Southampton’s Dominic Rice has won the title of Pokémon Apprentice in the national Pokémon X and Y Battle Tournament 2014 Grand Final.
Following competitive regional heats hosted in GAME stores in March, including Southampton’s own GAME store, successful competitors like Dominic were able to progress to the Grand Final in London on 26th April. Comedian Johnny Vegas was there to present the awards to thee winners of each category, with Dominic taking the crown in the “Pokémon Apprentice” category, with the prize for this category being a mega bundle of Nintendo 3DS games up to the value of £300.
The Pokémon Apprentice category was for new, enthusiastic players from across the country. Dominic used the combination of his level 50 Goodra, the 6th gen Dragon type Pokemon (and equivalent to the original Dragon power-house Dragonite), and Jolteon, the Electric type evolution of the adorable Eevee, in a double battle and thunder-bolted his way to victory. In Southampton, Dominic showcased his Pikachu, the universally known mascot, and its strategic moveset in three heats 
hosted in Southampton and used the unique Grass/Steel type Ferrothorn and the Rock type tank Tyranitar in his final battle in London, where he was crowned Pokémon Apprentice.
Dominic said of the tournament “It feels amazing to have won the Pokémon Apprentice title, I was worried about the Grand Final, but my Goodra served me well in the final battle. It was very exciting to have been presented with my award by Johnny Vegas and I can’t wait to show off my award to all of my friends who love Pokémon as much as I do!”
Following his success, he has said he will enter as many future Pokémon battles as he can in order to defend his title. A hearty congratulations to Dominic!
