Book One: Spirits

Kari made sure she was the first person to wake up the next morning so she had time to do her hair and makeup exactly as she wanted it. Before leaving, she ripped the sheets off Pong and Rika.

“Rise and shine!” she yelled, cheerily. The two groaned and attempted to hide their heads under their pillows. Kari rolled her eyes. “I’m going to get breakfast and get warmed up. I better see you two at the arena in time for our first match.”

“Yeah yeah...” Rikkako waved her off.
Kari shrugged and turned to leave the room. As she was closing the door behind her, she heard Rika’s voice groggily say something similar to,

“Pong, stop poking me!” before the door clicked shut.

Kari walked to the first cafe she could find. Ordering a simple breakfast of fruit, she asked for directions to the post office. Making her way there, she pulled out some paper and a fountain pen.

“I’ve made it to Republic City.” she wrote. “In one day I managed to help apprehend criminals, get a lesson from a fire bender, and sign up for a bending match - an interesting sport they have here. Making my way here for training was a great idea. Hope to hear from you soon!” She signed her name, handed it off to the postmaster and left for the arena.

Rikkako and Pong made their way to breakfast a few hours later.

“What’ll it be?” the waitress asked with a jovial grin.

“Eggs with cheese, bacon and pudding!” The two looked at each other, surprised they had ordered the same thing. An enormous grin overtook Pong’s face. By the time they made it to the arena, it was nearly time for the first match. Kari had arrived with enough time to warm up and it was clear she wasn’t impressed with her teammates’ tardiness.

“Looks like we’re the third team to fight.” Rikkako read. “We’re facing off against the Canyon Crawlers.”

“Mmhmm.” Kari could feel her stomach knotting a little as she put on a fake smile and waved at Shiro across the arena. He had never mentioned what team he was on. “Wanna watch the first one?”

“Yeah!” Pong was already excitedly running toward the stands. They discovered that most matches didn’t last very long and before they knew it, were getting ready for their own. They were handed some form of protective gear to put on before they could enter the play area, then were escorted out. Pong was loving it, waving at the crowd and posing. Kari and Rikkako were mostly silent, absorbed in their own thoughts. The announcer was saying something or other, but no one in the playing area could hear it. Both teams shook hands and the whistle blew.

This match didn’t go as easily as sparring had. Elements flew in every direction but neither team was gaining or losing much ground and were looking exhausted before long. Things were getting ugly fairly quick. The Piglambs managed to put one Canyon Crawler out of play for the remainder of their match, meaning they won the round, but everyone seemed worn out.

“Guys,” Pong gathered his team in between rounds. “let’s try targeting members. We aren’t getting anywhere this way.”

“I agree.” Kari spoke up next. “We’ll tie at this rate, and I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t keep this up much longer.” Her teammates nodded in agreement. Using their new strategy, the team made quick work of the Canyon Crawlers, sending the final two members out of the playing area and ending the match at round two. The crowd seemed to be somewhat amused by the Piglamb’s advance to the next match, but was cheering with them nonetheless.

Kari, Pong and Rikkako elected to relax until their next match began, absolutely exhausted. Their break wasn’t long - two matches. Kari and Pong sat to watch both, discussing strategy, but were continually interrupted by Pong’s stolen glances at Rika. The waterbender noticed, but chose to ignore the boy. When it was time for the match between the Badgermoles and the Dragonhawks, Kari found herself equally distracted. She had discovered which team Shiro was on, and they were advancing to the final round with a decisive win. The match only lasted one round. Pong, surprisingly, rallied the team by reflecting on their previous match. The entire group strode with a little more confidence into the arena this match.

“Fancy seeing you here” Toshiko chuckled, shaking Pong’s hand. The next team they would face were the Mooselions, the very team they had sparred with just a day ago. Already knowing each others’ weaknesses, the strikes came hard and fast from both angles.
Regardless, it was a quick match. The Piglambs were relentless in their pursuit. Within the first fifteen seconds, they were allowed to move forward one zone. From there, they made quick work of the three benders, which were hanging on as hard as they could. However, for as well as they were doing, Rikkako seemed to be growing frustrated, and it wasn’t going unnoticed. She was having serious problems aiming despite the massive amounts of her element she was throwing around. Toshiko smirked and her team began focusing on pushing Rika out; however, they were finally pushed out of the playing area by the end of the first round through Pong’s natural talent for pro bending and Kari’s excellent dodging.

The crowd seemed to be cheering a little more enthusiastically this time. As Pong began his celebratory poses, a small group of high-pitched voices could be heard screaming his name from the stands. Kari chuckled to herself and threw her fist in the air. Rikkako quietly waved to the crowd, still beating herself up about her performance.

“The finals will resume this evening” a voice boomed to the crowd. “When the Firehawks face off against the Piglambs! Join us again then for what should be an exciting conclusion!”
Kari felt a lump form in her throat. That was Shiro’s team. It was at that moment she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey” Kari jumped, turning to find herself face to face with her date. “Did you still want to go to lunch?”

“Oh!” she put on a cool facade. “Of course. I’m just going to freshen up and I’ll meet you at the entrance?”

“Sounds good.” Shiro smiled before walking away. Alerting her teammates of her plan, Kari splashed some water in her face, put on some fresh perfume, and fixed her makeup. After some deliberation, she pulled her hair out of its high ponytail and met Shiro where he promised he would be waiting.

The two walked to the restaurant together in an uneasy silence. Shiro was a gentleman, but Kari was competitive. It would be difficult for her to sit across from an enemy of sorts and remain polite. After pulling out the chair for his date, Shiro sat. The pair smiled at each other uneasily. Taking a sip from her glass, Kari glanced around the room, avoiding the other firebender’s eyes. She nearly spit out her drink when she noticed Pong and Rikkako sitting one table over.

“I’m Kari and I’m so proper.” Rika could be heard quietly mocking her, much to Pong’s enjoyment. Kari could hear every word. Noticing the glare the firebender was shooting them, the other couple quickly raised their menus to hide their faces. Kari, with effort, forced their antics out of her mind.

“So,” Shiro interrupted her thoughts. “I caught your matches.You sure you’ve never been in a bending match before?”

“No, never.” Kari’s etiquette classes seemed to be taking over as she corrected the silverware on the table. “I guess my teachers were just thorough in their training.”

“Where did you train?” her date questioned. “I told you earlier your technique is excellent, but your forms are oddly precise. You must have had one hell of a teacher.”

“Oh, you know...” she waved him off, turning to the waitress who had conveniently shown up at their table at that very moment, requesting their orders.

“The dumplings are excellent.” Shiro offered as Kari flipped through her menu quickly. She hadn’t actually had a chance to look yet.

“I’ll have that then!” she smiled at the waitress.

“Us too!” Pong declared, receiving another glare from the firebenders.

“Now, what were we talking about?” Shiro attempted to restart the conversation.

“I was about to ask where you grew up?” Kari subtly shifted the conversation’s direction successfully.

Pong and Rikkako’s jokes grew louder as time passed. Although annoying, it helped to keep Kari’s mind from wandering to reasons she should feel nervous about her date, or her next match. Oddly, she somewhat appreciated it.

“Shiro and Kari sitting in a tree...” she could hear one of them singing. She rolled her eyes.

“So,” she finally decided to address the elephant in the room. “Regardless of how the next match goes, can we promise to leave it in the ring?”

“Of course.” Shiro smiled. “Besides, I promise to go easy on you.” Kari smacked him playfully and they both laughed. Shiro picked up the tab and they both proceeded to the arena, Rikkako and Pong close behind.

“I’ll catch you later.” Shiro waved as the two parted.

“See you!” Kari waved back. “Thanks for lunch!”

“Don’t mention it!”

Once back in their preparation room, Kari had become a different person. Her hair was tied back, her makeup made harsh and she donned the required armor. She worked through her forms in silence, meticulous in her practice. Pong and Rikkako seemed to be taking vastly different approaches. While Pong napped, Rikkako meditated in absolute stillness.

At 7:00 PM sharp, the two teams were called out into the arena. They shook hands, but Kari couldn’t meet Shiro’s eyes and still fight him. The whistle blew and time seemed to stand still as the teams launched each other backward. No one was making any progress. The Firehawks were firmly rooted in their zone, and it was proving difficult to budge either team. However, Rikkako was fast losing ground and was soon pushed back a zone. At the same time, the Piglambs honed in on the Firehawk’s weak link. Soon, their waterbender was also pushed back a zone, then two, and finally off the play area. Rikkako was growing angry and frustrated. Her forms were losing their effectiveness, and she soon found herself pushed back another zone. By teaming up, they managed to force the Firehawks’ earthbender to the edge of the play area, but as they knocked him out, Rikkako fell out of the play area as well. It was down to Shiro, Pong and Kari. Although Kari had been avoiding striking against the other firebender, she was now forced to do so. With some luck, and a good stance, both managed to hold their ground. At the tail end of the first round, Shiro was tossed into the pool. Pong and Kari couldn’t contain their excitement. Both hopped up onto the ropes of the arena, arms in the air. Rika cheered from outside the arena, the Firehawks’ earthbender and firebender hoisted in the air by water.

The officials informed the team that their prize could be collected the following evening at the Fire Festival’s closing ceremonies. They were left to gloat for a while before the group returned to the inn. Rikkako even joined them, albeit a little half-heartedly.

“Any chance you give discounts to bending chempions?” she batted her eyelashes at a rather grumpy looking old man sitting at the front desk.

“Three yuans” he replied. With a roll of her eyes, Kari tossed the three gold coins at him before the trio headed to their room for some much needed rest.