Why in the world would anyone in the pokemon world aspire to be a pokemon?

They're slaves with questionable levels of free will but all the sapience to suffer through it. They're forced to fight constantly, risk being abandoned in a pokeball for eternity in some sort of bizarre energy state, or worse just be used as a food source. If they're lucky they'll just get locked in a breeding center with a ditto for all eternity.

I guess what I'm saying is that Valerie is a nutcase and/or a bestiality lover looking for a loophole.