Ember and her friends entered the forest gym. The entrance was not what Ember expected, because it was busy with humans, and there were no plants.
Ember realized that Link was pushing through the crowd, advancing towards a person sitting behind a table. Gadgets wizzed and wurred as the woman frantically pressed buttons and scratched little symbols on a piece of white paper.
"Oh!" She cried as she noticed Link approaching her.
"Hello." Link greeted.
"How can I help you?" She asked kindly.
"I would like to register for this gym." Link answered.
"Of course." The woman said, tapping buttons on a gadget. "Your name?"
"Kokiri." Link told her. "Link Kokiri, challenger number twenty-nine."
"Ah! You are a descendant of the Kokiri! Cool!" Exclaimed the woman.
"I guess…" Link mumbled.
"Ok, Link." The woman said, checking her gadget. "You start in an hour. Go down that hallway. Take this time to train and get ready in room twelve."
"Thanks." Thanked Link.
Link departed and opened a door, and a little later, Ember and Kestu were transported onto the floor.
"All right guys. We are going to talk about battle strategy." Link told them.
"Sure." Said Kestu.
"Alright." Said Ember.
"So I read about Gym Leader Saria. She has a connection with Forest types, and thus she can wield Forest energy in ways no one has ever seen before. She likes to trap and slow down her foes so that she can easily pick them off." Informed Link. "She mainly uses monsters who can trap their enemies, like Skulltulas and Wolfos. She also sometimes uses a Deku Scrub with impressive attack power, but she usually uses it against very maneuverable opponents. Alright, we need you, Kestu, to weaken the Forest types with your poison and sleep powder attacks. And then Ember, I need you to attempt quick and accurate calculations while flying around. If you succeed in defeating her trap monsters, she will bring out her assault monster, a Deku Scrub. Ember, you've fought a Deku Scrub before, so you will know what attacks will be coming."
Kestu laughed. "I'm older than you, yet you seem more knowledgeable about monsters and battling."
Link blushed. "I do my homework."
Ember and Kestu warmed up until they were told to please come to the entrance of the gym. Link bottled Ember and Kestu and walked to the entrance
"Hello, challenger number twenty-nine. Please enter these doors and complete the challenge." A man told Link, gesturing to the doors. You must look for the exit in this forest. Do not get lost… Good luck."
Link followed the man's orders and entered what seemed to be a large dark woods. He quickly brought out a torch, released his monsters and made Ember light his torch.
They quietly walked through the forest, keeping their eye out for something suspicious.
All they found was trees, trees, and more trees.
After about twenty minutes, Link sat down and sighed.
"Let's try to look for something other than a door." Kestu told them. "If I know people of the Forest, they love puzzles and mysteries."
"Hey, over there!" Ember cried out as she noticed something.
"Ember says she sees something." Translated Kestu.
They all walked over to a strange pillar with wood in a bowl at the top.
"Nice! A lantern!" Link exclaimed.
He lit the lantern with the torch, and it burst into flames. In the lantern light. Ember could see three more lanterns. When Link lit them all, a trapdoor in the middle opened up and revealed a passageway downwards.
"CONGRATULATIONS!" A voice boomed from around them. "PLEASE ENTER THE ROOM AND AWAIT THE ARRIVAL OF GYM LEADER SARIA!"
The trio went down the trap door and entered a particularly large room. They sat and waited for the gym leader to appear.
"Welcome." Said a green clad girl, who was followed by a large wolf, a large Walltula, and a Deku Scrub. "I sense that this will be an incredible battle."
"Thank you!" Link thanked Saria.
Suddenly, she whipped her hand forward and the large Walltula sprung forward weaving silk infused with Forest energy.
"Go Skulltula! Wrap them up!" Saria cackled.
Instantly Kestu leaped forward and summoned Forest energy of his own.
"Tree Net!" the Skulltula clicked, throwing the silk she had conjured.
"Forest Prankster: Uproot!" Kestu through his own attack.
Roots sprung out of the ground grabbing the Skulltula out of the air.
"Ah, so you have a Korok." smiled Saria. "Unlucky."
The Skulltula bit into the roots, her fangs shining with Toxic energy. Kestu was racked with spasms as the Toxic energy hit him.
The Skulltula freed itself from its bonds and charged Kestu and attacked with her fangs and claws.
"I realized that trapping a Korok is the worst thing to do." Laughed Saria. "So I've decided to go into a melee battle."
Kestu grabbed his stick and weilded it like a blade, blocking and slicing at the Skulltula. But both of them were wearing down. They're attacks grew slow, and more hits got through each other's defense. The Toxic damage being dealt on Kestu did not help either.
"Kestu, finish this now!" Link ordered.
Kestu nodded and started spinning his stick so that the leaf started glowing with light blue energy.
"Forest Prankster: Leaf's Wind!" Kestu yelled.
A wave of Sky energy engulfed the Skulltula, forcing the spider to crash into the opposite wall, unconscious.
Kestu's triumphant face faded away as he stumbled and fainted from exhaustion and Toxic damage. Both defeated Zeldamon were bottled up by their respective trainers.
"Alright, Wolfos, you're next!" Saria yelled as her wolf took the stage.
"Ember, remember, don't fly around fighting this one. It is a cunning creature, and will definitely bat you out of the air. Try to go for the melee battle, and attempt a range of different attacks." Link told her as she slithered onto the stage.
The Wolfos started to circle around Ember as Flame energy flowed through Ember's veins, pumping her up. Suddenly, it pounced, its claws glowing with Metalic energy.
"Steel Scratch" It growled.
"Explosive Combo." Ember hissed.
Quickly, Ember set off an explosion, and darted back and fired an explosion tipped flame thrower into the mist.
The dust cleared to see an ash covered Wolfos.
"How…" Saria mumbled. "What a well coordinated attack… That was really unexpected."
The Wolfos whimpered and shakily stood up, glaring down at Ember.
The Wolfos pounced forward and right into another explosion, but he was ready. Through the explosion, he scratched the source with a Steel Scratch, but to his surprise, found nothing but air.
"Behind you." Ember laughed, and then smashed into the Wolfos with an explosive scale tackle.
The Wolfos crumpled underneath the pain, and fainted.
"You surprised me, but a Ground Trooper can be taken down by my Forest Artillery. Deku Scrub, finish off this lizard." Said Saria.
Instantly, Ember blew herself into the air to avoid the barrage of Deku Nuts that smashed into the spot that she had just been. Quickly, she maneuvered around mid air, avoiding bullets and launching herself into different directions. She quickly barraged the Deku Scrub with multiple explosive tackles, easily giving Ember the win.
"Wow." Saria laughed as she walked over and bottled her Deku Scrub. "A speedy explosive snake who can use her explosions to easily move through the air? You are going to be very successful in your monster career, Challenger twenty-nine. Anyway, here's the badge for defeating me."