Here is an interesting thought about the Pokémon games: because the professor kindly and very generously gives you a Starter, wouldn't it be courteous and right to fill the Pokédex like they requested? They did something nice for you, shouldn't you do something nice for them in return?
When I completed the Pokédex in Sun, I went to Kukui because I thought he would give me the shiny charm and he literally didn’t care that I completed the Pokédex. I had to go to the game freak building and one of the guys in there gave me the shiny charm lol
The older games actually had the professors already giving you your first Pokémon/Pokédex in exchange for something so you don't really owe them the extra favor until the more recent games, at which point they seem to become far less interested in your Pokédex completion. Oak: Gives you the Pokédex after you deliver his package to him. Elm: Gives you a Pokémon in exchange for going in his place to see Mr. Pokémon's new discovery. Birch: Lets you take one of his Pokémon as thanks for saving him from a wild Pokémon. Rowan: Lets you keep one of his Pokémon as thanks for returning his briefcase. Juniper: I could be misremembering, but I seem to recall the Pokémon and Pokédex she gives you being a birthday present.
What I'm wondering is why these Pokémon professors are sending a bunch of ten year olds out to do this very important scientific research. Isn't that what assistants should be for? And completing a Pokédex takes many hours of long, potentially dangerous, work. It would involve leaving home, negotiating with people who may try to take advantage of you (trading for the game exclusives), and finding legendary Pokémon that most people don't even believe actually exist. It's not fair to ask a kid to do all that work, unpaid, because you gave them a pet. That would be like someone going to a child, giving them a puppy, and then telling them to find and document every single kind of animal that lives in the country. It's just not reasonable. or a fair exchange.
The trainer is the one who approaches the professor wanting a Pokémon to go on an adventure around the region which makes them more convenient than assistants. Besides I'm pretty sure the assistants do lab work.
Honestly I was thinking for like 20 minutes of a response but I think the most reasonable answer is that if the professor really wanted a 10 year old kid to do all this then why the fuck are they a professor. The whole assistants doing things around the lab makes sense until you realize maybe they could do something in the field. This whole thing is a question as old as time though. Or at least as long as the franchise has been around.
But it is not like that they do it because they want to it's the way things are. In each region once reaching a specified age one may start training Pokémon (for the kalos region it is once one is a teenager) so it is not like you as the player character are doing anything new. And to be honest in the manga only certain trainers get the Pokédex and are called Pokédex holders (Ie Blue, Red, Green, Yellow exct) basically each region only had certain trainers were given the Pokédex. So yea why it's still questionable they let someone so young do this (and to me even bigger take on evil organization's) it is what it is.... also fun fact Giovanni actually does do some good things in the manga.
