda do.

"She's moving like an entirely different player," Shiro said in amazement. "All of a sudden, the Platypus Bears' strikes are only striking air."

"How about that..." Tenzin was stunned by what he was seeing.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Koda asked, grabbing his father's attention.

Tenzin was about to nod along in agreement, but what his son said next shocked him. "Without even meaning to, an entire generation has adopted a style of bending that our ancestors pioneered millennia ago," Koda said, still watching as Korra continued to wear down the Platypus Bears.

After several minutes of continuous attacking, the Platypus Bears' strikes were noticeably weaker. As their waterbender's strikes failed to reach the two Ferrets in Zone 1, this gave Mako and Bolin the opportunity to counterattack. "The Platypus Bears have no juice left," Shiro observed, "but Mako and Bolin are still fresh and juicy."

"It's comforting, in a way," Koda continued wryly. "Even if the worst were to happen and another genocide wiped out the airbenders and the Air Acolytes, destroyed the temples, and wiped all mention of the Air Nomads from history; even then, some small part of our culture would still survive."

Even with the Fire Ferrets continuing their dramatic comeback with Mako and Bolin knock the Platypus Bears' water- and firebender over the back edge of the ring, Tenzin was overwhelmed as he turned to his son. This was the first time Koda had truly opened up to his father in a very long time.

"If 10,000 benders take on the style of passive defense, then how many of them are likely to adopt that as a life philosophy?" Koda asked rhetorically. Even though he was talking to his father, he was still watching the match attentively. "If even one of those people chooses to live a peaceful life of nonaggression because of that, then that's something worth celebrating," he finished just as Korra delivered the final blow to the Platypus Bears' firebender, knocking him over the edge, and securing the Fire Ferrets a victory by knockout.

"The Fire Ferrets come from way behind and steal the win! What an upset folks!" Shiro exclaimed.

As Koda left to head back to the locker room and congratulate the winners, Tenzin was stunned. He had always believed Koda competed in the Junior-bending circuit as a way to distance himself from his Air Nomad roots. But was it actually the opposite? Was this why his son had been so obsessed with this sport as a child?

"The rookies, Avatar in-town, have nabbed a place in the Championship Tournament. I cannot believe it!"

...

Koda was emotionally exhausted. He never really was one who cared for opening up about his feelings and such. He blamed the Beifong side of him. Being forced to open up to his father of all people just made it worse. No matter how silly or 'out there' it sounded, Koda truly believed everything he had just told his father.

As a boy, he'd long-ago accepted that Pro-bending was a 'Mom-thing' that his father was likely to never join in on. Still, there was always some small part of him that had hoped his father would surprise him by showing up to one of his matches and come to see the sport in the same way he had. Seeing that look of recognition on his father's face as he was watching Korra, instead, hurt.

Koda wasn't really jealous of Korra in particular; he was just disappointed that it wasn't him that his father was watching as he came to that realization. More than anything, he was frustrated that it had taken his father this long to try to understand him. As Koda was coming up on the Fire Ferrets' locker room, he pushed down those bitter feelings and put on a smile. Korra had just won her very first Pro-bending match, and he was happy for her.

The atmosphere in the room was jubilant with Bolin happily cheering, Korra was grinning like a madwoman, and even Mako couldn't keep the cheerful grin off of his face.

Koda smiled. It seems as though the two of them had gotten over whatever it was that was making them so snippy with one another. Mako then took the opportunity to address Korra himself.

"Korra, what can I say?" he began awkwardly. "You really came alive in that last round. The way you dodged their attacks, you are a natural."

"Definitely," Koda agreed. "You moved just like an airbender," he added.

"Thanks," Korra had a slight blush on her cheeks from all the praise. "But seriously, thank you," she said, looking Koda directly in the eye. "I couldn't have done it without your help."

"Huh? Oh yeah, no problem. Always happy to help, that's me. He-heh," Koda answered, scratching the side of his head. He was looking away from Korra and towards the arena they had just exited.

'At the Island'

Koda and Korra were laying against Naga the polar bear dog watching the stars.

"So you joined the team right?" he asked her.

"Yep."

"And you apologized to my father?"

"Yep."

"And you promise to buy me lunch for an entire week?" he added.

Yep. Hey wait, don't add things like that when you're asking questions!" Korra said as she got up and looked over on the other side of Naga.

"Still too naïve at times, woman. But I think this will be good for you." He commented.

"Yeah. Hey Koda?" she asked

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for not telling your dad when I was sneaking out." she said sincerely. Koda chuckled and shrugged, "It would have been boring if I told him and we wouldn't have made new friends." She smiled at him, "Still thanks."

He smiled back and then walked off to his room, "Of course."