Pine
PK THOT ⚡
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Fandom Hida & Ise's Silly Lil Swamp Adventure :)
- Thread starter Pine
- Start date
Pine
PK THOT ⚡
For a place with no windows, no overhead lighting, Republic City’s underground fighting ring was surprisingly well-lit. Hung all along its four walls, there were no less than thirty oil lanterns. The setup must’ve been done in collaboration with a firebender, or someone with a lighter and a lot of patience.
Hida had known, or at least suspected, the existence of this place for years now. Trouble was, every time he had caught a whiff of a rumor of where the ring was nested in the city, there was no trace of it. Now, after a tip from Ijalin, an extremely annoying girl they had worked with in the past but Hida nevertheless found trustworthy, he knew the reason for this.
The joint was run by an earthbender named Pamuo. Every Friday, he and several other defectors from the Earth Kingdom carved an arena out of an inconspicuous location underground, and by the break of Saturday’s dawn, the earth was dragged from below to seal away any trace that this cavity ever even existed. It was such a simple solution to keep an illegal operation outside the eye of the law, it angered Hida to know he would have to live with the fact he hadn’t figured this out sooner for the rest of his life. He’d just figured that the underground part of the underground fighting ring wouldn’t have been so literal. Maybe that was why the cops hadn’t figured it out either.
Squeezing into the cramped arena, there was no reason for Ijalin’s words to lose credence with him. The air was thick with the moist scent of earth that had been freshly dug out. While the corners of the arena’s walls were sharp, the walls themselves were unpolished, with small craters poking holes in it from where stone had been dislodged, and the occasional plant root jutted out the side. All of that, and the fact that there was no electricity. Meaning there was no air conditioning.
It was summer. The company of so many other bodies crammed together in such close quarters brought on an unwelcome heat that was already making Hida’s cheeks feel flushed. The setting would’ve been unbearable had it not been for the fact that from his bird’s eye view at the top of the stairs, he had never seen that kind of bending done on a stage before.
It was a one-on-one match between a firebender and an earthbender. Hida watched in awe as the earthbender’s joints snapped in sharp, wide stances. As he locked in position after position, he thrust jagged stone several feet over his own height, then shoved each slab forward to slam against his opponent’s soft body. It was an intimidating offense, and the crowd seemed to share Hida’s sentiment on this with every jeer and scream they made from the stands. He was surprised to see just how nimble this firebender was, though. This girl, who could not have been much younger than he and Ise were, twirled her body through a narrow gap between two of the slabs. A third slab was volleyed at her. The intention seemed to be to pinch her between the three of them, but at the last moment, the girl cartwheeled to the side and out of the slab’s trajectory. She came out of the cartwheel spinning. Flame wove between dancing fingers, and each turnaround she made she shot another fireball at the earthbender. The fireballs were too small to cause any serious damage, but the earthbender nevertheless flexed his arms and raised earth to block them. When the firebender stamped her foot to stop her momentum, flames erupted beneath her heel. The fire flared out, growing bigger and bigger until finally, she twisted and jabbed her leg forward. The earthbender crossed his arms over his chest, and two slabs of stone followed his arms’ path and crossed over him to shield him from the blast to come. The arena thrummed with the intensity of her supercharged fireball, and when it struck against the earthbender’s guard, it pulverized the rock and knocked the earthbender off his feet.
The people in the stands shouted, as did Hida, who felt just as taken in the moment as everyone else. He turned to look up at Ise, a thrilled, lively look in his wide eyes. “We have to get in there. Come on,” he said. Without waiting for a response, Hida pressed on deeper into the crowd.
It did not take long to find what Hida could only assume was the sign-up table. A rugged looking, bespectacled man sat there, arms folded over the stone table’s surface as he leaned forward to get a better view of the match below. The woman next to him seemed much less interested. She stood leaning against the wall, arms crossed and her painted-black lips snapping the periodic bubble she blew from her chewing gum. Having been looking everywhere but down at the match below, she noticed Hida and Ise approaching before her companion did. When she did, she elbowed him in the shoulder. The man, annoyed by the interruption, scowled up at her first, then levied his displeased stare at Hida.
Hida ignored this, and with a confident smile, came straight to the desk and tapped the coffee-stained paper that was anchored to the table by a porcelain mug. “We’re here for the match signups. You got any openings for doubles?”
The annoyance on the man’s face did not let up after hearing Hida’s proclamation. “We do, but the signups for rookies closed fifteen minutes ago.” He waved his hand over the table to indirectly shoo Hida’s hand away, not too much unlike he was swatting at a fly. “If you want in on a match, you’ll have to come by earlier next week.”
Hida’s face fell, and just as soon turned into a glower of his own as the man at the signup desk leaned to the side to look around Hida and back down at the match. It had not been his intention to show up as not-early as they had. He would much rather have been watching the matches before them than suffering another eight-hour shift at his lame ass job, but on this particular day he had been stuck with his snitching dolt of a coworker and they’d made it damn near impossible for him to sneak out of work early. Then after he’d finally been able to punch out, he had to go home and change his clothes, because he’d sooner be caught dead than wearing one of the company’s obligatory button-downs to a match. These circumstances were perhaps the more reasonable thing to be upset about in terms of getting rejected at the sign-up table, or even the fact that there was a vacancy in the matchups that somehow was not justification enough to put them in, but what Hida really honed in on was the slight he perceived towards their experience as fighters.
“Hey,” Hida said, leaning his hand and weight back onto the table to fix him with a proper glare now. The grab for attention worked, but the man looked no less annoyed than he had before. “We’re not rookies. We’ve been in the ring—”
The man held up his hand to cut him off, clearly unimpressed. “I know exactly who you punks are,” he said, “and I don’t care. You can be in as many pro-bending matches as you want. None of them are going to prepare you for what we do down here. You jump in that ring with a fighter that knows how to go all-out, you’re going to get you and your friend here in the hospital, and that spells trouble for all of us.” The man removed his glasses, set them on the table, folded his arms and leaned back in his inflexible chair, which could not have been as comfortable to do as he tried to make it look. “Everyone starts out with the rookie matches. Spare yourself the embarrassment, save what little reputation you still have and wait until next week.” Again, he waved one hand to shoo them away.
By that point, Hida’s jaw was clenched tight. He was hot, and he was in no mood to take the man’s condescending attitude. He didn’t know it, but he was standing between Hida and the one and only thing he’d been looking forward to this week. He had told Ise the ring would be a good opportunity to scout a new member for their pro-bender team, since they still hadn’t found a replacement for their last one, but really what Hida cared about was getting a chance to fight in a match unrestricted, and Ise probably knew him well enough by this point to know this was the case.
Hida turned his pissed-off stare to Ise expectantly, knowing all too well his closest friend was likely not to take this idly either.
Hida had known, or at least suspected, the existence of this place for years now. Trouble was, every time he had caught a whiff of a rumor of where the ring was nested in the city, there was no trace of it. Now, after a tip from Ijalin, an extremely annoying girl they had worked with in the past but Hida nevertheless found trustworthy, he knew the reason for this.
The joint was run by an earthbender named Pamuo. Every Friday, he and several other defectors from the Earth Kingdom carved an arena out of an inconspicuous location underground, and by the break of Saturday’s dawn, the earth was dragged from below to seal away any trace that this cavity ever even existed. It was such a simple solution to keep an illegal operation outside the eye of the law, it angered Hida to know he would have to live with the fact he hadn’t figured this out sooner for the rest of his life. He’d just figured that the underground part of the underground fighting ring wouldn’t have been so literal. Maybe that was why the cops hadn’t figured it out either.
Squeezing into the cramped arena, there was no reason for Ijalin’s words to lose credence with him. The air was thick with the moist scent of earth that had been freshly dug out. While the corners of the arena’s walls were sharp, the walls themselves were unpolished, with small craters poking holes in it from where stone had been dislodged, and the occasional plant root jutted out the side. All of that, and the fact that there was no electricity. Meaning there was no air conditioning.
It was summer. The company of so many other bodies crammed together in such close quarters brought on an unwelcome heat that was already making Hida’s cheeks feel flushed. The setting would’ve been unbearable had it not been for the fact that from his bird’s eye view at the top of the stairs, he had never seen that kind of bending done on a stage before.
It was a one-on-one match between a firebender and an earthbender. Hida watched in awe as the earthbender’s joints snapped in sharp, wide stances. As he locked in position after position, he thrust jagged stone several feet over his own height, then shoved each slab forward to slam against his opponent’s soft body. It was an intimidating offense, and the crowd seemed to share Hida’s sentiment on this with every jeer and scream they made from the stands. He was surprised to see just how nimble this firebender was, though. This girl, who could not have been much younger than he and Ise were, twirled her body through a narrow gap between two of the slabs. A third slab was volleyed at her. The intention seemed to be to pinch her between the three of them, but at the last moment, the girl cartwheeled to the side and out of the slab’s trajectory. She came out of the cartwheel spinning. Flame wove between dancing fingers, and each turnaround she made she shot another fireball at the earthbender. The fireballs were too small to cause any serious damage, but the earthbender nevertheless flexed his arms and raised earth to block them. When the firebender stamped her foot to stop her momentum, flames erupted beneath her heel. The fire flared out, growing bigger and bigger until finally, she twisted and jabbed her leg forward. The earthbender crossed his arms over his chest, and two slabs of stone followed his arms’ path and crossed over him to shield him from the blast to come. The arena thrummed with the intensity of her supercharged fireball, and when it struck against the earthbender’s guard, it pulverized the rock and knocked the earthbender off his feet.
The people in the stands shouted, as did Hida, who felt just as taken in the moment as everyone else. He turned to look up at Ise, a thrilled, lively look in his wide eyes. “We have to get in there. Come on,” he said. Without waiting for a response, Hida pressed on deeper into the crowd.
It did not take long to find what Hida could only assume was the sign-up table. A rugged looking, bespectacled man sat there, arms folded over the stone table’s surface as he leaned forward to get a better view of the match below. The woman next to him seemed much less interested. She stood leaning against the wall, arms crossed and her painted-black lips snapping the periodic bubble she blew from her chewing gum. Having been looking everywhere but down at the match below, she noticed Hida and Ise approaching before her companion did. When she did, she elbowed him in the shoulder. The man, annoyed by the interruption, scowled up at her first, then levied his displeased stare at Hida.
Hida ignored this, and with a confident smile, came straight to the desk and tapped the coffee-stained paper that was anchored to the table by a porcelain mug. “We’re here for the match signups. You got any openings for doubles?”
The annoyance on the man’s face did not let up after hearing Hida’s proclamation. “We do, but the signups for rookies closed fifteen minutes ago.” He waved his hand over the table to indirectly shoo Hida’s hand away, not too much unlike he was swatting at a fly. “If you want in on a match, you’ll have to come by earlier next week.”
Hida’s face fell, and just as soon turned into a glower of his own as the man at the signup desk leaned to the side to look around Hida and back down at the match. It had not been his intention to show up as not-early as they had. He would much rather have been watching the matches before them than suffering another eight-hour shift at his lame ass job, but on this particular day he had been stuck with his snitching dolt of a coworker and they’d made it damn near impossible for him to sneak out of work early. Then after he’d finally been able to punch out, he had to go home and change his clothes, because he’d sooner be caught dead than wearing one of the company’s obligatory button-downs to a match. These circumstances were perhaps the more reasonable thing to be upset about in terms of getting rejected at the sign-up table, or even the fact that there was a vacancy in the matchups that somehow was not justification enough to put them in, but what Hida really honed in on was the slight he perceived towards their experience as fighters.
“Hey,” Hida said, leaning his hand and weight back onto the table to fix him with a proper glare now. The grab for attention worked, but the man looked no less annoyed than he had before. “We’re not rookies. We’ve been in the ring—”
The man held up his hand to cut him off, clearly unimpressed. “I know exactly who you punks are,” he said, “and I don’t care. You can be in as many pro-bending matches as you want. None of them are going to prepare you for what we do down here. You jump in that ring with a fighter that knows how to go all-out, you’re going to get you and your friend here in the hospital, and that spells trouble for all of us.” The man removed his glasses, set them on the table, folded his arms and leaned back in his inflexible chair, which could not have been as comfortable to do as he tried to make it look. “Everyone starts out with the rookie matches. Spare yourself the embarrassment, save what little reputation you still have and wait until next week.” Again, he waved one hand to shoo them away.
By that point, Hida’s jaw was clenched tight. He was hot, and he was in no mood to take the man’s condescending attitude. He didn’t know it, but he was standing between Hida and the one and only thing he’d been looking forward to this week. He had told Ise the ring would be a good opportunity to scout a new member for their pro-bender team, since they still hadn’t found a replacement for their last one, but really what Hida cared about was getting a chance to fight in a match unrestricted, and Ise probably knew him well enough by this point to know this was the case.
Hida turned his pissed-off stare to Ise expectantly, knowing all too well his closest friend was likely not to take this idly either.
Last edited:
CyniKel
Lurker
When Ise first heard this tip, he was skeptical, to say the least. Authorities had been looking for this "legendary underground fighting ring" for over a year with no luck. In the station, they believed it was just a prank frequently called in to waste resources. Next was Ijalin, a reliable but annoying partner prone to telling tall tales. Furthermore, Ise had seen her fight. She was good but far more tame than Hida and himself. You'd figure they'd hear about such a thing first. Finally, even if it was true, this jeopardized their pro-bending careers. If someone found out, they could be blackmailed, disqualified, or even arrested. They didn't exactly have a reputation to fall back on. Hell, someone could probably accuse them anyway. Nobody would doubt it.
As Hida explained all this, Ise stood quietly. His arms folded, his posture straight as ever, and his eyes closed. Hida knew this meant Ise's mind was racing. Combined with his furrowed brow and frown forming on his lips, he didn't have a positive outlook on the situation. He wanted it, and Ise could tell Hida wanted it just as bad, maybe more. Ultimately, he decided he'd need some serious convincing for this. He'd sigh deeply, pinching his brow before opening his eyes to meet Hida's. After a moment, his expression would soften. Speaking calmly, he'd say, "Why not? It's at least worth looking at." He'd acquiesce, the fire in Hida's eyes qualifying as "serious convincing."
So the next day, after a particularly long day at work, Ise was ready to kick ass. As they entered the ring, a glimmer of excitement hit his eyes as a smile played at his lips. His eyes were also immediately drawn to the match beneath them. His eyes widened as they darted between the two benders. His smile crept further up his lips as the fight escalated. His foot tapped excitedly, matching the rhythm between the two combatants. When the decisive blow was dealt to the earthbender, he jumped and cheered with the crowd. If any doubts remained about participating, they were wiped off like the sweat on his forehead. Whether it be due to the lantern's orange light or genuine excitement from the enlivened waterbender, Ise seemed to glow. This unusual energy persisted as Hida turned to address him, already racing to sign-ups.
As they approached the table, Ise managed to conceal his excitement. He was still beaming, but he knew better than to approach the table like a child hyped on sugar. Thankfully, he had Hida, who usually handled this part of things. He'd stand a few feet back, taking note of the two his friend was talking to. Based on positions, the man seemed to do the actual sign-ups. The woman behind him was probably a bender of some sort, likely to keep things under control. That at least explained her standing. His focus quickly turned back to the conversation when he heard the word "rookie." His expression quickly soured and only got worse after hearing his friend get cut off by glasses. When Hida turned his gaze to Ise, his eyes were already locked on the man at the table. He'd make sure to keep the woman in his periphery for any signs of movement as he approached the duo.
Ise spoke with his naturally warm, resonant baritone. He used a calm tone that betrayed his venomous expression and dangerous body language as he spoke. "I think a few sorries are due sir. Either it wasn't clear that we're here for real fights, in which case I'm sorry. Or, for some reason, you thought I came to tolerate your bitchy mouth. In which case I'm very sorry. I'll try to say it more clearly this time. Either you put our names down, or the only way any of us are leaving is in a body bag. Regardless, trouble's already here." All while he spoke, he made sure if the woman behind him made the slightest shift, he'd be ready to counterattack. He was fighting someone today and gave zero fucks, damns, or shits if it was here or in the ring. That was up to them and the chaos they were ready to deal with.
As Hida explained all this, Ise stood quietly. His arms folded, his posture straight as ever, and his eyes closed. Hida knew this meant Ise's mind was racing. Combined with his furrowed brow and frown forming on his lips, he didn't have a positive outlook on the situation. He wanted it, and Ise could tell Hida wanted it just as bad, maybe more. Ultimately, he decided he'd need some serious convincing for this. He'd sigh deeply, pinching his brow before opening his eyes to meet Hida's. After a moment, his expression would soften. Speaking calmly, he'd say, "Why not? It's at least worth looking at." He'd acquiesce, the fire in Hida's eyes qualifying as "serious convincing."
So the next day, after a particularly long day at work, Ise was ready to kick ass. As they entered the ring, a glimmer of excitement hit his eyes as a smile played at his lips. His eyes were also immediately drawn to the match beneath them. His eyes widened as they darted between the two benders. His smile crept further up his lips as the fight escalated. His foot tapped excitedly, matching the rhythm between the two combatants. When the decisive blow was dealt to the earthbender, he jumped and cheered with the crowd. If any doubts remained about participating, they were wiped off like the sweat on his forehead. Whether it be due to the lantern's orange light or genuine excitement from the enlivened waterbender, Ise seemed to glow. This unusual energy persisted as Hida turned to address him, already racing to sign-ups.
As they approached the table, Ise managed to conceal his excitement. He was still beaming, but he knew better than to approach the table like a child hyped on sugar. Thankfully, he had Hida, who usually handled this part of things. He'd stand a few feet back, taking note of the two his friend was talking to. Based on positions, the man seemed to do the actual sign-ups. The woman behind him was probably a bender of some sort, likely to keep things under control. That at least explained her standing. His focus quickly turned back to the conversation when he heard the word "rookie." His expression quickly soured and only got worse after hearing his friend get cut off by glasses. When Hida turned his gaze to Ise, his eyes were already locked on the man at the table. He'd make sure to keep the woman in his periphery for any signs of movement as he approached the duo.
Ise spoke with his naturally warm, resonant baritone. He used a calm tone that betrayed his venomous expression and dangerous body language as he spoke. "I think a few sorries are due sir. Either it wasn't clear that we're here for real fights, in which case I'm sorry. Or, for some reason, you thought I came to tolerate your bitchy mouth. In which case I'm very sorry. I'll try to say it more clearly this time. Either you put our names down, or the only way any of us are leaving is in a body bag. Regardless, trouble's already here." All while he spoke, he made sure if the woman behind him made the slightest shift, he'd be ready to counterattack. He was fighting someone today and gave zero fucks, damns, or shits if it was here or in the ring. That was up to them and the chaos they were ready to deal with.
Pine
PK THOT ⚡
There was a smack as the woman by the signup table popped another bubble from her gum. Previously, as the conversation had been happening, she had seemed largely inattentive, her gaze lazing over the crowd in different directions. Now, after Ise had made his closing comments, she sighed through her nose and tilted her head to fix him with an annoyed stare.
Hida stuck his tongue in his cheek. As he turned to look back at the guy manning the table, it was clear that Ise's intimidating remarks did not work. The man only raised his brows back at Ise, still unimpressed, still with an air of condescension. Normally, Hida would back up his friend with enthusiasm, but getting into this ring was something he really really really wanted to do, and in that moment, he almost regretted letting Ise speak. Ise was never much to be persuasive. He only told others how things were, or how things were going to go. In this case, giving the signup man an ultimatum meant that as long as he was the one sitting at that table, their names were never getting on that signup sheet. Beating him to a pulp didn't seem conducive to anyone welcoming them back either. Hida racked his brain for what options that left them.
"I've been doing this for years, kid," the signup man said, looking directly at Ise. He leaned forward on the table, pushing the mug and paper forward slightly with still-crossed arms. "Do you honestly think you're the first hotshot pro-bender that's come in here trying to threaten me?" Again, the man reclined back into his seat. "Either step away, or you will be escorted out."
Before the situation could escalate further, Hida reached out his hand to gently push back against Ise's chest. "Come on, Ise." Hida looked back at the signup man and gave him a sarcastic smile. "He's right! Clearly we wouldn't stand a chance against any of these expert fighters, and neither of us want to get hurt. We should just leave." Hida increased the pressure of his palm just a little bit and smiled back at Ise. Wordlessly, he told Ise in his gaze that he had a plan, a look his friend knew well.
The man was looking at them skeptically but made no attempt to move from his spot.
Hida stuck his tongue in his cheek. As he turned to look back at the guy manning the table, it was clear that Ise's intimidating remarks did not work. The man only raised his brows back at Ise, still unimpressed, still with an air of condescension. Normally, Hida would back up his friend with enthusiasm, but getting into this ring was something he really really really wanted to do, and in that moment, he almost regretted letting Ise speak. Ise was never much to be persuasive. He only told others how things were, or how things were going to go. In this case, giving the signup man an ultimatum meant that as long as he was the one sitting at that table, their names were never getting on that signup sheet. Beating him to a pulp didn't seem conducive to anyone welcoming them back either. Hida racked his brain for what options that left them.
"I've been doing this for years, kid," the signup man said, looking directly at Ise. He leaned forward on the table, pushing the mug and paper forward slightly with still-crossed arms. "Do you honestly think you're the first hotshot pro-bender that's come in here trying to threaten me?" Again, the man reclined back into his seat. "Either step away, or you will be escorted out."
Before the situation could escalate further, Hida reached out his hand to gently push back against Ise's chest. "Come on, Ise." Hida looked back at the signup man and gave him a sarcastic smile. "He's right! Clearly we wouldn't stand a chance against any of these expert fighters, and neither of us want to get hurt. We should just leave." Hida increased the pressure of his palm just a little bit and smiled back at Ise. Wordlessly, he told Ise in his gaze that he had a plan, a look his friend knew well.
The man was looking at them skeptically but made no attempt to move from his spot.
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