Pokémon Pro Vomits at Event, Pleads for Shower Power

A Pokémon VGC champion says a fellow player's stench made him throw up at the 2026 Baltimore Regional Championships, sparking a heated debate about hygiene at gaming events.

Ever been in a tournament hall and caught a whiff that made you question reality? For one Pokémon pro, that nightmare became all too real.

Donghun Youm, a Texas-based Pokémon VGC regional champion, says he actually threw up at the 2026 Baltimore Regional Championships because of another player's overpowering body odor. He shared the experience in a viral post on Twitter/X, begging competitors to please take care of their personal hygiene.

"I've had an incident at Baltimore regionals where I had to throw up due to a nearby player's stench," Youm wrote. "My friends and I couldn't focus that round due to how putrid the smell was, and we even told a judge due to it. Like, c'mon man...."

Yep, it was bad enough that a judge got involved. Youm's post quickly blew up, kicking off a heated discussion about hygiene at in-person gaming events. Some commenters didn't hold back: "[Washing] should be a requirement to attend an event," one replied. "People who smell bad should be kicked out." Another added, "If you can afford a Nintendo Switch, you can afford a $3 stick of deodorant dude."

Of course, the Pokémon community also did what it does best: turned it into memes. The ability 'Stench' became an instant favorite, thanks to its 10% chance of making your opponent flinch when hit by a damaging move. Gotta love a community that can laugh through the pain.

But this isn't just a one-off gag. Back in June, a card shop in Oregon suspended its Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments after multiple complaints about smelly patrons and bad reviews. The shop pointed to Konami's own tournament guidelines, which say everyone at a Yu-Gi-Oh event must be "clean and wear clean clothing" or risk being penalized.

Pokémon has similar rules. The official Play! Pokémon Tournament Rules Handbook states that individuals must "maintain a socially acceptable level of hygiene during the event." If someone refuses to comply with staff requests, they can be removed from the tournament and venue and must hand over their badge.

It's unclear whether the stinky player who caused Youm to throw up faced any penalty. But the incident has renewed calls for players to stay clean and fresh at competitions. So next time you're packing for a tournament, maybe toss in that deodorant stick. Your fellow players will thank you.

What do you think—should events enforce hygiene rules more strictly? Will you be packing extra deodorant for your next tournament?