"Aunt Delia, speaking of which, if Ash goes on a journey, will he get his Starter Pokémon from Professor Oak?" Heath asked curiously. The League currently offered several ways for novice Trainers to get their Starter Pokémon. The first was to pay at a League office, then collect a League-raised Starter Pokémon-one of the three starters-at the designated time and place. The starters offered in the Kanto Region were Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur, and the same principle applied at Professor Oak's. The advantage was that the Starter Pokémon was fairly strong. After all, these three starters were specially raised, so their quality was guaranteed.
Moreover, the Starter Pokémon obtained from the League were very strong, considerably stronger than ordinary wild Pokémon of the same species. They could be considered excellent value for money.
The downside, however, was the cost, and the three starters were quite expensive. An ordinary family would often have to grit their teeth to buy one for their child. So what could families that were not so well-off do? That was where another profession came in: Pokémon Hunters. These hunters, however, were different from the Pokémon Hunters who had injured Charmeleon earlier. They were registered with the League and usually offered Pokémon-catching services at prices somewhat lower than the cost of a Starter Pokémon.
In other words, the family paid, and the child went out with a Pokémon Hunter to catch a Pokémon they liked. The price depended on the species and how difficult it was to catch. However, this sort of thing could easily violate the League's regulations, so relatively few people chose it. After all, when it got expensive, the cost could far exceed that of a League Starter Pokémon. Trainers also needed to patiently build a bond with Pokémon caught this way. If they