What degree of rights do Pokemon have in society? Many pokemon are as intelligent as people, some even more so. The anime famously shows that through determination alone Pokemon can be taught perfect human speech, even the more animal-like Pokemon. They have been portrayed in some media as setting up their own societies and businesses amongst their own kind. But despite this, when amongst humans they are almost always treated as the property of their trainers.

They don't have their own homes, use human money, or anything like that. They're freely bought, sold, and traded. In the games you even push them to breed with one another to mass produce eggs. These things would be unconcioinable were they done to other humans, but because Pokemon may walk on four legs or have fur it's accepted.

Consider this: a trainer forces a Pokemon to produce an egg, then wants to give that egg away. The Pokemon wants to keep it. Who is legally allowed to make that choice? Or what if a Pokemon dislikes their trainer, and is taken in by a neighbor. Did the neighbor steal that Pokemon, and can the trainer use legal pressure to retake their property? Can a Pokemon without a trainer - and for the sake of argument, let's consider the Pokemon as one like Meowth who can talk like a human - work at a human business and maintain their own finances? Can they attend schools, vote, or hold public office? Can they marry or own homes?