Much to his surprise, the Avatar chased him down and wrecked his carriage with an air blast. He amusedly announced that Republic City belonged to him and promised to one day return to claim it, before throwing Aang violently on the ground and making his escape via an ostrich horse-drawn carriage. Though Aang was able to withstand Yakone's hold the longest, the crime lord levitated him in the air effortlessly and laughed at his helplessness.

He subdued all the people in the room, and used his bending to force Toph to unlock his handcuffs. Toph attempted to halt him with a metal cable, though he quickly overpowered her. However, Yakone stood up, grinning, and responded by bloodbending Sokka and the other Council members. Yakone had his bending removed by Avatar Aang. For this reason, the bloodbender was considered guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. Before announcing the Council's final verdict, Councilman Sokka stated the evidence was enough to convince the Council that Yakone was a 'unique bender' and had used his ability to commit the crimes of which he had been accused. As witnesses had claimed, Yakone had performed the feat 'at every other time except during a full moon', making the crime seemingly impossible to commit and their testimony to be suspect. Yakone was later taken to City Hall to be judged before the United Republic Council, where he was defended by a lawyer who appealed to the impossibility of bloodbending without a full moon. The criminal proudly claimed he would beat this charge as he had done with the previous ones. Chief Toph Beifong, accompanied by some metalbending officers and Avatar Aang, arrested him while he was eating at Kwong's Cuisine. In 128 AG, Yakone was accused of bloodbending after the testimony of several witnesses. Although he had a history of arrests, he always managed to get acquitted of all charges. He used this ability to become the head of his own criminal empire in Republic City. Prior to 128 AG, Yakone found a way to bloodbend without a full moon or even hand movements.

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