Chapter Text
Korra, Mako, and Bolin were training for the next Pro-bending tournament. They threw their element at each other, dodging while still trying to hit each other. After a moment, they were able to knock each other down. They started laughing when they sat up.
“It's been great having you at so many back-to-back practices, Korra.” Mako said.
“Feels good to be back, although Tarrlok isn't too happy about my leave of absence.” Korra said, her mind mainly on Amon and the Red Spirit.
“Hey, you joined the Fire Ferrets before you joined his task force.” Bolin reminded her.
“Okay, come on, team huddle time!”
They huddled together, Bolin smiled at Korra, but she was still lost in thought, thinking more and more on Amon and Red Spirit.
“It's our first match of the tournament tonight. I know the three- Korra! Are you even paying attention?”
“Uh, what! Sorry, what did you say?” Korra asked.
Mako groaned. “Come on, Korra, get your head in the game. Anyway, I know the three of us haven't been a team for very long, but even so, the Fire Ferrets have never been this good. Are we ready?”
“We're ready!” Bolin cheered.
“Yeah, sure.” Korra said.
“Not quite, you'll need these.” Someone said behind them. Asami walked in with the team’s new Future Industries uniforms.
“Hey, Asami.” Mako responded as he walked over to his girlfriend.
“Good morning, sweetie.”
Mako took the uniform from Asami and looked it over.
“These new uniforms look great!”
“You look great, champ.”
Mako and Asami got a cute together touching noses. Bolin just gave them a questioning look. Korra was deep in thought.
Blue Spirit.
That’s what Amon said to Red. But Korra couldn’t figure out what that meant or who that was.
“You ok, Korra?” Asami asked.
Korra almost didn’t respond to her. But something in the young Sato’s voice compelled her to talk.
“The night I met up with Amon, the Red Spirit showed up. Amon said something about the Blue Spirit. I don’t even know who that is. It’s driving me crazy.”
“We could always help you look him up.” Asami suggested.
“What about our date?” Mako asked.
“Mako, your friend is obviously in distress. We should help her. Besides, I know someone who could be able to help.”
“Who?” Korra asked.
Asami just smiled.
/
A knock came from the door.
“I got it.” Lee said as he got up. He was surprised to see who was on the other side. “Ms. Sato? Avatar? Fire Ferrets? What brings you here.”
“Hello, Mr. Hong. Sorry to disturb you, but we could use your help.” Asami began.
“Oh? What’s going on?”
“You know a lot about history right?”
“Yes. I love history. History can teach us lessons, but only if we’re willing to listen.”
“Could you tell us anything about the Blue Spirit?” Korra asked.
“Ah.” Lee’s face lightened up at the name drop. “The Blue Spirit. I guess that would be a worthy thing to learn about with the Red version running about. Give me a minute and I can help you.”
Lee walked to his and Karrida’s shared room and grabbed a jacket before joining them.
/
“Where are we?” Korra asked as Lee led them to a basement in a fire temple.
“This was built for Fire Lord Zuko sometime after Republic City was built. There’s also one dedicated to Toph Beifong and Katara. Each representing their elements. Obviously Avatar Aang had Air Temple island built for him and his statue. Well, this place holds a lot of history. Fire Lord Zuko made sure this place was filled with records of history, the good and the bad. All to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes Fire Lord Sozin made when he started the 100 year war. If you ignore the past and the many mistakes people have made, you are doomed to repeat it. At least that’s what my dad taught me.”
“Your dad?” Korra asked.
“Yes. I gained my fire bending from my mother, but my father, he taught me history. Helped me fall in love with history. Yes, I may be a fire bending prodigy, but a person, bender or not, cannot just be all brawn. We need our brains too. Although, I don’t believe this place updated with the advancement of technology.”
“What do you mean?” Mako asked.
Lee walked them to a door with dragon on it and the dragon’s mouth was open.
“You see this, this can only be opened by a fire bender. Some temples, the bigger temples, require more than one fire bender. But this one only requires one.”
“Why have it locked to anyone but a fire bender?” Korra asked.
“Old habits I guess. But I got this.”
Lee took a deep breath before punching his fist forward. When he did, fire shot out. But no ordinary fire. Green fire. One of the biggest reasons he doesn’t use his fire bending as the Red Spirit was because it was too recognizable.
“Green fire?” Asami asked.
The door lit up and opened.
“Yes. Now, this place hasn’t been given lights so Korra, Mako. If you could help me.”
They nodded as the conjured a small fire in their hands, giving them light. Lee conjured his own fire before walking in.
“How come you have green fire?” Bolin asked as he gave him a questioning look.
Lee sighed before leading the group through the door and down a long set of steps. “There haven’t been many firebenders with different colored fire.”
“The last one was princess Azula right?” Asami asked.
“Actually, it was her daughter.”
“Azula had a daughter? Didn’t know about that.”
“Yes. After Azula was imprisoned at the end of the hundred year war, her life wasn’t talked about. Not out of shame, well, not in the later years. But for privacy. But someone who masters firebending to an incredible degree, almost perfection. I learned it. I earned my blue fire. Being a prodigy helped emensly. But I earned it at such a young age, a lot like Azula actually. But I heard of a technique. Actually, Avatar, Mako. Do either of you know how to redirect lightning?”
“Redirect lightning? That’s impossible.” Mako said.
Lee just laughed.
“It’s not actually. So, you all know of Iroh right? Not General Iroh, son of Fire Lord Izumi. But the one more commonly known as Uncle Iroh. The man who practically became everyone’s uncle.”
“Of course.”
“Well, he invented a new technique. If you can catch the lightning with your fingers, bring it down to your stomach, let the lightning flow through you, the bring it back out through your other fingers. Thus redirecting lightning.”
“That sounds a lot like waterbending.” Korra said.
“Iroh actually invented that technique by studying waterbending. And that is where I got the idea.”
“Idea?”
“I mastered firebending at such a young age, I learned all I could, trust me, I kept looking. Then I learned of that technique, more importantly, how Iroh invented it. It got me thinking, why couldn’t I do the same? So I traveled the world. I went to several different Earth Kingdoms, Ba Sing Se, Omashu, don’t ever want to return to those places, and the Metal Clan. I studied the Earth Benders, from your average bender, to the Di Li, to the metalbenders. I learned it all. Even from a couple lavabenders. I learned so much from them and I was able to intergrate their matial arts to my own. Next I went to the North Pole. I met a woman who agreed to train me. A woman who later became my wife. She’s the only reason I stayed there. After that, Karrida agreed to join me and we went to Air Temple Island and we watched Tenzin teach his kids airbending. Like the other two elements, I studied and adapted it to my firebending. Ever since then, my fire’s been green.”
“You studied all the elements?” Korra asked.
“I may not be the Avatar, but we can all still learn from each other.”
Something else he wasn’t bringing up, thanks to these trainings, he was able to learn every type of benders’ attack and fighting styles. That training is what helped him against the police officers the other night.
They finally made it to the bottom. It was filled with scrolls. Lee waved his hand and the torches lining the room were lit with his fire. The fire in his hand disappeared.
“Let’s see here. Blue Spirit. Blue Spirit. Blue Spirit.” He repeated as he searched through the scrolls. “Ah ha! Here it is.”
The other four were around him in a second.
“What does it say?”
“Let’s see. The Blue Spirit wasn’t seen often, but Avatar Aang confirmed that when he was kidnapped by General Zhao, it was the Blue Spirit who saved him. And there are reports that a town not to far from Ba Sing Se had a sighting of him when he robbed a man of his swords. There were several claims that the Blue Spirit was spotted in the old Di Li’s hidden base in Lake Laogai. But he was never to be seen again.”
“How is it he only showed up for a short period of time but still so well known?” Korra asked.
“Well, you don’t really need to do alot to get your name known. Just one big thing. Saving the Avatar from the Fire Nation was a very big thing. His wanted poster was posted everywhere. You couldn’t turn a corner without finding some kind of reward for his capture.”
“But this Red Spirit, he’s different.” Asami said.
“Yes. The Blue Spirit was said to only carry a pair of swords. Our Red Spirit seems to be carrying much more than swords. And the Blue Spirit never killed anyone and Red most certainly has.”
“So, is he a friend or foe?” Korra asked.
Lee shrugged.
“Only time will tell.”