Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10 or Avatar: Legend of Korra. Ben 10 belongs to Cartoon Network and Legend of Korra belongs to Nickelodeon.

Chapter 3: Welcome to Republic City

Korra, Ben, Tenzin, and the Takeo had all sat down at a kitchen table for dinner and to discuss what to do about Korra and Ben. So far the conversation had been mostly about why Korra is unable to start practicing her Airbending training as soon as she had hoped. Ben for the most part had been staying out of the conversation, listening to what they were saying while thinking about what they're going to say to him when they finish talking to Korra.

"So, how long until you're ready to teach me Airbending? A week? A month?"

Tenzin's response was not what Korra was hoping for. "It could be much longer."

"I don't understand. Why are you making me wait?"

"I have a responsibility to Republic City," Tenzin answered "I'm one of its leaders, and the situation there is very unstable right now."

Despite his efforts to make Korra see his reasoning, she remained defiant.

"But you also have a responsibility to teach me. Believe me, I'd be happy to find another Airbending master, but you're the only one. We're stuck with each other."

Tenzin had to concede to that point. "I wish there were another way."

Korra's face lit up and she started speaking excitedly. "Wait, there is another way! If you can't stay here, then I'll go back to Republic City with you and train there! It's perfect!"

Not surprisingly, Takeo did not share Korra's enthusiasm. "Absolutely not! The city is far too dangerous. Avatar Aang tasked us with keeping you safe while you mastered the four elements." Korra remained defiant.

"I get that, but I don't think keeping me locked up in this compound like a prisoner is what he had in mind." She quickly rounded on a slightly surprised Ben. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

Ben raised his hands in a placating manner before speaking to all three in the room.

"Hey, both sides are making good points. On one hand, they're concerned for your safety and rightly so." Korra was about to leave at that but Ben continued before she could leave the chair. "On the other hand, Korra hasn't really been exposed to a lot of what there is outside the compound."

Takeo decided to speak up again. "That's part of the reason why we've been keeping her here for so long. She's been so sheltered that she doesn't know what to expect when she leaves the compound."

Korra cut in when he had finished. "Yeah, because you've been keeping me in here practically 24/7! That sounds pretty hypocritical if you ask me."

Tenzin spoke up and tried to mediate the rising tensions. "I know this is difficult to accept, but it's not the right time for you to come to the city."

Korra just uttered a dismissive "Whatever" and promptly left the room, causing Takeo and Tenzin to sigh.

Ben turned to Takeo and said "You know she's right. It's kinda your fault that she's so sheltered."

Takeo just grunted in apparent indifference.

Tenzin turned to Ben and spoke to him in a curious voice. "To be honest, when I first heard about it from Tonraq, I never imagined you being 'gifted' in the way you showed us earlier today. You say that the artefact you call the 'Ultimatrix' was given to you by a Spirit, correct?"

Ben nodded "Yeah, pretty much." He lied of course.

Takeo turned to Tenzin. "I honestly didn't believe him until I witnessed his abnormal transformation when he used that strange gauntlet on his arm."

"I know I've kinda freaked you guys out," Ben said with a serious tone "but know that I will never do anything to harm Korra."

"I'm certain you won't," Tenzin calmly replied "but there are a lot of things that you should learn about before we agree on the next course of action."

Ben nodded in agreement, thus beginning a long night of discussions and queries as to Ben's future and choices.

When Ben finally woke up, it was almost lunchtime and he still felt like sleeping for a week. Ben, Tenzin, and Takeo ended up talking until 2:00 A.M. until Ben decided to stay with Korra and help her any way he could. After he finished his lunch, one of the White Lotus members told Ben that Korra had taken Naga out for a ride a couple hours earlier and hadn't returned yet. He also mentioned an overlook near the ocean where Korra likes to go and think when she has a lot on her mind. A fifteen minute in the direction she went got Ben to the overlook and a despondent Korra.

"Phoo…" Ben exhaled as he rubbed his hands, "Cold out…" he noted as he walked over to stand beside Naga and Korra, "You okay?" he asked the Avatar.

"I missed my chance to learn Airbending…" she grumbled in response, "how do you think I feel?" she sharply asked him.

"Right… sorry…" Ben apologized with a grimace.

"Huh…" Korra sighed, "No… it's okay…" she assured, now regretting her harsh tone, "It's just… I was so excited to learn Airbending from the son of the previous Avatar…" she told him, "but he can't 'cause of whatever's going on in Republic City…" she realized, frowning a little.

"Well… he wants to make sure you're safe from whatever forces are there," Ben pointed out, "And besides, I don't think this," he continued, looking back at the compound, enticing her to do the same, "is worse than being locked up in an actual cell," he remarked.

"Huh," Korra huffed defiantly, folding her arms over her chest and tucking her legs in.

"Look, my point is you're going to master Airbending eventually," he assured, "It might take some time, but maybe Tenzin could tell you about some forms you could try before he teaches you in person…" he suggested.

"I don't think that's gonna work…" Korra grumbled out sadly.

"Well, what other choice do you have?" Ben wondered, arching an eyebrow.

The Avatar lifted her eyes toward the horizon. Just then they saw Oogi, Tenzin's Sky-Bison, take off and start flying back to Republic City. From what Korra knew of Republic City, it's a global hub of commerce, diplomacy, industry, and cultural integration, home to some of the most important artifacts and some of the finest works of art in the world. That's not oven counting its historical significance as a symbol of unity between nations and the political significance as the capital of the United Republic. It's said that anyone who can make a good living there, can make a great living anywhere.

Korra then gained a determined and serious expression. And Ben immediately widened his eyes. "Oh no…" he uttered out, "Please tell me you're not thinking-"

"I have to," Korra stated, interjecting his plea.

"Korra-"

"And you're coming with me," she firmly declared, interrupting him again.

"I- Wait, what?" Ben uttered out in confusion.

"You heard me," Korra retorted, "If I can't convince you to let me go on my own, then you're coming with me," she explained with a smug look on her face.

"Well, this should turn out great…" Ben muttered sarcastically. Needless to say, he was a little excited to see what Republic City would be like…

Late that night, when most people in the compound were fast asleep, Ben and Korra snuck out of their quarters and headed to the stables to begin their journey to Republic City, grabbing only a few personal possessions. They made their way over to the stable where Naga slept at night and headed inside, and had just started tightening the straps of the saddle when they heard a familiar voice behind them.

"Nice night for an escape, isn't it?"

They turned around and saw none other than Katara standing at the gate to the pen. However, she didn't even seem to be angry or suspicious. She still had her accepting smile, as if she knew what Korra was doing, but wanted her to say it, just to be certain her idea was right on the bat.

"I'm sorry, Katara. But I have to leave," Korra confessed, feeling she had to explain this to the only other person who didn't treat her like a prisoner, other than her family and apparently Ben. "I have to find my own path as the Avatar."

Katara just smiled understandingly "I know you do."

Korra's face turned from a sad expression to a grateful one, nodding her head slightly as a silent thank you.

Katara continued speaking in a reminiscing voice. "Aang's time has passed. My brother and many of my friends are long gone. It's time for you and your generation to take over the responsibility of keeping peace and balance in the world."

Katara walked towards Korra and placed a hand on her shoulder. "And I think you're going to be a great Avatar."

Korra hugged Katara and uttered a grateful "Thank you."

When they finished hugging, Katara looked at Ben, who stood there watching the whole exchange in silence. "As for you Ben, I have complete trust you have the right experience and wisdom to help Korra on her journey. Take good care of her."

Ben smiled as he nodded "Trust me, she's in good hands." He assured.

Katara smiled before he hugged Ben as well, which he gladly returned. When the hug was finished, Korra and Ben mounted Naga and rode out of the compound. Before heading to the harbor, Korra insisted that they stop by her parent's place so she could tell them goodbye. When they arrived, she explained what she was doing and hugged both of them at once.

"Mom, Dad. I'll miss you both," Korra smiled, but hiding that leaving her family was a tough choice in her life.

Tonraq and Senna pulled back, as Senna smiled, "We love you so much."

"Take care, Korra," her father patted her shoulder.

Korra nodded to them both, and then she remounted Naga. She and Ben then took off, as her parents were now more than silhouettes against their front door. Korra's gaze lingered on them for a moment, but then turned herself away, hiding her expressed emotional pain.

Later, Korra, Ben and Naga went to the cargo hold of the ship before it departed for Republic City. Naga fell asleep quickly, but the same could not be said for Ben or Korra. Ben leaned over and noticed the pleased look on Korra's face.

"I'm guessing you're too excited to sleep to huh?"

"Like you aren't." was Korra's sassy reply.

They shared a brief laugh before they returned to staring at the ceiling.

Ben broke the silence a few minutes later. "What's the thing you'll miss most about the South Pole?"

Korra thought for a second before she responded. "Probably the Glacier Spirits Festival. It's something they hold every year during the winter solstice; they have rides, games, prizes to win, and all the fried food on sticks you can eat. That festival was basically one of the only times of the year when I could leave the compound and do something besides train in the elements and try to find new ways to annoy Takeo and the other White Lotus elders."

"Definitely gotta attend that next time it comes around," Ben noted.

Korra gave Ben with a teasing smile. "Because you want to spend time with me or because of all the fried food?"

"Both are major reasons," Ben nonchalantly replied "and then there are the prizes and the other general attractions to be found in the standard carnival."

Korra laughed slightly before she turned back to looking at the ceiling and asked Ben a more serious question. "Do you think I made the right choice, leaving everyone to go to Republic City? I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do once I get there beyond finding Tenzin, and I'm not sure who I'll meet once I get there."

Ben replied in a comforting voice. "Honestly I'm not sure how this'll play out in the long run, either. But I can tell that your heart is in the right place; you're just going to have to trust it and follow what you choose."

Korra gave Ben a grateful look before she spoke up again. "We should probably get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."

With that, she laid back down on Naga's flank and drifted off into dreamland, while Ben did the same. Soon enough, they were fast asleep with content smiles on their faces, both of them anticipating what awaits them tomorrow.

The next morning, the sunlight peeked through the cracks of the ship's cargo room door and fell upon two sleeping occupants on Naga's side. One of the forms stirred from the light. Ben's emerald eyes fluttered open as consciousness began to return. He lightly groaned from the light hitting his face. Glancing around, he realized what time it was.

"Morning already?" he said to himself. Then he heard the ship starting to dock. He turned to Korra, who was asleep next to him, and gently shook her awake. "Korra, wake up, we're here." He quietly told her as Korra finally stirred awake.

"Wha… we're here…?" she repeated with a groggy yawn as she sat up, before her tired eyes lit up with excitement when she registered Ben's words, and shot up on her feet, "yes, finally!" she exclaimed as Naga also started to wake up.

Ben and Korra made their way towards the cargo door but hid behind a stack of boxes so they wouldn't be caught right away. As the doors were being lowered, the two teens saw what awaited them on the other side of the metal doors. The sunlight seemed to burn its way into the gloomy cargo hold. Ben and Korra shielded their eyes from the brightness, before they darted back to Naga, the latter grabbing her stuff, and mounting right on the Polar Bear Dog. Ben got behind Korra and placed his hands on her shoulders to balance himself better.

Korra, however, turned around to face him, "You might wanna hold on to me. Naga goes pretty fast, and you'll just get thrown off."

Ben felt his cheeks start to warm up; he hesitated for a moment, which caught her attention.

"Hey I may be the new Avatar, but that doesn't mean I bite," she said, sounding incredibly amused. Ben held back his blush as he did as instructed. He gingerly wrapped his arms around Korra's torso, which he noticed was surprisingly firm. She obviously worked out.

"Ready?" Korra asked Ben, who could only reply with a nod. "Good, then let's go."

As the ship workers were working quickly to offload their cargo, a white blur darted past all of them. They looked from their work, surprised, as Naga bounded down the steel gangplank, knocking over one man as she ran.

"Thanks for the ride!" Korra shouted to the workers.

Naga raced down a dockside along what appeared to be rail or trolley lines, with electrical lines crisscrossing the docks.

A few minutes later, they arrived near one of the suspension bridges leading to and from the city, witnessing the impressive skyline of the city's skyscrapers which gleamed in the morning sunlight, with older brick skyscrapers at their feet. There were even giant zeppelins moseying along to and from overhead of everyone in the sky.

Ben and Korra were both greatly amazed by what they saw, Ben speaking first. "Whoa. Korra, are you seeing this?"

"Yeah, look at this place." An equally awestruck Korra responded.

They made their way down to the nearest sidewalk, still looking at their surroundings with wide eyes. Korra reacted to the sheer number of automobiles with awe.

"I've never seen so many Satomobiles in one place."

Ben was a bit more focused on the task at hand. "Maybe we should find Tenzin before we continue sightseeing. I'm pretty sure he'll want to know we're here."

Korra nodded reluctantly and had Naga head towards the harbor.

A short while later, they had stopped and walked over to a railing that Korra said overlooked Yue Bay. The suspension bridge they had looked at before was now far from them, as was what looked like to Ben a Tokyo Tower-like landmark. Aang Memorial Island; an island off in the bay, where stood a giant green statue of Korra's predecessor Aang. He was holding a staff with the symbol of Airbending on its tip and had a serene expression on his face as he looked at the city he had helped create. It kind of reminded Ben of the Statue of Liberty.

Korra knew about Aang. Having been his successor to being the Avatar, she had been curious about him and read everything and anything she could get her hands on about him (it also helped that her Waterbending master was Katara, Aang's wife). He was a legend that helped end the Hundred Year War by defeating Fire Lord Ozai in single combat and helped create the United Republic of Nations. Truth be told, she felt awed and intimidated at the sight of her predecessor and it felt like that he was watching her.

Ben then noticed a particular island on the left of the statue; a temple compound built on the island, as well as a small port there.

"Hey, is that where Tenzin lives?"

Korra looked in the direction Ben was pointing, and her face lit up with recognition. "Yeah, that's Air Temple Island." Korra looked to Naga. "You ready for a little swim girl?"

"Swim?" Ben asked, and then looked at the lake, and gulped, "Oh boy."

Before Korra could start guiding her, Naga started sniffing the air and began charging off in another direction.

"I think she has something else in mind!" Ben said as Naga started gaining speed.

"Okay, okay! Food first, then Air Temple!" said Korra.

Naga continued running through the city, narrowly avoiding crashing into a few Satomobiles. Korra worked on getting Naga under control while Ben apologized to the pedestrians who scrambled out of the way.

"Sorry about that! Excuse us! Coming through! Heads up! Sorry, we're new in town!"

Finally, Naga slowed down at an open square and started sniffing the ground for whatever it was she was after. The scent she was tracking down came from a small stand on the corner. She poked her head through the drape on the side of a food stall and saw all kinds of meat waiting to be eaten. She opened her jaws to take a bite, but was stopped by Korra.

"Naga, wait." Naga whimpered in disappointment but did as she was told, while Korra and Ben dismounted and headed to the front of the stall.

Korra grabbed one of the meat-sticks and told the elderly woman who owned the stall "We'll take one of everything, please."

"That'll be 20 yuans." She replied.

"Uh…" Korra paled at that, realizing that in her haste and excitement to leave the South Pole, she had completely forgotten to bring money in case she and Ben needed food. And when she turned to Ben, the Teen Hero held his hands up, indicating that he didn't have any money on him either (and even if he did it'd be useless in this Universe anyway).

"We… don't have any money." Korra sheepishly confessed to the stand-owner.

"Then what good are you to me?!" the old woman demanded as she snatched the meat out of Korra's hand.

Despairing, the two teens walked away, all the while walking away with Naga. Whom the latter was whining for some food.

"Well, so much for breakfast," Ben remarked in irritation with hands in his pockets.

Korra looked over to her friend, while petting Naga on the head, "Don't worry, guys. This city's huge; I bet we'll find a place to rustle up something to eat."

A while later, they found themselves in Republic City's massive park, a nice bucolic area, with the trees having turned red and gold with the coming of autumn. It was not unlike New York City's Central Park in Ben's homeworld.

Naga had waded into the park river and foraged for fish, while Korra cooked three fish impaled on stick with her Firebending. She pulled out two; one for herself and handed the second to Ben which he accepted.

Before they could eat though, their attention was caught by a rustling bush on Korra's left. A wild-haired man stuck his head out of the bush, surprising them both, but mostly Korra. Before either of them could react, the man spoke up.

"Uh, say, think I can get one of them tasty-smelling fishies?"

The two looked at him with uncertainty, but then felt sympathy for him. He didn't seem like the kind to have money to buy his own food, regarding his ragged old clothes, dirty beard and lack of footwear. They figured it wouldn't hurt to share their meal, as it might do the poor man some good.

"Oh…uh…yeah sure." Korra awkwardly replied.

The hobo ambled out of the bush and snatched one of the extra fish with a grin before sitting down. He immediately launched into consumption, devouring it like a starving animal.

The two teens blinked before Ben dissolved the awkwardness by speaking, "So…uh…you live in that bush?" he asked pointing to the bush he came from, hoping he wasn't being offensive.

Surprisingly, the hobo answered with pride in his voice. "Yes, presently that is what I do call home," he said as he pointed to it with a smile. "Took me a while to procure a bush that beauteous."

The two teens glanced at the bush, which briefly sparkled from the sunlight.

"This park is quite popular with all the vagabounds." The hobo explained.

"So, there are a lot of you out here?" Korra asked the Hobo, rather confused, as it was not what she expected. "I thought everyone in the city was 'living it up'."

The Hobo laughed rather good heartedly, as he explained, "You've got a lot to learn, newcomers. Welcome to Republic City."

But their brief conversation was over, as they all heard a whistling sound. They all turned around and spotted a pudgy cop, standing on the bridge that was over a stream. He pointed his club at Korra and Ben, as he shouted, running towards them, "HEY, YOU TWO! STOP! You can't fish out here!"

"You kids best skedaddle!" The Hobo advised before diving back into his bush.

Ben and Korra stood up, the latter whistling for Naga. The Polar Bear Dog dashed out of the river, allowing the two teenagers to hop on her back before they rode out of there. The cop shortly gave up the chase, as he stopped to catch his breath. The friendly Hobo popped out of the bush and waved goodbye to the two teenagers.

Korra and Ben rode Naga through another section of the park at a slower pace this time. As they made their way towards the park exit, they saw a man with a megaphone standing on a table before a poster of a man in a black and hooded getup, wearing what Ben could identify as a Kabuki mask.

When Ben saw it, he felt a chill go down his spine at seeing such a being. They also saw a dozen or so people standing around him, listening to what he was saying. Naga halted as they ambled nearby, with both teens listening to what he had to say.

"Are you tired of living under the tyranny of benders?" The skinny pale faced man with black mutton chops screamed out like a lunatic. He was dressed in a black getup, and making his point across all of them, as he pointed to the poster behind him, "Then join the anti-benders known as the Equalists! For too long, the bending elite of this city have forced non benders to live as lower "class citizens". Join Amon, and together we will tear down the bending establishment."

Korra was shocked to hear such things about Benders, and decided to put her two cents in this, "What are you talking about? Bending is the coolest thing in the world!"

Upon this statement, all eyes turned to her and Ben.

The protester rubbed his chin, unimpressed with her response. "Oh yeah? Let me guess: you and your boyfriend are a Benders."

A light blush crossed Korra's face at the boyfriend comment. She cleared her throat and replied with a bit of irritation "First off: he's not my boyfriend," she corrected "Second: he's not a Bender, but I am." She added, this time with a little more pride in her tone.

"Then I bet you'd just love to knock me off this platform with some Waterbending, huh?"

"I'm seriously thinking about it." she replied in annoyance while crossing her arms.

"This is what's wrong with this city!" the protester said to the gathered crowd, "Benders like this girl only use her power to oppress us!"

At that moment, the crowd jeered at Korra, both she and Ben were confused and annoyed by the crowd.

"I'm not oppressing anyone!" Korra shot back, but then shouted, as they rode off, "You're…you're oppressing yourselves!"

"That didn't make any sense at all!" the Protestor retorted as Korra guided Naga away from the crowd.

Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Korra turned to Ben, "You know better than most people how powerful Bending can be, Korra; it's because of that power why some people are afraid of benders. The thought of what they could do with that power is pretty bad, and it can be pretty scary to a lot of people."

Korra paused and looked back to the protester and crowd behind them, so Ben decided to continue. "I've also read a lot about the history of Bending back at the Compound's library, and a lot of times, people with Bending are given good jobs or positions of rank because their abilities, whereas non-benders might have to work for years to get to that level, if at all."

"I… guess that makes sense…" She replied in a sullen tone.

Later, the trio had made their way out of the park, but then found themselves completely lost. The two teens were now beside Naga, walking around the a shopping district in hope to finding Air Temple Island again. But so far, no such luck on retracing their steps.

So they decided to stop and ask for directions. They spotted an elderly woman in purple with a young man in red and white, playing what Ben could only guess to be Sho-Gi or Pai Sho. They walked on over to them.

"Excuse me, my friend and I are lost. How do we get to Air Temple Island form here?" Korra asked.

The shopkeeper pointed down the street and responded with, "Just ahead down this street." Right as she said that, a satomobile's engine roared, right around a street-corner, a red satomobile pulled around into view with a golden Lion-Turtle plaque adorning the front.

The sight of the vehicle caused the shopkeeper to pale in fright, "You two should get moving, it isn't safe." She warned the two teenagers before she and the young man made themselves scarce.

Once the red and golden hooded Satomoible stopped, three sleazy looking men stepped out; one was tan in skin-color with pale blue eyes wearing a top hat, white gloves and snazzy clothing consisting mainly of blue and white colors, indicating he was of Water Tribe descendent.

The second was a slightly shorter pale skinned man with sleek black hair, mustache and wore black clothing with a red scarf and his eyes were the color of amber. An obvious Firebender.

The last one was the tallest, and bulkier of the bunch, he wore green clothes, his skin was tan, head was shaved and his eyes were clear green. He was clearly an Earthbender.

Ben and Korra could tell right there and then these men were not friendly types.

The trio of thugs sauntered over to a phonograph vendor cleaning one of his products with a white rag, before he did a frightful double-take upon noticing the men approach him. The man with the top hat approached the shop keeper and spoke in a voice that oozed with charisma and arrogance.

"Mr. Chung, please tell me that you have my money. Or else I can't guarantee I can protect your fine establishment." As if to emphasise his point, the man with the red scarf lit a small flame in his left hand while grinning maliciously

Mr. Chung trembled in fear, "I'm sorry; business has been slow." He tried to appease them, as he held up the phonograph he had just polished, "Please, take one of my phonographs."

The response he got was the Firebender destroying the offered phonograph with a flaming half-moon kick. The storekeeper yelped, falling flat on his backside as the phonograph burned to ashes.

"My friend here is not a music lover." the leader said, shaking his head while speaking in a sarcastic manner. "Gimme the money, or else-"

"Or else what hoodlum?"

The thugs turned around, as they saw Korra standing behind them, with her hands on her hips. Ben, on the other hand, stood relaxed, but was unsure about this. But then he asked Korra, with an arched eyebrow, "Hoodlum? What are you, in your eighties?"

The thugs stared at them for a moment, looked at each other questioningly before bursting out in laughter. After they stopped, the leader addressed the two teens.

"Since you two are obviously fresh off the boat, let me to explain a couple of things. You're in Triple Threat territory, and we're about to put you in the hospital."

"You're the ones who are gonna need a hospital." Korra retorted confidently, smashing her fist into her palm. "And for your sake, I hope there's one nearby."

Her words caused the leader of the trio to scowl.

"Who do you two think you are?" he asked venomously.

Ben, knowing where this was going, cautiously stepped back to allow Korra to handle the matter. Meanwhile the Avatar just grinned defiantly, knowing she was going to enjoy this… a lot.

"Why don't you come and find out?" Korra challenged.

The leader took that as an invitation. He dipped his hand into his coat and, with a fluid swiftness that only came from years of practice and training, sent a water-blast from a hidden water skin pouch. Korra, however, easily catches the water in one hand and sent it right back at the leader, freezing his head in the process. He stumbled forward to try attacking her head-on, but one swift spinning-kick to the head sends him slamming into the grill of the satomobile, causing the ice to shatter as he slumped against the car in a perfect knockout.

His partners stared at the scene for only an instant in disbelief. But then the tall one with the pale green shirt turned to Korra and tried to attack her with his Earthbending. Only Korra was already in motion; she sent him skyward when she bent the earth beneath his feet to shoot up.

The old woman and another shopkeeper witnessed what happened in disbelief, as the former asked, "What just happened?"

"Did she just Earthbend?" the shop man asked, equally confused.

Gravity soon took over and the Earthbender proceeded to fall on a suspension wire, getting catapulted against a wooden sign, landed on the pentice of a shop, and get thrown into a tapestry, which rips under his weight until finally he was kissing pavement.

The Firebender, despite looking a little intimidated from seeing his companions get easily beaten, screamed as he blasts a stream of fire in Korra's direction. Korra leapt through the flames, bending them to part ways with her. She landed at the Firebender thug's feet, and then grabbed his hands, making him scream like a little girl.

"She can Firebend too?" the shop woman asked in shock.

But then the shop store clerk, gulped, as it dawned to him, "Could she be…?"

Korra then swung around the screaming Firebender she was grappling and then tossed him right through the paper windows of a nearby radio shop. Korra walked up to the man with a haughty smirk. "Got any idea who I am now, chumps?"

Ben walked up to the victorious Korra with a cautious expression. "A little overkill, don't you think?"

Before Korra could respond, they heard the sound of a roaring engine and turned to see that the other two gangsters had recovered and had gotten in the Satomobile, which was now barrelling towards them. They managed to get out of the way, but not before the Earthbender helped the Firebender get in through the window. Korra wasn't about to let them escape.

"You're not getting away." As she said that, she sent a wave of earth at the escaping vehicle, causing it to swerve out of control and crash into a nearby shop. They approached the damaged shop to see the dazed thugs fall out of the vehicle. Ben approached Korra again to criticize her methods.

"We are so screwed."

Korra picked that up, and looked to him as she pointed out, "What are talking about? I took the gangsters down. I saved the day."

"Yeah," he agreed, but then pointed to the wreck at the store and the road, "But you made a pretty big mess in the process."

Suddenly a siren sounded, making Naga howl in discomfort caused to her sensitive ears. The two teens looked up and saw an airship flying overhead in the blue sky, suddenly, several men in black and silver armor flew out. They suddenly deployed metal lines, slowing their descent as they landed, and then retracted those lines into the sleeves of their uniforms.

Korra smiled in astonishment, "Cool, Metalbenders."

As the thugs slowly recovered from their humiliating experience, Korra gestured the Metalbenders their quarry. "We caught the bad guys for ya, officers."

"Arrest them!" the Lead Cop ordered, as his men trapped and pulled at the trio with their metal wires. But then he turned to face Korra and Ben, as he declared, "You two are under arrest too!"

At that moment, Korra and Ben backpedal away, as the proclamation caused the two to grow defensively, "What do you mean we're under arrest?" As she pointed at the downed Triple Threat. "Those are the bad guys over there; they were smashing up a shop!"

The lead cop pointed out to the destruction caused by their Bending, "From the looks of it, you smashed up a lot more than that." He addressed Korra before turning to Ben "And since you're an associate of hers, you're coming in for questioning."

Then the cop shot metal wires at the two, but they dodged them, as Korra tried to explain, "Wait, you… you can't arrest us. Please, let us explain!"

Suddenly, Metalbenders got behind them both, as the lead cop stated, "You two can explain yourselves all you want down at headquarters."

The lead cop attempted several swipes at Korra with the metal wires which she narrowly dodges. Suddenly, their attention was drawn to a green light that momentarily blinded the area. Everyone turned to the source and saw where Ben once was, was now a a massive insect-like creature that looked like a cross between a dragonfly and a wasp. It had six green legs on the foremost legs, it had black three clawed hands. The creature had a large black stinger on the end of a tail, a white body and a black head with four eyes each on green stalks. The Ultimatrix symbol was on its chest.

"STINKFLY!"

The lead cop was too taken aback by the transformation that he didn't have time to react when spat a glob of green, high-pressured goo that sent him hurling into a building and restraining him to a wall.

"Sorry," Stinkfly said in a calm but serious tone "But I made a promise that I would protect Korra no matter what." He told them.

Under normal circumstances, Ben would be willing to talk and explain when there's a misunderstanding. But seeing as how this cop didn't seem to share his thoughts, he thought the best option was to get himself and Korra to Air Temple Island quickly, find Tenzin and have him straighten up this whole mess.

Stinkfly turned to Korra "We better get out of here, fast."

"Don't need to tell me twice."

"This is Lieutenant Shaikan; I need backup!" the Metalbending cop said urgently into his earpiece.

Stinkfly and Korra looked up to see twice as many Metalbending officers descending from the airship, and surrounded the duo.

"It's time to go." Stinkfly stated.

She nodded, and whistled for Naga, who came around past the cops. Immediately, Korra hopped on to her as they ran out of there like crazy, while Stinkfly's insectoid wings began to beat at a fast pace, and the Alien Hero then took to air right behind Korra and Naga.

One cop took a flying jump at them, but Stinkfly turned around and fired a stream of green slime from pollen ducts in his eyestalks. The goo found its mark and pushed the cop back. One cop came to the aide of the downed officer, while the second man shot his wires at some overhead lines, pulling himself up and then skated along the metal in hot pursuit of the two teens. The civilians all gasped as the chase rushed past them.

Naga raced towards a bridge, as Stinkfly and Korra noticed the tiles of a nearby roof burst off. They were knocked off by the metalbender pursuing them, and then jumped off the roof and shot a line at Naga's legs. The Polar Bear Dog tripped, causing Korra to fall off. As the canine struggled, more of the officers appeared to restrain Naga by her legs and muzzle.

"Hey, leave her alo-!" Korra didn't finish her demand, she was suddenly picked up by Stinkfly, who gently tossed Korra into the air, allowing her to land on his back.

"Ben, what are you doing? What about Naga?" she asked as the insect-like alien flew down the street.

"We'll come back for her," Stinkfly assured "Let's find Tenzin first and hope he can straighten out this mess."

They continued flying through the city until they spotted Air Temple Island in their sights.

"There's the island," Stinkfly noted "We're almost-"

He was cut off by a familiar beeping sound and the Ultimatrix suddenly timeout and Ben reverted back to his human form much to both his and Korra's shock and dismay.

"Oh crap," Ben dryly muttered before the two teens started falling out of the sky and down towards the street, screaming the whole way. The crashed into a conveniently located food stall, which was the same one owned by the grumpy elderly lady from earlier. Their bodies grinded and mashed into each other as they were skidded few feet further away from the site of impact due to the added momentum before they came to a stop.

"You two again!?" the old lady snapped angrily.

As the two teens groaned from their not-so-soft landing, as a shadow past over them. A familiar siren sounded off, as the two looked up. It was a Metalbending police airship, as it lowered itself down towards them. They were once again surrounded by the Metalbending police officers effectively trapping them.

Seeing there was no way out of this, Ben and Korra raised their hands up in surrender.

"Ben, what was that you said before the cops showed up?" Korra asked.

Ben tried to remember "We are so screwed?"

"Bingo." Korra muttered.

Afterward, Korra and Ben were taken to an interrogation room inside the Republic City Police HQ; a wide low building, with a statue standing at the center exterior of the headquarters. It was a bronze statue of an adult Toph Beifong, the first Earthbender who created Metalbending, as well as a dear friend of Aang.

Ben and Korra were seated with their hands cuffed to a table in the interrogation room, and the police chief in front of them. The chief herself is woman in her early fifties with a slender but physically fit body, greyish black hair parted both ways, pale skin, sharp green eyes, and a parallel pair of scars on the right side of her face...and she isn't looking too happy with either of them right now.

"Let's see what we've got on both of you," Beifong pointed out, "Korra, from the Southern Tribe at the South Pole. Obvious." But then she looked to Ben, as she arched an eyebrow, "But you're a different story, Mr. Benjiro Tan." She reviewed the report, as she stated, "Apparently you're a… shapeshifter?"

Ben shrugged in response.

Lin just shook her head in exasperation. "Let's just get this over with," she said before reading the list of offences off a clipboard. "Multiple counts of destruction to private and city property, not to mention you two evaded arrest." Without warning, she slammed the clipboard down on the table and glared at them. "You're both in a whole mess of trouble."

Korra tried to explain "But there were some thugs threatening a helpless shop keeper and I-"

She was cut off by an annoyed "Can it!" from the chief, who moved to the opposite side of the interrogation table.

"Saikhan's already told me about what happened and about the two of you. I know who you are, Korra, and your 'Avatar' title may impress some people, but not me."

Korra seemed surprised and slightly annoyed by that response, so Ben chose that moment to speak up. "Listen Chief, I know neither of us are exactly in your good books right now, but Korra was just doing the right thing, not what the rules dictated her to do."

Needless to say, she wasn't impressed. "I can understand that but there are rules for a reason, and as Chief of Police, it's my job to uphold them."

Something clicked in Korra's head at that, and she spoke again in a more surprised tone. "Wait, you're the chief? Then you must be Lin Beifong, Toph's daughter."

"What of it?" Lin asked in a monotone voice.

"Well then, why are you treating us like criminals? Avatar Aang and your mother were friends. They saved the world together."

"That's ancient history, and it's got diddly-squat to do with the mess you two are in right now." She sternly replied "You can't just go around doling out vigilante justice like you own the place!"

Ben glared at Lin at that comment. "Are you saying you would rather let innocents get bullied around by random thugs than others stepping in to help when no one else can?"

Lin shifted her glare onto Ben. "Don't get started with me, young man. If anything you're in even more trouble for assaulting my officers."

Ben sighed. "I'm going to be completely honest with you when I say Korra and I had no intention of causing trouble, and maybe I was kinda rash when I attacked those officers. I can also say that I honestly get what you're saying about vigilantism, and that it can sometimes do more harm than good.

Lin seemed surprised that Ben was so quick to agree with her, but before she could reply to that, a small slide on the door opened to reveal Saikhan's face. "Chief, Councilmen Tenzin is here."

Lin sighed in annoyance before she uttered "Send him in."

The door opened to reveal a dismayed and thoroughly annoyed Tenzin, who looked at Korra and Ben with disapproval clearly evident in his eyes.

Korra tried to put on a good face on her nerves, "Tenzin, sorry…I…I mean, we got a little side tracked on our way to see you."

Tenzin took a deep breath to calm himself and fixed Lin with a charming smile and attempted to flatter her. "Lin, you're looking radiant as usual."

"Cut the garbage, Tenzin," Lin said with a straight face, "Why is the Avatar in Republic City? I thought you were supposed to be moving down to the South Pole to train her?"

"My relocation has been delayed," He explained before lowering his gaze to a guilty Korra and a sheepish Ben and spoke in a harder voice. "The Avatar and her friend on the other hand, will be heading back to the South Pole immediately, where they will both stay put."

"If you would be so kind as to drop the charges against Korra and Ben, I will take full responsibility for today's regrettable events and cover all the damages."

The police chief turned her head aside for a moment, as if weighing whether or not she should go along with Tenzin's alternative. But then she sighed and replied with a reluctant "Fine," and unlocked both Korra's and Ben's cuffs with a wave of her hand. Crossing her arms, she scowled at Tenzin as the two teenagers rubbed their sore wrists, "Get them out of my city."

"Always a pleasure, Lin," Tenzin neutrally replied and then looked to the two teens. "Let's go, you two."

Ben and Korra walked after Tenzin, but the latter couldn't take her eyes off Lin, as she passed her. Lin sent an 'I'm watching you' gesture at the Avatar with her index and pinkie fingers. Korra made a sour face before she mockingly returned the gesture and then trumped out of there. Lin, on the other hand, shifted to a 'that didn't even make sense' look, before folding her arms and sighing in annoyance.

When they got out and into the thankfully empty reception room, Tenzin turned to them with a stone-faced expression.

Korra spoke first. "Tenzin please, don't send us back."

Ben quickly agreed with her. "Come on man, I know you have a heart in there somewhere."

Unfortunately, Tenzin's heart seemed to have taken a vacation. "You both disobeyed my wishes and the orders of the White Lotus."

Korra wasn't giving up just yet. "But Katara agreed with me that Ben and I should be in Republic City; she said it was our destiny."

Tenzin's face started turning red from frustration at the mention of his mother. "Don't bring my mother into this!"

Ben took over talking and approached Tenzin with a pleading-but-serious look.

"Look Tenzin, I know you and the White Lotus have good intentions, but keeping Korra locked away in the South Pole isn't helping her become a better Avatar. We got a good long look at the city today and it's really messed up, so we understand why you had to come back."

Korra took the brief pause then followed to speak of her own accord. "Republic City does need you, but it needs me too. And it needs Ben just as much."

Tenzin tried to argue against them, but found that he couldn't; they both made some good points. Any further talk was interrupted by an unenthused looking officer walking Naga into the room and speaking to Korra.

"Is this your Polar Bear-Dog, Miss?" Naga proceeded to give the man a big lick, messing up his hair and deepening his frown.

After leaving the police station, Tenzin led them to the city docks, where a sailboat chartered by him was waiting to take them to Air Temple Island. On the trip to the island, Ben decided to speak to Tenzin in one last attempt to change the man's mind. He found Tenzin looking at the giant statue of Avatar Aang, standing over the harbor like a massive sentinel. Ben noted that the look on Tenzin's face was sad, almost a touch of mourning in it, as the Airbending master was reminded how much he missed his father, Aang.

"You know we're both right, Tenzin, you just need to acknowledge that and give us a chance."

Tenzin barely even glanced at Ben. "If you're still trying to convince me to let you stay it's not going to work. I've already alerted the Elders and they've sent a ship that'll take you both back to the Southern Water Tribe."

Ben remained unfazed by the statement. "You can send us back if you want, but we'll eventually find a way here again. Korra's stubborn that way."

Tenzin sighed and turned to Ben with an expression of mild curiosity. "Why did you go with her? You could have easily convinced Korra to stay in the South and wait for me to train her, but instead you all but encouraged her to disobey the elders."

Ben formed a sardonic smile, "Even if I tried, Korra would never have just sat around waiting for something to happen, that's not her nature. It was only a matter of time before she made a move to make her own destiny."

Tenzin still looked mostly unconvinced, so Ben tried a different tactic. "In some ways, her trip here is kinda like Aang running away from the Southern Air Temple all those years ago. He could have let himself be taken to the Eastern Air Temple, but if he did then he would have likely been killed off along with the rest of the Airbenders by the Fire Nation, the world would have ended, and none of us would be here right now."

Tenzin looked at Ben rather crossly with the mention of his father, but in his heart and mind he knew Ben was right, especially when he looked upon the saddened figure of Korra.

Before long, the sailboat docked at Air Temple Island, where another ship, carrying the White Lotus Elders, was waiting to pick up Korra and Ben; apparently they discovered their disappearance before Tenzin and alerted him to their sudden trip. As they were getting off the sailboat, a pair of Air Nomad gliders descended towards the group, revealing Ikki on one glider and Jinora on the other, the latter was carrying Meelo on her back. They had overheard that Korra had arrived into the city, along with Ben.

They collapsed their gliders and rushed over to teenagers, and immediately hugged their legs as they cried out, "Korra! Ben!" Jinora held back for a moment, and then joined her siblings.

Ikki was excited, as Korra knelt down, to their eyelevel, as the girl asked, "Korra, are you and Ben coming to live with us on the island?"

Jinora and Meelo seemed a bit excited, especially on the 'Ben' part, but then turned to see Korra's apologetic expression, as she confessed, "No Ikki. I'm sorry but they're making me and Ben head back to the South Pole." Ikki and Meelo whined in disappointment as Korra and Naga made for the ship, while Ben sent one last look at Tenzin, who sighed in resignation. Just as Korra set her foot on the gangplank, Tenzin spoke up.

"Wait. I have done my best to guide Republic City towards the dream my father had for it, but you're right. It has fallen out of balance since he passed. I thought I should put off your training in order to uphold his legacy, but you are his legacy."

What he said next shocked everyone present. "You may stay and train Airbending here with me. Republic City needs its Avatar once again."

Korra gasped in surprise before a massive grin appeared on her face. "Yes! Thank you! You're the best!" she stopped before realizing something, "Wait, what about Ben?"

Tenzin turned towards him with a faint smile. "Honestly if the two of you weren't so stubborn then none of this would've happened. Ben especially is the most important reason you're staying with us now. If he can help the city as much as he believes he can, then there's no reason he shouldn't stay with us as well."

Ben's eyes widened slightly as Tenzin said that before he pumped his fist and shouted "Yes!"

Tenzin's children cheered in excitement, as Korra effortlessly scooped them up, as well as Ben and Tenzin in a group hug. Naga came over and rubbed her head against Korra's back. The five kids were happy on this night, while Tenzin…he merely sighed patiently. Uncomfortable but patient.

The Next Day

The white and golden building that was Republic City Hall had a large cheering crowd in front of it. The news of the arrival of the Avatar spread like wildfire, needless to say, the media response was huge. Tenzin and a reluctant Lin organized an event where Korra would speak to the people of Republic City about her intentions and plans for the future. When the deadline came, there were a massive number of reporters and civilians gathered at the podium that had been set up in front of City Hall, all of them taking pictures and ready to ask questions.

Korra was the first up on the podium, with a nervous-but-willing expression on her face. "Hello? I'm Korra. Your new Avatar." The reporters in the crowd went into a frenzy asking her questions about her plans.

"Does this mean you've moved to Republic City?"

"Were you trying to send a message to the Triads yesterday?"

"Will you be fighting crime, or the Anti-Bending Revolution, or both?"

"Will you and your mysterious friend be working with Chief Beifong and the police?"

"Who is your friend and how did he receive his abilities?"

Korra was quickly overwhelmed by the flood of questions coming her way. She tried to say something coherent, but was struggling to find the words. She turned to her right and saw Ben, Tenzin, an annoyed Chief Beifong, and a curious Naga. But she turned to Ben, who gave her a thumbs-up and an encouraging smile. Finally, she found the words again, and looked to the crowd, "Uh... yes, I am definitely here to stay, but honestly I-I don't exactly have a plan yet. See, I'm still in training and..."

Steeling herself, Korra gathered her nerves, took a deep breath, and spoke in a more confident voice.

"Look, all I know is Avatar Aang meant for this city to be the center of peace and balance in the world, and I believe we can make his dream a reality. I look forward to serving you! I am so happy to be here. Thank you Republic City!"

The crowd went crazy at Korra's speech and camera flashes dotted the crowd. Korra let them get the hype out of their systems before speaking again.

Elsewhere

A radio was tuned to the press conference. A black clothed figure wearing a mask that didn't cover his mouth, allowing his thin mustache to show. He appeared to be a man in his forties, dressed in a light gray outfit with brown gloves that went to his elbows, and brown boots. His shoulders had bronze shoulder guards, and he had a black utility belt around his waist, and strapped to his back were two enhanced technological kali sticks. He was the man known simply as lieutenant, an Equalist. With his chin resting on folded hands he listened to the whole broadcast, including that bizarre ending.

Tenzin's voice was the last thing to be heard, as he turned it off, "Alright, that's all the question for the…"

He then heard footsteps behind him, as he turned around, "Amon. How do you want to handle this?"

The figure in the shadows made his way into the light. He appeared to be a man in his forties, physically powerful but lean, and was dressed in a black battle suit, with red boots with gray toes, a gray shirt with a gray shawl around his waist, held separately by a black belt. He had red shoulder guards and forearms guards but no gloves as he was barehanded. A gray hood was pulled over his head, while a creepy kabuki mask hid his face completely.

This was Amon, the leader of the Equalists.

He clasped his hands behind his back, as he answered, "So… the Avatar has arrived early. It looks like we'll have to accelerate our plans."

End of chapter

And so begins the Equalist arc. My goal is to have all the chapters for the Season 1 episode out by the end of the year. This story has been on a long hiatus and I intend to make up for lost times. Thank you to my friend NegaiFreak for helping with this chapter.

Remember in the first chapter when it was explained that Ben's Ultimatrix at the moment isn't functioning at 100 percent? Remember, occasionally it won't work properly, either timing out too quickly, not transforming him into the alien he wants or not transforming him at all. We don't want things to be too easy for the Teen hero now do we?

Now just a little important message before I close off. As I'm sure you all know by now, the world is currently dealing with a pandemic known as COVID-19 outbreak. AKA: Coronavirus. Since the virus came to, it's been spreading around the world like wildfire, and everyone's been fearing for their lives as this fatal virus has killed a lot of people who were unfortunate to be infected without proper treatment.

Now just remember, we may need to be cautious about the virus, but there is still no need to panic. As long as everyone follows the proper health procedures of washing their hands, avoid touching your face (as hard as that might be), sneezing/coughing into the corner of your elbow, and stay 6 feet apart from those who might have the virus, we will get through this. This isn't the first time the world dealt with a virus outbreak and I doubt it'll be the last. We just have to hang in there a little longer, and hope & pray a vaccine will be made soon.

With that said, everyone stay safe out there and I'll see you next time for chapter 4 "A Leaf in The Wind".