Summer was ending. For a Canadian TV editor named Vanessa Vacation, it had been a summer to remember. The previous year, she had gone surfing in Venezuela, but that was nothing compared to this year. In spring, she had found out about the wizarding world from her mother, gone to Britain, learned a little magic, and helped save a school. Later, she had discovered a tunnel through a hill near her house, walked through it, and spent two weeks in the world of Pokémon. Finally, while chatting online one day, she had met Davis Motomiya and his Digimon, and gone to the Digital World.
To finish off the summer, she wanted to throw a Labour Day party and invite all her friends from past adventures. There was a problem with that, though. How could she get them all together when their worlds were so separate and secretive? It was a big question, but there was someone within easy reach who might know the answer. She picked up the phone and called her mother.
"Hello?" said Velma Vacation.
"Hi, Mom, it's me," said Vanessa.
"Oh, hi, honey, how's it going?"
"Well, I have a problem. I'm planning a Labour Day party for everyone I've met on my trips. The problem is, they're all from different worlds, and I'm supposed to be keeping them a secret. Is there any way I can invite everyone and not cause trouble?"
"Yes, there is. When you invite them, tell them who else will be there. After the party, I'll help you modify everyone's memory so they don't know about the other worlds."
"Okay. Hey - when does school start at Hogwarts?"
"September first."
"Oh. That means I'll have to have the party a little early . . . say, August 27th? You're invited, of course."
"Thank you. Where are you having it?"
"I'm reserving part of the regional park for the party."
"Great. I'll be there."
"Okay, bye, Mom."
"Bye, dear."
After hanging up, Vanessa got to work writing invitations.
Dear Steve,
Hi! Having a good summer? I am. I'm writing to
invite you to my early Labour Day party It will be on August 27th
at 11:00 A.M. (my time) at Beaver Regional Park in Venton. Many of
my other friends will be there. These people are literally from other
worlds, places the rest of the world doesn't even know about. You
may see some strange and wonderful things there. Don't tell anyone,
okay? Write me back.
Your friend,
Vanessa
Dear Professor Sprout, Harry, Ron, and Hermione,
You are invited to an early Labour Day party at Beaver Regional
Park in Venton (that's in Canada, where I live). It will be on August
27 at 11:00 A.M. my time. People from other worlds will be there.
Yes, there are two others besides the ones we know of, but don't worry
about breaking the secrecy. Velma and I will take care of that.
Sincerely,
Vanessa Vacation
Dear Ash, Misty, and Tracey,
Hi! Can you come to a party in my world? It's on August
27th at 11:00 A.M., in Beaver Regional Park. (It's a little way from
my house. Meet me at my end of the tunnel at 10 that day.)
There will be people from a lot of different worlds at the party, so don't
be surprised if you see some odd things there. I hope you can come.
Your friend,
Vanessa Vacation
Hey Davis! It's Vanessa. Can you come to a party here
in Canada? It's on the 27th at 11:00. Can you get here via
the Digital World? There will be people from many different worlds
there. No, I'm not joking. Don't let any non-Digidestined know
about the last part. Your whole group of Digidestined and Digimon
is invited.
Vanessa Vacation
Vanessa sent the invitations in four different ways. In the end, Steve received his by regular mail, the wizards got theirs by owl post (with some help from Velma and her owl), Ash found his at his house, and Davis read his e-mail invitation on his D-Terminal. They all replied and said they could come.
*******
On the morning of the party, Vanessa got up and put on one of her favorite vacation outfits (a green and pink dress, of which she had three). She finished making the salads, put them and the cookies in her car, and walked to the tunnel in the woods, where Ash, Misty and Tracey were waiting for her.
"Hi, guys!" said Vanessa.
"Hi, Vanessa!" said Ash. "It's great to see you again!"
"You, too. Come on, I have to pick some people up at my house. Then I'll take you to the party." They started walking.
"So what's this about there being other worlds?" asked Tracey.
"Well," said Vanessa, "besides yours and this one, there are two others, the wizarding world and the Digital World. They're sort of offshoots of this one. The wizarding world is a community of people who can use magic, like me and my mom. They actually teach it in schools there. The Digital World is something totally separate. Little creatures, sort of like Pokémon, live there. We're going to my house to pick up the Digidestined and their Digimon partners. I just met them a couple of weeks ago. They're coming through my computer, through a Digiport."
They went into Vanessa's computer room. "Why are there pillows on the floor?" Ash asked.
"You always fall out of a Digiport," Vanessa explained. "Those are there to make it less painful. Look, here they come."
In a beam of bright light, six people and six Digimon fell out of the computer screen and onto the padded floor.
"Hi!" said Vanessa.
"Hi, Vanessa," said Davis. "Thanks for the landing pad."
"You're welcome. Hey, who's this?"
"This is Ken Ichijouji, our newest team member, and Wormmon. Ken, this is Vanessa Vacation. She helped us take down a Control Spire once."
"Oh," said Ken. "Hello, Vanessa."
"Hello, Ken," said Vanessa. "Now, I want you all to meet my friends from the Pokémon world, Ash, Misty, and Tracey."
"Look!" Veemon exclaimed. "More little monsters!"
"Pikachu pika!" Curious, Pikachu ran up to Veemon.
"Hi. What's your name?"
"Pikachu!"
"Is that the only word you know?"
"Pika."
"I think I heard my mom drive up," said Vanessa. "Let's go." She led everyone out to the front of the house. Vanessa's mom, Velma, was there in her car with Professor Sprout, Ron, and Hermione.
"Hi, Mom!" said Vanessa. "Looks like they got here all right - but where's Harry?"
"I'm here," said Harry, removing his Invisibility Cloak. "I'm going to the party on my broomstick."
"How are you getting everyone else there?" Velma asked Vanessa.
"Ash, Misty, and Tracey are riding with me," Vanessa answered, "and I was thinking the others could ride on their Digimon."
"Okay, see you there!" Velma drove away. Harry put the cloak back on and followed her.
"This will be fun," said Kari. "We can all fly behind you."
"I can't," said Cody.
"You can come with me on Aquilamon," said Yolei.
"Thanks."
"Great. Let's go!" said Vanessa. While the Pokémon trainers got in the car, the Digimon Digivolved.
"Digi-armor energize!" called TK and Kari.
"Patamon Armor Digivolve to . . . Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!"
"Gatomon Armor Digivolve to . . . Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!"
"Veemon Digivolve to . . . Exveemon!"
"Hawkmon Digivolve to . . . Aquilamon!"
"Wormmon Digivolve to . . . Stingmon!"
Vanessa drove away with the Digimon flying high above her.
*******
The secluded area Vanessa had reserved for the party had two large picnic tables with benches, a sandy volleyball court, and - rides? Vanessa got out of the car, puzzled.
"Surprise!" said Velma, who had parked next to her. "I set them up yesterday. That one is the Vortex, and that one is the Vertigo Vibe. They're both magic-powered."
"Cool!" said Vanessa. "Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome, dear."
The Digimon landed and went back to their Rookie (and Champion) forms when their riders got off.
"Hey, look, we have rides!" Vanessa said to them. "My mom set them up for us."
The Vertigo Vibe consisted of a tall metal tower placed at the edge of a large square of grass. The party guests gathered around it.
"You stand in the middle of the square to ride," Velma explained. "It's charmed to keep you from falling off."
When everyone was on, Velma waved her wand and said, "Comenca!" The square of grass shot up to the top of the tower, then gently bounced back down. It did this five times.
"That was great! Let's do it again!" said Davis.
"You can do it until lunch is ready," said Velma. "The other ride, the Vortex, is a centrifuge - it spins around and you get stuck to the wall. Those of us who have wands can start the rides the same way I did. They'll stop by themselves. I'm going to start cooking." She stepped off the platform and went over to the barbecue. Several other people went to the Vortex.
*******
Twenty minutes later, Velma called everyone to the tables. "Lunch is ready!"
"Before we eat," Vanessa said quickly, "I think we should get everyone introduced. We have a lot of people here who don't know each other."
"All right," said Velma. "Let's make a circle and say who we are in turn. I'll start."
"They formed a circle. "I'm Velma Vacation, Vanessa's mother."
"I'm Harry Potter. I'm famous for defeating the dark wizard Voldemort. It feels strange talking about it, because it's supposed to be a secret. Did you tell them, Vanessa?"
"I told them your world existed," said Vanessa, "but that's all."
"Oh, okay."
"I'm Harry's friend, Ron Weasley."
"And I'm Hermione Granger."
"I'm Professor Sprout. I teach Herbology at their school."
"I'm Slick Surfin' Steve. I met Vanessa last year at a surfing competition in Venezuela."
"I'm Kari Kamiya, one of the Digidestined. We all have our own Digimon partners."
"Yeah. I'm Kari's partner, Gatomon."
"I'm Davis Motomiya, and I love soccer."
"I'm his partner, Veemon."
"I'm Ken Ichijouji."
"I'm Wormmon."
"I'm Yolei Inoue."
"I'm her partner, Hawkmon."
"I'm Cody Hida."
"I'm his partner, Armadillomon."
"I'm TK Takaishi."
"I'm his partner, Patamon."
"I'm Ash Ketchum, and I want to be a Pokémon Master. This is Pikachu."
"I'm Misty, and I train all Water Pokémon, except Togepi."
"I'm Tracey Sketchit, Pokémon Watcher."
"And you all know me, Vanessa," said Vanessa. "Let's eat!"
They had barbecued chicken, potato chips, salads (one of which was a fruit salad), cookies, soda, and even pumpkin juice, which some of the guests tried for the first time and liked.
"So," Ash said to Davis, "what are Digimon like? What do you do with them?"
"Save the Digital World from evil," said Davis. "Vanessa told me that there are no evil Pokémon, only evil trainers. Don't you get tired of fighting them?"
"No. There are always new challenges, and your Pokémon get stronger as they get more experienced."
"Don't you think your Pokémon would be happier if they didn't have to stay in those little balls?" asked Veemon. "I wouldn't like it."
"So what? You're not even a Pokémon, and they like it just fine," said Ash.
"Little balls or not," said Davis, "aren't Pokémon more like tools than companions? You have to tell them what to do."
"If you've got a problem with me, why don't we settle it with a monster battle?"
"No, wait!" said Vanessa, hearing them. "Ths party is for having fun, not fighting. How about a friendly game of volleyball instead?"
"Fine!" said Davis.
"Fine!" said Ash. "Right after we finish lunch."
"Yes, of course," said Vanessa.
*******
After lunch, the people from the worlds of Digimon and Pokémon lined up at opposite ends of the volleyball court. Everyone else stood to one side.
"These are the rules," said Vanessa. "Only monsters can be in the game. The players can use any of their attack techniques as long as they do not damage the ball in doing so. The players must all stay about the same size, so no Digivolving. The first team to score 15 points wins. Pokémon trainers, are you ready?"
"Yes!" said Ash. He and his friends had chosen Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Staryu, Marril, and Venonat as their team.
"Digimon, are you ready?"
"Yes!" enthused Veemon, Patamon, Gatomon, Armadillomon, Hawkmon, and Wormmon.
"All right. Pikachu will serve first. I would say 'virtue will be victorious,' but you're both virtuous, so whoever wins, it's fine with me. Start the game!"
Pikachu served, using its head. The ball sailed cleanly over the net.
"V-Headbutt!" Veemon responded in kind, hitting even harder than Pikachu.
"Saur!" Receiving the ball, Bulbasaur extended its vine-whips to return it.
"Got it!" Gatomon hit the ball back to the Pokémon.
"Hyah!" Staryu returned it.
Patamon dived for the ball, but missed. "Pokémon score!" said Vanessa.
The game continued untill the Pokémon won, 15-13. They won because more of their players were good at hitting a ball.
"How could we lose to them?" Davis fumed.
"They're better at volleyball than we are," answered Veemon. "That doesn't mean we're not good at the other things we do."
"Thanks, pal."
*******
It was late afternoon, and the party was almost over. While they were cleaning up, Vanessa asked Davis, "Is Ken Ichijouji the same Ken who was trying to take over the Digital World?"
"Yes. He saw the light and realized that he's a Digidestined just like the rest of us, so he joined the team."
"Wow! So is the danger in the Digital World over?"
"Not yet. Now we're up against Arukenimon and Mummymon, who were telling Ken what to do when he was the Digimon Emperor."
"Well, good luck."
"Thanks."
Suddenly, a lone man stepped into the open space next to the volleyball court. He had thinning brown hair and wore brown pants and a dark green shirt. Everyone stopped and stared at him. Velma seemed especially shocked.
"Vince?" Velma half-whispered.
"Yes," said Vince.
She began to step towards him, but stopped. "What happened to you? Why did you come back?"
"I have something to tell you. Something important."
"What's going on?" said Vanessa.
"This is Vince," said Velma. "Your father."
"Didn't he leave when I was little?"
"Yes."
"It's certainly been a long time," said Vince.
"It sure has," said Vanessa. "Where have you been all this time?"
"I'll tell you later. I have to speak with you and your mother, in private. Who are all these people?"
"They're my friends. We were having a Labour Day party. We're just about to go home now."
"All right, I'll talk to you afterwards."
"I'm taking some of them to my house. You can squeeze in the back seat."
"I'll meet you at Vanessa's after I drop off the others," said Velma.
"Okay," said Vince.
Vanessa turned to her guests. "Everyone, this is my father, Vince. I haven't seen him in a very long time. He's coming home with me when we leave."
They finished packing up and drove home. As planned, Velma and
Vanessa modified the guests' memories so they remembered the party, but
not the things they had seen there that they weren't supposed to know about.
When she got home, Vince waited in the living room while Vanessa sent the
Digidestined up to her computer room and walked the Pokémon trainers
to the mouth of the tunnel that led to their world. When she got
home, Velma was there, and the reunited family was ready to hear whatever
Vince had to say.
A/N: Major cliffhanger! :-D The next story in this series
is coming soon to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy section.
Disclaimer: Vanessa, Velma and Vince are my original characters.
Steve belongs to my friend Jamie. Pokémon and all related
characters are property of Nintendo, Creatures, GameFreak, et al.
Digimon and all related charactes are property of Toei, Fox, Saban, et
al. Harry Potter and all related charactesr are property of J.K.
Rowling, Bloomsbury Publishing, Scholastic, and the WB. No money
is being made off this; I write because it's fun. :-)