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Larry doesn't game much, or at all, really. He busies himself with work, handling the position of a Gym Leader and Elite Four member. It's not an easy job. Those who work the league know how much he does and how much he contributes. The amount of overtime he puts into his job is evidence enough.
So, between working and eating, Larry has little time to do anything else. Gaming would be the last thing on his mind.
Rika didn't seem to mind that fact. She knows him well, as a coworker and friend. He's far too busy for his own good, and he definitely needs a break from this nonstop cycle of his.
"Poppy found this game," she starts. They're the last ones in the building, about to go home for the day. She pulls out her phone, tapping on the screen. After waiting for a loading screen to pass, a small avatar mimicking her appearance appears. "Wanna try it?"
"I don't play games," Larry says, politely. He didn't want to sound rude, but it is the truth.
Rika isn't surprised.
"Don't worry! It's not like one of those hardcore games that some of the kids play. This is a cute, cozy one!" The excitement in her voice raises. To prove her point, she makes her avatar move until she finds a Pokemon. A Whiscash happily greeted her. "See? It's a game that lets you play with Pokemon!"
Larry wants to decline. He doesn't see the appeal of this game at all. If Poppy found it, then it's probably meant for her age group. A game for kids to get accustomed to Pokemon before they go off on their journey. Although Poppy is a special case, considering her spot on the Elite Four. Did she really need to play a game like this?
He opens his mouth, ready to tell her that he'll pass. The businessman hesitates when he sees that look on her face. That charming smile that many have a hard time saying no to, him included. The expectant look as if this was a mandatory extracurricular activity shared amongst the Elite Four.
"I'll...give it a try."
After getting an excited cheer from Rika, she helps him download Pokemon Crossing: Pocket Park onto his phone.
It's not a bad game. Rika was right to call it not hardcore. Larry expected most games to have violence or some type of fighting involved. He's aware that not every game revolves around that; some have puzzles, and others are just visual novels.
This game is neither. It's a game involving caring for Pokemon that show up at your park. The main goal is to create habitats for certain species, make them happy, and level up friendship, all while getting some fun facts about the recruited Pokemon.
He understands why this game is aimed towards kids. It's cute and educational at the same time. An aspiring trainer could learn about their favorite Pokemon and prepare themselves for the real thing. It's definitely not a realistic experience, but it serves its purpose.
Larry plays this game daily. It isn't intentional, but when he's given a job to run a fictional park, he considers it to be like a real job. Thankfully, it's not time-consuming. Players aren't meant to play this game all day or 'speedrun' it, as he's heard some trainers say. So, he sets time aside to help out the Pokemon that come to his park.
"So, how's the game treatin' you?" Rika asks one day during their lunch hour. She takes the seat beside him, already pulling out her own meal.
"Fine, I suppose," he answers. Larry is about to take a bite of his sandwich, but catches the way she's looking at him. Far too curious, like he's supposed to tell her everything he's learned about this game. "Do you...want to see my park?"
"Yeah!"
Larry holds back a sigh as he sets his sandwich down. He'll be able to eat freely once the game is in her hands.
"It's nothing special," he says after handing his phone to her while he enjoys his sandwich.
"Huh..."
Rika's enthusiasm wavers as she finds his avatar unchanged. She almost thinks he only logged in daily, but she's proven wrong when she finds the habitats for his park. He put more work into the job assigned to him rather than himself. She really shouldn't be surprised.
First things first, she has to check out which Pokemon he has. She visits each one, greeting them as she goes along. Oinkologne, Tauros, Dudunsparce, Altaria, Flamigo, Staraptor, Komala, and Clodsire.
She has to do a double-take when she sees her beloved ground-type Pokemon is mixed in with his Normal and Flying themed park.
"Woah! You got my lil guy!" She gasps, eyes sparkling as she makes his avatar run around Clodsire in excitement. "Aww man, I've been tryin' to get him in my park for ages! I swear my Cloddy is scaring him away."
"He just showed up one day..."
It's not like he was trying to summon Clodsire specifically. Pokemon appeared at random, as far as he's aware. While he wanted to make a different habitat for a new Pokemon, he didn't have the heart to kick it out of his park. Sure, Clodsire didn't fit his park's theme, but this is his coworker's ace.
Clodsire means a lot to Rika. He knows how fond she is of her 'lil guy'. It felt a bit cruel to kick it out when she was the one who coerced him into playing this game.
So, he kept Clodsire.
"I'm glad you kept him," she says before handing his phone back to him. "Maybe if I see a Staraptor, I'll make a spot for it in my park."
"You don't have to..."
"Eh, it's fine," she shrugs. "Poppy likes seeing Pokemon we have. She got really hyped over seeing a Tinkaton in my park. Ran up to me when she got a Paldean Wooper too!" She chuckles at the memory.
"She doesn't know I'm playing it," he states.
"Oh, right. I told her I'd tell ya to play. Wasn't sure if you'd keep up with the game and all. Hassel doesn't play too much and La Primera...well, you know how she is."
Even busier than him. Somehow, that was actually possible.
Larry goes quiet as he eats. He realizes that he doesn't need to keep playing this game. Only half of the Elite Four seemed to be taking it seriously anyway. It would be easy to say he got busy and couldn't tend to his park anymore. It would be better to spend time with his actual Pokemon instead.
"You like this game?" He asks.
"Hmm...guess I do! It's cute. Not somethin' I'd play forever though. Helps pass the time if a taxi rides borin'."
"...I'll stop when Poppy stops then."
Rika seems surprised. Larry assumes due to her lack of response. Although hearing her chuckle makes it seem like he was wrong.
"She'll hold you to your words, ya know? Oh yeah! They're supposedly going to add a visitin' feature. Just know we might invade your park if that does happen."
"Oh." Suddenly, he feels a little more self-conscious about his park. Although Rika likes it, Poppy would most likely enjoy it too, so he has little to worry about. He doubts anyone else would want to come see his park.
"It's a possibility then," he adds. "I'll greet you both at my park if those plans follow through."
Rika lights up at his response as if it was something she was waiting to hear. She seems almost too happy over this, not that he minds it, though. Maybe it really wouldn't hurt to keep playing this game for a while longer.