Episode 9 – Moment of Truth

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kahn asked the next day after hearing Spin's side of the story, "After all, you were taken from our agency and pushed around by vagabonds for three days. I am willing to extend your training if you just say the word."

"I already told you, I'm fine," Spin said, waving his hand in confidence, "The guys you keep callin' imitators just wanna speed up my trainin' since things have been so hectic over the past few days. And you saw how I bust my moves when ya set up that mock test with the crazy taxi driver," he adds by pulling off a dazzling spin of his body, ending with a cocky shrug, "I think I'm ready for the real deal!"

Kahn sighs in hesitation, "Alright then. Go back to your quarters and get prepared. We'll call you when we're ready to start the test."

"Cool, man!" Spin said as he turns and heads out of the command room. Kahn watches the door slide shut before resting his lips on his folded hands.

"Maybe I am thinking to little of illogical things..." he mutters to himself before placing his chin on his folded hands, "Well...only way to know for sure is to watch and see what happens."


J walks into Spin's quarters, finding him laying on his bed, one foot resting on his knee as it swung to the beat of the song in his headphones.

"You sure are excited about this test, aren't you?" he asked, leaning against the wall.

"Sure am, dawg!" Spin laughs, "I didn't think it at first, but perhaps getting clobbered by planks actually did some good with my reflexes."

"Planks?" J asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Haji didn't tell ya, did he?" Spin asked, sitting up and pointing to the gaku-ran uniform he had been wearing since the first day of his "low-tech" training, "Well, let's just say I wasn't given this uniform 'cause they was tryin' to turn me into an Ouendan."

"I knew they were using some kind of low-cost items to simulate distractions. But I didn't think it was something that cheap."

"Hey, cheap or not, it helped me figure out how I can incorporate my suave dance moves into avoidin' anythin' that comes flyin' at me. I'm tellin' ya, man, I'm gonna be the Agent who'll burn up the competition!" he brought one knee up and leans against it, "By the way, who's this Jono-guy I heard about yesterday?"

J laughed a bit as he scratched his head, "Uh...yeah, that would be me. My parents wanted to name me something that didn't sound generic or unoriginal. Unfortunately, they were obsessed with a particular manga and decided to name me after one of the characters. Everyone tried to pronounce my name, but got fed up and just called me by my first initial." He then crosses his arms, "Caught me by surprise when Hajime chose to called me by my full name, so I didn't stop him from continuing."

Spin cocks his head to one side in bewilderment before another thought jumped into his mind, making him worried, "Oh yeah, I heard Starr had been raisin' hell since I went AWOL. Do you think I should go visit her and cheer her up some?"

J's cocky expression also darkens in remorse, "Maybe when you pass the test. Seeing her now before you even start it would only push her into more dilemmas if you wind up failing and have to spend another week on improvements."

"It's just...I expect she come runnin' towards me, either in hysterics or with questions on how I'm feelin'. But she hasn't even left her room since that day."

"You gotta remember, she hasn't slept in almost two days, so the whole thing is a total meltdown for her. But for the most part, I think her lambasting the Ouendan was a cover up to keep from blaming herself for stripping three days off your training regimen when she talked you into taking her and the other Divas to Japan. And I think the fact she hasn't come to see you since that moment is also another fear factor in that you might blame her for the onslaught."

Spin sighs a bit as he lays back down and places his hands behind his head, "Sometimes I wonder if I should've just asked them Divas to help me with my trainin' instead of givin' into their pleas and volunteerin' to drive them to Japan. Save both our organizations from any pressure."

J furrowed his eyebrows in sympathy, "Well, let's be honest. If you hadn't gone to Japan and encountered the Ouendan, I believe your chances of becoming an Agent would've been a lot lower since most of us'll be too busy with missions to try and help you. As I've already told Hajime, we just gotta know how to find help when needed."

"I just wish there was someway we can get the Commander to open up to them. I mean, three years spent tryin' to gain his trust, and he turns around 'n does more than shove it in their face?"

"You know the Commander. He prefers to listen to common sense rather than think outside the box like Twist and Twirl does." J shrugs, "To be honest, when I first joined, I thought the ability to see who is where is some crazy hoax they made up to hide some secret device they don't want anyone to know about. But when they disappeared six months ago, I began thinking about the whole spirit thing, decided to give it a shot and started my meditation sessions."

He crosses his arms, "For a month I wasn't able to see or feel anything, mostly because the three hours that I spent in meditation weren't as long as Twist had pointed out. Then one day, just when I was about to turn belief into fact, I accidentally bumped into someone. And just like that," he snaps his fingers, "for a split second I was able to feel and see that person's spirit. I was so excited that it actually worked, I continued the sessions every morning before I tend to my dogs and duties."

"I wonder if the Commander actually tried meditating, then got fed up when he couldn't even touch someone's spirits," Spin ponders.

"Who knows? What's fact is that he called the ability blasphemy and thought anyone who pours as much faith into it as he does that Em-O-Meter is in need of a serious head check." J the pushes off the wall, "Anyway, let's forget about hardships for now. Me 'n the guys got a little surprise for you. Call it our way of makin' you one with the gang." Spin sits up again as he points to the closet near the window, "Go take a look. I'm sure you'll like it."

Spin cocks his head to one side before hoping off the bed and heading over to the closet. Upon gazing into the interior, his mouth drops in shock.

"No way!" he shouts, pulling out a black suit identical to that of the Agents, "This really for me!"

"Yep. Not that I mind the Japanese school uniform they gave you, but I think it's better than having to dance in baggy pants and trench coats."

"Sweet man!" Spin laughs excitedly as he throws the gaku-ran uniform off and puts the suit on, examining himself in the full length mirror. He whistles as he strikes a pose, "I look hot, man!"

"Whoa! Not too much or you'll turn on the sprinklers!" J laughs as he brings his hands up in defense.


An hour later, J and Spin wandered the halls, talking amongst themselves when they noticed a 27-year-old man with brown, wavy, shoulder-long hair, walk towards them, wearing, what appears to be, a 15th century outfit complete with a green beret. He stops and smiles upon seeing the two appear in his line of sight.

"Ah, you must be the new kid on the block," the man said in a thick, Italian accent. He then takes Spin's hand and shakes it in formal greeting, "My name is Leo, ref of the Renaissance Kitchen downstairs."

"Ref?" Spin mutters in curiosity, "You mean like 'Iron Chef' ref?"

"But of course. You see, of the cuisines in existence, most of us seem to favor Asian and French food. The only problem is, the chefs they hired aren't getting along too well, so I was hired to keep them inline incase they try to kill each other before a dance-off can be declared."

"Ah, food and entertainment! Now that's the kind of thing that gets me even more excited about this job!" Spin laughs enthusiastically, "So, what'cha doin' down here?"

Leo cocks his head to one side, "Didn't you notice? I am playing a helpless character whom you have to encourage through the skills taught to you over the course of the past six days. It would be impossible to prove your worth if you were to perform to a mere hologram."

"Ah...that makes sense then," Spin said, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, I must be going. I want to be prepared for when I hear and see your beautiful performance." Leo bows gracefully before moving onward. Spin watches him go before blinking and looking over to J.

"Hey! If he's supposed to be my test, who's controllin' the kitchen!" he asked in shock.

"Oh, don't worry about that," J said with a wave of his hand, "We planned to draw straws, but because the coffees running late...again...we opted for something better."


"Why do you always have to make the coffee last?" Jean, the tall, thin, French chef with spiky, blonde hair, grumbled as he steadily chopped vegetables.

"Me!" Lau Pai Pai, the portly, short, Asian chef in a red, Chinese-style robe, hat and long pigtails, grumbled as he slowly stirred a pot of soup, "It was you who suggested we skip the coffee for later and focus on more 'important' factors!"

"And why would you listen to me when you don't even appreciate my cooking!" Jean yells, bending over to Lau's area only to have him practically shove his face into his.

"Because the last time I didn't, you started whining like a bossy little five-year-old until Leo told me to stop complaining and do what you suggested!" Lau screamed. The two turn to face each other, red in the face and growling before an even louder growl got their attention. They flinch and look towards Chieftain sitting on the throne in the center of the kitchen, glaring at them with his arms crossed while shaking in frustration. Panicked, the two scramble back to their designated spots and continue cooking.


"Do you really think it's a good idea taking advantage of Chief's caffeine withdrawal and makin' him baby-sit the two?" Spin asked after J explained the situation.

"As long as he gets his Joe, he doesn't care," J laughs, "And besides, once he gets it, he all but forgets the moment and goes back to his usual self."

A voice soon booms overhead, "Agent Spin. Please report to the Command Room for briefing on your test." The two look at each other.

"Well, this is it," J said, "The moment of truth." He lightly slugs Spin on the shoulder, "Knock 'em dead, kid." Spin nods as he turns and heads off towards the Command Room.


In 15th century Florence, Leo sits in the midst of a female crowd, happily drawing caricatures of those who ask for one. He smiles handsomely as he hands down a painting to one of the girls in waiting.

"A little sketch for you," he says dashingly. More women began to crowd around Leo, begging him to draw more pictures, but he waves to them calmly, "Sorry, but I must be on my way."

He walks through the streets of Florence a few minutes before stopping, throwing the pictures he drew to the ground in a dramatic, yet agonizing motion.

"No! It's not it!" he cries, "ART! What is it!" he then runs through the streets crying in angst, "The true beauty! What is it!"

He soon stops upon seeing a woman of Mona Lisa proportions cross his line of sight. Upon gazing at her expressionless demeanor, his heart races as though it were jacked up on adrenaline.

"V...V...V...VOLCANO!" he calls out, swaying in a dazzling motion. He glides up to the woman and grabs her shoulder, "Signorina!" the woman merely turns around to see him hold up a bouquet of roses, "You are the work of art I seek!"

Driven by passion, Leo starts drawing fountains of sketches portraying the woman, "So beautiful! You must come with me!"

The woman meagerly turns around, "No."

At this, Leo comes to a screeching halt, staring at her in shock, "Huh?" as the woman walks off, Leo starts to follow her, drawing up another portrait, "I'm sorry, I no hear you!", more pictures start to fly off his pad, "My imagination! Its magnifico!" he starts showing off some of his "recent" work, "Love is an art for you!"

The woman started to get aggravated by Leo's constant, yet unintentional, harassment.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" She shouts, clocking Leo in the jaw with enough force to send him flying into a nearby pond. Leo watches in stunned horror as she continues on her way in a huff.

"I-I've never been struck so in my life...!" he squeaks in overwhelming horrification. Shaking in angst, he does the logical and rears his head back, screaming at the top of his lungs.

HEEEEAAAALLLLP!


"A little overdramatic, don'cha think?" Spin asked, trying not to look disgusted by what he saw on the monitor overhead. Morris and Derek sighed and shook their heads, more at Leo's acting than Spin's question.

Kahn calmly clears his throat and turns to Spin, "In order for you to be an Agent, you must not think harshly on these situations." He then lowered his voice, "Though he could've dropped the whole dramatic sob sequence..." he clears his throat again, "In any case. You will be helping Leo try to win the affection of the girl in his dreams, if you can manage to encourage him to keep up his struggle, you will prove your worth as EBA's newest Agent."

"Cool, man! Then let's get goin'!"

"That's the spirit, son!" Kahn said as he shoots up, bringing his arm around him, "Agents are..." Once he was on his feet, he thrusts his fingers to the door, "GO!"

I was born to love you

Every single day...

Leo sways through the streets of Florence, reflecting on what had just happened a moment ago until he hears the rapid sound of clopping in the distance, followed shortly by Queen's "I was Born to Love You" filling the air. Beaming with anticipation, he turns around to see a stagecoach being pulled by a white horse. Spin sat at the helm, controlling the horse's movements while Morris and Derek sat in the back.

"Agents! You have arrived!" he calls out as the Agents disembark from the stagecoach and land before him.

"Arrived and ready for action!" Spin shouts, holding up a mock license showing the usual photo and badge. This time, his BA-rank had a 5 next to it instead of the higher numbers, indicating his status as rookie.

Leo beams with excitement as he runs off to find the woman he had the hots for, eventually seeing her standing in front of a poster to a 15th century version of a concert. Unfortunately, there was a "sold out" sign slapped onto the picture.

"Sold out..." she mutters in disappointment, though her face barely shows it. Leo listened into her dilemma and turns to the Agents, raising his fist in determination.

"I MUST MAKE LOVE TO HER!" he declares dramatically marching off towards his home. The Agents tried to hide their annoyed expression.

"Well..." Spin said, nearly choking on his laugh, "You hop on it and we'll hop to it!"

You are the one for me;

I am the man for you.

You were made for me;

You're my ecstasy.

If I was given every opportunity,

I'd kill for your love.

Leo plops himself in front of his easel and slaps a blank, ticket-like piece of paper in the center of a hardwood canvas. He gets to work trying to draw a replica of the tickets to the concert the woman he loves wants to get into, but momentarily gets distracted by his fantasies, winding up drawing another random picture of her.

He suddenly snaps back to attention seconds later, finding his disaster written before him, panics and throws the ruined replica out. Slapping his cheeks several times, he grabs another ticket replica and tapes it to the canvas, keeping his focus on memorizing the design of the tickets and then painting them.

Three seconds into his drawing, he gets caught up in his fantasies again, but with the inspirational music Spin and the two back-ups were providing him, Leo vigorously starts slapping more paint and visualizations onto the tickets he's making.

So take a chance with me;

Let me romance with you.

I'm caught in a dream

And my dream's come true.

So hard to believe

This is happening to me -

Leo immediately rushes back to the woman, finding her still staring at the poster in unexposed hopelessness. Brimming with anticipation, he drops to a kneeling position and presents the tickets he duplicated.

"I have the tickets right here!" he said, grabbing the woman's attention as she turns to look at him. Throwing his arm around her shoulders, he pulls her to the ticket holder and hands them over to him, "For two!"

The holder looks the tickets over, barely finding anything that suggests it's been forged, tears the stubs off and allows the two to proceed to the concert where the music inside flows like a raging, yet warm, fire.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening!" the woman cheers, flapping her arms in enthusiasm despite her lack of expression.

"SI!" Leo shouts, throwing a thumbs-up in excitement.

The couple wander through the park after the concern. The woman eventually notices some birds flying over a beautiful lake.

"I want to fly," she sighs in depression. Seizing the opportunity to win another portion of her heart, Leo rushes over to her, throwing his hand on her shoulders again.

"Your wish, it is my command!" he declares again.

An amazing feeling

Coming through!

I was born to love you

With every single beat of my heart.

I was born to take care of you, honey,

Every single day of my life.

Leo returns home again to brainstorm his flying machine. He mutters as he tries to come up with some parts to help keep it airborne and maneuver without problems. Several times, he banged his head on the desk in frustration over how to make the device work, but quickly recovers as more thoughts sunk in. Not wanting to let these thoughts escape him again, he speeds up his blueprints, scribbling like crazy and nearly spilling ink everywhere.

I wanna love you...

I love every little thing about you.

I wanna love you, love you, love you...

"Come," Leo said as he returns to the park where the woman continues to stand presenting a vehicle that looks like a chair strapped to a giant, spiraling piece of paper, "Feel the wind with me!"

Expressionlessly interested, she seats herself on the vehicle as Leo jumps on a second later, grabbing the lever, "Ok...?" he then jerks the lever back, "Let's go!"

The vehicle jostles before taking off, flying around various parts of Florence. The woman catches sight of the Tower of Pisa seconds later.

"Oh! It is the Tower of Pisa!" she calls out throwing a fist up in excitement, "So exhilarating!"

"SI!" Leo shouts again. Once the experience had ended, Leo was about to express his affection to her when a pack of bulls came charging at the two in a raging rampage.

"BULLS!" she screams, scrambling away. Leo panics, but takes up a brave demeanor as he grabs his palette and brush while rushing to the scene.

"WORRY NOT, MIAMORE!" he shouts.

Born - to love you!

Born - to love you!

Yes, I was born to love you...

Slapping an easel at one corner of the street, Leo tries to come up with a solution to the problem. The sight of his love in danger, however, was giving him more dreading aftermaths than ideas as he repeatedly thrashes his head around, screaming in frustration.

Spin tries to keep up with his performance, but the tremor of the streets caused by the rampaging bull was giving more leg cramps than help. Mentally frustrated, he tries to figure out how he was going to get past this obstacle without making the solution worse. He then remembers what the Ouendan had trained him on and tries hard to associate the experience with the situation beforehand.

Using different maneuvers than the one he came up with the last time he danced to the song, he managed to forgo the feeling of the earth-shaking surface and continue his performance.

The invigorating sensation flows into Leo's heart as he goes from screaming in frustration to madly swinging his paintbrush around the hardwood canvas of his portrait.

Born - to love you!

Born - to love you!

Every single day... day of my life...

Leo throws a drape over the painting and rushes it to the far corner of the street, waiting until the bulls were in range. Then in a dazzling maneuver, grabs the cloth and yanks it off the portrait, portraying a picture of a cute bull standing on an open seashell.

Mesmerized, the bulls change direction and rushed to the picture just as the woman had tripped over her own dress and fallen flat on her side. Leo dodges out of the way, allowing them to smash it to pieces while continuing on a different path away from their original target. He then rushes over and scoops the woman up.

"You are unharmed, my dear?" he asked.

"Thank you, Seniore Matador," the woman replied in a bit of a breathless, but lively tone. Leo helps her to her feet as he winks in confidence.

"Now," he says, "Let us walk our special passage."

An amazing feeling

Coming through!

Grabbing his paintbrush with one hand and the woman in the other, Leo starts charging down the streets, vigorously painting various pictures of the two. Unfortunately, the sudden take off and the weight of the woman wore him out in less than a second, forcing him to stop and catch his breath as she glares at him in frustration over the unneeded apprehension. He laughs nervously before placing his arm back around her and continuing their "special passage" at a moderate pace.

I was born to love you

With every single beat of my heart.

Yeah, I was born to take care of you

Every single day of my life.

Yeah, I was born to love you

Every, every single day of my life.

"Now then, Signorina," Leo says after spreading his love throughout the entire three miles of the wall, "Show me your best smile."

Sighing a bit before chuckling, the woman finally cracks a smile on her once expressionless face, "OK, OK, you win Leo!"

"VALCANO!" Leo shouts as he throws an enthused thumbs-up. Spin saw the background practically change to a volcano that had just exploded. He looks at Morris and Derek who sigh and place their hands over their foreheads, shaking it in embarrassment.

The simulator speeds up to a month later, as Leo brings the woman to his masterpiece, covered by his long smock.

"I have made a most magnifico picture," he began, walking over and pulling the smock off, "Behold your beauty, my signorina!"

Once removed, the portrait displays the wondrous caricature of the woman, Mona Lisa, in all its smiling glory.

"Thank you for a wonderful picture," the woman said, embracing Leo in a heartwarming manner.

"VALCANO!" Leo shouts again, the volcano background once again replacing the scene while exploding. Again, Morris and Derek shook their heads in embarrassment as Spin just stares at the stuff before him, then looks at the Mona Lisa painting, almost swearing he saw it wink at him.

I dunno which is more insane, he thinks to himself, The Commander or this test...


Kahn watches from the Command Room as the scene changes to Leo and his new bride flying off in their ancient vehicle, wearing a wedding gown and suit. The people of Florence cheer for the two as they toss flowers and confetti at their passing form.

"Well, Twist and Twirl," Kahn mutters as he chuckles, "It seems we have ourselves another addition from your family tree." He sighs in relief as he looks at Spin, Morris and Derek watching the wedding from a distance.

"No doubt about that," J said from behind Kahn's desk. He plants his hands on his side, "I believe with him onboard, we're going to have a lot of fun."

"No disagreein' there, Agent J."

From the background of the command room, Starr could barely be seen, staring at the monitor in a mixture of content and relief. Not feeling up to joining the conversation between Kahn and J, she pushes off the wall and heads out of the room, trying not to grab their attention as the doors slide open quietly to allow her exit.

End Notes:

From a personal point of view, I believed that the whole dancing to a jazzed up version of 15th century Florance would've been better understood as a simulative test for Spin to pass than having to explain how the Agents wound up in the past, playing modern day music to someone who may not have known what an eletric guitar is or sounds like.