"Hehe, so you challenged it three times!" Liu Qing teased. Seeing Jun grow embarrassed, he stopped joking and patted his shoulder. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Fighting on after repeated defeats is something to be proud of. Giving up after losing is what's shameful. Succeeding on your third challenge shows that you've been learning from your losses and getting stronger!"
"Really? I've actually gotten stronger?!" Jun was both surprised and delighted.
"Of course!" Liu Qing nodded, then paused and asked, "But you've been to Cerulean City too. Didn't you challenge the Gym?"
"Of course I did!" Jun immediately exclaimed, then slumped in dejection. "Liu Qing, you have no idea. The moment I entered the Cerulean Gym, the Gym Leader, Misty, said, 'You're Ash's friend, right? The one named Jun?' I nodded and said yes. Then Misty said, 'I used to travel with Ash. Since you're his friend, I'll give you a special challenge.' I was thrilled when I heard that. I thought Misty was going to go easy on me or just give me a Badge or something. But not only did she refuse to hold back, she even said she'd bring out her strongest Pokémon and face me in a full battle!"
"That certainly sounds like Misty. What happened next? Did you battle?" Liu Qing asked eagerly.
"I didn't even have all six Pokémon with me, so I used the Transporter in the Gym to bring the others over. Then I went into battle full of fighting spirit." Jun grew even more dejected as he spoke. "Misty's first Pokémon was Starmie. I deliberately chose my Dark-type Deino, but on the Water Field, Deino couldn't keep up with Starmie's speed at all. Then I used Skarmory and Heracross, and only just managed to beat Starmie. But Misty's second Pokémon