Karen: Mimi! Stop! You can't! I've only rated this at G! That means no nudity. Besides, if Taichi and Yamato were to get naked, people might mistake this story for yaoi. You'll have to go to a Mimato or a Michi, if you want to do your research.

"Out of the way! Patamon’n’Gomamon Popcorn Express coming through!"

Clutching a packet of microwave popcorn in his stubby, front feet, Patamon flapped into the Takaishi’s darkened living-room. He was followed by Gomamon, bouncing another bag on his nose like a trained seal at a circus. The other Digimon were sitting around the television, faces illuminated slightly by the glow coming from the set.

Just as their human partners had gone to the studio to support their siblings, friends or, in Miyako’s case, her obsession of stalker-like proportions, they had decided to meet at Takeru’s house to watch the show. They had been planning to go to the recording themselves, until Mr Ishida had explained that studio security would never let them past the parking lot. They had been disappointed, of course, but had decided to make the best of a bad deal.

Besides, as Hawkmon had philosophically said, it meant they could eat and watch the show at the same time. Humans always ate in front of the television, he had added with the air of a sage imparting great knowledge to his disciples. That was the reasoning behind the popcorn being brought into the living room by the Patamon’n’Gomamon Popcorn Express at the moment.

Grunting, Patamon dropped his bag onto the floor, just as Gomamon headed his to land neatly on the sofa.

"Here you go," Gomamon cheerfully said, jumping onto the sofa to sit next to both Tentomon and, more importantly, the food. A neat swipe of his claws opened the microwave packet, and the smell of freshly-popped popcorn filled the room. He scooped a flipperful into his mouth and began to chew blissfully. It was buttery and hot, just as he had learnt all good popcorn should be, "‘s ‘ood."

Ripping open his own bag with his mouth, Patamon plopped next to Tailmon on one of the pillows that they had dragged through from Takeru’s room. Veemon made an indignant sound. Gomamon hid his amusement in another mouthful of popcorn. It was funny how the Digimon’s relationships often echoed those of their partners. Unlike Takeru with Hikari, however, Patamon was too innocent and childish to see Tailmon as anything but a friend and playmate. He wasn’t even aware that Veemon thought of him as a rival for her. Angemon and Angewomon were a different story, but everyone knew you became a different Digimon when you Digivolved.

"So, what did we miss?" the little, orange Digimon asked.

"Not terribly much," Gabumon replied, "Both of Ken’s team-mates answered their questions correctly, as did Hikari. It’s Takeru’s turn now."

Still snickering quietly to himself, Gomamon turned his attention back to the television in front of them. On the screen, Mr Ishida was reading out a question from the wodge of notecards that he held in his hands: "Our next one is for my . . . um, Takeru from Odaiba.What do ferns, mosses and mushrooms produce instead of seeds?"

Takeru cleared her throat, leaning forward into the microphone, "Spores. They produce spores."

"10 points for Odaiba," Mr Ishida replied with a not-at-all-impartial grin, as the audience either cheered wildly or clapped politely depending on where their preference lay. Patamon and Tailmon grinned at each other, slapping paw against bat-wing. His face an odd, mottled purple, Veemon looked like he was about to explode.

"My Ken-chan would have gotten that one," Wormmon grumbled. The little Digimon was wearing a red headband with "GO KEN-CHAN!" printed across it in black lettering.

"Especially since he’s got personal experience of spores with having had them in him and all," Armadimon added helpfully. When Wormmon glared at him, he grinned nervously and started to edge away from him. Gomamon couldn’t blame him. There was something incredibly . . . wrong about Ken’s Digimon. All of the Digimon were very close to their partners, but Wormmon took it to a whole, different level. He scared everybody at times. Gomamon had the strong feeling that there were some lines between human and Digimon that just weren’t meant to be crossed. *

"Ken’ll get a chance to show his skills now," Agumon said diplomatically, "The next question is for him."

Wormmon settled back into position, a displeased expression on his face. On the screen, the spotlights had shifted to rest on Ken Ichijouji. His face was completely expressionless, and his fingers were steepled in front of him. He did not seem phased by the fact that he was on national television at all. Of course, Gomamon reminded himself, he must have grown used to being in the spotlight by now. He had even had a documentary made about him. He remembered Miyako forcing all their partners all to tape it just in case she missed it or her VCR malfunctioned.

"Our next one is for Ken . . ." Mr Ishida paused to allow the screams to fade, ". . . From Tamachi. What did Robert Ballard help discover in 1985, which prompted him to say: ‘May she now rest in peace’?"

"The Titanic," Ken replied confidently.

"Absolutely correct. And that’s 10 for Tamachi!" Mr Ishida said to the cheers and shrieks of the female half of the audience. Wormmon contented himself with smiling smugly at the other Digimon - as far as mandibles could be said to smile smugly. Gomamon shuddered.

"Did you know that Leonardo di Caprio is America’s biggest export?" Veemon asked, "Daisuke taught me that the other day!"

"And he wonders why we’re scared that the next question is going to Motomiya Daisuke," Tailmon muttered in a low voice. Beside her, Patamon giggled.

"You’ll see! Daisuke’ll prove you wrong!" Veemon said bitterly, "He’s a lot smarter than you think!"

As Gomamon turned back to the screen, he saw that even Mr Ishida looked nervous. He adjusted his tie and collar, before reading the question very slowly off of his card, "For Daisuke of Odaiba, what’s the study of the interaction between the air and the solid bodies moving through it?"

"Uhhh . . . ." Daisuke rubbed the back of his head, as if to jumpstart his brain. Beneath the harsh spotlights, sweat glistened on his forehead. Gomamon sighed. He had been there when Jyou had tried to tutor him. If his partner, who was the smartest person that Gomamon knew, couldn’t help him, the only thing that would was a brain-transplant. And, as far as he knew, Daisuke hadn’t had one of those since their session together.

At last, however, the boy straightened up and grinned at Takeru’s father. New hope surged within Gomamon. Maybe Veemon had been right. Maybe they hadn’t given Daisuke enough credit for his smarts. Maybe he would surprise them all . . . .

"Paper-aeroplane-ology," the boy said cheerfully.

And everyone groaned.

NOTES:

* Hentai na Wormmon wa totemo kowai da! That is, he scares the heck out of me. It’s not only the Rosa episode either. If you listen to one of the Christmas songs by the Jogress Shinkers, you have the Digimon discussing what they want for Christmas. Patamon wants faster wings, Tailmon wants THAT whistle, Hawkmon and V-mon want food, Armadimon wants a better-looking body, but Wormmon wants . . . wait for it . . . Ken-chan! You can just hear the other Digimon back away at that point! And my apologies to cross-breeding fans, but it’s just . . . ecchi!

NEXT TIME: Round two of the Brainbuster Challenge. Will Daisuke be brainy or will he be busted? ^.^

Please review for your own sake, because good deeds are good for your soul and your health! ^.^