The date was June 11, 2002.
The place was the Seoul Sangam World Cup Stadium.
The crowd was a strange mixture of opposite forms of entertainment.
One side represented the short-skirted bubbly teeny–boppers. The wanted Athena Asamiya.
The other represented the gothic–loving groupies. They wanted Richenbacher (actually, just Iori Yagami).
Niether side wanted to hear the other's performing idol.
It was a day that neither Jhun Hoon nor Sie Kensou would ever forget.
Ralf Jones wanted to forget it all.
"Christ, why are we stationed at this god-forsaken rice-bowl?" a frustrated Ralf spouted to the sky.
"We're here for duty, sir." A cold–eyed blue haired girl replied to her comrade. At an instant Ralf softened his tone (but considering it's Ralf, not by much) to answer the woman.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, Leona. But why are we hanging around the souvenir stand? Shouldn't us tough-mercenary types be hidin' out somewhere, oh, I don't know, more inconspicuous??" Ralf motioned toward the numerous Iori/Athena fans walking by or staring at the three strange militaristically–dressed "fans" standing around the stand.
"Calm, down, Ralf!" Clark Steel chimed in. "We're here from our original position because Leona said she wanted to look around! And YOU were the one who agreed to come along!"
"Well. . . .I. . . .yeah. Sorry, Leona."
"It's no bother." Said Leona in reply, devoid of emotion as always. Ralf and Clark observed Leona as she perused the random assortment of Iori/Athena merchandise on display at the souvenir stand. The two mercenaries noticed on how their Commander's adopted daughter focused mainly on the various forms of propaganda featuring Iori Yagami
"Iori, you and I are linked by the same bloodline. . . .and yet even though our tainted blood has been cleansed since the Orochi incident five years ago, I still feel this connection . . . .is it love. . . .or maybe sympathy? . . . . Maybe it's–OOH! How cute!!" Leona suddenly broke her train of thought to exclaim at an Iori plushie.
"Hey, I think she's found something," noted Clark to Ralf.
"Yeah, Leona sure is somethi– Huh? Oh! Yeah! Right!" Said a flustered Ralf to Clark in reply, proceeding to see Leona hold up the plushie to the cashier.
"How much?"
"That, my dear, would be 1500 yen."
"That's expensive. . ."
"Yeah, it was management's idea to raise the price. . .but the fans are willing to pay anyway! Those Iori plushies are going fast. . . .they're almost as popular as those Hide dolls from a while back––" Suddenly Leona interrupted mid sentence, sensing something was terribly wrong.
"Yen? Isn't this Korea?"
"Yeah, but with so many crazy Japanese fans around, management saw it fit to lay off the currency exchange for the time being. . . . so what's it gonna be, young lady?" Leona contemplated on the reasoning behind a lack of currency exchange. After a while, she concluded that no matter how odd the management's reasoning was, it didn't matter because she had no money to begin with. To rectify her problem, Leona put the plushie back and turned to face Ralf and Clark, still looking onward. Her expression was that of the infamous "sad puppy face".
"Claaaaaark. . . . . . .?" asked Leona in the best desperately cute sounding voice she could muster. Clark was obviously aghast at such a change in Leona's personality, his grim exterior failing him.
"Y-y-y-yes?" stammered an understandably confused Clark.
"Could you buy this adorable plushie for me? It's only 1500 yen. . . ."
"Yen? Something isn't right. . . ." thought Clark. "Gee, that's expensive, Leona. . . ."
"Plleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaassse?" Leona was getting the hang of this. Clark looked at Ralf, asking a silent plea for help, but Ralf amusingly shook his head. After a few more minutes of the evil puppy glare from Leona, Clark finally broke down.
"*Sigh*. Okay, Leona. Here you go." Clark was about to hand her his credit card when his comm. radio interrupted them.
"Ikari Team! Come in! What are you doing away from your original post? You're going to attract attention!" It was Commander Heidern! Clark immediately took the comm. radio out of its holster.
"Well. . . .you see, Commander. . ." Clark tried to calm the commander down. Leona knew better, so she quickly took the radio from Clark's hands to reply to her foster father personally.
"Sorry, father," said Leona, back to her usual cold tone. "It was my fault. We shall return to our original position as soon as possible." At the sound of his daughter Heidern softened in tone.
"All, right, Leona. Just make sure that it doesn't happen again. And next time, please make sure to address me as "sir", alright?
"Yes, sir. Leona Heidern, out." She gave the radio back to Clark, who in turn put it back into its holster.
"Thanks for saving us hell, Leona," Ralf said after the ordeal had passed.
". . . . . ." was Leona's answer.
"I see she's back to normal", whispered Clark to Ralf with a nudge.
"Yeah. Hard to believe what a plushie can do to such a cold woman. . ." Leona overheard the two gossiping to each other.
"Well, Commander Heidern wishes that we get back to our original position to continue our mission." She interrupted.
"Yes, ma'am," both men replied.
"Speaking of mission," Ralf spoke up, "Why are we assigned to oversee this concert? What's so unusual about a Rickenbacher/Athena Asamiya concert?"
"The mere fact that it's a Rickenbacher/Athena Asamiya concert makes it unusual, Ralf" replied Clark.
"Hm. I guess we'll have to wait and find out! Leona, what was our original position, again?"
"I believe it was the east dumpster."
"We have to wait beside a dumpster?"
"No. Inside it."
Ralf was not pleased at this statement.
"I hope we don't have to wait long before something interesting pops up!"
The place was the Seoul Sangam World Cup Stadium.
The crowd was a strange mixture of opposite forms of entertainment.
One side represented the short-skirted bubbly teeny–boppers. The wanted Athena Asamiya.
The other represented the gothic–loving groupies. They wanted Richenbacher (actually, just Iori Yagami).
Niether side wanted to hear the other's performing idol.
It was a day that neither Jhun Hoon nor Sie Kensou would ever forget.
Ralf Jones wanted to forget it all.
"Christ, why are we stationed at this god-forsaken rice-bowl?" a frustrated Ralf spouted to the sky.
"We're here for duty, sir." A cold–eyed blue haired girl replied to her comrade. At an instant Ralf softened his tone (but considering it's Ralf, not by much) to answer the woman.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, Leona. But why are we hanging around the souvenir stand? Shouldn't us tough-mercenary types be hidin' out somewhere, oh, I don't know, more inconspicuous??" Ralf motioned toward the numerous Iori/Athena fans walking by or staring at the three strange militaristically–dressed "fans" standing around the stand.
"Calm, down, Ralf!" Clark Steel chimed in. "We're here from our original position because Leona said she wanted to look around! And YOU were the one who agreed to come along!"
"Well. . . .I. . . .yeah. Sorry, Leona."
"It's no bother." Said Leona in reply, devoid of emotion as always. Ralf and Clark observed Leona as she perused the random assortment of Iori/Athena merchandise on display at the souvenir stand. The two mercenaries noticed on how their Commander's adopted daughter focused mainly on the various forms of propaganda featuring Iori Yagami
"Iori, you and I are linked by the same bloodline. . . .and yet even though our tainted blood has been cleansed since the Orochi incident five years ago, I still feel this connection . . . .is it love. . . .or maybe sympathy? . . . . Maybe it's–OOH! How cute!!" Leona suddenly broke her train of thought to exclaim at an Iori plushie.
"Hey, I think she's found something," noted Clark to Ralf.
"Yeah, Leona sure is somethi– Huh? Oh! Yeah! Right!" Said a flustered Ralf to Clark in reply, proceeding to see Leona hold up the plushie to the cashier.
"How much?"
"That, my dear, would be 1500 yen."
"That's expensive. . ."
"Yeah, it was management's idea to raise the price. . .but the fans are willing to pay anyway! Those Iori plushies are going fast. . . .they're almost as popular as those Hide dolls from a while back––" Suddenly Leona interrupted mid sentence, sensing something was terribly wrong.
"Yen? Isn't this Korea?"
"Yeah, but with so many crazy Japanese fans around, management saw it fit to lay off the currency exchange for the time being. . . . so what's it gonna be, young lady?" Leona contemplated on the reasoning behind a lack of currency exchange. After a while, she concluded that no matter how odd the management's reasoning was, it didn't matter because she had no money to begin with. To rectify her problem, Leona put the plushie back and turned to face Ralf and Clark, still looking onward. Her expression was that of the infamous "sad puppy face".
"Claaaaaark. . . . . . .?" asked Leona in the best desperately cute sounding voice she could muster. Clark was obviously aghast at such a change in Leona's personality, his grim exterior failing him.
"Y-y-y-yes?" stammered an understandably confused Clark.
"Could you buy this adorable plushie for me? It's only 1500 yen. . . ."
"Yen? Something isn't right. . . ." thought Clark. "Gee, that's expensive, Leona. . . ."
"Plleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaassse?" Leona was getting the hang of this. Clark looked at Ralf, asking a silent plea for help, but Ralf amusingly shook his head. After a few more minutes of the evil puppy glare from Leona, Clark finally broke down.
"*Sigh*. Okay, Leona. Here you go." Clark was about to hand her his credit card when his comm. radio interrupted them.
"Ikari Team! Come in! What are you doing away from your original post? You're going to attract attention!" It was Commander Heidern! Clark immediately took the comm. radio out of its holster.
"Well. . . .you see, Commander. . ." Clark tried to calm the commander down. Leona knew better, so she quickly took the radio from Clark's hands to reply to her foster father personally.
"Sorry, father," said Leona, back to her usual cold tone. "It was my fault. We shall return to our original position as soon as possible." At the sound of his daughter Heidern softened in tone.
"All, right, Leona. Just make sure that it doesn't happen again. And next time, please make sure to address me as "sir", alright?
"Yes, sir. Leona Heidern, out." She gave the radio back to Clark, who in turn put it back into its holster.
"Thanks for saving us hell, Leona," Ralf said after the ordeal had passed.
". . . . . ." was Leona's answer.
"I see she's back to normal", whispered Clark to Ralf with a nudge.
"Yeah. Hard to believe what a plushie can do to such a cold woman. . ." Leona overheard the two gossiping to each other.
"Well, Commander Heidern wishes that we get back to our original position to continue our mission." She interrupted.
"Yes, ma'am," both men replied.
"Speaking of mission," Ralf spoke up, "Why are we assigned to oversee this concert? What's so unusual about a Rickenbacher/Athena Asamiya concert?"
"The mere fact that it's a Rickenbacher/Athena Asamiya concert makes it unusual, Ralf" replied Clark.
"Hm. I guess we'll have to wait and find out! Leona, what was our original position, again?"
"I believe it was the east dumpster."
"We have to wait beside a dumpster?"
"No. Inside it."
Ralf was not pleased at this statement.
"I hope we don't have to wait long before something interesting pops up!"