Cheng is the first Hongkonger to be crowned Pokémon GO world champion. He attributed his recent win to the financial backing from Lai that made it possible for him and his team to attend the international competition.
The pair, who met for the first time at a celebratory dinner following the victory, bonded immediately when Cheng presented Lai with a huge bag of Pokemon souvenirs, including special edition plushies from Hawaii.
Carrying a Pikachu bag, Lai, an emeritus and honorary clinical professor from 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!”
Last year, Lai paid for the teenager and his team to travel to 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.
The professor, who is recognised as a world-leading hepatologist and now semi-retired, said providing the funding was an easy decision. “The money was not too much and not too little,” Lai said. “I felt like it was worth it so I could help these young people get to the championships.”
Both Lai and Cheng began playing Pokémon GO, when the game launched in 2016.
Professor Lai is himself an accomplished Level 49 Pokémon 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.
