For The Love of a Gatomon
Chapter 3: Playing Perfectly
It was 6:00PM and Veemon was helping Mrs. Motomiya with the groceries.
She put her bag up on the table and Veemon pushed his up against it on the floor.
"I'm very sorry, Veemon, I just don't know anything about bowling," she insisted, "But thank you for helping me with the groceries."
"*Sigh* No problem," he said, trudging off to Davis's room.
"Davis, I thought you said your mom was a bowling pro in High School!" he complained, entering.
"Well, hi to you too," said Davis, 'working' at his computer, "And anyway, don't blame me. I almost never listen to a thing she says. Maybe she was good at soccer like me."
"Davis! This isn't helping!! Agumon said bowling was Gatomon's favorite sport so now I have to get real good, REAL FAST! Don't you have anything to say that could help me?"
"Hm...... Yeah. Don't drop the ball on your toes, it hurts like heck," he said, continuing to stare at the screen.
"There's a ball in this sport?" asked Veemon.
"Huh boy," said Davis, finally taking his eyes away from his computer, "Okay, little guy, I tell you what, I'll teach you everything I know about bowling if YOU do a favor for ME."
"I'd do ANYthing!" exclaimed Veemon, actually anxious to have help from Davis.
"Set up a date for me and Kari, and you've got yourself a deal," said Davis.
"Wha?? That's! That's impossible!!" said Veemon.
"No it's not! Just do for me whatever you did to get Gatomon interested in you," said Davis.
"...... You want me to get Kari to fall off a building and land on her head?" asked Veemon, sarcastically.
"Would that really work??" asked Davis, taking him seriously.
".. Just teach me how to bowl," said Veemon, his face in his hands.
"Okay," said Davis, "But you'll have to tell me more about the Kari/rooftop plan."
******A few minutes later******
Mrs. Kamiya had gone back down to the car so the kitchen was empty. Davis poked his head out of his room, looked left, and then right. He zipped into the kitchen and grabbed a cantaloupe. He then tiptoed into Jun's room.
She was taking an afternoon beauty rest with one of those guacamole dip face masks and cucumber slices on. Davis looked at her and held off trying to barf. He took a few deep breaths, regained his composure and grabbed ten of her Barbie dolls. He took one more look at her and grinned evilly.
******A little later******
Davis came back into his room with the dolls and the cantaloupe. He still had the same wicked grin on his face. Veemon cocked an eye at him.
"Davis, what took so long?" he asked, carefully.
"Hee hee, just getting a few things," said Davis, setting the dolls up like bowling pins, "Now then, are you ready Veemon?"
"You bet!" he said, no longer caring about whatever mischief Davis had done.
"Okay, allow me to explain," said Davis, pointing at the pins, "Bowling is a pretty simple game. Now, do you see this pin in the middle and at the front? Well that's the high pin.. or the number one pin.. or the kingpin.. well, whatever. The goal is to knock down that pin and get it to smack the others down. The more you knock down, the better your score. Got it?"
"This is gonna be a snap!" said Veemon, "So all I have to do is smack down a bunch of dolls and I win?"
"Well sorta," said Davis, holding the cantaloupe, "The thing is, you've gotta hit 'em down with this. A bowling ball actually has three holes in it that you use to hang onto it."
"Okay, what do I do for now, then?" asked Veemon.
"Stand perfectly still and close your eyes," said Davis, slowly approaching Veemon. Veemon did as he was told. Davis brought the cantaloupe above his head and smashed it down onto Veemon's horn-like nose.
"Yeow!!!" yelled Veemon, "WHAT DID YOU DO THAT F-!" Before he could finish, Davis punched another hole in it on Veemon's nose again.
"You rotten stinking son of a -!" snarled Veemon as Davis punched the third hole.
"There, nice and hole-y," said Davis, proudly.
"That HURT!" said Veemon, rubbing his nose.
"Well, it would have been easier if you hadn't moved so much," Davis lied. He gave the cantaloupe to the angry Veemon. "Now put your middle finger, ring finger, and thumb into those holes." Veemon grumbled and did as he was told, making a face as he felt his fingers sink into the sticky center of the fruit. "Good. Now roll the ball underhanded into those dolls," said Davis.
Veemon was about to do so when Jun burst in, knocking her dolls over.
"Alright! Which one of you switched my face lotion with super glue??!" she yelled, her hands stuck to her face from trying to wash the guacamole paste off. Davis fell over, laughing at her.
"Aaaahahahahaha!! What're you gonna do? Elbow me to death? Hahahaha!" he chocked out, cracking up. Jun could only growl to herself, wishing she could throttle him.
"And what part did YOU, play in this little game, Veemon?" she sneered.
"Who me? I didn't do anything!" he shouted defensively. It was at this particular moment she noticed he was holding a cantaloupe like a bowling ball and that her dolls were scattered on the floor. Veemon got nervous suddenly.
"Oh.. heh heh heh.... oops?" he said, quietly. Jun, seething with rage, contained herself, gathered her dolls with her elbows, and grumbled out the door. Veemon frowned.
"Well, so much for practice," he said, dejected.
"Heh, if you think she's mad, wait 'till mom finds out about her fruit. Oh man!" said Davis, looking at his watch, "We've gotta get going or we'll be late! Let's go!"
******In the Kamiya's Car******
Mrs. Kamiya was driving somewhat quickly to get Kari there on time. Gatomon sat in Kari's lap, proudly holding a bowl.
"I think my bowl will win for sure!" said Gatomon.
"How many times do I have to tell you? There are no bowls in bowling, silly," giggled Kari.
"We'll see, we'll see," said Gatomon.
"She's right, you know," said T.K. from the back seat.
"I'm taking it just in case," she said, defiantly.
"Thanks for coming with us, T.K.," said Kari, "I really don't want to have to deal with Davis by myself."
"My pleasure," said T.K., blushing. Gatomon stared out the window down at the moving road.
"Wow, my first real date!" she thought, "..... Well, my first outing with a mon who I'm not interested in anyway." Her thoughts drifted off as the car pulled into the parking lot next to the Motomiya's sedan.
They all got out and headed into the bowling alley, Gatomon wearing her bowl as a helmet. A few people stared but, like most of Japan, they barely seemed to make much of a fuss.
In the bowling alley, Veemon was practicing with a kiddy ball. Davis was constantly straightening his goggles using the reflection in his ball.
"Man, no matter which way I turn them, they always seem crooked," he complained. Veemon rolled his eyes.
"It's a sphere, Davis," said Veemon, rolling the ball down the lane.
"Oh yeah," Davis mumbled to himself.
"Hi guys!" called Kari as they headed toward Davis and Veemon.
"Hi Kar-.. What's HE doing here??" he grumbled.
"I'm just here to keep Kari company," said T.K.
"I could do that just fine, T.J.," said Davis, shoving his face into T.K.'s.
"C'mon, guys let's just bowl," said Kari, dragging Davis away by his ear, 'Pokémon Misty' style. T.K. snickered and followed them to the lane.
Gatomon turned her head when she saw Veemon holding his ball ready to knock down the pins. On his head he was wearing a metal bowl he took from home. She tried not to laugh out loud at the comical sight since the ball was clearly too heavy for him. He stumbled back and forth trying to keep his balance and see even though the bowl was covering his eyes. With a "RackinflackinpeckleRRRGGGGGHHHH!!" he chucked the ball onto the lane. He quickly pulled the bowl away from his eyes and hit a perfect strike. Gatomon's repressed smile turned to a look of fear.
"Uh oh," she thought, "It looks like Veemon's not as bad as Agumon said he'd be. Kari DID say the object was to knock all the white things down." That having been thought, though, she relaxed again as Veemon dizzily stumbled towards the bench, tried to sit down, missed the bench, and fell flat on his butt. "Then again, kudos Agumon. This should be a snap!" She tiptoed up to Veemon as Kari stopped to have a quick chat with T.K. and Davis.
"Oh, I almost forgot, guys," she said, letting go of Davis's ear, "If anyone asks, our digimon are the latest robotic toys that we're testing for a friend's father who's.. oh I don't know, some famous toy inventor. Got it?"
"Sure thing, Kari," they both answered at once. Davis began growling at T.K.
"Stop stealing my lines!"
"Lines? What do you think this is, a TV show?" Davis pulled down his right lower eye lid and stuck his tongue out at T.K.
"Right back at you!" said T.K. doing the same thing to Davis.
"That's enough!" said Kari, grabbing them both by their ears, "I want you two to play nice, understand?"
"Yes Ma'am," they both responded, obediently.
"Much better," she said, happily dragging them to the booth.
Veemon had already gotten back to his feet and was once again holding a ball, this one being the kiddy ball he had used before.
"Okay, Veemon old boy," he thought to himself, "Kari's obviously here since she's off yelling at Davis and T.K. Now it stands to reason that Gatomon's probably with them. Since she most likely isn't interested in listening to Kari lecture, I'll bet she's looking at you right now! This is her favorite sport, remember, so bowl really, really, REALLY we-!"
"Hiya Vee," said Gatomon from right behind him as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Waa!!" he yelped, chucking the ball up into the air while simultaneously knocking the bowl off of his head and sending it flying behind him. Gatomon looked a bit shocked as his ball hit the lane somewhat hard, rolled forward, and smashed the pins over, giving him another strike. Davis, hearing Veemon's yell, turned around only to have his face walloped by the airborne bowl.
"Vee..mon!" he growled as the bowl slid down his face.
"There goes my lucky bowl," said Veemon.
******Later******
Gatomon was up getting ready to knock 'em down. She was clearly having trouble holding onto the ball since she only had paws. Meanwhile, in the booth, Kari was sitting between Davis and T.K., so they were being nice and quiet. Davis still had a grouchy look on his face from getting smacked by the bowl but at least it wasn't all red anymore. Suddenly, his spirits seemed to perk up as he remembered something. He yawned and snaked his arm innocently over Kari's shoulder but tapped T.K.'s instead. T.K. looked over at him with a 'that's such a corny move' look. Davis was staring straight at T.K. though, and nudged his head indicating that they both leave for a little bit.
"Well, I gotta go to the bathroom, coming T.K.?" he said.
"Oh that's okay, I don't have to go," said T.K., not getting it.
"Uh.. please? There are..um.. some nasty looking guys over there and my mom always has me take a buddy," he said, feeling incredibly stupid. Kari tried not to snicker.
"Oh, well when you put it that way," said T.K., satisfied with Davis's embarrassed expression, "Let's go." Davis clenched his teeth together and got out of his seat. Both of the boys headed off to the bathroom while Kari stayed to watch Gatomon bowl. She struggled to balance the ball on her paw but was quite unsuccessful. She finally flung it onto the court but it just went straight into the gutter and rolled all the way to the end.
"Nuts," she thought, "Veemon thinks this is my favorite game. What'll I do now that he's watching me screw up so completely? Wait. That's it!" Gatomon turned around to Veemon and motioned him towards her. He snapped to attention and zipped over to her.
"Yes?" he said, always ready to please.
"To tell you the truth, I've never played this game before. I'm really just a spectator. Can you help me with my form?"
"Oh.. uh.. okay," said Veemon. He nervously put his arms around her and put his hands over her paws. "Since you have paws, put your left one right here so you can balance it." She held the ball with both hands and let him pull them back. "Kay, when I say so, let go." They both swung forward. "Now!" She let go of the ball and it rolled down the lane. Neither of them moved as it headed for the pins. Kari smirked at the digimon couple. Gatomon's tail twitched back and forth in the air. The ball smacked the head pin and knocked them all down.
"Nice shot Gatomon," said Kari. Gatomon didn't hear her, though. She was lost in thought.
"Nuts, I did my best to screw up that shot and he still got it right. I can't believe I'm having this much trouble getting Veemon to mess up. VEEmon, the clutziest of all the boy digidestined and nothing's working!"
"You can let go of her now, Veemon," said Kari, rolling her eyes.
"Huh?" he said, looking down, "Oh! Sorry." Veemon backed away from her and sat back down. She sat down next to him and put her bowl back on top of her head.
"Gatomon, there's really no reason to wear that thing," said Kari. Gatomon clutched her bowl and shook her head. Kari rolled her eyes, stood up, and got herself ready to bowl.
******Meanwhile******
In the boy's bathroom, Davis and T.K. were standing by the urinals.
"Okay, what did you want to talk about?" asked T.K.
"Pay up," said Davis, smiling.
"Huh?"
"Did you think I'd forget? Don't you remember that bet we made?"
"No, what bet?"
"You and I were fighting and you said, and I quote, 'Stop trying to win Kari over, Davis. If she dates any of the digidestined, it'd be me. Not only that, but Gatomon would probably only date Patamon. You and Veemon don't stand a chance so just back off!' And then I said, 'Well I bet you 2500 yen (a little less than $21) you're wrong!' And you said, 'It's a bet then!'"
"What's your point? You're still not dating Kari."
"No, I bet you 2500 yen that you were wrong about you getting Kari and Patamon getting Gatomon. And since Veemon's going out with Gatomon, that makes me right, so pay up!"
"Davis, look, I was really only kidding when I made that bet. Let's just forget the whole thing, okay?"
"OH no, you're not getting out of it THAT easily. Pay up."
"How do I even know you're not lying??"
"Because Veemon told me all about the wild night he and Gatomon had yesterday!"
"Give me a break!" said T.K.
"Yuh huh! I even remember it word for word!"
"Oh, really? Well don't let me stop you. Go ahead, smart guy, tell me all about it."
"..Uh.. Okay," said Davis, not expecting T.K. to call his bluff. "Darn that Veemon, his description was so bland. Something about her being warm and soft I think..... Rats, well, I'll have to just spice things up," he thought.
******Later******
T.K. had a shocked expression on his face.
"So then they licked each other clean and fell asleep," said Davis, wrapping it up, "The End."
"Woah..... I had no idea she'd take this that far," commented T.K.
"Take what that far?"
"Oh, uh, nothing."
"What are you trying to hide, T.S.?" asked Davis, getting more curious.
"Nothing. Look, I'm trying my best not to say something I'll regret."
"What would you regret?? C'mon, tell me!"
"Just stop asking before someone gets hurt, okay?"
"Is that a threat?!"
"What?? No! I meant emotionally."
"Why would you not telling me something hurt me emotionally??"
"I'm not talking about YOU. I'm talking about Veemon!"
"......What does this have to do with Veemon?" asked Davis, his tone changing.
".......Well........ I overheard them talking in the car......"
******Later******
The boys had come back from the bathroom. T.K. looked guilty and Davis had an uncomfortable look on his face.
"That sure took a while," said Kari, "I've had to bowl for the both of you this whole time. Anyway, it's you're turn up T.K." T.K. didn't say anything as he picked up the bowling ball. Davis actually stayed quiet too. He glanced over at Veemon, who seemed to be in a dazed bliss as Gatomon's tail unconsciously tickled his chin.
"Man, what am I gonna tell Veemon? I don't want to see him get hurt like that. I know he's tough, but that's just such a cruel thing to do, leading him on like that! But what if T.K. was just lying so he wouldn't have to pay me anything? I guess that's a possibility. Maybe I should try to expose her or something. Of course, I'm not very good at spying on people. What am I gonna do?"
"Davis," said T.K., "You're up."
"Huh? Oh, right." Davis pulled back the ball and bowled nothing but gutters all through the game.
After many hours of playing, Kari tallied up the score. T.K. had won the game, she was in second, Veemon was in third, Gatomon was fourth, and Davis was dead last.
"What happened, Davis? You're usually so good at sports," commented Veemon.
"I'm just a little distracted," he said, gravely. Veemon didn't really seem to hear him, though, noticing a photo booth near the exit.
"Hey Davis, can I get my picture taken?" he asked.
"Knock yourself out," said Davis, forking over some cash.
"Thanks!" said Veemon, snatching the money, "Um, wanna have your picture taken with me, Gatomon?"
"Okay," she said, following along. After they had left to get their photo taken, Davis turned to Kari.
"Hey, Kari, I have a question for you," he said, unsure of how to put it.
"Why what is it?" she asked.
"When we were in the bathroom, T.K. told me about what Gatomon's doing with Veemon. Is it true?" Kari looked down shamefully.
"Yes. I tried to tell her how mean it was, but she's too committed to her plan."
"What do you think I should do? Should I tell Veemon?"
"To tell you the truth, I don't think he's going to be very hurt," said Kari.
"How can you be sure?" asked T.K.
"Well, she's committed to the plan alright, but she can't seem to get it straight. At first she was supposed to dump him, then she changed it to him being supposed to dump her, and now I think it's flipped around again," explained Kari, "See, Gatomon has a tough time telling people about her feelings. You've gotta realize that she spent most of her life before she met us serving an evil digimon. My guess is that showing or talking about feelings wasn't exactly encouraged. I have a feeling that she secretly likes Veemon but just can't admit it to herself, let alone other people."
"You should probably be a therapist instead of a Kindergarten teacher, Kari," said T.K.
"Say!" said Davis, perking up, "You and Gatomon are pretty similar Kari, I guess that means you secretly like ME!" Kari and T.K. stared at him, deadpan.
".......Maybe I should just get Veemon and Gatomon so we can go home," he suggested. T.K. and Kari nodded their heads in approval and watched Davis slink away.
"Say, is it just me, or was Davis actually displaying some human emotion?" asked T.K.
"Trust me, it was you," she smirked. Davis came back with Veemon and Gatomon and their pictures.
"Look at these! I got this one blown up!" said Veemon, showing them to Kari.
"No don't show her that one!" said Gatomon, embarrassed. Kari looked at the pictures. They were of Gatomon and Veemon making funny faces. Kari let out a little giggle and Gatomon covered her face up. The fourth one was the one Veemon had gotten blown up. It was of them with their arms around each other showing the victory sign to the camera.
"These are really great guys," said Kari, handing them back, "You know, I've got a frame that should fit this one. Why don't you sleep over at my house for tonight, Veemon?"
"Could I, Davis?" asked Veemon, hopefully.
"Mmmm.. well, I guess if Kari says it's okay...." said Davis, unsure.
"Great!" said Veemon, happily. They all walked out toward their cars where their mothers were waiting for them. Davis got in his car with his Mom and they left after a few goodbyes. The rest of the group piled into the Kamiya's car and took off.
"So, what did you do while we bowled?" asked Kari to her mom.
"Mrs. Motomiya and I saw that three hour long romance movie they're advertising on TV. OH it was so sad!" she sniffled, tearing up. "The hero dies of heart failure just before the fated kiss."
"Uh.. sounds like a lot of fun," said Kari, skeptically.
"It was more fun than it sounds, dear. So, do you have a new digimon there, honey?"
"Hm? Oh no, this is Veemon. He's just sleeping over for tonight."
"We had our picture taken, see?" said Veemon, showing Mrs. Kamiya the picture of him and Gatomon they were going to frame.
"Ohhhh," said Mrs. Kamiya, understandingly, "So, is T.K. going to be 'sleeping over' too?" Kari blushed a deep crimson.
"Mom.....," she mumbled shyly, "We're dropping him off, okay?"
"I was just kidding around with you, honey." She handed the picture back to Veemon as the car continued to drive off.
******Later******
After dropping T.K. off at his place, it was about ten at night. Mrs. Kamiya opened the door and turned on the light. Veemon didn't really know what to do. He'd never been over at Gatomon/Kari's house before.
"C'mon in, Vee," said Gatomon, taking his hand. She pulled him in and led him to Kari and Tai's room. Kari had left her things lying all over the room, but that was nothing compared to the mess Tai had. He refused to clean it up on account that it would only get dirty again. Veemon stepped over a pair of shorts on the ground. Gatomon hopped up on Kari's bed. She motioned him up to join her. He shuffled his feet and hesitantly climbed up on the bed.
"Hey, I've got an idea," she whispered, "Kari might get mad if we get caught, but it could be fun!" Veemon's eyes bugged open.
"Uh! Are you sure??" he asked.
"Oh yeah," she said, winking, "I'm positive. Give me a little bit of time, okay?"
"Y-y-yeah, take all the time you need," he said, nervously. Gatomon raced out of the room. "Huhboyhuhboyhuhboyhuhboy," he chattered, shaking from head to toe with fear, "I didn't think things would get so intense on a first date! What do I do?? I've n-n-never d-d-done this before! Maybe if I just close my eyes it'll be over with real fast and I won't have to worry! Yeah! ...... Who am I kidding??? I've gotta get out of here before I look like a complete idiot!!" Just then, Gatomon came back. She was carrying a bunch of stuff in her paws and climbed up onto the bed with him. She put everything down on the pillow and got on all fours with her rear facing Veemon.
"...Well? What are you waiting for? Hop on," she ordered.
******A little later******
"Erg.. Mmph. Oh Veemon, this isn't working," complained Gatomon in discomfort, "Let me be on top; you're too heavy."
"How can I do this AND be on the bottom at the same time?" he retorted.
"It's easy, you just switch places with me and I'll do all the work."
"Oh c'mon, I'm almost finished. Huh! Huh! Huh!" he grunted.
"Yeah, and you're almost breaking my back too."
"Oh.. alright," he said. Veemon climbed off of Gatomon and they switched positions.
"There we go," she said, happily, "Much better."
"If you say so," said Veemon.
"Huh! Huh! Huh!" Gatomon grunted in effort.
"I don't think it can go in any deeper, Gatomon," remarked Veemon in some slight discomfort.
"You're not exactly any more experienced with this than I am," she giggled.
"Heh, good point there," he agreed. It was at that moment that Kari walked into the room.
"Hey guys, have you seen.. OH MY GOD!! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU TWO DOING???!!!" she yelled out.
"I think it's pretty obvious," remarked Gatomon.
"Oh man. Why on MY bed though??" she asked, upset, "Why couldn't you have done this on Tai's?!"
"Cause yours is the perfect place," said Gatomon, "Where else would we hang our picture up?" Veemon was on all fours, facing Kari. Standing on his back was Gatomon. In her right paw, she held a hammer and was in the process of putting a nail into the wall.
"Okay, but why three feet above the mattress??" she asked, still shocked.
"Because we couldn't find a step-ladder," remarked Veemon. Kari facepalmed and walked out of the room, muttering to herself. "You were right, she sure is upset."
"Oh, don't worry, she'll get used to it," said Gatomon, hopping off of his back. Veemon stood up and faced her.
"Gatomon? Thanks for going out with me," said Veemon, quietly.
"I had fun, thanks for a great evening," she said, happily. Neither one of them said anything for a few seconds. Veemon stared at her eyes. They seemed to glow back at him. Her look transformed from one of happiness to one of surprise as she saw his face moving towards hers. She could feel his lips inches away from hers, a kiss imminent. Suddenly, he kissed her, lightly. Veemon could feel that there was something not quite right about this kiss, though. Her lips felt somewhat leathery. He opened his eyes and saw that he was kissing the palm of her front paw which she had jutted between their faces.
"..What..What's wrong?" he asked.
"I..I.. I uh.. uhhh HEY! I .. I NEVER said you could kiss me!.. Jerk!... yeah.. um.. I never want to see you again! EVER!" said she, pushing him away suddenly, "Now.. now go away!! I don't love you! I never could ever love a jerk like you!!! BEAT IT!" Veemon backed away and fell off the bed. He looked up at her, frowned and slowly slunk out of the room. Gatomon fell back down on the bed and turned her head away from the doorway he left through. Curiously he left without any shock displayed upon his face. He was only depressed.
To be continued…