Original subtitles

Tenzin: Earth.

Fire.

Air.

Water.

Only the avatar can master all four elements

and bring balance to the world.

- The air nation has its first recruit.

Team avatar's search for new airbenders

in the earth kingdom led them to Kai,

an orphan with a shady past.

Meanwhile, lord zuko is hot on the trail

of three escaped criminals who pose a great threat

to the avatar.

Unaware of the danger to her,

korra continues her mission to find more airbenders.

Next stop, the walled city of ba sing se.

- Light on your feet, uncle bumi.

Remember, you want to be quick and evasive.

- Don't worry about me, little lady.

I've been in a scrap or two, you know.

Oh, you're just a youngster, so I'm going to go easy on you.

Wouldn't want to hurt a kid...

Oh!

- Uncle bumi, you've got to work on your stance changes.

Kai, that was just... Really good.

- Thanks, jinora. - You're a great teacher.

- Hmm. Did I drop my wallet?

- Give me that, you little thief!

- It's so exciting to be on a diplomatic mission to ba sing se.

What's the earth queen like?

- I've never met her,

but I've heard she can be quite... demanding.

- This is it, mako! We made it!

This is where dad grew up! Come here, look! Look!

- Okay, calm down. I'm looking.

- I wonder how many airbenders are down there.

Ugh. The lower ring looks terrible.

- Bolin: Yeah, I can smell it from here.

No wonder dad left.

Bolin: Hello, middle ring!

- Wow. - Now, this is more like it.

- Avatar korra, master tenzin,

it is a pleasure to welcome you

and your party to the upper ring of ba sing se.

I'm grand secretariat gun.

- Thank you.

- Ahh, it's got that upper ring smell.

Oh, no.

The queen hates animals.

- We've got to get them out of sight.

- Well, I can just stash pabu in my shirt.

These two are gonna be a little tougher.

- Come with me, hurry. - I'll take you to your quarters.

Now, when you meet the queen, make sure you bow low enough.

That's very important.

And don't look her in the eye, she can't stand that.

If any food is served, don't eat before she eats.

Oh, actually, I have to taste her food first,

then she eats, then you can eat.

Better yet, just don't eat.

- Seems like an awful lot of rules.

- Oh, you have no idea, and I'm the one

who gets in trouble when people don't follow them,

so please, please, for my sake,

just try not to upset her majesty.

- Here we are. - Ooh, very swanky.

- Now, go in and make yourselves comfortable...

- Hey! - And keep those animals

out of sight in the backyard.

Avatar korra, if you'd follow me,

we don't want to keep her majesty waiting.

Your majesty, may I present avatar korra.

- You're ruining the koi pond!

It's completely overshadowed by the topiaries!

Guards, take that buffoon away

and get me someone who knows what they're doing!

You! Rip everything out and start over!

I am surrounded by idiots.

So, I finally get a visit from the avatar.

Let me guess, you want something.

- Well, actually, your majesty, I was hoping you could...

- I hardly think you're in a position to ask me for favors

after everything the last avatar did to the earth kingdom.

He and fire lord zuko

took advantage of my father's weakness,

and stole our lands to make their own little empire.

The united republic is earth kingdom territory.

- Well, i-I'm not sure what I can do about that.

- Not that you care,

but what's left of my kingdom is falling to ruin.

Roving bands of barbarians

are raiding villages in the countryside,

and now, some of my subjects are refusing to pay their taxes.

- I'm very sorry for your troubles,

- but actually... - That topiary is supposed to be

an eel-swan, not a turtle-duck!

- Hey, has anyone seen Kai?

- Kai? - Kai! Little bro?

- He's not over here.

- I don't think I've seen him since we landed.

- I knew that kid was no good.

He was just waiting for an opportunity

to run away again.

- We have to find him. - What's the point?

He obviously doesn't care about us.

- But he's my new little brother.

He's probably lost and scared.

- He is just a little boy, and he's our responsibility.

Besides, he's the only airbender we've recruited so far.

We can't lose him.

- Fine. - Bolin and I will find him.

- No! To your left!

Your other left!

Do you have these problems with your servants?

- I don't really have servants.

But, your majesty, the reason for our visit

is that we're trying to gather all of the new airbenders

who are popping up in the earth kingdom,

and we'd like your help finding the ones in ba sing se.

- Airbenders in ba sing se? - Where did you hear that?

- Before we left republic city, we got some reports.

- Hmm. Well, before I even consider helping you,

I'll need you to do something for me.

- Oh. Of course. What is it?

- I have a vault full of tax money

sitting in a town south of here.

Barbarians have stolen my past two shipments.

Go collect my money and bring it back here.

- Yes, your majesty.

- Kai! Did you go fishing?

You under the bridge?

- Here, sir, let me help you.

- Oh, thank you, young man. - What a strange sudden breeze.

- Yeah, that was really weird.

- Thanks for your help.

Get back here!

- Kai, it's us!

Mako and bolin! Your new family!

Excuse me, pardon me.

No, no, carry on.

-Qmmq - what are you doing

running around robbing people?

- I was just practicing my airbending.

- Yeah, right. Let's go.

You're in big trouble.

Your little brother, huh?

- Yeah, just a lovable little scamp, isn't he?

- Reminds me of my little brother.

- This is the express line to the lower ring.

Next stop, po Kong station.

- All right, let's see if we can catch a train back to the upper ring.

- Passports and tickets.

- We can pay, hold on.

Where's my money?

No. Kai wouldn't...

- All right, beat it, you two,

- before things get ugly. - Ah, hey!

The bad news is, we're stuck here.

The good news is, you can go to the bathroom

wherever you want.

- Are you sure we shouldn't have brought more people

to collect the tax money?

- There are royal guards waiting at the vault.

I doubt anything will happen.

I think her majesty just likes ordering me around.

Man.

Oh, I think I slipped a disc sleeping here.

It's been a while since we spent the night on a trash pile.

It's about how I remembered.

- I bet everyone's freaking out that we've been gone all night.

- I'm worried about Kai.

He's just a little kid out there on his own.

He's probably really scared.

- Your breakfast, master fung.

- Keep the change.

I love ba sing se.

- Whew, I'm getting hungry.

We might have to hustle up a little breakfast

with the old fruit stand scam.

Come on.

You remember how it goes.

I push you into the stand, you scream, I pretend to faint.

- I don't want any part of this.

Besides, look at this fruit.

It's disgusting. We don't want to steal this.

- Hey, you trying to steal my fruit?

- No, I just said I don't want any of this rotten fruit.

- Oh, you too good for my fruit?

This is the best fruit on the block.

- So you want me to steal it?

- Just try it, buddy. - Go ahead.

- I'm confused.

Are we stealing the fruit or not?

- I knew it, thieves!

- What's going on here?

- Dad, these fruit thieves are insulting our fruit.

- Bolin? Mako?

- How do you know our names? - Yeah, I mean,

I'm famous, so I get that, but how do you know his name?

- You look just like San.

Tu, you'll never believe who these guys are.

They're your cousins, my brother San's kids.

- Lord zuko, uncle.

This is a surprise.

- Finally something interesting happens.

Ruling the tribe is so tedious.

- Then you should enjoy this.

We need to check on a secret ice prison

in the western tundra.

- Your father sent us a letter years ago with your names,

but that was the last we heard from him.

Then we saw your pictures in the sports pages

with your bending team.

And bolin,

we love those nuktuk movers.

They're hilarious.

- Yeah, they're not really comedies, but, uh...

- Yeah, I could probably be a pro-bender,

or an actor, or something

if I lived in a mansion in republic city like you guys.

You don't know what it's like here on the streets.

You gotta be tough.

- Oh, mako and I grew up on the streets.

We were homeless, then we were kind of in a gang,

then we lived in a gym.

- Hey, everybody! - Look who's here!

San's kids, mako and bolin!

- No way. - Come in.

- Welcome.

- Is it true? - After all these years?

- Boys, this is your grandmother, yin.

- Oh, it is so wonderful to finally meet

my long-lost grandchildren.

Where is San and your mother?

- Wait, you mean, you don't know?

- I'm sorry.

They were killed when we were little.

- I don't like the looks of this.

Let's hurry up and get out of here.

- You here to pick up the tax shipment?

- Go ahead and load it on the airship.

- So much for our escorts.

- Maybe we should've brought everybody else.

- Step away from the gold, ladies, and you won't get hurt.

- Sorry to disappoint you,

but we're taking this gold back to ba sing se.

- Aw, we love gals with spirit.

Suit yourself.

-Aah!

-Qmmq oh!

Retreat! Retreat!

You're on the wrong side of this fight, avatar!

That gold belongs to the people, not the queen!

- Why do I get the feeling he's right?

- Why didn't anyone tell us we have a secret prison

we could have been throwing people in?

- I'd like to put my tailor in here.

He never gets my cuffs right.

They're so creasy.

- We built this place secretly with your father

to hold a very special prisoner.

She's a powerful firebender named p'li

who can create explosions with her mind.

Ironically, I hired a guy with a similar ability

to kill the avatar myself once.

Didn't work.

- Don't feel bad.

I tried to kill korra after she ruined my wedding.

It happens.

- Let's just focus on keeping this woman in prison.

- The intense cold prevents her from firebending.

- There's certainly no way anyone's breaking out of here.

- That's what we thought about the other three prisons.

P'li:

Must be something exciting going on.

No one interesting has visited me in 13 years.

- Don't get used to it.

- He's out, isn't he?

Mmm, I'm feeling warmer already.

- This is so great. - We've never had a family before.

Now we've got... 1, 2, 5, 11...

A big family! Yeah!

- So why did dad leave ba sing se?

- Oh, he always had big dreams.

He couldn't wait to get out and see the world.

Your grandfather thought it was ridiculous.

He wanted San to stay home and work the fruit stand,

but San was determined to leave,

and they had a huge fight.

And that was the last time they ever spoke.

Oh, um, sorry, mom.

- Come with me.

I have something to show you.

This is the only letter we ever got from San.

It says he married a beautiful girl

from the fire nation and had two wonderful sons.

He sent this picture of you all on his birthday.

- Look, mako. - Dad's wearing your scarf.

- I'm so sad that I never got to meet your mother,

but you have her eyes.

I know from looking at you two that she must have been

a wonderful bride for my boy.

- I'm sure they would want you to have this.

- Your majesty, the avatar has returned with the tax payments.

- Finally. - Secure it in the vault.

- It's being done as we speak.

- So now, your majesty, if I could start meeting

some of the airbenders here in the city.

- The dai li thoroughly searched the city,

but it seems your reports were incorrect.

There are no airbenders in ba sing se.

So you can gather your little band

and be on your way tomorrow.

- You make me do your dirty work

extorting your own citizens

for your stupid palaces and topiaries,

and then you just want to send me away?

We're not going anywhere until we find some airbenders!

We know there are some here!

- Get her out of my sight!

This isn't over!

I'm going to find the airbenders!

- You know, San would have been so proud of you guys.

Traveling the world with the avatar,

he would have loved that.

- We actually need to get back to the avatar in the upper ring.

- We're supposed to be helping her find airbenders

in ba sing se.

- What? What happened?

- One of our neighbors started airbending about a week ago.

A couple days later, two dai li agents

come out of nowhere and snatch him up.

No one's seen him since.

- They say the earth queen's locking all the airbenders up somewhere

and using them for experiments.

- Tu! Don't talk like that about her majesty.

Long may she reign.

- We have to get back to the upper ring and tell korra.

- I hope Kai is okay.

- Here sir, let me help you.

Hey! What's going on?

I didn't do anything! I'm with the avatar!

- Welcome to her maj esty's army,

first airbending regiment.

From now on, you live to fight for the earth queen.