7-year-old boy dominates Pokémon pros and wins $7,500

Pokémon Scarlet & Violet has introduced more players than ever to professional competitive Pokémon. Tackling official tournaments is a big deal, but one young player has risen to the challenge. Avery Vehlewald started playing Pokémon professionally this year and has already earned thousands of tournament appearances.

The Journey of Avery Vehlewald —

After placing second and third in a series of small regional tournaments, Avery wowed fans at the North American International Championship. It is one of the biggest Pokémon tournaments of the year, with prizes of up to $7,500 for winners. While the Juniors are not usually televised, having reached the finals of major tournaments, Avery’s final was streamed to thousands of viewers. Being a premature baby, Avery is much smaller than his competitors in the race; he is also younger than the vast majority of his opponents, as the category goes up to 12 years old, while Avery is only 7.

How He Beat Pokémon Pros —

The official Pokémon T-shirt hung below his knees and he could hardly see onto the gaming table as he sat down to play his game, but that didn’t stop him from building his team with skill, in part with the help of his father, according to the Hard Trick Room format. Hard Trick Room is a difficult team to handle even for the most experienced players, but Avery was able to use Oranguru’s Impose to get the win. As he ran across the stage to receive the first place trophy, Avery was cheered by the crowd. Along the way to the final, he had to defeat even his brother, who however seems to have taken the defeat well. In short, we are talking about a real talent: according to observers, Avery plays with a decision-making capacity far superior to his years, and has all the credentials to do well in the world of Pokémon professionals for years to come.

Written by Georgina Young for GLHF