The Battle of Zaofu

Upon discovering Suyin's plan to eliminate Kuvira, Korra promptly sought out Opal, Elira, and Jinora, informing them of Suyin's intentions.

"Korra, you have to go stop Su before she does something terrible," Jinora said as they stood in the square talking. Baatar Sr sat alone a little ways from them, looking worried.

"Stop her? We should be helping her." Opal frowned

"We have no idea where your mom is or what her plan is. If we go charging into Kuvira's camp, we could get them all captured, or worse. All we can do now is wait." Korra replied, and Opal looked down in dismay.

Suddenly, they all looked up in astonishment as the loudspeakers around Zaofu came to life, and Kuvria's voice resonated throughout the city.

"Attention citizens of Zaofu. Your leader, Su Beifong, attempted to attack me tonight while I slept, ignoring the terms of our truce. Luckily, I now have her and her assault team in custody."

"No", Opal muttered

"Rest assured that I will not take revenge on the peaceful citizens of Zaofu unless your remaining representatives meet me outside the city at dawn to offer the full and unconditional surrender of your city. That is all."

As Kuvira's voice faded, Opal turned toward Korra, furious. "Korra, you can't let Kuvira get away with this! We have to go break out Mom and my brothers!"

Elira placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Opal, I understand you're worried. But you can't just attack Kuvira. Remember, you swore an oath of non-aggression when you became an airbender."

"I don't care about the oath! I have to save my family!" Opal snapped, pushing Elira's hand away.

"But charging in aggressively could only make things worse", Elira argued

"El's right" Korra put a hand on Opal's shoulder. "Your mom attacked the camp. Kuvira was just defending herself."

"That's not what I was saying, but alright" Elira muttered, shrugging

Opal angrily shrugged Korra off, too. "Defending herself"? She was going to attack our city! I can't believe you're refusing to fight!"

"Why is that loudspeaker lady talking when I'm trying to sleep?" Meelo's voice suddenly interrupted as he emerged from the house behind the group, sleepily rubbing his eyes, with Ikki beside him looking equally tired. They were both dressed in nightclothes, having been woken by Kuvira's announcement.

"Korra, what are we going to do?" Baatar Sr asked, standing up as Huan approached Opal from behind while Ikki leaned sleepily into Elira's side, prompting her sister to wrap her arm around her.

"El, Jinora and I will go talk to Kuvira at dawn, and maybe we can work something out. I promise I'll do everything I can to keep the peace." Korra pledged

"I'll go with you." Opal declared, her expression determined.

"We'll go, too," Ikki added, lifting her head from Elira's side.

"No!" Elira and Jinora immediately argued.

"Dad told us to find Korra, and we did. Now, you need to stay safe." Jinora added

"Come on! Let us help, El!" Ikki pleaded, tugging on Elira's arm.

Elira knelt down to be at eye level with her youngest siblings, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "No. Dad put me in charge. Meaning it's my responsibility to keep you safe. You can stay with Baatar and Huan while Korra works things out with Kuvira."

Elira then stood up and turned to Baatar Sr, who was standing behind the two children. " Make sure they get back to my father if anything goes wrong." Baatar nodded. 

"Aw, man! When am I gonna see some action?" Meelo complained 

*

Somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, an Earth Empire train sped along its elevated railway in the mountains. Inside the prison car, Varrick and Bolin lay on the floor of a cell, sleeping. Bolin looked peaceful, his dreams consumed by one thought: Elira. He could see her clearly, smiling and laughing, the sunlight glinting off her hair, creating a halo around her, her eyes sparkling like stars. He was in heaven, and she was the angel—the guiding light that beckoned him home.

But Varrick, on the other hand, was having a nightmare.

"Cookie ... jar ... empty. No ... hot ... towels! Waxy ... buildup!" He suddenly bolted upright, yelling, "Zhu Li!"

To his right, Bolin stirred briefly as Varrick looked around, downcast.

"Oh ... she really is gone." He muttered

As he pulled himself into a sitting position, the doors at the end of the car slid open, and Baatar Jr. and two other guards walked up to his cell.

"Up and at 'em, Varrick! Time to go to work. We have another lab set up for you. Kuvira wants the Spirit Vine weapon operational as soon as possible." Baatar Jr commanded as one of the guards unlocked the cell and slid the door open.

"Zhu Li always greeted me in the morning with a..." A smile crossed Varrick's face as he stared vacantly at the wall. " A hot cup of tea."

"You'll get your tea when you start working," Baatar Jr. said as a guard grabbed Varrick by the shoulders and pulled him upright.

"Well, I'm really only productive for about fifteen minutes a day, usually in the afternoon around three-forty-five."

The guard glanced at Baatar Jr., who nodded in response. He then slammed Varrick forcefully against the wall behind him while Baatar Jr. continued speaking. "You'll work now. I want you to show me how the device works."

A yawn from Baatar Jr.'s left interrupted the conversation. Bolin sat up, rubbing his eyes, the noise around him having roused him from his blissful dream.

"What's goin' on?" He mumbled

"Go back to sleep", Bataar Jr snapped. "We only need Varrick. You'll need your energy when you get to the re-education camp."

"I can't be expected to work without an assistant! Without Zhu Li, I'm helpless!" Varrick cried

"One of the guards will be your assistant. I'll be supervising." Baatar Jr said

Varrick glanced at the guard next to him and smirked.

"Well, I guess he'll be fine. As long as he doesn't need his hands afterwards!" He chuckled

The guard turned to Baatar Jr nervously. "What's he talking about, sir?"

"The last time we worked with the spirit vines, it created an uncontrollable blast" Varrick slowly slid across the floor towards the guard, whose eyes widened as Varrick continued "That burned through a wall and could still be blowing up comets in space, as far as I know! I wouldn't want to assist me if I were you!"

The guard turned his head toward Baatar Jr., pausing for a moment before speaking. "Maybe we should just let the kid help him out."

Baatar Jr sighed. "Fine. Bolin can assist."

Bolin panicked as the guards advanced on him. "Wait, what? I need my hands!"

He tucked his hands under his armpits to try and stall. "Uh, hold on! Can we have breakfast? While we still have hands?"

The guards ignored him and pulled the earthbender, sliding out of the cell by his collar. 

*

On the valley floor in Zaofu, Kuvira's army stood ready for battle, their banners flapping in a brisk wind. Elira, Korra, Opal, and Jinora walked toward the front line, where Kuvira, detached from the rest, stood waiting for them. Behind her, Suyin, Wei, and Wing were imprisoned in massive steel cases.

Korra and the others stopped a few meters away from Kuvira.

"Release them now!" Opal yelled angrily

"If Su agrees to bow to me and turn over Zaofu, she and the rest of your family will not be harmed." Kuvria declared

"Never! I'll never bow to you!"Suyin snapped vehemently.

"There must be some way for us to resolve this!" Korra called out

"I've already laid out my terms, and I think they're very reasonable. After all, Su did try to take me out during our peaceful negotiations." Kuvira said

"You call bringing an army to threaten our city 'peaceful'?" Wei shouted

Elira stepped forward slightly, pointing at Kuvira. "Where's Bolin? I know he would never go along with this!"

"Bolin is with my fiancé, working on something very important. But, I assure you, he's on board with my plans. You two have been apart for some time. I guess you don't realise how much Bolin has grown up," Kuvira taunted with a smirk.

Elira glared at her before averting her eyes to the side. Kuvira's words caused her gut to twist and doubt to swirl in her mind, clouding her thoughts. No. That wasn't true. It couldn't be. Sure, Bolin had grown up and changed, but Elira knew him better than she knew herself. She knew, at his core, he was good; he was kind and thoughtful. He wouldn't agree to this. Kuvira had to be lying... right?

"Now turn over Zaofu" Kuvira demanded

"I can't just let you take the city!" Korra argued

"Avatar Korra, you are interfering with internal Earth Empire business and letting your personal feelings get in the way of reason. Zaofu cannot continue to rule itself. They have been hoarding their riches and technology too long. I'm here to distribute those resources fairly throughout the nation. This is about equality." Kuvira stated sternly.

"You don't care about equality! This is about control!" Elira snapped

"Just take her down!" Opal turned to Korra. "You know it's the right thing to do! You have to stop this!"

"The only way you're going to keep me from marching into Zaofu is if you physically stop me." Kuvira warned, "Now, what are you going to do?"

"It looks like you're not giving me a choice." Korra moved forward a step.

"Fine" Kuvira smiled and turned to address her troops. "I want you all to know that I would never ask any of you to do something that I'm not willing to do myself. So, rather than risk your lives, I will fight the Avatar one-on-one." She turned back to the others. "Korra, if you win, then you can do whatever you want with Zaofu. But after I beat you, I want you out of my business for good. I'm the one who brought peace to the Earth Empire, not you. You're not relevant here anymore."

"Fine. You wanna fight the Avatar? Then let's finish this. Right here, right now." Korra replied, and she and Kuvira glared at each other.

"Are you really ready to fight her?" Jinora quietly asked

"Just stay back and let me handle this. It's been a while, but I got a lot of pent-up rage." Korra replied

"Don't mess around! Kuvira is too good! Just go into the Avatar State and get it over with!" Opal insisted

"No, I'm only going to use that as a last resort," Korra argued.

Elira put a hand on Korra's arm. "Kick her butt, but be careful."

Korra nodded, and as Elira, Opal, and Jinora left to retreat to a safe distance, Korra cracked her neck, taking up a fighting stance. Kuvira stepped forward to challenge the avatar.

"Use whatever you want: all the elements, the Avatar State, anything you need." She smirked as she took up her own battle stance. "I know you're a little rusty."

"Enough talk!" Korra snapped and unleashed two jets of flame at Kuvira, who sidestepped the first and ducked under the second, slightly caught off guard. She spun back to face Korra, who, leaping towards her opponent, bent an arc of fire. Kuvira dodged again as another blast of flame narrowly missed her. Korra bent a stone towards Kuvira's face, but she swiftly swung her head aside just in time. Evading another fiery punch, she quickly bent a slab of earth between herself and Korra, interrupting the Avatar's attack and pushing her arm upward, leaving her side vulnerable. Seizing the opportunity created in Korra's defences, Kuvira bent a chunk of rock directly into Korra's stomach. As the Avatar staggered back, Kuvira propelled two metal clasps at Korra's outstretched wrist and ankle, sending her spinning through the air. Korra crashed to the ground, rolling to a stop and lying still momentarily.

Elira, Opal, and Jinora watched on in concern as the soldiers in Kuvira's army cheered loudly. However, Zhu Li, who was standing on the front line, clapped unenthusiastically and looked disinterested.

Kuvira straightened up, laughing as she resumed her fighting pose. "Looks like the Avatar's a little off her game!"

Korra struggled to get to her feet, and as she finally rose, Opal called out to her. "Don't let her get you frustrated! She wants you to make a mistake!"

"Come on, Korra. You got this!" Elira added encouragement, though she was clearly worried for her friend.

Korra launched a fissure towards Kuvira, but she skillfully rolled out of its path and avoided Korra's airbending strike by leaping away. The Avatar propelled herself off the fissure into the sky, launching an air blast at Kuvira, who adeptly ducked beneath it. Korra then blasted fire towards her opponent, but Kuvira countered by shifting the earth underneath Korra, throwing her off balance. Although Korra steadied herself and prepared to spring back to her feet, a rock struck her chest, knocking her down again.

Regaining her footing, Korra fired off several more blasts of fire and air. Yet, Kuvira skillfully evaded each one, seizing the opportunity to entrap Korra's foot in a fissure. Blinding her with a metallic band around her eyes, Kuvira landed another blow with a rock, sending Korra hurtling backwards.

Korra crashed harshly onto the ground. With determination, she tore the metal from her face and stood up again, unleashing another burst of fire at the waiting Kuvira.

*

Back on the train, Varrick was working on the Spirit Vine project under the supervision of Baatar Jr.

"Bolin, do the thing." Varrick held his hand out to the earthbender behind him.

Bolin didn't reply; he was leaning on a table, wordlessly fiddling with a discarded screwdriver. His dream from earlier replayed in his mind, but the mental image of El's smiling face no longer felt like a sweet escape. Now, it felt more like a punishment, forever taunting him with the thought that he would never see her beautiful smile again. 

"Bolin? Bolin!" Varrick yelled

"Gah! I'm listening!"Bolin jumped, accidentally throwing the screwdriver he had been fiddling with as he was jolted back to reality. He winced as the tool landed with a clang somewhere in the car.

Varrick rolled his eyes. "Quit moping around and do the thing already."

"What thing?" Bolin asked

"The thing! I never had to tell Zhu Li what thing!"Varrick huffed, gesticulating animatedly with his arms

"I'm not Zhu Li, okay? Pretend I don't know anything about anything that's happening here. Also, pretend I don't want to build a super weapon or get my hands blown off!" Bolin scowled

Varrick approached the table and picked up a pair of pliers, demonstratively showing them to Bolin that they were what he was after before resuming his work on the stasis capsule. Baatar Jr. stepped a little closer and observed his work.

"Walk me through what you're doing. I want to know every detail of your work." He said

Varrick put a hand on Baatar Jr.'s chest and slightly shoved him away before returning to tinkering with the machine. "You know, when I started working with the vines, the point was to find a clean, unlimited source of energy, not develop some spirity death ray."

"Clean energy! Sounds great!" Bolin poked his head into the conversation as Baatar Jr turned his head to him, annoyed. "Who doesn't like that stuff? Let's do that instead!"

"Quiet! You're here to help, not talk," Baatar Jr. snapped. Bolin raised his hands in mock surrender as he walked off. Baatar then stood up and turned back to Varrick. "And you, of all people, should realise that once a discovery is made, it is our responsibility as scientists to pursue it as far as we can—wherever it leads."

"How would you know?" Varrick questioned sarcastically. "You couldn't discover a wolfbat if it was building a nest in your butt."

In the background, Bolin chuckled at the insult.

"You're pathetic," Baatar Jr. scowled, turning around and crossing his arms. "Wolfbats don't build nests." 

"Ooh. You got me there, Dr. Science" Varrick rolled his eyes mockingly as he stood up. "You'll never know how it feels to give birth to genius, only to have it kidnapped and raised by fools!"

"Are you done with your rambling, or do the guards need to encourage you to continue your work?" Baatar Jr. asked, and the guards started approaching Varrick.

"Okay, okay" Varrick raised his hands in surrender and strolled back to the vine. "The last time we ran the current through the vine, we couldn't control the power." Baatar Jr didn't notice Varrick subtly wink at Bolin as he passed him. "So I'm trying something new to see if I can direct it."

Bolin just stood there, confused. 

*

In Zaofu, Korra and Kuvria were still fighting.

The Great Uniter skillfully dodged several fire blasts from Korra, countering with a barrage of metal plates that all narrowly missed their mark. Undeterred, the Avatar harnessed her earthbending to catapult herself into the air, aiming to strike Kuvira from above with a blast of air. But Kuvira was quick; she evaded the attack and retaliated by hurling a boulder at Korra, sending her crashing back to the ground.

Gasping for breath, Korra sprang back to her feet, charging at Kuvira, but her air and fire strikes failed to find their targets. In a sudden move, the metalbender ensnared Korra's wrist in a metal plate, propelling her away yet again.

Kuvira wore a smirk as Korra hit the ground with a grunt. As Korra struggled to sit up, Kuvira manipulated the earth to create fissures that forced the Avatar to roll aside. Regaining her footing, Korra erected a stone wall to shield herself from Kuvira's relentless onslaught of rocks.

Determined, Korra launched the stone wall towards Kuvira, hoping to knock her off balance. However, Kuvira swiftly intercepted it with her earthbending and sent it hurtling back. Korra braced herself against the wall to withstand the force, but in a swift motion, Kuvira shattered the rock, leaving the Avatar crashing to her knees.

"Come on, Avatar, get up! Show me what you've got!" Kuvira taunted smugly.

Opal turned to Jinora and Elira. "We have to help her!"

Opal then started running towards the fight with Elira close behind her.

Korra raised her head from the ground, yelling out to them, "No! Stay back!" Korra stood up, her hair tousled, her face and body bruised. "I can handle this."

Kuvira got back in a fighting stance, smiling as she did so. Elira shared a worried glance with her sister and Opal. 

*

Back on the train, Bolin was bored and playing with the screwdriver again while Baatar Jr. was closely studying the spirit vine weapon.

"So I see how the current interacts with the vine, and here is a kind of directional tube, but that is baffling here at the base. It looks like that would only redirect the energy back where it came from. And what's that piece of equipment you're fiddling with now on the power source?" Baatar Jr. asked

"Hand me the ... screw-turn-thingy, would ya?" Varrick called to Bolin, reaching behind him without even looking.

"Ugh, I can't believe you're helping them. You know this isn't right," Bolin huffed as he handed Varrick the screwdriver.

"Funny story, Bolin. I first got the idea for harnessing spirit power when I watched that giant Unalaq monster attack the city from my jail cell. That giant monster set me free!" Varrick turned to Bolin with a meaningful look on his face. "Trust me, kid; I know what I'm doing."

Bolin had a baffled look on his face as Varrick stood up.

"That ought to do it." He grinned but then frowned when nothing happened. 

"Huh," Varrick said, tapping the machine slightly, but still nothing happened. "Okay, stand back."

Varrick walked back a few steps, and Bolin moved out of the way. Baatar Jr. raised his eyebrow and nervously stepped back. Varrick gave the machine a good, hard kick, and it whirred to life. It was glowing purple all around, and a ticking sound was heard.

"There we go!" Varrick raised his arms in triumph.

"What's that ticking?" Baatar Jr questioned

"That's the timer."

"The timer for what?"

"For the bomb, of course!" Varrick revealed

"What?! What bomb?" Bolin cried, his eyes wide in panic.

"The bomb that's gonna explode in five minutes and destroy this entire train, all of the spirit vines, and everything else within a few hundred yards," Varrick explained matter-of-factly.

As Bolin looked around the train in a panic, Varrick addressed Baatar Jr. with a smug smile; "You know what, I'd get out of here if I were you. This is the first time I've built a timer, and it might run a little fast." Baatar Jr.'s expression became progressively angry as Varrick continued, "Bolin and I are ready to go down with the ship, or train, in this case—but you seem like you have a lot to live for."

By now, Baatar Jr.'s face bore a look of barely suppressed rage. Bolin, meanwhile, was totally freaking out.

"Nononono!" He grabbed Varrick by the front of his uniform, shaking him slightly. "I'm not ready to go down with the ship or the train! I've still got so much I need to do! -- El! -- I can't die without seeing El!" 

"You're bluffing." Baatar Jr. glared at Varrick, who remained completely calm.

"Stick around five minutes, and you'll find out who's bluffing!" Varrick smirked before suddenly yelling, "You'll be sorry you left me, Zhu Li! When they write the history books, your name will be synonymous with betrayal! People will say, "Hey, what happened to that guy? Oh, didn't you hear? He 'Varricked' himself because some girl 'Zhu Li'd' him!"

"Enough! What makes you think we would let you blow yourself up? You're working for Kuvira! You don't get to quit" Baatar Jr. clicked his fingers, gesturing to the guards. "Grab him."

As the guards advanced on him, Varrick suddenly pulled a detonator from his pocket. "You try to pull me away from this thing, and I'll hit this remote and blow it immediately!"

"Why do you have a timer and a remote?" Baatar Jr. questioned

"Well, first, I built the timer, but then I thought, you could drag me off the train, so then I built a remote, but then I thought, do I really need the timer because now I got a remote in my-- Whatever! I'm covering all my bases! The point is, you're leaving, we're staying!" Varrick yelled.

Baatar Jr. glared angrily at him. 

*

In Zafou, Korra was still losing the fight against Kuvira, who was just playing with her at this point.

Korra, determined and fierce, unleashed a torrent of fire, but Kuvira, quick on her feet, evaded the flames with a nimble duck. In a swift manoeuvre, she manipulated the earth beneath Korra, flipping her direction just as she prepared to launch another blast of flame. Korra, regaining her footing, bent a boulder from the ground and hurled it at Kuvira with all her strength. But Kuvira was ready—she deftly redirected the boulder, then summoned a sharp metal plate that whipped around Korra's ankle. In an instant, Korra was sent soaring through the air, a somersault of surprise, landing several yards away with a thud.

"You have to go into the Avatar State! Do it!" Suyin yelled

Korra watched as Kuvira charged and leapt toward her. But just then, she entered the Avatar State, stopping Kuvira in her tracks and sending her flying with a powerful blast of airbending. Kuvira landed hard, her feet digging into the earth to regain her balance. Undeterred, Korra propelled herself forward after the metalbender, unleashing another immense wave of air that sent Kuvira even further away.

Kuvira crashed to the ground, spinning wildly before finally coming to a stop, her hair cascading around her in disarray. Meanwhile, Korra ascended from the ground on a powerful air spout, lifting a massive boulder with her, poised to crush Kuvira.

"Korra, no...Don't do it", Elira muttered softly, hand over her mouth in shock.

Kuvira struggled to push herself up to her hands and knees, gradually lifting her head to confront Korra. In a startling twist, Korra suddenly found herself staring back at her own reflection in the Avatar State, reminiscent of the hallucination she experienced while poisoned.

Overwhelmed by shock, Korra's heart raced as she panicked. She abruptly slipped out of the Avatar State, and the boulder she had been holding tumbled from her grasp as she fell unceremoniously to the ground.

"Korra!" Elira called out in worry

"I don't understand. We got the poison out; what's wrong with her?" Jinora questioned

Kuvira got to her feet. "I knew you were weak."

Kuvira hurled two metal plates toward Korra as the Avatar charged her, seizing her wrists and suspending her in mid-air. A satisfied smile spread across the metalbender's face before she forcefully slammed Korra into the ground, encasing her in a mound of earth that left only her head exposed, effectively trapping her. She advanced closer, grasping six metal plates and expertly bending them into razor-sharp edges.

Realising the impending danger, Elira nodded at her fellow airbenders. In perfect unison, they unleashed blasts of wind at Kuvira. Startled by the sudden assault, she was propelled backwards, crashing hard onto her back right in front of her troops.

Rising to her feet with the help of two of her soldiers, Kuvira angrily yelled at the airbenders, "You broke our agreement!" She addressed her army, "Attack!"

The army charged valiantly ahead, but the airbenders swiftly conjured a fierce tornado to thwart their advance. Several soldiers tumbled through the air while the others could do nothing but brace themselves against the howling winds that threatened to engulf them.

"Jinora!" Elira called over the wind, "We'll hold them back! Call for help!"

"On it!" Jinora closed her eyes and pressed her fists together to spiritually project herself. 

*

Back on the train, Baatar Jr. and his men were evacuating Varrick's lab.

"That's everyone, our half of the train is clear," Bolin informed

"That's good; we're almost out of time," Varrick smirked.

Baatar Jr. glared at him as the last of his men walked past him. "You're insane."

"You knew that when you hired me!" Varrick grinned triumphantly. "Bolin, do the thing!"

"Uh?" Bolin hesitated, not understanding what Varrick meant

"Unhook the cars! Oh, come on, that was an easy one!" Varrick scowled at the earthbender.

With a single pull of a lever, Bolin unhooked the cars, shutting the door of Varrick's lab while the rest of the train pulled away from them.

"Man, that was great! I gotta admit, you had me going there for a while; I really thought you were gonna blow us up! Now, how do we turn this thing off?" Bolin smiled

"Ooh, we can't turn it off. We're gonna blow up–" Varrick said as Bolin's smile fell in horror "--but we had a pretty good run, right?"

Bolin grabbed him by the collar, panicked. "What are you talking about, "a good run"? I'm still running! I like running!"

He ran over to the machine, looking at it from various angles.

"Turn it off, gotta turn it off, gotta get back to El, gotta tell her I'm sorry", he chanted as he searched for a way to disable the machine but didn't know what anything did.

He looked around the car and spotted a hatch on the floor. Running over, he opened it, stuck his head through, and saw that it led down to the tracks—a way out!

"I'll see you on the other side...Zhu Li," Varrick lamented.

Bolin stood up, glaring at him before slapping him across the face, grabbing by his collar again. "I want you to know... I hate you."

Bolin tightened his grip on Varrick and jumped down the hatch, taking the screaming Varrick with him.

No sooner had they dropped down from the train than it blew up in a bright purple flash, creating a huge crater. At the bottom of the massive smoking hole, Bolin broke through the crater wall with earthbending, allowing him and Varrick to emerge from a tunnel, coughing. Bolin leaned over, hands on his knees, while Varrick lay on the ground and suddenly began laughing, letting out a victory roar.

"Yes! You did it, Bolin, you did the thing!" He sat up and kissed Bolin on the forehead, who scowled at him angrily.

"I can't believe Zhu Li worked for you as long as she did." He said

Varrick just grinned. "Hey, I got us out, didn't I? Meaning you'll get to see a certain bubbly airbender again. You're welcome." 

Bolin's glare softened, realising that Varrick was right. They were free—free from Kuvira and her lies. He was finally going home, back to where he belonged, back to his friends, back to his family, and, most importantly, back to Elira. 

*

The tornado summoned by the airbenders raged on, its fierce winds proving challenging even for Kuvira's powerful mecha tanks. Meanwhile, Jinora, El, and Opal fought their way closer to Korra, finally reaching her in the stillness of the tornado's eye. As Korra slowly regained consciousness, she pushed through the earth barrier that held her captive, only to faint and fall to the ground immediately after.

Suddenly, the familiar groans of bison echoed from above, and Pepper, Mochi, and Pichi plunged into the heart of the swirling tornado.

"Here comes a hurricane!" Meelo shouted, his voice barely rising above the howling wind as he guided Pepper while Ikki guided Mochi.

As the tornado began to subside, Meelo and Elira started airbending against Kuvira's imposing tanks, holding them at bay while Opal and Jinora quickly grabbed Korra.

"You can't handle all this, Meelo!" he yelled, just as Elira gracefully airbent herself onto Mochi's saddle.

Opal and Jinora launched themselves onto Pepper's back, clutching Korra tightly.

"We've got her! Go!" Jinora urged, and the bison took to the air, narrowly evading the menacing grappling hooks of the mecha tanks.

Opal looked down, sadness washing over her as she spotted her family still ensnared. "We have to save them!" she cried, preparing to leap off to reach her mother and brothers. But Jinora caught her arm just in time.

Opal, get out of here! We'll be fine," Suyin shouted urgently. "Just go!"

With tears brimming in her eyes, Opal shouted back, "I'll be back for you! I love you!"

As Mochi and Pepper soared into the sky, leaving Zaofu behind, Kuvira cast a triumphant glance towards her army. With a broad smile, she thrust one arm into the air, proclaiming, "Zaofu is ours!"

The valley echoed with the jubilant cheers of Kuvira's soldiers as the dust settled around them. In the air, Elira stole one last sorrowful glance at Zaofu before bowing her head, her heart heavy with shame and guilt for their defeat. As she did, Pichi nuzzled her cheek with a soft, sad chitter, offering a gentle comfort amidst the weight of loss.