The road to victory sometimes begins with embarrassment

I was this close to getting swept in my first Pokémon Violet Gym Challenge last night. (Or, to paraphrase an infamous Hulk Hogan tweet from eight years ago, I almost "worked myself into a shoot.")

For the first step on my journey to rule all of Paldea, I went for Brassius' Grass-type gym in Artazon, hoping my Growlithe and Fletchinder would carry the day...and they almost did - Growlithe rolled over his Petilil and Smoliv with Flame Wheel spam. But then the dramatic music swells up and he pulls out a...Sudowoodo? "But wait! Sudowoodo's a Rock-type! Don't these Gym leaders all use same-type Pokémon?"

A few Rock Throws later, my Growlithe and Fletchinder are sprawled out on the floor (along with my Quaxwell, which I foolishly Terastallized thinking Sudowoodo's natural Rock Type would even out its Tera Grass type and allow Quaxy to deal normal damage [spoiler alert: it doesn't]), leaving me to rely on Drowzee's Hypnosis Confusion, and a few well-placed Headbutts to keep me from leaving the gym with my tail tucked between my legs.

With my first Badge in the bag, I wonder where I should go next... Do I take on the Stony Cliff Titan since I actually have Pokemon able to handle Rock Types? Or go after Mela and her Fire-type crew? Or head back home and go west to scoop up some badges in that direction? Decisions, decisions...