Junction Peak was now very close. As the group approached it, they thought about the battle and a silent, serious mood came over them.
When they got there, they found a winding stairway leading up and into the mountain. A big, ugly, humanoid gray robot was guarding the stairway.
"Who are you?" said the robot when it saw them.
"Your worst nightmare!" answered Ash.
"Really? You don't look like a torturous magnetic memory erasure."
"I mean, the people who are going to fight you and win!"
"Welcome to Junction Peak. I am the guard, VN-45. I allow no outsiders to enter."
"We're going in anyway!" said Tai. "Let's go, Agumon!"
"Agumon Digivolve to . . . Greymon! Nova Blast!"
A singed VN-45 began wrestling with Greymon.
"Get them apart, Palmon!" said Mimi.
"Poison Ivy!" Palmon pulled the robot away from Greymon.
"Why don't we step in, Gomamon?" said Joe.
"Sure! Gomamon Digivolve to . . . Ikkakumon!
"Harpoon Torpedo!" The attack knocked VN-45 to the ground.
"We've got him where we want him!" said Matt, intending to join the fight.
"Wait!" said Tai. "The Pokémon haven't done anything yet! We're supposed to be working together!"
Ash heard him. "Go, Pikachu! Thundershock it!"
"CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
The robot laid still, with its circuits overloaded.
"We did it!" said Tai. "Come on, let's go!"
They climbed the narrow stairs single-file. When they entered the mountain, they found themselves at the edge of a deep chasm. Two pairs of ropes hung across it, one to hold the boards of a bridge and the other to hold onto while crossing it. The boards were stacked to the right of the entrance, with a note attached to them:
To reach headquarters, you must cross using these boards and ropes. You may not use anything else to get across, but you may use anything you have to move the boards along the ropes. Servants of Shinosama: Speak your password now.
"Well, let's get to work," said Tai.
They put the boards on the ropes. There were only ten boards, not enough to allow one to walk all the way across.
"Any ideas?"
"Bulbasaur could pull the boards across with Vine Whip," Ash suggested.
"And I could help with my Poison Ivy!" Palmon volunteered.
"Okay, said Ash. "Bulbasaur, go!" Bulbasaur came out of its Pokéball. "If you both stand on the last board, you can grab the ropes with your vines and pull the board across."
Bulbasaur and Palmon went out to the last board. "Saur!" Bulbasaur extended its vines.
"I think it wants to lead, not follow," said Ash.
"Fine," said Palmon. "Poison Ivy!"
The two monsters pulled their way across the bridge. From the other side, Palmon asked, "Now what?"
"I'll cross next," answered Brock. "I have Onix to move the boards." He went out to the furthest board left on that side. "Pull me across."
The monsters obliged. "Go, Onix!" said Brock as he stepped off on the other side. The enormous stone snake was large enough to reach all the way across the chasm.
"Onix, we need you to push these boards along the ropes and get everyone over here," said Brock. "First push those two back."
Onix did so, and all ten boards were on the entrance side of the bridge again.
"Do we get on now?" asked Misty, catching on to Brock's strategy.
"Yes," Brock answered. "Leave some room in the middle of the board.
Finding that they would lose their balance if they stood up, Ash and Misty sat down on either end of the last board. Gently biting the center of the board, Onix pulled them across. Tai and Agumon got on the next board. Onix pulled each Digidestined and his or her Digimon across the bridge in this way. There was one board left when it was all done.
"That was great, Brock," said Tai. "Thanks a lot. You too, Onix."
"You're welcome," said Brock. "Onix, return."
"Good job, Bulbasaur," said Ash. "Return."
The group followed the tunnel that led away from the bridge. They rounded a bend and came to a chamber with an elevator. Instead of buttons, however, there were six different-colored, glowing panels and more instructions:
Servants of Shinosama, enter your code to activate the elevator. Others, defeat this system in a memory game and you will be granted access. When the game begins, a sequence of five lights will flash. You must press the same lights and repeat the sequence. The sequence will lengthen by one light each time you enter it correctly. The elevator will activate once you have correctly entered the final sequence of 20 lights. Press the red light to begin.
"This won't be too hard," said Tai. "I'll press the lights. You can all watch and help me remember."
Tai pressed the red light. Everyone watched intently as the game began. During the tense minutes that followed, several people helped with the sequence. At last, the elevator doors opened. The Digidestined, Digimon, and Pokémon trainers all got inside. What challenge would be waiting for them when they got out?
To be continued . . .
Disclaimer: Digimon belongs to Saban, Fox, Toei Animation, et al.
Pokémon belong to Nintendo, Creatures, Gamefreak et al. No
money is being made off this; I write because it's fun. :-)