To be among the elite video game players at the Pokémon World Championships, players must collect and train a powerful Pokémon team, spend countless hours preparing for battle, and plan a strategy for the intense competition they must face. For a select few players who competed at the 2012 Pokémon World Championships in Hawaii, their hard work, dedication, and success earned them a place in the upcoming Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 video games launching 12th October in the UK.

The Pokémon Company International announced today that 12 video game finalists from this year’s Pokémon World Championships—including three-time World Champion Ray Rizzo—will be the basis for Pokémon Trainers in Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 to challenge players as part of the in-game Pokémon World Tournament. Beginning on 22nd October, three distribution events via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service will unlock Pokémon World Tournament events featuring those finalists. Each distribution will feature four finalists from a Pokémon World Championships age division, and you can battle them after reaching the Pokémon World Tournament found in the Unova region’s Driftveil City.

You will battle the Pokémon teams that these top Trainers used at the 2012 Pokémon World Championships, including their moves, held items, Abilities, and Natures. Ray Rizzo’s lineup of Tyranitar, Garchomp, Cresselia, Hydreigon, Metagross, and Rotom proved too strong for the competition as he battled his way to an unprecedented third Pokémon World Championships title. The Pokémon World Tournament gives players the chance to test their mettle against Gym Leaders and other popular Trainers from past Pokémon games, as well as these real-world Pokémon Trainers.

To participate in the Pokémon World Tournament distributions, you will need to have a copy of Pokémon Black Version 2 or Pokémon White Version 2, a system in the Nintendo DS family or the Nintendo 3DS, and wireless broadband Internet access. More information, including dates for all three distributions, the complete list of finalists that will be included in the distributions, and further instructions on how to participate, will be announced 15th October.

To learn more about the Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2 games, please go to Pokemon.co.uk/BlackWhite2.