Pokemon Go champion finds mentor in 75-year-old liver expert. Photo: SCMPA 16-year-old Pokemon Go world champion, Cheng Yip-kai, found an unlikely mentor in 75-year-old liver expert Lai Ching-lung, who sponsored his trip to the world championships. The pair bonded over their shared passion for the game, highlighting the diverse community it fosters.
The Form Six student, who plays under the username Yekai0904, is the first Hongkonger to be crowned Pokemon Go world champion, attributing his win in August to Lai’s financial backing that allowed him and his team to get an initial taste of international competition last year.
The pair met for the first time at a celebratory dinner following the victory and quickly bonded when Cheng presented Lai with a huge bag of Pokemon souvenirs, including special edition plushies from Hawaii, where he defeated Dutch opponent Martijn Versteeg in the final.
Carrying a Pikachu bag, Lai, an emeritus professor and honorary clinical professor at the University of Hong Kong, accepted the gifts with a beaming smile. He was especially delighted by a snorkelling Pikachu plushie, exclaiming: “This is so cute!”
Cheng, who used crowdfunding this time to secure tickets to the Hawaii finals, was also full of gratitude.
Lai last year paid for the teenager and his team to travel Japan and represent the city at the world championships, despite not having any personal ties to any of them, after being approached by team manager Sam Cheung Lok-hang.
“[Lai] was willing to sponsor HK$10,000 (US$1,300) for a group of people he had never heard of to go abroad to join the championships,” the teenager said.
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The professor, who is recognised as a world-leading hepatologist and now partly retired, said providing the funding was an easy decision.
“The money was not too much and not too little,” Lai said. “So I felt like it was worth it so I could help these young people get to the championships.”
The augmented-reality mobile game – in which players catch animated characters in the real world – first spawned hordes of phone-wielding players. Trainers across all ages share one mission: to catch as many virtual creatures as possible.
The game pits players against one another in battles, each with a set of three Pokemon. Players tap on the screen to attack with different gestures and gain points by knocking out their opponents.
Both Lai and Cheng began playing when the game launched in 2016.
The Japan trip was Cheng’s first time taking part in the world championships, with Cheng and four others also calling on crowdfunding to supplement Lai’s sponsorship.
The team was eliminated in the preliminary rounds, citing a lack of experience competing against international players.
Professor Lai himself is an accomplished Level 49 Pokemon Go trainer, one level below world champion Cheng. Lai keeps the game running nearly all the time and boasts nearly 8,000 Pokemon on his account.
He learned about the franchise through the mobile game and has been a fan ever since, decorating his home and office with Pokemon gear.
“It helps me to destress, but I also get nervous about the raids,” the doctor said, referring to “raid hour”, a 60-minute-long global event every Wednesday night in which one particular Pokemon, or a group of them, appears more frequently.
Cheng plans to set aside more time in the year ahead to prepare for his university admission exams and has restricted gameplay to about an hour a day.
“But I still play it as a way to destress, and host live streams on Twitch during my holidays,” he said.
Beyond launching him onto the international stage, the game has also helped Cheng forge friendships.
“I am a relatively introverted person, so I usually don’t know how to find topics when chatting with people. But after making friends through this game, I have the courage to communicate with them on the questions we have about playing the game,” he said.
“There are more opportunities for us to communicate and get to know each other, which enhances our friendship.”