Larry

"The Exceptional Everyman"
Kofu
Species	Human
Affiliation	Pokémon League (Paldea)
Hair color	Black/Gray
Eye color	Black
Base	Medali Gym
Debut	Pokémon Scarlet/Violet

This article is about the Pokémon character. For the Super Mario character, see Larry Koopa.

Larry is a Gym Leader and Elite Four member of the Paldea region who was featured as an opponent in the ninth generation games of the Pokémon series, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. The only known character to act as a Gym Leader and Elite Four member at the same time, he specializes in Normal-type Pokémon in the former role and Flying-type Pokémon in the latter role.

Background

Larry was a Pokémon trainer who was known for living up to the image of an ordinary everyman, and he tended to shy away from the public light for the most part. He dressed like a businessman and always carried a briefcase with him. He spoke in a very dry manner and often felt beleaguered by his job as well as his boss, Geeta. According to Rika, Geeta was the one who recruited all of the Elite Four, and she implies that she strong-armed all of them into joining. While it was unclear which position he held first, Larry ended up in the unique position of being a Gym Leader and Elite Four member at the same time. As Gym Leader of Medali Gym, Larry specialized in Normal types, because the felt that he had a strong affinity with them. However, he was ordered to using Flying-type Pokémon instead in his position as an Elite Four member. He acted as the third member of the Elite Four. Larry spent his off-time at the Treasure Eatery in Medali, but it was also part of his Gym Leader role. His Gym Test consisted of ordering a special secret menu item from the restaurant, which was Larry's meal of choice. Upon completing the test, part of the restaurant would convert into a ring to be used for the gym battle.

In Scarlet/Violet, Larry first met Florian/Juliana when they came to take the Gym Test. Larry initially was sitting at the bar of the Treasure Eatery and provided one of the hints to the menu item without revealing who he was. He only revealed himself after Florian/Juliana ordered the secret menu item, at which point he took them on in a gym battle and was defeated. In the aftermath of the battle, he shared a meal with a trainer while a picture was taken of them, and he gave them his Gym Badge as well as TM025: Facade. Larry covered the bill due to having a salary and departed to get back to work (presumably his Elite Four duties). Larry was later revealed as an Elite Four member when Florian/Juliana reached him while undergoing the Elite Test portion of the Champion Assessment. After being defeated, he recognized their strength and attempted to call for the final member of the Elite Four, Hassel. However, he was not speaking loud enough, and Hassel only entered after Rika shouted for him. Hassel expressed his disappointment that Larry left the shouting to Rika, which made Larry bemoan that he would have to endure one of Hassel's 'endless lectures'. He then watched the battle with Hassel alongside Rika and Poppy. After Hassel was defeated, Larry wishes Florian/Juliana good luck against Geeta, although he was interrupted by an emotional outburst from Hassel. Larry also congratulated Florian/Juliana with the rest of the Elite Four after they completed the Champion Assessment, and they all spectated the battle between Florian/Juliana and Nemona that occurred afterwards at Mesagoza.

During the post-game, Geeta assigned Florian/Juliana to conduct evaluations of Paldea's gyms in her place by challenging all of the Gym Leaders to rematches. Larry was confused when Florian/Juliana showed up in her place, and once they explained the situation, he claimed that he would not let himself get roped into something like that. He proceeded to take on Florian/Juliana in a rematch after boasting the virtues of simplicity and was defeated again. However, his lost helped him to understand why he was told to use Flying-type Pokémon in the Elite Four: because there's scenery he'd miss from simply sticking to 'flat, well-trodden paths' and that it could do him good to admire high-soaring talent like that of Florian/Juliana's every now and then. Larry still claimed that it was ultimately because it was his boss's orders and that she wouldn't catch him doing it for fun. Larry decided to call it a day there, claiming he was told to cut down on his overtime hours.

Pokémon Roster

He uses the following Pokémon for his Normal-type Gym Leader roster:

• Komala
• Dudunsparce
• Oinkologne: Rematch only.
• Braviary: Rematch only.
• Staraptor: He Terrastalizes this Pokémon into a Normal Tera Type.

For the Elite Four battle, he uses the following Flying-type roster:

• Tropius
• Oricorio (Pom-Pom Style)
• Altaria
• Staraptor
• Flamigo: He Terrastalizes this Pokémon into a Flying Tera Type.

Trivia

• His Japanese name is Aoki, named after the Japanese word for a spotted laurel. His English name of Larry may also be based on 'laurel' and can also be taken from the word 'salaryman', in addition to Larry being considered to be an ordinary name.
• His two type specialties may reflect Normal/Flying being the most common dual-type combination, further adding to his 'ordinary' image. This is reflected in the Staraptor that is shared between both of his teams.
• Larry's tie has clouds on it, which could be foreshadowing of his second specialty.
• His favored special menu item is a medium serving grilled rice balls served extra crispy and Fire Blast style with lemon.
• He is the only character to be both a Gym Leader and Elite Four member at the same time. The only other character to have had both roles was Koga, who stopped being a Gym Leader when he joined the Elite Four.