Pokemon VGC competitor claims he was wrongfully suspended

A Pokemon VGC competitor claims he was wrongfully suspended after another player used his tournament identity at the 2026 Pokemon World Championships.

Johnny Chiou made the claim in a lengthy post on X, saying his friend Chen-Wei Liu discovered that his RK9 account had been transferred to another email address without his permission.

According to Chiou, another player later appeared at Worlds using Player ID 5283777, a number Liu says was assigned to him and used during the 2024 Pokemon World Championships. Liu reported the issue to Pokemon support, but was later issued an indefinite suspension for deception related to his Worlds qualification and attendance.

https://twitter.com/Johnnychiou36/status/2120187099894907127

The alleged identity mix-up started with a Player ID

A Player ID is a unique number used to track a competitor’s tournament history, results and qualifications. Pokemon’s official rules say players must have their own personal Player ID and use only one number.

The supporting timeline says Liu noticed on September 4 that his RK9 profile and tournament history had disappeared. He contacted RK9 the following day and later provided the Player ID he had used at the 2024 Worlds.

The evidence package includes a photograph of a match slip from August 28, the first day of the 2026 Worlds VGC competition. It lists I-Shang Chang from Taiwan against Jin Yang Lee, with Player ID 5283777 printed under Chang’s name. Public VGC standings also list the match.

Chiou’s post refers to the player as I-Hsiang Chang, while the match slip and public standings spell the name I-Shang Chang.

The timeline says RK9 confirmed on September 17 that Liu’s account had been moved to a new email address before Worlds after an email-change request was submitted with the correct credentials. Liu allegedly replied that he never requested or authorized the transfer.

Liu then contacted The Pokemon Company International on September 20 and asked for an investigation. He followed up in October, according to the timeline, but says he received no meaningful explanation.

Pokemon suspended Liu without explaining deception

On October 16, Pokemon issued Liu a disciplinary notice under case DISINC-007883. The notice said the alleged violation concerned his “qualification and attendance for the 2026 Pokemon World Championships.”

It cited Section 4.3 of the Pokemon Standards of Conduct and listed:

“Deception, defrauding, or engagement of a fellow program participant under false pretenses.”

The notice suspended Liu indefinitely from Play Pokemon events, including both competing and attending as a spectator. It also said he could submit an appeal after 90 days, beginning January 13, 2027.

However, the notice does not explain what Pokemon believes Liu actually did. It does not say whether the company believes he knowingly allowed another person to use his account, misrepresented his identity, participated in a qualification scheme or misled tournament staff.

The timeline says Liu submitted a formal rebuttal on October 17 and followed up five days later. According to the material posted by Chiou, no response had arrived by November 10.

The dispute follows several other Play Pokemon controversies covered by Dexerto this year, including a former Pokemon World Champion who said he was barred from Worlds after a Pokemon Center line dispute, a Pokemon TCG veteran who said he was banned for life after calling out a judge, and a Pokemon Go champion who challenged the decision to strip his Orlando Regional title.

For now, the public record leaves two competing explanations. Liu says someone else may have used his account and tournament identity. Pokemon’s notice indicates that it believes Liu was involved in deception, but does not publicly explain how.