"There's always next year."

"We didn't make it into the tournament because you two decided to go off on a trip."

"Ahaha...Calm down, Fu."

"Don't tell me to calm down! This isn't alright, you guys aren't serious about Pro-bending and you blew our chance to make it big!"

Passing people watched as the three argued among themselves outside of the arena. They stood next to the railings that separated the building from the sea. The only female of the group rested her chin on the railing as she looked out across the water. The sun was beginning to set, coloring the water orange and gold. Behind her the two males bickered about their reasons for not being in the last tournament.

"We didn't blow our chance. We didn't feel like we were ready to compete yet and we even offered to take you with us but you flaked out."

The two men turned towards the girl as she stood up and rubbed the red spot on her chin.

"What do you mean you didn't feel like we were ready?" Fu, the earthbender of their bending group, the Badgerfrogs, asked. He had a short fuse and often argued with his teammates. They tolerated his behavior because he was their friend but lately his attitude had been wearing them down. "You guys might not have been ready but I was!"

"Watch your voice, Fu. Ukik doesn't need to get yelled at, not before a match."

Their little group had started on the small underground circuit of pro-bending and had gained some sort of local fame among those that lived in the back alleys and run-down buildings. They were the underdogs despite having been competing in the arena for a little over a year; the Badgerfrogs rarely made appearances within the arena, as they preferred to practice rather than face another team.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Fu yelled as he tore away from the group. "And quit holding me back!"

"Holding you back? Houjin...have we been keeping him from his potential?" Ukik asked as she looked at her other teammate.

Houjin, the firebender, shook his head. "I don't think we have--" He was interrupted by Fu.

"Just because you guys made the group doesn't mean that you can dictate it!" Fu's voice was growing louder and it had begun to attract more people. They watched from a distance, whispering about the team. Some knew who they were while others had no clue.

"We aren't-" Ukik was interrupted in a similar manner to Houjin.

"I'm sick and tired of this!" Fu tore off the simple pin that Ukik had made for her teammates to wear. It skidded across the ground before coming to a stop at the base of the railings. The girl quickly scrambled to pick it up. She held it tightly as she shot a glare at Fu.

"Are you leaving us?"

Fu gave a firm nod before storming off. He pushed a few people out of the way as he went.

With large sighs of disappointment, both Ukik and Houjin sat on the ground with their backs pressed up against the railings.

"What are we going to do now? Our match is in a half hour and Fu is gone."

Houjin wrapped an arm around the girl before resting his cheek on top of her head. "We'll figure something out, I promise." Houjin was always her rock (which was kind of ironic) and he always made things better for her. Ever since they had first met years ago, Houjin always looked out for her. Houjin looked down at the girl before looking away quickly to scan the crowds. Maybe they could find a replacement, at least for this match. He would find a way to fix this for the both of them. It wasn't every day that your friend leaves you high and dry. They would work through this together, just like they always did. Houjin was just as upset as Ukik was that Fu had left them but he wouldn't show it. This wasn't the time to mope around and feel sorry for themselves, they had to find another teammate.

"Perhaps we can be of some assistance with that."

Mara had to resist the urge to roll her eyes as Dan switched into his "professional" voice. It sounded stupid to her - mainly because she knew him for him - but even she had to admit that he could be surprisingly smooth when the situation called for it. Dan, meanwhile, stepped toward the two benders. He and Mara had been near enough to overhear the last bit of their exchange, and Dan was always one to swoop in on a presented opportunity. "Allow me to introduce myself. I go by Dan, and this is my sister Mara."

"Nice to meetcha!" she greeted them, her smile wide and cheerful.

"I couldn't help but overhear. Looks like you two are in need of a new Earthbending teammate. Well, have I got good news for you!" He motioned to Mara, who proceeded to remove three small pebbles from her pocket. She held her palm out flat, and the pebbles began spinning around each other rather rapidly. It was a pretty simple trick, true, but it was one of Mara's favorites.

"I just so happen to be one!"



"Pro Bending?" he asked, glancing up from his newspaper. "You're still on about that?"

Mara pouted. "Oh c'mon, Dan! You know it's always been my dream to be a real Pro Bender!" They were currently at their little apartment somewhere in the poorer part of Republic City. It wasn't much - one bedroom, one bathroom, and a sad excuse for a kitchen - but it was affordable and it met their needs. Mostly. "And besides, they're holding the preliminaries now! Anybody can join as long as they're a registered team!"

"Right," he sighed, shaking his head. "And the fact that you've been rejected twice now at different try-outs doesn't-"

"Those were rigged and you know it!" Mara interrupted, stomping her foot down. Dan had to stop himself from instinctively rolling out of the way; usually, when Mara stomped, a large rock would fly at him. Fortunately, the girl knew how to keep her temper in check. ...At least, she did when they were indoors. "Maybe Toph Beifong could have moved that rock with one hand, but no normal bender could!"

"Well then, you should have no problem, weirdo." This time, he did have to duck as a small pillow went sailing toward his face, slapping the wall behind him with a light "whump". Chuckling, he tossed his newspaper aside and stood up. "Alright, alright. I know you're set on this. We'll go this afternoon and see what we can do. But!" He held up a hand, forestalling her excited stream of thank you's that was about to pour out. "This is really the last time. I can't afford another try-out; if you don't find a team today, you're not joining one this year. Understand?" Dan worked as a mercenary to make ends meet, which wasn't always a well-paying career. Whenever he did manage a big pay, he usually spent most of it on his own hospital bills immediately afterward - big pay carried big risk.

Mara nodded, still smiling from ear to ear. "I gotcha!" she assured him. "Don't worry though, I'll be sure to find a team this time! You'll see!" Excitement plain on her every feature, she rushed to her dresser to get changed. Dan smirked and went for his sword (he never left home without it). It wasn't that he doubted Mara's skills - the two of them sparred with each other often - but chucking rocks and Pro Bending were two very different things. Mara would definitely stick like glue to whatever team took her in (if any), but the trick would be getting her on the team to begin with.

The two were caught off guard by the man and girl. Houjin and Ukik looked at each other in disbelief. This wasn't happening, was it? Bless their luck, they had found a replacement for the match. "Excuse us for a minute." Houjin said as he scooted a few feet away from them so he could talk things over with Ukik.

She seemed happier than she had been earlier. That was a good sign. "Houjin...maybe this is a sign." She beamed, "It isn't every day that you meet someone willing to join in on a pro-bending team out of the blue."

"Yeah but it seems too good to be true. I wonder if they've done this before?" Houjin was skeptical; it seemed to coincidental that someone wanting to join onto a team was right there. I mean, he knew it was possible but it just seemed a little odd.

"Whoa. We're having a reversal of roles here, buddy." Ukik's smile wasn't as bright as it could have been, "You're supposed to be all for her joining and I'm supposed to be the suspicious one."

She had a point; Houjin was usually the more easy going of the two. Fu, at one point, had been the same way but he began to change a year or two back. That had been hard on them -- wait...why was he thinking of that traitor Fu? This wasn't about Fu any longer; this was about finding a new teammate for the time being. Houjin ran a hand through his long hair before glancing over his shoulder at the two. They would only need her for this one match then after this they could get down to finding a new partner.

"Well what do you say Houjin? She is an earthbender and she is willing to be on our team."

Ukik was looking down at the small pin in her hand. They weren't very big and they weren't made by a professional so there were a few mistakes but they had been a labor of love for her team. It was broken now, the team, but she hoped that they could mend it and maybe the girl was who they were looking for. She reminded Ukik of Fu before he began to grow quiet and short tempered with them. Her eyes trailed to the two and she studied them for a few minutes as she waited for Houjin's response.

The male sighed before gently touching the back of Ukik's hand with his fingertips. "For tonight she can be on the team."

"What about after this match?"

"We have to see about winning first." A small smile came to his lips as he flicked her gently on the forehead. "Then we can see about finding a replacement."

"Or keeping her."

Houjin's smile fell and he let out a deep sigh. He was a sucker for Ukik's turtle seal eyes, she knew it and she exploited that fact every chance she got.

"Fine if she's any good I'll consider it. Now let's go inside since our match is in a little while." Houjin said before walking over to them. Ukik gave a little squeal of delight and she walked behind him as she fixed the back of the pin as best as she could. Houjin was the first to reach them and he held out his hand.

"Welcome to the team...well unofficially. We've got to win this match before we can decide if you're going to be a permanent fixture." Houjin smiled.

Ukik stood next to him and she held out the pin. "It's our team pin, for good luck." All of the pins were hand carved with a relief of a badgerfrog. Ukik had learned the skill from her father. Nowadays it was common for betrothal necklaces to be bought at specialized shops but some men still made them at home. Her father had been one of the few in their small neighborhood to make his own betrothal necklace for her mother. Ukik, as a child, had begged her father to teach her how to carve. "It isn't the best pin...but it works...Um. I'll need it back after the match so I can fix the back though." she explained.

Houjin placed a hand on her shoulder before introducing themselves...which he really should have done before going off with Ukik.

"I am Houjin and this is Ukik." He gestured to the girl before shaking his head as she pinned the small good luck charm onto Mara's shirt.

"We better get going though, our match is in a little while and we've got to see if Fu's uniform will fit you."

Ukik lead the way into the stadium and down a small corridor behind the rows of seats.

Giddy joy was clear on Mara's face as Ukik placed the pin on her shirt. Dan was smiling too; he was happy for his sister. "Thank you so much!" she said happily. "I swear you won't regret it!" Practically skipping with every step, she eagerly followed the two of them into the arena.

Dan followed as well, but remained close to Mara. "Hey," he muttered, hoping the other two couldn't hear him. "Don't forget what we talked about, alright? I know you know the rules, but knowing and doing are-"

"Would you relax?" she whispered in reply. "I've been practicing for this since I could lift rocks! I'm totally ready!"

Dan sighed. "I'm well aware of that." He had to admit that Mara had definitely put a lot of practice in: he'd often had to pick her up and take her inside because she'd fallen asleep on the makeshift practice field they'd sculpted some years ago. Even so, he was an older brother; it was his God-given job to worry about every little thing that could happen to her. And having large stone disks, balls of fire, and harsh water whips flying at his little sister's face and body was definitely cause for worry.

He shook his head. "Alright, I'll quit nagging. But remember our sparring sessions: aim for the openings, be aware of your weaknesses, and keep a level head." True, a one-on-one sparring session against a non-bender and his sword was very unlike a Pro Bending match, but both of them had kept themselves fit and capable by training, and oftentimes their matches ended in a draw when they fought until they were exhausted.

Mara nodded. "Stop worrying so much. You'll see; I'll blow 'em all away with my technique!"

Dan would have said more, but he knew it wouldn't have made an impact; Mara was in her "too-determined-to-care" mode, and nothing would reach her now. Besides, they'd arrived at the dressing room.

They shared the small dressing room with one other team, the team that was on before them. The Badgerfrogs often made friends or were friendly towards other teams. They all had the same goal in mind and they loved the same sport dearly. There was no use in making enemies with them. The only ones that seemed to grate against the Badgerfrogs the wrong way was the White Falls Wolfbats, but they rubbed everyone the wrong way.

The other team greeted them warmly; outside of the Pro-bending arena, the two teams often went out to dinner together or practiced together. They were called the Poodle Monkies. Admittedly they weren't the best team around but they tried hard and worked their butts off.

"Hey where's Fu?"

Houjin rubbed the back of his neck, "Well you see...he kind of bailed on us."

"What! Are you guys serious about this?" Zira, the firebender of the Poodle Monkies, said with wide eyes. She couldn't believe that Fu would do something like that.

"Yeah, he got tired of us "holding him back" or something like that. We've found a temporary though, so we can still compete." He gestured to Mara.

"Does she have any experience?" Zira asked as she finished adjusting her uniform.

Houjin shrugged, "She's competing with us tonight, Ukik wants to give her a trial."

"You fell for those wide eyes again?" Another member called. "You've always had a soft spot for sad eyes. If I wasn't a man I'd give you some sad eyes for dinner."

Houjin's cheeks flared as the man laughed. "Haha; very funny."

"But it's true. You always fall for the oldest trick in the book~" Ukik said as she finished adjusting the uniform to better fit Mara. Fu wasn't very tall but he was stocky and the last-minute alterations were a bit clunky but they'd work. "Good luck to you guys tonight, Zira." Ukik made a move to get closer to the woman but she stopped midway and pouted.

"I'll bend down to hug you then." Zira laughed. She was a very tall woman, standing a few inches taller than Houjin. The last time that Zira had hugged the smaller woman, Ukik about had a heart attack when Zira had picked her up to her height.

Houjin gave them all a smile and high fives before watching them walk away. "You guys want to watch their match?" He asked Mara and Dan.

"We always like to see how our friends do and they watch us when they can." Ukik explained as she pulled off her boots to grab a second pair of shoes that were appropriate for the occasion.

Houjin quickly put on his uniform before being inspected by the waterbender. She made sure that his helmet would be secure and that nothing was out of place. "You pass."

"Thanks mom." Houjin said as he pulled off his helmet.

"Remember the last time your helmet wasn't on correctly?"

Houjin's helmet had fallen off during a match when a few illegal moves had been used; his jaw had been fractured but if his helmet wouldn't have fallen off then his injury wouldn't have been as bad as it had been.

"Hey Mara..." Houjin looked at the blonde girl, curiosity had been getting the better of him, "You know the rules, right? This is our first time competing in a while --"

"A lot longer than a while, Houjin!"

"Fine, in months, we don't want to lose this opportunity because of a few simple mistakes."

"Yeah, and we do have an opening for a permanent earthbender so think of this as your try-out." Ukik added. "If it gets to be too much then just let us take care of it, alright? We can provide some cover for you."

Houjin knew that no matter her answer, there was no backing out now.

Mara nodded. "Don't worry; I know 'em all." She held up a hand and began counting off on her fingers. "Two teams of three, three rounds total. You gets points by scoring clean hits and knocking your opponents back or off of the platform entirely. The winner is decided at the end of the third round by how many points each team has, or decided automatically if all three members of a team are knocked off the platform in one round." A slightly sinister grin appeared as she stopped dressing for a moment to face Houjin and Ukik. "Personally, I'd much rather we win that way."

"Chill out," Dan told her, giving her shirt a hard tug to throw her off-balance, causing her to give out a strangled "Ack!". "You haven't even played yet. Celebrate winning after you win." Mara turned and stuck her tongue out at him, but remained silent. Once Mara was fully dressed, Dan looked her over critically. "A little baggy in the arms, but it should work." He couldn't help but smirk at her grin; Mara was ecstatic to finally be able to Pro Bend, and Dan was happy for her. She'd wanted this for a long time.

Suddenly, someone knocked and opened the dressing room door. "Five minutes, Badgerfrogs." Then he disappeared.

"Alright, I'm heading for the stands." He gave Mara a quick hug. "Good luck, kid."

"Enjoy the show," she told him, winking. "Come celebrate with us when we win!" Dan shook his head and stepped out, heading to find a seat. Mara turned back to her new teammates. Her new teammates. Her grin just grew wider at the thought. "Alright, guys!" she said, holding out her fist. "Ready to do this thing?"

As long as she knew the rules then Houjin guessed that they would be fine. A comforting hand was placed on his arm. He looked down at the source and found Ukik smiling brightly. "We'll do fine. Just have a little faith, all right?" He returned her smile before ruffling her hair.

Ukik quickly re-braided her hair before holding out her fist. She waited for Houjin to do the same. "I'm ready!" She chirped.

Houjin placed his fist with theirs and smiled. "I am too. We can do this." Houjin lead the way towards the entrance to the center of the arena. When they arrived at the doors Houjin noticed Zira and her teammates. They were slumped against the wall with their helmets resting in their laps. By the frowns each wore on their face he didn't have to guess what happened.

"Hey." Zira said with a weak smile. "Looks like there's always next year for us."

Houjin wanted to say something to make things better but he knew that there was nothing he could say without messing up. Ukik was silent as she took in the heartbroken looks of the three sitting on the ground.

"How about after our match we all go out for some dinner?" Ukik asked, "Or I could make some-"

"Nah. We'll be fine, thank you though." Zira said softly. "I don't feel hungry anyways."

Ukik deflated at her words. They said their goodbyes to Zira and her team before heading towards the platform that would take them across to the inner area of the arena.

"Ready?" Ukik asked Mara.

Houjin took up his place on the right side of the middle section of the platform while Ukik took the left side, leaving Mara to stand in the middle. Their opponents must have been new to the sport of pro-bending, Ukik had never heard of them and she religiously followed all of the pro-bending teams, even when the Badgerfrogs weren't active in the pro-bending scene.

Houjin tuned out everything the announcer and audience said after they were given the green light to go ahead and begin the match. He didn't hesitate in letting the fire fly. He concentrated on the earthbender of the opposing team. He didn't even know the name of the team they were against. Houjin sent out short bursts of fire from his fists. He managed to push the other firebender into pulling defensive moves.

Ukik, on her side of the platform, targeted the feet of the opposing players between dodging water whips and flying clay disks. When Houjin created an opening with the opposing firebender she let a short but powerful burst of water towards the firebender. It caught him off guard and pushed him into the next space, allowing the Badgerfrogs to advance.

Houjin dodged a water whip that was sent his way, only to be met by a clay disk a few seconds later. He held up his arms to block the disk before sending a quick ball of fire at the opposing earthbender. Houjin and Ukik worked well together, giving Mara openings to strike while they blocked and redirected attacks.

When the first round was called to an end, the Badgerfrogs were in the lead.

"Ready!" Mara announced, pounding her fist into her open palm - her sign of determination. Unlike Houjin, Mara's excitement was making adrenaline surge through her, and she was acutely aware of everything around her: the announcer, the other team, her own teammates, and the various cheers and boos that erupted from the surrounding crowds. The other team looked as green as anyone Mara had ever seen, though she certainly had no room to say so; technically, she wasn't even an official player yet. She grinned; that just meant she had to do even better to make a good impression! She could feel her blood rushing within her, which Dan had always warned against allowing. "It makes you revert to more primal instinct than good sense," he'd told her, "so try to calm it whenever you get stirred up. Otherwise, you're easy to outsmart." She took a few deep breaths, and when the buzzer sounded, she felt ready to roll.

And roll she did; a snapping whip of water flew right at the spot she'd just been standing.

The battle was on! She ducked, weaved, "oof"d and "ack"d as she dodged as many blows as she took. Fortunately, she was an Earthbender, and they were not known for being movable when they wanted to stand. And so, despite the impressive collection of bruises she was now acquiring, she managed to launch her counterattacks and offensives with gusto. Ukik and Houjin definitely knew their stuff; even a novice like Mara could tell that half the stuff that didn't hit her was specifically because of their doing. She did her best to return the favor, occasionally launching a stone disk in the path of an oncoming water whip or bout of fire. At the end of the first round, she was covered in sweat and bruises, but the grin on her face had only grown wider. It was slow, and it was most definitely painful, but she was learning. She was starting to get a feel for the other team, and she'd already spotted their Earthbender's weakness: he always twitched his left foot right before attacking. Her lessons with Dan were paying off, and when the second round started, she eagerly dove right back into the action.

Meanwhile, Dan sat quietly in the crowd, somewhere up and to the left of the Badgerfrogs' field of vision. From his perch, he'd been working to analyze the general sense of the team. So far, Mara was doing well; Ukik and Houjin were covering for her inexperience well, and she was still managing to contribute occasionally. He cheered as the first round went to them, but maintained his careful observation. He was always a cautious and calculating guy - mercenary work did that - but seeing Mara living her dream brought a smile to his face as well. "Go get 'em, kid," he muttered as the second round began.

As soon as the second round started, Houjin was grinning. The thrill of ducking under the elements that were tossed at them always had been his favorite part of pro-bending. He was quite skilled at determining the biggest threat and backing them into a corner. This time, He quickly moved around his teammates while Ukik did the same. They never stayed in one spot during each round; this gave them some time to confuse their opponents, who would already be expecting one element and getting the other.

Houjin was caught off guard by a water whip that extinguished his flame. He recovered and redirected the stream of fire that came at him.

Ukik was quickly gaining more speed in delivering her attacks at their opponents. The attacks weren't enough to send the others flying into the marked off areas but they were enough to get them closer to the boundary line. She was hit by a clay disk that made her skid back into the area behind them. Houjin looked towards her for a moment before focusing on the attacks that came his way. He was pushed into a defensive style. He dodged some of the oncoming attacks before managing to find an opening for himself.

Like in the first round, Houjin and Ukik worked together in redirecting attacks and taking turns in singling out one opponent. At the end of the round, the other team had leveled the playing field.

"We've got one more round." Houjin said as he glanced at the two girls. "Let's make this last one count."

"If we have to go into a tie-breaker let's allow Mara to do it."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Houjin had no objections; so far Mara impressed the man greatly.

Ukik would heal them after their match but the dull ache of his bruises made Houjin uncomfortable. He knew that he couldn't give up now. His teammates probably had as many bruises, if not more, than he did. He had no right to complain when they were feeling the same aches.

This time the two decided on a different tactic - attacking separately. The other team was growing more frantic in their attacks, sending them every which way. They were getting restless. Ukik could tell that they were trying their hardest but there was a time when someone would try too hard. She focused on blocking and redirecting attacks rather than wasting her energy in sending her own their way. Houjin stopped midway through with turning up the heat (ha!). He began to do the same as Ukik. If they could get into a tie breaker then they would gladly let Mara take the center stage.

The fluid motions of redirecting attacks came naturally to the two, they still blocked Mara as much as they could but they began to allow more attacks to go her way in favor of testing her. So far they were impressed with what they were seeing.

"This is relaxing, isn't it?"

"Mhm. We just have to get to the tie breaker."

Once the round was called into a tie, the referee tossed the coin. "Blue team chooses."

Unfortunately the opposing team was chosen.

After a minute of deliberation they chose their element. "Earth."

Ukik and Houjin stepped back to allow the center platform to rise. The cocky grin that the earthbender of the other team gave them was enough to know that they were confident. Ukik and Houjin had been taking some attacks for Mara; to the other team she would be easy pickings. But the two wished that Mara would win.

If they didn't win this match, then they'd be happy that they had the chance to compete. Ukik didn't know if Houjin would let Mara on the team permanently if they lost but there was no doubt that the firebender was rooting for her. It had been a while since Ukik had seen Houjin so interested in a match, well mini-match.