A 10-year-old boy named Wu Pi  has charmed the Taiwanese public after wearing a Republic of China flag while attending the Pokemon World Championships, at which he won first place.

The annual competition, which was held in Washington from Friday to Sunday and attracted Pokemon players from 50 nations, is divided into three events: the Pokemon Video Game World Championships, the Pokemon Trading Card Game World Championships and the Pokken Tournament World Championships. Each event has categories for children, adolescents and adults.

Wu, who won first place in the children’s category of the video game event, draped the flag over his back while at the competition.

Wu said that his elder brother Wu Chen was also his coach.

Wu Chen said that after being eliminated at the 2016 Pokemon World Championships, he decided to turn his energy toward helping his brother rather than accept defeat, adding that seeing Wu Pi win first place filled him with pride.

“Wu Pi looked so calm during the competition, but he was actually too nervous to show any expression. He even came close to throwing up,” said Lo Yin-ju  , the boys’ mother.

Wu Pi was lucky to have the support of a strong team of coaches who cheered him on during the competition, she said.

With their encouragement, Wu Pi defeated England’s Teddy French in the final to take the title and become the first Taiwanese to win first place in the competition.

The victory earned him praise from Taiwanese on social media, who called him the “Taiwanese Ash Ketchum,” in reference to the fictional main protagonist in the Pokemon universe.

“We all decided to let Wu Pi wear the flag, because he was the first Taiwanese to compete in the final. When he won, the announcer even referred to him as ‘Wu Pi from Taiwan,’” fellow competitor Sun Hao-hsuan  said.

Lo said that seeing parents from other nations encourage their children at the competition made her desire to see Taiwanese parents emphasize more than just their children’s academic achievements.

“Life is made abundant and enriched by the accumulation of so many different things,” she said.

Wu Pi is spirited and uplifts others in his class, said Lin Jung-chun , Wu Pi’s third-grade teacher.

Despite his passion for video games, he never neglects his studies, Lin said, adding that the competition has encouraged Wu Pi to work harder at improving his English.