The Prodigious Dual Bender

Chapter 5

*Pro-Bending Arena*

It was a very early morning that saw the Fire Ferrets working out in the arena gym, tossing a medicine ball around.

"What's the big idea with making me train this early in the morning?" an irritated Korra asked. "The morning is evil."

"I have a better question. Why did you drag me out of bed," Akira irritably demanded of Korra, who just smiled sheepishly in return. Turns out he wasn't a morning person

"We're the rookies, so we get the worst time slot in the gym," said Bolin answering the Avatar's question.

"And you're the rookiest of us all. So we have to get you up to speed if we want to survive in the tournament. Deal with it." Mako added, throwing the ball roughly at Korra.

"You deal with it!" she countered, throwing it back at the firebender with enough force to knock him back a few feet.

"Korra" Akira warned, watching as Korra smirked when Mako hit the floor.

"There's my little hard working street urchins" said a well-dressed man in a top hat, walking into the gym. He walked up to the group and placed a hand on Korra's shoulder. "It's an honor to finally meet you Avatar."

"And you are?" Korra asked, feeling uncomfortable with the stranger being in her personal space.

"Butakha" the man introduced himself with a bow. "I run this whole pro-bending shebang. Here's your winning from the last match" he said handing a stack of money to a grinning Mako. But that grin soon fell as Butakha took out fees for Korra's pro-bending gear, gym equipment, apartment rent, and finally Bolin secretly borrowed money for groceries; leaving them with very little pay. Then to make matters worse they needed to somehow pay the tournament's thirty-thousand yuan entrance fee.

"You wouldn't happen to have a secret Avatar bank account overflowing with gold, would you?" Bolin asked Korra, once the tournament manger left.

"I've got nothing" she said, pulling out her pockets for emphasis. "I've never really needed money. I've always had people taking care of me" Korra said a little too happily.

"Then I wouldn't say you have nothing" Mako said bitterly, putting the medicine ball in his gym bag.

"Sorry, I didn't mean..."

"No, it's alright" said Bolin, cutting off Korra's apology. "It's just...ever since we lost our parents we've been on our own."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know." Korra said sympathetically.

"My condolences," Akira said somberly adding his own apology.

"So anyway...how are we going to come up with the money?" Mako asked the group, wanting to move past painful memories.

"Oh, oh, I got it! I got it!" Bolin said excitedly, holding up his fire ferret. "I've been training Pabu to do circus tricks. Now people would pay good money to see that!"

"What kind of tricks?" Akira asked, he didn't think it'd make them enough money but he was curious. Though his question went unanswered as Mako currently didn't have the patience for this.

"Come on, Bolin. We need serious ideas" the firebender said irritably.

"I was serious" the earthbender muttered sadly.

"Don't worry about it. I'll figure something out. I always do" said Mako as he left the gym.

*Air Temple Island*

Later that night Korra skillfully weaved through the airbending gates, as Jinora and Ikki watched from the sidelines.

"Good, light on your feet" Jinora instructed, watching as the Avatar finished the exercise. As Korra took a breather, Jinora and Ikki spotted Mako walking up to the girls. "Oh, he's cute. Korra, is that the handsome firebender boy that drives you crazy?"