4th Gen Where does the unchosen/unstolen starter go?

A fellow member brought up an interesting question in the 4th Gen Help Thread, and I thought it would be intriguing to listen to everyone's theories in a proper discussion.

So after you choose your own starter, and Silver steals his own, there's one remaining. Where does the third starter go? (Considering, we don't see it ever again.) Do you think Prof. Elm kept it around the lab, or perhaps another aspiring trainer (who we never know), is able to find a travelling companion in it? Tell us your theories, gogo!

I always thought that it was given to another trainer, just starting out in the world. Heck, the Bulbapedia article on New Bark Town says that it is hinted that the unchoosen starter is given to a new trainer, but I have yet to see any of those hints in the game beyond the ball being missing.

It's hard to tell in Johto since there isn't a trio of important characters, but I've always just assumed that someone is using it somewhere, whether it be Elm himself or just some other new trainer. I haven't really thought about it tbh!

Hmm it is an interesting question :3! I always found it fascinating and used to ask myself all the time "Where did the last starter go?" I'm going to take a guess and say my theory is, that a trainer just like you received the last one from Elm and went on his own separate adventure through Johto, although who it is remains unknown to anyone. Or maybe it was just taken away and stowed into Elm's PC, or kept in his research lab for company, although I believe that's its most likely a similar trainer got their hands on the last one :3.

This question is relevant to all games really (apart from BW where all starters get picked), there's always one left. I can't remember in HGSS specifically, but I remember in RB and FRLG the Pokéball just kind of stays there on the table unmoved :( poor thing.

Like others, it's always sad to see the unchosen/unstolen starter not make an appearance throughout the game. My theory is that Professor Elm probably kept it until some other aspiring trainer from New Bark Town would come in and take it. That's what I've always thought about everytime I start a new game. lol

I think that Elm gave the last starter to some other trainer. Either that, or he kept it for himself.

I think Elm may have decided to train it up and use it for himself. Or maybe Someone else stole it from him when you're off on your journey!

I bet he sent it to Hoenn, so Emerald can get one for completing the Hoenn Dex.

I'd say he keeps it in his lab for his own, that's what I've always thought....

I always thought he moved it so no one could steal that one too.

I'm probably assuming he gave it to a Trainer unseen in the game.

I really like the concept that Prof. Elm himself kept the little pokemon around and whenever I visited him my pokemon and that pokemon would catch up and play together!

But I'm okay with the concept of them finding their own trainer too and going off on an adventure. <3

I think he gave to trainer we didn't see in the game.

I'm not all that imaginative for my answer.
I would assume the Pokemon is just "deleted". :?

In the Battle Frontier, in HG/SS all starters can be found/Fought. So, there are other types of these pokemon since you can face them throughout your journey.. My question is why hasn't Nintendo/Game Freak EVER told us what has happend to the 3rd starter? It doesn't make sense to keep it from us. Also why can't you catch them in the wild? If the main character (who by the end is the Pokemon master) can't find these in the wild, where are all the other ones coming from?

If it wasn't given to Lyra/Ethan by Elm then it was most likely kept at the lab awaiting a trainer to take it under its wing while being taken care of by Elm personally.

I think Elm might give the last one to a new Pokemon trainer which we don't see in the game.

I have a strong feeling it is given to the Emerald trainer for completing the Hoenn Dex. And in the Kanto and Hoenn regions, what happens to the last starter? The Hoenn one is given to Steven and he gives it to you for choosing a stone. Of course, Oak keeps the last one and refills the other two so that he can make the choice for you.

Like many others, I always thought that he kept the unchosen starter for a future aspiring trainer, nothing too special about my thinking.