The Bender and the Brat (Private)

[Sundevar]

@Firegirl210

Tai, I need you to head down to the arena and scout those new teams that I told you about. I need to fill that last spot with some new blood since I stopped coaching the Wolf Bats. I would do it myself, but I promised your brothers I would work with them and their new teammate to catch them up with their plays. Your mother might come down after her shift, so try to be nice to the prospective talent.


-Dad

That note had been left in the mail box of me, Tai Fong, just as every note from father had been since I moved out a couple years ago. And, like so many notes before, I simply crumpled it in my hand and tossed it into the trashcan as I headed to my favorite mode of transportation, my Shirshu, Mala. Why was it that any time Dad wanted a new team to coach, the responsibility of finding that team fell to me? Was this just part of the curse of being so good at seeing talent? I knew the Wolf Bats would be good, and yes, while they're cheating bastards, they're still good benders overall. But, that had taken three days out of my schedule just to weed out the other teams. And now I needed to go and find yet another project for him to try and ride out his career as a pro a bit longer.


As I approached her, Mala sniffed heavily at the air, rising from her sleep and running over to greet me. While most pets might lick their owner, she had no such inclinations, not with the venomous tongue of hers. Instead she just pushed her snout under my arm, lifting me into the air and into her saddle, custom molded for my behind. "How are ya girl, ready for a morning run?" At this, Mala gave an excited yip, or something close to it, and jumped in place. "Alright girl, I got it! Let's go!" Like a Polarbeardog, Mala took off at a dash, leaping the high fence of my yard and thumping down the street.


I leaned back into the comfortable leather of the saddle as Mala ran towards the bending arena. Really from what I had seen in the matches so far was that there were only two really good new players, and those were the fabulous bending brothers, or so the announcer had come to call them, Mako and Bolin. But, of course they already were working with one of the other trainers at the arena, and I don't talk to that man. That aside, I didn't think that I would find much once I got there. Maybe someone who, with a few years of practice and a LOT of luck might be good enough to lick my father's boot. Who needed new teams anyway? All they were good for was being on the losing end of a bet, and maybe a good underdog story, those were always fun.


The arena, while it wasn't open to the public today, was well lit in these early hours of the morning, and getting through the front door was easy, even with Mala. After all, who would refuse a dangerous beast like a Shirshu, or even more dangerous, a Fong? With her reins in hand I led Mala through the hallways and to the ringside seats reserved for my family, just in time to watch the first teams warming up for the day. "Alright...let's get this over with." I sighed to myself, pulling out a small packet of fire flakes and chowing down.

 

[Firegirl210]

I rotated my shoulders, cracking my neck as the first bracket of feeders set up on the arena. There were 4 preliminary rounds scheduled for today, and my team was stretching out any pre-game anxiety they had on the sidelines. We were set against the Suzuha Swampbats, a mediocre team, and I wasn't particularly concerned.


"Hey Khulan, mind helping to stretch me out a little?" Li called, and I finished wrapping my hands and ambled over. The earthbender was lying on his back with his leg in the air, and I grabbed it by the ankle.


"Be gentle please!" he squeaked as I pressed my bodyweight against the limb, stretching it over his torso, and I chuckled.


"No pain, no gain pansy."


"You ready for this?" Naruk asked excitedly, bouncing from foot to foot around us, and I rolled my eyes.


"You wanna save some of that energy for the match?"


"I will, I will. I just hope we get scouted."


Li snorted. "You know who has an attitude like that? Losers." I dropped Li's leg and helped him hoist the other one, stretching the tendons carefully as he continued his lecture. "We don't have to hope. We just have to win."


"Yeah, yeah, team captain," Naruk grumbled, and set about warming up his arms with some stretches.


The horn blew as a player went down in the watery out-zone, signaling the end of a match. There was some polite, distracted applause from the audience; coaches, trainers, scouts, and a few friends and family members were the only spectators today. Across the arena, a group of three assembled to take the field. The Suzuha Swampbats. I took a deep breath, tying the red sash around my waist.


"We're next, we're next, oh spirits I don't think I'm ready for this," Nuruk whispered in a panic, and Li smacked the waterbender lightly upside the head.


"Hey, focus man! We can do this!"


I picked up Naruk's helmet, and smiled comfortingly at him as I lowered it over his springy curls. Once in place, I gave it a thump.


"Get your head in the game. We got this."


"Suzuha Swampbats and Xie Xia Sea Ravens, take the field!"

 

[Sundevar]

Honestly, why did they even try. If all the teams were as bad as the first two, Tai was in for a long, boring day. First there were the Ember Island Eel Hounds and Xiao Yao Zebra Frogs. For starters, neither team had any idea on how to combo moves with each other. They had no synergy together! Each player looked like they had never seen a bending match before. Neither Earth Bender took advantage when their Water or Fire Bender obscured the vision of the other team, and that was easily the most basic strategy in the game! It was always hardest to land discs, or they could at least try to act like they knew what they were doing! "Mala, why do I keep coming here? None of the good teams are even going to attend today..." I muttered over to Mala, who responded with a simple whine and covering her snout.


It was quite a relief when that first match ended, I was almost asleep from all the excitement, fortunately the next two teams that were called I had at least heard of. The Suzuha Swampbats and the Xie Xia Sea Ravens. Both had garnered a slight reputation, nothing on the Wolf Bats of course, and were apparently teams to watch for possible future victories. But, I had yet to see them in action, so really my judgement was reserved for after this match.


Neither team looked that impressive, and in particular neither of the Earthbenders looked like much, that was where my specialties lay, in Earthbending, but I still had an eye for talent in water and fire. Of course, there was one thing that could quickly weed out those who weren't cut out to be pros. Standing, I leaned forward over the rail and threw the now empty bag of fireflakes at the players, aiming for the firebender of the Sea Ravens, just because they were closer to him than the others. "Come on! Don't tell me that Mako and Bolin are the only rookies that don't suck! Come back in a few years once you figure out how real bending works!" If this got to them their performance would show it, but if they were pros they would get catcalls and jeers in every match, and they needed to be able to work past them.

 

[Firegirl210]

I ducked under a sloppily thrown boulder, more sloppily deflected my direction. I grit my teeth, making a frustrated face at my team. 'Get it together guys,' I tried to communicate, but Naruk just gave a whimper and spun behind Li as the sturdier earthbender took another hit. I blocked a fireburst with the heel of my hand, and the cloth smelled singed. I was so busy trying to keep my teammates from getting knocked out of the ring, I had barely had time to throw a strike of my own!


"Oof!" Naruk took a hard hit to chest and went down on his knees. Li solidified his stance and blocked some shots, and I hurried to their aid, vaporizing a wave of water thrown in my face.


Suddenly a flash of movement from the stands caught my attention, and a voice called out mockingly, "Come on! Don't tell me that Mako and Bolin are the only rookies that don't suck! Come back in a few years once you figure out how real bending works!"


A tattered fire flakes bag fluttered to land just inside the ring, and I felt the finely held balance I had been holding snap like an overtaut bowstring.


"Li, Naruk, down!"


The boys hit the deck, and I erupted in a surge of motion. I threw a sharp volley at the earthbender, breaking his stance, and then blasted a heat wave into the waterbender's face. They stumbled into each other, and the earthbender tripped on the mounds of earth Li had left lying around, hitting the ground. The waterbender careened off the edge, and before the firebender could regain her awareness I had forced her back into zone three.


"Hit them now!"


Li and Naruk rallied enough to join me pressing onto the opposing side. The earthbender barely had time to get to his feet before I had landed a damaging blow to his ribs and sent him rolling to join his teammate. We circled in on the firebender, who looked back and forth between the three of us with fear. I smiled sweetly, and rocketed her off the edge with a powerhouse flame arc to the chest.


As the buzzer rang I turned, chest heaving, and flung my arms out challengingly in the direction of the one who had yelled at us. Then I swept my tumble of braids over one shoulder and slung Naruk's arm over my shoulder, helping him out of the ring.

 

[Sundevar]

Up until I had shouted down at them, it looked like the Sea Ravens were just another mediocre team who had been the best in their town and thought that they could make it big time. But, that belief was soon rescinded when the Water Bender, instead of dodging the attack like a reasonable fighter would, used the Earthbender as a human shield. Really? Well, at at least the stockier Earthbender was able to take a hit like that. Then there was the Firebender, who I could now see was a girl, and she was weaving and bobbing in a fashion that reminded me of my friend Lee. She was flowing naturally around the other team's attacks, and was in a completely other league than her teammates.


My jeer, which had done its work to strike down her comrades, seemed to have the opposite effect on her. She had taken charge, shouting at the boys to duck down and give her room. One, two, three, fireblasts erupted from her hands, striking the Swampbats Earthbender square in the chest. They were just enough to knock him off balance but not break any rules, a balance that even more experienced benders had trouble with sometimes. But, it looked like she wasn't just powerful, she had a stroke of...well not genius, that was reserved for people like me, but she did use her bending in a way that was far more clever than most. As soon as the Earthbender was off balance she hit the Waterbender not with fire but with pure heat, which would make anyone jump in surprise. From there it was clear who the victor would be, since now it was two versus three.


I grinned in interest at the Sea Ravens as, now with a real leader, they rallied into a barrage of bending blasts, easily knocking the other team off at the buzzer for a full knockout. "Eh, those two need a lot of work...but she has a good grasp of the game..." I muttered to myself, looking at the team rosters and circling her name. Really she'd be a good addition to my brothers' team. She was far better than their current Firebender. But...she might not leave those two behind... I looked up just in time to catch the girl raising her arms at me, challenging my earlier statement. I simply responded with a raised eyebrow and a mocking grin.


In a single motion I pushed off the rail and jumped into Mala's saddle, patting her side, "Let's go greet the victors." With a surge from her powerful hind legs, she pushed off from the stands, soaring over the gap between them and the ring, and landed in front of the team with a heavy thud, her tongue lolling out for a moment before she pulled it back in. I dismounted, brushing off my genuine Giant Sand Shark leather jacket and offering my hand to the girl, who from the team list, was named Khulan Xue. "Overall I'd say your team is rather sloppy, but your performance was okay, name's Tai Fong." Really if she was familiar with the pro bending world at all, the Fong name would be familiar to her. Though, she could still be in the dark if she had been raised under a rock.

 

[Firegirl210]

We were halfway to the exit when a shadow soared over our heads and a massive monster landed heavily on the ring in front of us. Naruk screamed and backpedaled, and Li jumped violently. I stopped sharply as the monster stuck its mighty snout near my face, sniffing curiously.


The monster's rider--for it had one who, I discovered not without a pang of irritation, was the obnoxious spectator--dismounted, brushing off his jacket in a very superior manner. He was tall and thin, obviously unaccustomed to hard labor or sport, with a tail of dark hair and deep green eyes.


"Overall I'd say your team is rather sloppy, but your performance was okay," he drawled, bearing an aristocratic accent to his words. He held out a hand to me. "The name's Tai Fong."


I looked from his hand to his face, unimpressed. "Khulan. And also leaving."


I made to push past him, but Li gripped my arm, holding me back.


"Mr. Fong, you'll have to forgive my teammate, she doesn't know who she's talking to," Li said pointedly, looking at me hard. I yanked my arm back irritably.


"I couldn't give a rabbitrat's ass who he is. If he wants to talk to us, he can do it in the locker rooms like a normal human being," I spat, and without a look back I stormed from the ring.

 

[Sundevar]

Funny, this one. Thinking that she had any right at all to just push past me and be on her way. No, no, no, that wouldn't do. I couldn't have people just ignoring me when I tried to speak to them, it was insulting! I put on an understanding smile at the teammate that had grabber her arm and nodded to him, "Oh, I understand completely, it can be hard for some people when they meet those of high status." And while I didn't expect Khulan to just take that statement sitting down, I didn't think she would walk out with thunderclouds looming around her. Ooo, this one had fire, so to speak. At the apologetic look that the same teammate who had been holding her gave me, I simply grinned as though accepting a challenge, "Well, what a good idea, I'll speak to the three of you in the locker rooms, though..." I paused for a moment, "I'm far from normal, however" I walked towards the ramp that led to the locker rooms, a cocky step in my stride.


I knew the arena inside and out, so it wasn't hard to find the team's locker room, and Khulan within it. Honestly, I had no issue with how she had spoken earlier, people did that from time to time, even I did it, but that didn't make her any less talented. "You know, you really should care who I am if you aim to make it anywhere in the pro circuit. My father and I are pretty well known for bringing about the best teams in the league. You hear of the Wolf Bats? They got to where they're at because of my father and my teachings." Really, why was it so difficult to talk to people? Though...I remembered my father's note from earlier, I was being a bit, okay more than a bit, of an ass. If I wanted to recruit this team, I needed to be nicer to them than I was with most teams. I sighed, almost apologetically, taking a breath before speaking once again. "Listen, I know you don't like me, that's pretty clear, and I know throwing my bag at you was uncalled for, but I really want to make you guys better, maybe the best, and you'll face a whole lot worse than me in the circuit." I slowly reached out my hand, breathing once again, "Like I said, I'm Tai Fong, and I want to help you guys out."

 

[Firegirl210]

I pulled open my locker, pulling off my helmet and gear. I needed a long shower, and maybe a celebratory drink with the guys. Something to calm my irritated nerves. The door opened, and I turned, assuming Li and Naruk had finally joined me. I tightened my jaw when I discovered that the swaggering asshole had followed me to the locker room.


"You know," he drawled, "you really should care who I am if you aim to make it anywhere in the pro circuit. My father and I are pretty well known for bringing about the best teams in the league. You hear of the Wolf Bats? They got to where they're at because of my father and my teachings."


I finished putting my gear away, wondering if he had more to this story than overflowing arrogance.


"Listen, I know you don't like me, that's pretty clear, and I know throwing my bag at you was uncalled for, but I really want to make you guys better, maybe the best, and you'll face a whole lot worse than me in the circuit. Like I said, I'm Tai Fong, and I want to help you guys out."


I turned to look at him, and saw he was offering me his hand. I narrowed my eyes mistrustfully.


"I'm listening. But don't think this means I don't still think you're a dick. Because I do." I slapped his hand instead of shaking it and pushed past him to take a much needed shower. But I couldn't help a little swell of satisfaction.

 

[Sundevar]

While I was trying to be nice, it was awfully difficult to keep up when she wouldn't get over my actions earlier. As she turned her back I scrunched my face, sticking my tongue out momentarily at her. I wouldn't let the fact that she had slapped my hand go easily, but for now, we needed to get down to business. I followed her to the showers of the locker room, leaning against the wall outside to give her her privacy. Despite her being rather rude, which was unnecessary, I was still willing to be nice to her. Though...shouldn't her teammates be in here by now? Or perhaps Mala had them frightened outside. The thought very nearly coaxed a laugh out of me, but this was time to be serious. "Alright. So, as I said, my father and I would be interested in taking over as your team's coaching staff and sponsor. We have the money to get you better uniforms, because, let's face it, as it is right now you three don't look like pros. It's a hard truth, but you stick out like a sore thumb. If you're willing to sign with us and share a portion of your winnings, we'll pay for your entry fees and such. Now the only question is, when do we start?"


An interruption entered the lockers at that point in the form of Mala, carrying both of Khulan's teammates in her mouth, dropping them on the floor and almost licking them, but pulling back her tongue, remembering what I had told her before about that. Instead, she ran over and sat next to me, her tail wagging. She was still a pretty young Shirshu, but loyal, and pretty well trained. "Ah! It looks like Mala brought the others to discuss this as well. Anyway, as I was saying, if you're interested, we'd like to sponsor and train you."

 

[Firegirl210]

I toweled off, raking my fingers through my thick hair. I could hear Tai Fong pitching his offer to Li and Naruk outside, and considered it as I dressed.


This was what we had been hoping for--our first real chance at being more than players, at being athletes. But I had my reservations. Li might have the ambition to take his bending beyond the play arena, but he lacked the raw talent to back it up. Naruk was wanting in both areas. We'd be eaten alive by experienced teams. Could I justify splitting from my team--my friends--to further my career? Or could I just continue deluding myself that I wouldn't have to choose between them?


I stepped out of the stall, scrubbing my head with the towel, and went to my locker for a shirt and the rest of my things.


"We accept, right Khulan?" Li asked, edging up to me, and I stared into the darkness of my locker for a moment before I nodded.


"Yeah. Seems like it might be our shot at the big league." I slammed the door and turned, pointing a warning finger at Tai.


"But we want to train with both the amateur is and the pros in your gym, we want to pick our uniforms, and if we're recruited by a pro team we keep 75% of our earnings. Deal?"

 

[Sundevar]

I heard the door of the shower slam as Khulan's teammates were mulling over the offer, and looked over as she entered the room. But, before I could add anything to the offer, which I felt was plenty enticing, I was pleasantly surprised by the Earthbender quickly speaking up, accepting the deal on behalf of the team. Well, that went easier than expected, or at least I thought. Khulan quickly spoke up, but she wasn't making unfair demands, far from it, her terms were highly respectable. "Of course we'll let you train with everyone, we have quite a few exhibition matches lined up in the next few days, and I'll see about your uniforms, we do have guidelines that we need to keep within for both league rules and to make sure there is a proper view that we're sponsoring you. As far as earnings go, you might need to discuss the details with my father, but I think best he would give you would be a 70-30 split. You getting the 70 of course. And being recruited by a pro team isn't something you need worry about, you will be a pro team once you've been trained up a bit. Hell, I might even show...Li was it? Some of my expertise in Earth Bending. I grinned and started walking towards the exit, waving over my shoulder at them. "I'll let you guys get changed, then we'll head to the gym. You might find that the other teams are harsh to newcomers, but once you prove you're worth something they should let up. Meet me outside when you're done. That being said, I figure we have a deal!" With that, I led Mala out and towards the exit to wait outside the front doors for the three newest members of the company.

 

[Firegirl210]

The gym was an impressive building in the warehouse district of Republic City. Towering to five levels, it contained several different training areas, meeting rooms, element-specific terrain training, deluxe locker rooms, and two full-size arenas. I felt a smile creeping across my face as we walked through the front door behind Tai Fong and his monster.


"This is it, you guys..." Li whispered breathlessly, and Naruk made a high pitched squealing sound of excitement. I draped my arms over their shoulders, grinning more broadly.


"We deserve it."


"Hell yeah we do!" Li whooped, and I was pretty sure I saw Tai roll his eyes.