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“Whoa, you won your first Gym battle! That’s incredible!”
I savored the feeling of triumph bubbling from inside as my teammates surrounded me. I had studied Pokémon endlessly to challenge Gyms, and it paid off—like I knew it would! The more my teammates praised me, the more my pride swelled at the results. I was excited to keep the momentum going and win more Gym battles. With that gusto, I had eagerly led the rest of the team and arrived at an area with several Gyms.
If I can beat two Gyms in a row, I’ll be a hero again! At least that’s what I was thinking…but the problem would be the Pokémon I went up against. The Pokémon standing on top of the red-bordered Gym was Blissey! Of all the Pokémon it could have been, it had to be Blissey...
With the dry and clear sunlight shining behind it, Blissey almost looked like it was smirking down at me. Despite its cute pink profile, it emanated a kind of dignity as if declaring that it wouldn’t go down easy, sapping away that confidence I was feeling moments ago. This is what’s known as the Wall of Blissey.
I could feel my teammates staring holes in me with their hopeful gazes. Blissey has high HP and is said to be the perfect Pokémon to defend Gyms...
I’ll need to pick my team carefully, or Blissey’s Special Attack will make quick work of me. If I can’t live up to my team’s expectations...
Oh, that’s right—there’s a different Gym across the street! I don’t have to force myself into this particular Gym—I can go beat that Gym instead! When I turned around to look, I was stopped in my tracks. It was another Team Valor Gym with a Blissey.
My jaw literally dropped as I looked up at the two Blissey on either side of me, looking down and waving their hands with all the hospitality they could muster.
No way around it then, I’ll have to come up with a plan to beat Blissey. I’m going to need a Pokémon with enough defense to withstand Blissey’s attacks and HP. That would be Lucario!
Lucario could withstand Blissey’s attacks and use supereffective Fighting-type moves, perfect against Blissey. Lucky for me, I had a Lucario that I hatched from an Egg and recently evolved from Riolu on my team.
It’s still not that high of a level yet, but if I’m careful with the team composition, I should be able to do this. I’m going to put in Pokémon that mainly use Fighting-type moves and make Lucario the main fighter. This is the strongest team I could have to take on this Gym with Blissey.
Lucario jumped out of its Poké Ball and looked back at me with determination—silently telling me that it was ready to fight together. OK, Lucario, let’s take down Blissey!
Blissey appeared at the center of the Stadium as I got up and stood next to Lucario. Lucario should be a threat to it, but Blissey remained unfazed. I guess that’s to be expected from a Pokémon that’s beaten tons of Trainers to defend this Gym. To be honest, my heart was beating a mile a minute from nerves, but Lucario looked back at me and nodded as if to tell me it would be OK.
In the blink of an eye, Lucario rushed into range and landed a critical hit. Blissey only staggered slightly, regaining its stance quickly. Lucario barely dodged Blissey’s retaliation and landed another hit—but all that returned was a smirk from Blissey, as if saying Lucario’s attack wasn’t even worth dodging. Regardless, damage should be piling up, however small it might have been. Lucario didn’t give up and kept attacking.
But it was at that moment that Blissey began to glow, and I saw Lucario begin to stiffen up.
“It’s…it’s Dazzling Gleam!”
I tried to order it to dodge, but I wasn’t fast enough, and Lucario ultimately took the brunt of the attack.
My teammates had their eyes on us as Lucario and I trudged out of the Gym. I had a hard time looking them in the eyes. I had my gaze on the ground when they grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me toward them.
“Aww, man! Blissey’s so strong! Even Lucario couldn’t beat it. That’s incredible!”
“I’d bet the Blissey at the other Gym’s gonna be just as strong, too.”
I was taken aback. “Wait, aren’t you guys disappointed?”
“Of course we are! That’s why we’re thinking of a plan!”
“Wait, guys! If fighting it solo doesn’t work, why don’t we all try and take it on together?”
“Yeah! Let’s do that!”
I thought they were expecting me to beat the Gym on my own—I thought I had to beat it on my own.
“Don’t be silly! We’re a team!”
“All right, come on. Payback time! Let’s paint this Gym Team Instinct yellow!”
“Yeah!”
Huddling together shoulder-to-shoulder raised the team’s morale. Just you wait, Blissey. The best team around is coming for you now.
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