The Pokemon Sleep World Championship is the Only Tournament I Could Ever Win

Pokemon fans awoke to an interesting YouTube notification this morning: the first ever Pokemon Sleep World Champions Tournament from the official Pokemon YouTube channel. Amidst all the VGC and TCG competitions, finally, there’s a tournament even I could win! Except, who am I kidding? As much as I’d like to make like a Snorlax and snooze all day, my sleep schedule isn’t consistent enough to make it to the sleeping major leagues like this year’s competitors.

This year’s competitors are Siestar, Napninja, Lullababy, Midnight Slumber, and zzz. It was a close competition—Midnight Slumber made a major comeback after his slow start to sleep with an impressive Imposing Sleep sleep style, but even then, the competition isn’t over until the Jigglypuff sings. The casting from Kenny Mattress and Chris Pillow is top-notch, but there’s also a video from the official Japanese Pokemon YouTube account that features some wise words from the competitors (in English) that’s worth checking out for some inspiration.

If you’re interested in practicing for next year’s tournament, the official Pokemon website offers some helpful tips on how to get to sleep quickly and rest well. The tips include counting Mareep or Wooloo, drinking a warm cup of Moomoo Milk before bed (but not too much), and listening to relaxing music. Thankfully, the Japanese Pokemon YouTube channel uploaded the music collections for Ruby and Sapphire and FireRed and LeafGreen last month. You could play these before hitting the hay to help you drift off, but there’s no guarantee your dreams will be sweet when the videos reach the Mt. Pyre interior or Lavender Town themes.

If your first thought is that you must be dreaming, you’re not alone: this endearingly absurd concept is Pokemon’s April Fools’ joke for 2024. But Pokemon is a series all about making your dreams into reality, as well as the fun of competition. Even if only one Trainer can be the Pokemon Sleep World Champion each year, if we all get a good night’s rest, we’re all winners.