7-Year-Old Simone Lim Wins At The Pokemon's Oceania Championships

In a major upset, seven-year-old Simone Lim won the Junior Championship division in the Pokemon Oceania International Championships. Hailing from Singapore, Lim beat out last year's winner, an older and a more experienced trainer, Justin Miranda-Radbord. A relative newcomer, Lim is in the midst of her first competitive season, making her victory all the more impressive.

Her match against Miranda-Radbord was a close one, with the crucial win coming down to the final moments of the third game. In what seemed like the moment Lim might very well lose, Miranda-Radbord eliminated her team down to Tryanitar, while he still had two Pokemon, Rhyperior and Dusclops, remaining.

In those final turns, Lim had to make a choice: She could try to knock out Rhyperior, the attacker, and risk it using Protect, or go for the Dusclops first before it could use any of its support moves. Lim correctly predicted Miranda-Radbord's turn--using Protect on Rhyperior--and used Tryanitar's Crunch to knock out Dusclops. The next turn, Lim used Superpower to knock out the Rhyperior, ending the game. Giving an adorable post-game interview, Lim clutched her Eevee plushie while explaining her gameplay and said that she knew Miranda-Radbord would protect Rhyperior. And though it seemed like she was reading her opponent so clearly and calmly, Lim admitted that she was nervous after her loss in the second round.

Lim also thanked her friends, family, and coach for supporting her. She's earned an invitation to the World Championships in August, so be sure to catch more of her matches then.