Ooishi Hiroshi Wins PJCS2026 Master Category After Legendary Comeback
Ooishi Hiroshi has been crowned the champion of the Pokémon Japan Championships 2026 (PJCS2026) in the Master category, securing his victory with a dramatic final match against Arai. The deciding moment came when Nyorotono, Arai's Pokémon, successfully used the move Protect twice in a row—a sequence that ultimately sealed Ooishi's fate.
The finals were played to two wins. In the first match, Ooishi utilized a standard offensive team featuring Elfeon, while Arai employed a technical lineup centered on Gengar and Nyorotono. Arai's strategy relied heavily on Gengar's ability to use the move "Sing" (Horo-binou), which forces all Pokémon on the field to faint after three turns. To counter this, Ooishi had his team switch out frequently, allowing him to take damage from Sing without penalty due to Ghost-type immunity.
During the second match, Arai adjusted his strategy to focus on defeating Ooishi's Mega Flareon, which was the only Pokémon capable of dealing significant damage to Arai's key threat, Bridgerus. Despite Ooishi successfully using Protect on Mega Flareon to survive an attack, he eventually lost the lead. The match turned into a tense battle where both trainers prayed for luck as their remaining Pokémon faced off.
The decisive moment arrived in the third match. With only two Pokémon left, Ooishi found himself in a desperate situation. Arai's Bridgerus had survived a massive attack from Mega Flareon and Dodogazan, leaving it with just 4 HP. Ooishi realized that he needed to force Arai into a specific state of play. He used the move "Encore" on Nyorotono, forcing it to repeat its last action: Protect.
By using Encore, Ooishi forced Nyorotono to attempt Protect three times in succession. The first two attempts succeeded, but the third attempt failed due to the decreasing probability of success after consecutive uses. With Nyorotono fainted, Arai's Sing strategy was neutralized, and Ooishi secured the victory with his remaining Pokémon.
Ooishi Hiroshi expressed his disbelief at the outcome, noting that such a win had never happened in nearly ten years of competitive play. He credited his active playing style for bringing good fortune, stating that taking risks increases the chances of critical hits and successful dodges. The match is now being remembered as a legendary moment in the history of Pokémon Champions.
Looking ahead, Ooishi plans to compete at the upcoming Pokémon World Championships 2026. While he acknowledges that his skills still need improvement compared to world-class players, he remains determined to give his best effort and aims to win the world title as well.
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