Pikachu pals: how Hong Kong’s teen Pokemon Go star teamed up with 75-year-old doctor

Without Pokemon Go, 16-year-old Cheng Yip-kai might never have met 75-year-old Lai Ching-lung, a renowned liver expert in Hong Kong and fellow enthusiast of the augmented reality mobile game.

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.