11-year-old Kiara Nguyen achieved what Anime trainer Ash Ketchum took over 2 decades to accomplish: She claimed victory at an international Pokémon tournament, the Oceania International Championships.
What kind of tournament was it? From February 17 to 19, the 2023 Oceania International Championships took place in Melbourne. It is a video game tournament for the current Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
What exactly did the 11-year-old win? Kiara Nguyen was able to defeat her opponent Takumi M. in the Junior Division. For her victory, she received $1,500 in prize money and 500 Championship Points.
Accompanying her was the 11-year-old’s faithful companion, a large Eevee plush toy. In a sweet clip on Twitter, you can see the girl’s best friend running onto the stage to congratulate her:
“Happiest Moment of My Pokémon Journey”
How did she react to her victory? In an interview right after her final victory, Kiara Nguyen is still a bit shy and does not quite know what to say. She explains that she is excited and happy. When asked by the interviewer how she feels about winning this title, she adds that it is “pretty cool” (via YouTube).
On Twitter, the freshly crowned champion ultimately calls her victory the “happiest moment [of her] Pokémon journey” and proudly shares her trophy collection.
The 11-year-old has already won 3 regional championships and was among the finalists of the Pokémon VGC Juniors Worlds. The next step for Kiara Nguyen could therefore be the World Championship.
Victory with Fish Duo
What did the winning team look like? Kiara Nguyen relied on the fish duo Heerashai and Nigiragi, who also appear as a duo in the games Scarlet and Violet. The complete team of the 11-year-old consisted of:
- Nigiragi
- Heerashai
- Thunderaxe
- Monetigo
- Fiaro
- Flutterhair
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