As Yuga and Harrison arrived at Professor Birch's research institute, a young man with green hair and dressed in a white lab coat was craning his neck to get a better look at them.
When he spotted Harrison, the young man exclaimed with delight, "Harrison, you're finally here! I've been waiting for you for a long time!"
However, he quickly noticed Harrison's disheveled appearance and asked in surprise, "What happened to you? You're soaking wet."
Harrison smiled awkwardly and replied, "Hehe, I accidentally fell into the water."
"Yuga? Why are you here with Harrison?" The young man noticed Yuga and asked in amazement.
This young man was Aru, the one who had answered the phone when Yuga had contacted Professor Birch. He was clearly surprised to see Yuga.
Yuga chuckled and said, "We happened to meet on the way. Let's let Harrison go inside first; otherwise, he might get sick."
"Yes, yes, you're right!" Aru slapped his forehead and turned to Harrison. "Come on, let's go inside quickly."
Inside the Professor Birch Research Institute, Aru helped Harrison take a hot shower and dried his wet clothes, thus sparing Harrison from the "misfortune" of catching a cold.
Meanwhile, Yuga had the chance to meet Professor Birch.
"Please release Magikarp so I can examine it," Professor Birch said to Yuga.
Yuga nodded and placed Magikarp in a large water basin in front of them.
As soon as Magikarp entered the basin, it vigorously splashed water around, creating a shower that drenched Professor Birch, who had leaned in for a closer look.
"Hehe, it's truly an energetic Magikarp!" Professor Birch wiped his face and said awkwardly.
Yuga could only smile helplessly.
After observing for a while, Professor Birch stood up and said, "Indeed, just by observing with the naked eye, we can't see anything. It seems we'll need to use instruments for a thorough examination."
Yuga nodded in agreement.
At this moment, Professor Birch suggested, "By the way, today is the day that Harrison, that child, comes to receive his starter Pokémon. Would you like to join us and have a look before the examination?"
Professor Birch knew about Yuga's Pokémon Day Care and had heard that Yuga had declined the Prosecutor's examination to support his Day Care. He found Yuga's personality quite intriguing.
After a moment of thought, Yuga agreed to Professor Birch's suggestion. He also wanted to see the Pokémon League's starter Pokémon, especially Torchic.
In Hoenn, there were three starter Pokémon species available, and Yuga's Ecopark didn't have Torchic. So, apart from reading about them in books and watching them on TV, Yuga hadn't seen Torchic up close, which he considered a missed opportunity.
As Yuga and Professor Birch arrived in the institute's living room, Aru arrived with three Poké Balls containing starter Pokémon for Harrison.
By this time, Harrison had already changed into his dry clothes, looking much better than his previous drenched appearance. Yuga's jacket, which had also been dried, was placed to the side.
"Professor, Yuga," Aru greeted them as he approached.
"Please continue; we're just here to watch," Professor Birch told Aru.
Aru nodded and picked up the three Poké Balls, releasing the three Pokémon. On the left was a Water-type Mudkip, in the middle was a Fire-type Torchic, and on the right was a Grass-type Treecko.
Aru explained, "First, we have Mudkip, a Water-type Pokémon. This little one is quite sociable and should be easy to get along with."
Harrison approached Mudkip, and the Pokémon gazed at him with a blank expression before letting out a gentle cry.
"Next is Torchic, a Fire-type Pokémon!" Aru continued with his introductions.
Harrison squatted down in front of Torchic. The Fire-type Pokémon was lively, bouncing and jumping around enthusiastically, trying to impress its new trainer.
"Finally, we have Treecko, a Grass-type Pokémon."
This particular Treecko seemed a bit shy. While Aru was introducing the starters, it suddenly darted behind Aru, peeking out with only its head visible, observing Harrison cautiously.
Aru chuckled and said, "This little one is a bit shy but very gentle. I'm sure you'll get along well."
After carefully observing the three distinctly different Pokémon, Harrison decided, "I've made up my mind; I want this one!" He picked up Torchic from the center.
Torchic, being chosen, was ecstatic and nuzzled the young boy who was about to become its trainer.
On the other hand, Treecko, not selected, appeared somewhat disheartened, with tears welling up in its eyes.
Mudkip, however, didn't seem to mind whether it was chosen or not and maintained its blank expression.
In Yuga's eyes, these three Pokémon were quite similar. They all had outstanding green potentials, basic skills suitable for novice trainers, and typical abilities of the Hoenn starters: Torrent, Blaze, and Overgrow.
As for their personalities, these could be developed through post-capture training. After all, it was well-known that Pokémon gradually became more like their trainers in terms of personality.
After Harrison made his selection, Aru handed him a Pokédex and three Poké Balls.
This was Yuga's first time witnessing a new trainer selecting their starter Pokémon, and he found it quite refreshing, as it was an experience he had never personally undergone.
Once Harrison left, Professor Birch smiled at Yuga and asked, "So, how was it? The starter Pokémon provided by the League for new trainers seem impressive, don't they?"
Yuga nodded in agreement.
Indeed, the League had resources and expertise in Pokémon breeding that surpassed those of private Day Care. They possessed the best breeding stock, cutting-edge breeding techniques, and, most importantly, the vast quantity required to cater to the region's many new trainers.
For instance, consider the yearly provision of starter Pokémon to direct line trainers. While the number of direct line trainers was relatively low compared to other trainers, when combined with the entire region, it became a substantial quantity. Providing these trainers with starter Pokémon of at least green potential wasn't something that private Day Care could easily achieve, let alone providing three specific species.
Professor Birch chuckled heartily and said, "Now that we've seen the Pokémon, it's time to investigate the Magikarp issue."