Why do I get the feeling that the writer of this manga was a western-trained professional? He went out of his way to state characters had to be of "legal" age and takes an anti-Pokémon stance that's similar to 1990s PETA. Both views would've been highly present on university campuses a few decades ago.
Of course, another common view on university campuses would've also included alot of providing free or reduced cost healthcare to those who needed it, so it's not all bad.