The 2025 European International Championships was set to be the biggest international championship to date. With top players from all over the world gathering in London, this was going to be a proving ground for the best of the best. My journey started from Perth, Australia, with a stop in Doha, totalling over 20 hours of travel before I finally landed in London.
The event was set to begin on February 21st, but I arrived a few days earlier to adjust to the time zone and, more importantly, the weather. Going from the extreme heat of Perth to the freezing cold of London was no joke. I could barely feel my fingers when I stepped outside. But it wasn’t all struggle. I had the chance to explore the city, seeing landmarks like the Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and London Bridge. London is a beautiful place with so much history, and I made sure to take in as much of it as I could before the tournament started.
Leading up to the event, I spent time practicing and scrimming with RicFlareon, one of the only other Aussie players there. We’re both good friends and have been at the top of the Australian scene for a while now. We’ve competed at the past three World Championships together and are used to battling each other at the highest level. It was great to have a familiar face to train with in preparation for what was about to come. We both take pride in representing Australia at international events, and we were ready to put our skills to the test once again.
The day before the main event was badge pickup day. We all gathered at the London Excel Centre to receive our welcome packs. Competitors were given some goodies, a nice reminder of just how monumental this event was. Game day finally arrived, and as we walked through the entrance, we were greeted by friendly staff and a red carpet. It was a great way to build up hype for what was ahead. The opening ceremony was well-performed and entertaining, but as soon as it ended, tension started to build. We all knew what was next. It was time to check our brackets and find out when we would be playing.
Because of how many players were competing, some had to wait until as late as 1:30-2:00 PM to play their first battle. I found out I was in the very last bracket group, Group P, which some had already nicknamed the “Hell Bracket”. It wasn’t hard to see why. This group had names like LyleJeffs, mxchmp, ThoTechtical, Maxy1000000p, P4T0M4N, and of course, avrip. I knew from the moment I saw my group that this was not going to be a walk in the park.
I decided to bring Morpeko into my team of 6, thinking it would be an underrated pick and a corebreaker to many people’s teams in this tournament, but in my first two rounds, I faced two other players who also brought Morpeko. That caught me off guard.
As the day went on, the competition was relentless. Every opponent was a strong player, and every match was a challenge. One of my most memorable battles was against gojji0408, a Korean influencer. He was also wearing the Regional Champion shirt, a sign that he was a top-tier competitor. After losing the first game to him, I had to change up my approach. In the final game, I predicted that he would bring his Kanto Marowak to try and counter my Morpeko, so I built a team specifically to shut it down. I ran Diggersby, Azumarill, and Talonflame, a triple Marowak counter lineup. That strategy paid off, and I managed to secure the win and move on to the next round.
Before I even had time to breathe, I saw who I was up against next. It was bound to happen eventually, and now it was here. I had to battle ThoTechtical.
Game one was an intense back and forth. We both stored energy, overfarmed at every opportunity, made the right shield calls, and tried our best to predict each other’s backlines. It came down to the wire. In the final moments, his Serperior was only just able to Vine Whip down my Talonflame just as I was mid Incinerate. If I had survived just one more Vine Whip, I would have gotten to a Fly and won the game. But his execution was perfect, and he closed it out.
Game two, I made a read that he would bring Wigglytuff in the back, so I built an ABB style lineup to counter it, running a neutral lead with two hard counters in the back. But he made an even better call and led Wigglytuff. My entire plan fell apart from the start. He eventually got his Talonflame aligned into my Ariados, which sealed my fate. My tournament run was over.
I took the loss in stride. Flying across the world to compete against the best is always an honor. I love testing my skills against top-level players, seeing what separates the good from the great. This is why I travel and compete at the highest level. Even though I didn’t make it as far as I wanted, I was still happy with my performance. I walked away with 120 Championship Points, which secured my spot as the number one player in Oceania to qualify for the North American International Championship travel award in June. This also put me in a strong position to qualify for what could be my fourth World Championship in Anaheim.
What made this journey even more special was how close I came to not even being here. Originally, I won a travel award to compete in EUIC. I was thrilled. But I made a mistake. I hadn’t checked my emails for a few days, and in that time, I missed the priority registration. I didn’t expect it to fill up so fast. When I finally realised what had happened, I tried everything to fix it. I contacted support, explained my situation, and hoped for a solution. But things weren’t looking good. I was told there wasn’t much that could be done since there were no more spots. Not only was I at risk of missing EUIC, but I might have had to give back the travel award money I had won. For a whole month, I felt like everything I had worked for was slipping away. I even considered quitting altogether.
Then, with two weeks until the event, I received a message from TomahawkUK and Adelli0n. They sent me a link to a final registration period happening at 7 PM GMT, which was 3 AM for me. I stayed up all night, refreshing the page every 30 seconds, waiting for my chance. When the clock hit 3 AM, the page changed from “Sorry, this tournament is sold out” to “Register here.” I clicked instantly. I was put in a queue, heart racing, not knowing what to do next. Then, after what felt like forever, I got a green check mark saying I was approved. I had never typed in my credit card details faster in my life. I finally got the confirmation email. I was in. After all the stress and uncertainty, I was actually going to London.
That made this trip even more meaningful. It wasn’t just about the competition. It was about everything I had to go through just to be here. The battles, the moments, the people I met, the freezing weather, it was all part of an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything.
Even after I was eliminated, I stayed to watch the rest of the tournament unfold. The top 16 made it to day two, a mix of underdogs and well-known names. As the competition narrowed, it came down to P4T0M4N, who was in my bracket, against Inadequance. It was a showcase of the highest level of Pokémon GO PvP. P4T0M4N made it to the Grand Finals against Zzweilious, forcing a bracket reset. The final set was intense, but P4T0M4N pulled off some insane plays, including two perfect undercharges in high pressure moments, and secured the victory. A well deserved win, and the entire community was ecstatic for him.
After the tournament, I finally had time to relax and wind down before making the long journey back home. This trip was unforgettable. The PvP community is what makes it all worth it. We support each other, celebrate each other’s success, and push each other to be better. And that’s why I’ll keep coming back.
Until next time,
