7-year-old Simone Lim is Oceania's adorable new Pokémon champion
Simone Lim is the very best, like no one ever was, and now the adorable seven-year-old Pokémon trainer has a championship title to prove it.
The Pokémon Oceania International Championships were held in Melbourne, Australia over the weekend, with the finals for all divisions taking place on Sunday. Pokémon trainers from all over the world gathered to test themselves in video and card game tournaments, fighting for glory, honor, and a modest cash prize.
This year, the highlight of the tournament was the exciting Junior Championships grand final for Pokémon Sword and Shield, in which Singaporean trainer and relative newcomer Simone Lim made an incredible read to win both the title and everyone's hearts.
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Lim was up against Justin Miranda-Radbord, an older, more experienced Pokémon trainer and favourite to win. He was a formidable opponent, having previously won multiple International Championships — including last year's Oceania title. Seeded first and having had no losses throughout the event, the odds seemed stacked in Miranda-Radbord's favor.
In contrast, while Lim had previously placed in the top four in two regional tournaments, she was still in her first competitive season. Seeded seventh and with a run of three wins to two losses, the 2020 Oceania International Championship was her first major tournament. Lim was the definite underdog in the matchup, and had her work cut out for her.
Lim and Miranda-Radbord each took a victory, sending the Junior finals match into a deciding third game. Unfortunately for Lim, Miranda-Radbord soon whittled her lineup down to just one Pokémon — the Rock/Dark-type Tyranitar. It was two against one as well, as his Ground/Rock-type Rhypherior and Ghost-type Dusclops both remained on the field.
It was a precarious situation for Lim, who needed to read her opponent carefully for any hope of victory. However, in her post-match interview Lim stated she had just known Miranda-Radbord would use Protect on his Rhypherior. This prompted her to use her Tyranitar's Crunch to knock out the Dusclops first, then attacking Rhypherior with Superpower to secure her win.
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Lim offered a shy smile upon winning, while a friend rushed over to give her a big hug. Clutching an Eevee plushie almost as big as herself throughout her interview, Lim said she felt happy after her win, and thanked her friends, family, and coach.
Lim's win was probably one of the most wholesome moments competitive video games has ever seen, and the internet absolutely loved it.
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Here's to Simone's bold, bright future as a Pokémon trainer. Who knows, maybe one day she'll even have a gym of her own.
