I took a flier with Amon's face and wiped some dog shit off my shoe. Why waste a perfectly good wet wipe from my inventory when the fliers were free. Some normies gave me odd looks as I cleaned my shoe and tossed the used fliers back on the ground. More fliers continued to fall, covering the shit-covered fliers up. I stared up at the zeppelin flying overhead and dumping fliers.

In contrast, two cars covered in fliers crashed into each other. The drivers flew through the windshields because cars in the 1920s didn't have safety belts. I watched them crash in slow motion and thought about saving them. Instead, the orange glare of dawn reflected across the fliers in front of pink-tinged clouds. I let the world slow down until 5 minutes would feel like hours.

The concrete beneath my feet cracked and cratered as I walked across it. With a delicate touch, I caught the first driver, directed his momentum away from the other car, and then did the same with the other. The momentum continued to carry them to their inevitable doom as the force from shooting through the windshield headfirst was taking effect. Once they were away from another direct impact, I slowed them down a little at a time. I yanked out the back seats of their vehicles and set them down for the injured drivers to fall on. My awareness of time-shifted on the fly as I let time pass more quickly and eased their falls. 

I let my awareness of time settle back to the point where I could interact with ordinary people. That's when the screaming started. My temples throbbed at the sound as I walked over to a local payphone. The man inside was talking to his girlfriend, so I yanked him out.

"Hey, buddy, what gives." I pointed to the crash as the screaming hit him.

"Sorry, there has been a crash. I need this phone." I said.

"Who is that? I don't care if the city is going down; don't hang up on me." I hung up the phone and looked over at the man.

"What's your emergency?"

"There's been an accident on Boomi Street; send an ambulance; two cars crashed into each other," I said.

"A dispatch is on its way." The operator said.

I tossed the phone back to the man and left the booth.

Metal benders shot down from rooftops and arrived at the scene. One of the people with a flier in their hands rushed to the police.

"Sure, you come here when rich benders are hurt, but when my sister was raped by a fire bender, you didn't lift a finger." The metal bender's eyes widened at the proclamation and froze when the man moved to punch him.

I had already taken interfered once in this situation; I might as well see it through to the end. The man's hand stopped in my hand.

"Friend, I know you're hurting, but this guy isn't the rapist. He's a teen trying to do his job, a little guy just like you under that metal. Go find a place to sit down, cool off, and let these good officers help these unfortunate men." I squeezed the man's hand a little to prove my point. He looked me up and down before pulling away, but I didn't let him go. 

"Dirty bender sympathizer, you'll never be one of them no matter how much you lick their boots."  The man said.

"I hope you have a great day, sir," I said and released him.

"Do you need a statement, officer?" I asked.

The boy, barely older than Korra, dressed in imposing metal armor, sighed. "Yes, if you're a witness, I would like a statement. No crimes have been committed as far as I can see except for dumping fliers on a busy road. But, unfortunately, those perpetrators are long gone." I nodded.

"There isn't much to say; the fliers covered their windshields, the drivers panicked and hit each other. Cars are dangerous, and we're lucky they didn't swerve into the crowd." I said.

"I thank you for your testimony and assisting me with that irate citizen. Unfortunately, we don't have enough numbers to be everywhere; it's a big city. There are only so many earth benders trained in metal bending."  The man said.

"Yea, well, it is what it is. I'm going to Air Temple Island; Tenzin promised I can watch the Avatar train if I arrive on time." I said.

"Then I'll see you around citizen, and thank you again for your testimony. Most none benders are fearful of us, and I understand we can appear intimidating." I nodded and turned to leave.

Once I was out of his sight, I ramped up the speed heading towards Air Bending Island. There was a trick to running on water. Acceleration and large feet helped but a running start helped. Jumping was also an option, but I might damage the island and land on someone. So, I picked up speed and left a footprint on the pavement. Green qi gathered around me in an aura as time seemed to freeze around me.

This was the power of someone with a PL of 1000, and while it was a meaningless, arbitrary number, for the most part, it was a big number. With barely 30% of it, 5 minutes can seem like 48 hours. At 100%, buildings are cardboard, birds are frozen in the sky, and 5 minutes is well over a week.

I hit the water, ramped up my output to a slightly higher percentage, and crossed the distance. When I stepped onto the dock, I felt refreshed. A morning run was just what I needed after the earlier grizzly encounter. Naga was the first to greet me with a lick to the face. I laughed and rubbed the polar bear dog's head; being in Korra's good graces helped.

"Hey, who are you? Did dad invite you? Naga likes you are you Korra's boyfriend. You're bald like dad. Are you also an air bender. Is that why you're here to train with Korra?" a little black-haired girl asked.

"Yes, your dad did invite me to watch Korra train; we did go on a date; no, I'm not an air bender, and maybe just because I can't use a skill right now doesn't mean I can't find some use for it later. So, where is your father I should announce myself?"  I said.

"Alright, follow; my name is Ikki; what's yours."

"Red like the color. So how has Korra settled in so far?" I asked her.

"Who are you? What are you doing with my daughter?" A very pregnant woman asked.

"Hey, I'm a friend of Korra's; your Tenzin invited me to watch her training if I could make it to the island," I said.

The woman took my words in and calmed down a little. "I think my husband was having a go at you. Ships aren't allowed to come here without docking permission. How did you get past the patrol ships?" The woman asked.

"I can run on top of the water, and I'm very fast. So they either couldn't detect me or were too slow to react."

Ikki's eyes brightened. "You're a water bender like Gan-Gran."

"I'm not a bender. I run so fast that the water's surface feels solid to me." One moment I was at Ikki's left, and the next, I was at her right. An afterimage of myself remained for half a second."

"How high can you jump? Can you jump over the tower and carry me when you do it?" Ikki asked.

"Maybe another time, I still need to announce myself to your father and catch up with Korra. If you want later, I can take you on a small run on the water." I met the woman's eyes. "With your mother watching the whole time, of course. I can run just slow enough for you to enjoy it." I said.

"Then follow me they are still having breakfast."