Chazingdra Chats with GIOVANNI CISCHKE, Pokémon VGC World Champion 2025

#6pokemon1lifestory 

Look no further than this video for the most comprehensive insight into a World Champion's story that you could wish for. Thousands of Trainers competed all year long to reach that hallowed position, but it was Giovanni Cischke of the USA that came out on top in 2025. Discover his start with Pokémon watching over his brother's shoulder while he played, how he nearly didn't attempt to qualify for the World Championships - and ultimately why he always believed he could win. Please do leave a rating & review if you're enjoying it, it would mean a huge amount and really helps out. Thank you! N.B. It just so happened that we recorded during a storm on Gio's end - I did my best to remove the background noise and I apologise if it's distracting.

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Lp9GN89Df8E?si=z0J3H9o6V-8YIBab

For an even deeper dive into Gio's Worlds experience, don't miss this video containing UNSEEN FOOTAGE from our chat: https://youtu.be/sSo_qolwVqk?si=tfjbJz1oingshT5G

Become a YouTube channel member or head to my Patreon for Gio’s RAPIDASH ROUND! Bonus quickfire questions he hasn't prepared for: Hear about Gio's incredible memory that's served him so well in competitive Pokémon, what he enjoys beyond Pokémon in his downtime, who his dream dinner party guests would be and much more - let the merriment continue! LINKS BELOW

My links: https://www.youtube.com/@Chazingdra

https://twitter.com/Chazingdra

https://bsky.app/profile/chazingdra.bsky.social

https://www.instagram.com/chazingdra/

https://www.tiktok.com/@chazingdra

[e-mail]

https://www.patreon.com/Chazingdra

Join my friendly Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/f2ssjED4ke

And you can follow the podcast itself on X too @ChazingdraChats: https://twitter.com/ChazingdraChats

My name's Charlie Merriman - Merri by name, merry by nature - a pleasure to meet you! I'm a host & commentator for the Pokémon Video Game Championships Series and a content creator. You can find me as @Chazingdra on YouTube, X, BlueSky, Instagram & TikTok - on my channel I stream Pokémon games both competitively & casually including Shiny hunting, vlog events I cast, make comedy skits and loads more.

Keep an eye out for my video about commentating the Europe International Championships 2025 - coming soon!

And there are now more than 70 episodes of the show featuring a broad range of people in the Pokémon community, from competitive to casual players & beyond - enjoy! All episodes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0M4tSxPGQg&list=PLwf6eLFz9YAQfrHjSGoMIAE5hflGIkiyV&pp=gAQB0gcJCWMEOCosWNin

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5JdoxYzR6lr7DBN0lihdQJ?si=5ee2f7a52fd14c27

Keep up with Gio's latest: https://x.com/pqlarbear

TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome! 04:54 Origins with Pokémon: Brother 10:26 Gio's 1st Dream Team Pokémon 12:36 Discovering Competitive Pokémon: US Nationals 2014 18:46 Gio's 2nd Dream Team Pokémon 20:47 Attending First Tournament: Dallas 2018 28:50 Gio's 3rd Dream Team Pokémon 30:56 Introduction to the Community: Knoxville 2024 45:41 Gio's 4th Dream Team Pokémon 48:09 Road to Worlds: 2025 Season 1:10:48 Gio's 5th Dream Team Pokémon 1:13:38 Winning the World Championships 1:44:22 Gio's 6th Dream Team Pokémon 1:47:56 Gio's Complete Dream Team & Partner Pokémon 1:49:24 If Gio were a Pokémon, what would he be? 1:50:18 Community Questions for Gio 2:00:39 What advice would Gio give his younger self? 2:03:25 Gio's Rapidash Round Teaser 2:03:58 Get involved and see you next time!

Music by Tom Hiom Channel art by Lee 'Osirus' Provost Like/subscribe/notifications animation by mangofree on Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/videos/subscribe-button-subscribe-73041/ 

Disclaimer: This podcast is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by The Pokémon Company International.