Future Industries Fire Ferrets


 * This article is about the pro-bending team. You may be looking for the animal, fire ferret.

The Fire Ferrets are a pro-bending team consisting of Mako, the team's captain and the firebender of the group, Bolin, his earthbending brother, and Avatar Korra, the team's waterbender and newest member. Together they compete in the pro-bending tournament in the hopes of winning the championship prize money.

History
When Korra came to Republic City and took residence on Air Temple Island, she realized her childhood dream of watching a pro-bending match for herself was within reach. Tenzin forbade her from leaving the island, and subsequently from seeing a bending match, when he stated that the sport was "a mockery of the noble tradition of bending". However, Korra quietly snuck out one night and swam across the bay to watch a match anyway.

While Korra was exploring the Bending Arena, she was caught by Toza. Bolin, who was passing by on his way to the match, bailed her out of the situation. By the earthbender's invitation, she watched the match from one of the best seats in the arena. Right before the match started, Bolin introduced Korra to his brother, Mako. His reputation as a top-notch player preceded him, as Korra had heard him play on the radio and was eager to meet him. Mako, on the other hand, completely ignored Korra and headed out into the arena.

In the semi-finals of the preliminary rounds before the official pro-bending tournament, the Fire Ferrets needed to compete against the Golden Temple Tigerdillos, their toughest competitor thus far. The Fire Ferrets were described as a rookie team that had made it further than anyone expected that season. With some trouble, the team managed to win the match with a knockout and proceeded to the finals the next day. However, Mako and Hasook, who was then the team's waterbender, had an exchange of words after the match; Mako accused him of doing more harm than good, nearly costing them the match, a statement Hasook didn't take well.

When the final match was about to start against the Platypus Bears, Hasook didn't show up, nearly causing the team to be disqualified. Korra volunteered at the last moment to take his place as the team's waterbender; thus the Avatar entered the pro-bending arena for the first time as a member of the Fire Ferrets. Being the "green" player of the group, Korra found herself to be the target of the opposing team and cost the Fire Ferrets the first two rounds. However, finally getting the hang of the game's pace, Korra managed to turn things around in the third round and tire out the Platypus Bears by dodging all their attacks using spiral movements, typical to airbending, allowing her own teammates to strike back with full force. The Fire Ferrets won the match with a knockout, securing their spot in the pro-bending tournament.

During an early training session, the team was visited by Butakha, who came to hand over the winnings of the last match to Mako. However, he immediately confiscated the money again as payment for equipment, rent, and loans. He also came to collect thirty-thousand yuans from the players as entry for the championship pot. However, since the team didn't have the money, he gave them a few days to collect it, or they would be out of the tournament. The Fire Ferrets were eventually sponsored by Hiroshi Sato, provided they wore the Future Industries logo on their uniforms.

In the first match of the tournament, the team quickly came out firing, and defeated the Red Sands Rabbiroos in all three rounds with relative ease.

The team's second match against the Boarcupines did not go over as well. They were defeated soundly in the first round, though in the second round, Bolin's durability led them to victory, though it was clear that the team was not in rhythm. After a third-round tie, Bolin faced Chang in a sudden-death tiebreaker. Bolin wound up winning the round, giving the team the victory.

However, a romantic rivalry between the team started to divide them, after Korra kissed Mako, following Bolin expressing interest in the former, and the team fell horribly out of sync, losing the first two rounds of their semifinal match against the Buzzard Wasps by a convincing margin. Mako had inadvertently hurt Bolin during the fight, and Korra committed an unnecessary roughness foul. She then waterbent at the official, and earned herself a yellow fan.

In round three, Mako was knocked out early, and Bolin had his shoulder injured, leaving Korra to fight alone. As the brothers made their way out of the water, they apologized to one another for allowing their division over Korra to happen. As they made their way up, Korra warded off the Buzzard Wasps as long as she could. She then unleashed a devastating waterbending attack, scoring an improbable hat trick and advancing the team to the championship.

The team then settled their differences, showing a new form of unity as they prepared for what was clearly going to be a challenging championship match against the Wolfbats.

Mako
The team's firebender and captain, Mako, has brought his team back from defeat many a time. His trademark "cool under fire" style combined with his power and agility make him a tough competitor. He's very focused and determined to bring his team all the way to the final of the pro-bending tournament, where he hopes to win the prize money.

Bolin
Being light on his toes and strong, he proves himself to be a worthy competitor who can hold his own.

Korra
Korra joined the Fire Ferrets during the finale of the preliminary round for the pro-bending tournament when Hasook didn't show up and the team was facing disqualification. After a rough start, she finally got the hang of the game's pace and proved herself to be a worthy replacement for the waterbender. After they won the finale, Korra permanently joined the team to compete in the tournament.

Hasook
Hasook was the team's waterbender before he was replaced by Korra. Together with Mako and Bolin, he had managed to bring the Fire Ferrets to the semi-finals, where they faced the Golden Temple Tigerdillos. During this match, he was always the first target of the Tigerdillos and was pushed back easily. After losing the first round, Hasook was chided by Mako to get his act together. Even though the Fire Ferrets managed to win the second round, Hasook nearly lost the match for the team when he stumbled around in the third round, causing Bolin to be knocked out of the ring with him. Mako eventually managed to win the match, but afterwards he blamed Hasook for his team's near-defeat. Following their disagreement, Hasook didn't show up for the finale, nearly causing the team to be disqualified.

Trivia

 * One of the Fire Ferrets' training methods consists of throwing a ball to each other without dropping it.
 * Since the Fire Ferrets are a rookie team, they get the worst time spots in the gym to train, namely early in the morning.