Hacker is holding the kids captive aboard the Grim Wreaker when a storm forces the Wreaker to land on a snowy mountaintop. They are taken prisoner by a peaceful but mysterious Zen Master, who devises a game of strategy to test their problem-solving skills. The winner of the game will be set free; the loser will remain a prisoner. In the battle of brainpower, the kids discover that each of them has a different way of solving problems and that, despite anger and frustration, they need to be tolerant of these differences. Hacker, of course, has his own way of solving problems. Working together, the kids find a way to defeat Hacker and gain their freedom.
Tropes in this episode:
- Game of Nim: Both the kids and Hacker have to win two out of three games of him before they can leave. Shangri-La being a Land of Dragons, it's played with sentient mini-Terracotta warriors and dragons. They all struggle to find the winning strategy until Jackie realizes to solve the last move and work back from there to control previous turns.
- The Shangri-La: Literally appears as a Cybersite, complete with the unflappable, all-knowing Master Pi. There are also dragons. Lots of dragons.
